I’m writing this from the front seat of a packed out charter bus (Fung Wah—a charter bust that takes you from China Town Boston to China Town NYC) and it’s certainly an interesting experience. All around me are people of different ethnicities, speaking in different dialects and languages on their cell phones and in conversation… it’s like I’ve somehow entered into a Pentecostal worship service and everyone is speaking in tongues. It is, however, an amazing experience nonetheless to hear so many people from all over the world come together to travel the same stretch of road.
I wish this bus was more indicative of what local expressions of the church look like. I wish that we could break through the cultural and ethnic lines that keep us separated and somehow come together as one, journeying along the same road towards revealing and proclaiming the Kingdom to the world.
I think that this is a unique issue specifically for the American church at large to take on. We are (as a country) the melting-pot of the world comprised of so many different nationalities, ethnicities, and cultures, and perhaps (in my estimation) the only country in the world like this. This presents a unique opportunity for us to do something remarkable as local expressions of the body of Christ.
I’m not exactly sure how to break through these lines, but we will certainly be attempting such a feat in the very ethnically diverse city of San Francisco where to be Caucasian is no longer the majority (46% vs. 54%)—a growing trend in cities and urban centers all over the country. Times are changing, and I’m excited to see what this next move of ethnically and culturally diverse churches will bring about.
Related posts:
- a new national mission statement.
- Uganda, Africa
- vonnegutisms
- a little bit of history repeating
- sex & soccer.
yeah, except they’ll want you to play music you think sucks, and when you don’t play it, they’ll start their own church.
I think you’re totally right Aaron. Problem is, I can’t think of a single church that really does that well. Like Eric said, different cultures have different tastes, and it’s hard to figure out how to meet those needs. Actually, the Romeoville campus is about as diverse of a local place of worship as I’ve seen, but it’s still not representative of the community.
is it really all about music though? i’m sure that’s a part of it… but there’s got to be more to it than musical stylings, right? if there’s truly an intimate connection among people, and if we broaden the artistic expression from being solely about music, we could quite possibly begin connecting with more people in that way, right?
it’s got to be more than just musical stylings at romeoville that keeps people coming… right?
Yeah, it’s more than musical style, in romeoville but the arts team had alot to do with paving the way taoward the diveristy we’ve experienced. Greg was pretty intentional about making the arts there more diverse, making sure there was diversity on stage every week, bringing black Gospel elements into the service, adding a choir, etc. There was also some intentionality in the hiring done there. bringing Dennis Taylor on as well as Pillara Smith was in some ways strategic in reaching a growing African American demographic in Romeoville. I’d love to hear about other artistic expressions other than music that could bridge the diversity gaps though. Any odeas?