Churches Working Towards Being Multi-Racial

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Recommended: Religious diversity importance

During the 1st century there is this historical moment recorded in the book of Acts when the Spirit of God filled a crowd so they could speak in each other languages which made them all understand each other. Later, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, preaches a sermon to this crowd which consists of many different races gathered together in Jerusalem and they are all converted. The book later describes that this forms the early Christian church which is made up of many different races. Fast forward 2,000 years and in America where Christian churches hardly make up two different races. The fact that few churches in America aren’t working harder towards being more multi-racial is birthing a new unhealthy trend of laziness, passion-less and declining growth for Christian churches.
Christian churches aren’t being intentional about being more multiracial in the congregations because it is easier to be made up of one race with certain mainstream similarities. Congregations feel like they are losing their identity when many races are incorporated into corporate worship. For example, consider a black church that starts having more white members. There arises an idea among members and leadership that there needs to be more changes to accompany these member such as style of worship, mode of preaching and even kinds of food at church events is considered. It is really easy for a church to get comfortable when the congregation and the leadership are all of the same race. What happens when an all-white church hires a new pastor who is black? In an article about racial integration, Gerardo Marti talks to African-American church goers who are given this example in which one responds by saying the following:
There are still people who are I’d sa...

... middle of paper ...

...p Jesus Christ because he has reconciled races together to do his mission on the earth.

Works Cited

Emerson, Michael O., and George A. Yancey. Transcending Racial Barriers : Toward A Mutual Obligations Approach. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Halliday, Adele. "Migration And Multicultural Ministries As Mission." International Review Of Mission 101.2 (2012): 407-414. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Marti, Gerardo. "The Religious Racial Integration Of African Americans Into Diverse Churches." Journal For The Scientific Study Of Religion 49.2 (2010): 201-217. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Velloso Ewell, C. Rosalee. "Missio Dei Missio Dei: The Theological Roots Of Evangelism." International Review Of Mission 101.2 (2012): 385-387. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

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