multiethnic churches

Introduction: this resource page provides a vast collection of information to grow + build multi-ethnic/ multi-racial churches and ministries, because the Gospel is for all peoples!

“According to statistics from 2000, only about 5.5% of Protestant churches are ‘multiracial’ when defined as a congregation where at least 20% of the congregants is composed of a different race.”[via]

“According to the 1998 National Congregations Survey, only 7% of American congregations were multiracial, defined as having no more than 80% of one racial group. More specifically in the case of Christian congregations, 15% of Catholic churches, 6% of conservative Protestant churches, and 3% of mainline Protestant churches were multiracial.” — ‘Multiethnic Congregations‘ by Kathleen Garces-Foley in Christian Reflection: A Series in Faith and Ethics.

“According to Michael Emerson… the proportion of American churches with 20% or more minority participation has languished at about 7.5% for the past nine years. But among Evangelical churches with attendance of 1,000 people or more, the slice has more than quadrupled, from 6% in 1998 to 25% in 2007.” in Time Magazine’s Can Megachurches Bridge the Racial Divide? (January 2010) *

“Large Protestant churches (more than 1000 regular attendees) are more than twice as likely to be multiracial now compared to a decade ago.” — Michael Emerson, February 2010.

Open Directory of Multi-ethnic Churches (add yours!)

Events

• Mosaix Global Network website – conferences & events
• Calendar of events listed by TheNewCulture.org [direct link to Google Calendar]

Books

• The Post-Black and Post-White Church: Becoming the Beloved Community in a Multi-Ethnic World~ Efrem Smith
• Being the Church in a Multi-Ethnic Community: Why It Matters and How It Works ~ Gary L. McIntosh, Alan McMahan [pre-order]
• Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation ~
  Gerardo Marti
• The Post-Racial Church: A Biblical Framework for Multiethnic Reconciliation ~ Kenneth Mathews, M. Sydney Park
• Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church ~ Paul Louis Metzger
• Church Diversity: Sunday The Most Segregated Day of the Week ~ Scott Williams cf. Church Diversity website
• A Transforming Vision: Multiethnic fellowship in college and in the Church ~ Paul V Sorrentino
• God’s New Humanity: A Biblical Theology of Multiethnicity for the Church~ David E. Stevens and Paul Louis Metzger
• Multicultural Ministry Handbook: Connecting Creatively to a Diverse World ~ David Anderson
• Many Colors: Cultural Intellignece for a Changing Church ~ Soong-Chan Rah
• The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church form Western Cultural Captivity ~ Soong-Chan Rah
• A Story of Rhythym and Grace: What the Church Can Learn from Rock and Roll About Healing the Racial Divide ~ Jimi Calhoun
• The Color of Church: A Biblical and Practical Paradigm for Multiracial Churches ~ Rodney M. Woo
• Should Pastors Accept or Reject the Homogeneous Unit Principle? eBook ~ Mark DeYmaz
• Being White: Finding Our Place in a Multiethnic World ~ Paula Harris, Doug Schaupp
• Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church ~ Mark DeYmaz and Harry Li
• Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church: Mandate, Commitments and Practices of a Diverse Congregation ~ Mark DeYmaz
• Crossing the Ethnic Divide: The Multiethnic Church on a Mission ~ Kathleen Garces-Foley – a case study on Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles, pastored by Ken Fong
• Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical’s Inside View of White Christianity ~ Edward Gilbreath (cf. CT article, Exit Interviews: Why blacks are leaving evangelical ministries)
• People of the Dream: Multiracial Congregations in the United States ~ Michael O. Emerson, with Rodney M. Woo; cf. The Christian Century review “Choosing to be different” by R. Stephen Warner
• A Church Of Our Own: Disestablishment And Diversity In American Religion ~ R. Stephen Warner (September 2005); also in hardcover
• The Multicultural Leader: Developing A Catholic Personality ~ Dan Sheffield (January 2005)
• A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church ~ Gerardo Marti (January 2005) – excellent in-depth sociological analysis of Mosaic Los Angeles, an incubator of leading innovation; Book Review by R. Stephen Warner in The Christian Century
• Multicultural Ministry: Finding Your Church’s Unique Rhythm ~ David Anderson (April 2004) – Great practical guide from a leading practitioner
• A Many Colored Kingdom: Multicultural Dynamics for Spiritual Formation ~ Elizabeth Conde-Frazier, Steve Kang, Gary Parrett (March 2004)
  Description: A Many Colored Kingdom explores Christian formation and teaching in the church, with a particular focus on intercultural and interethnic relationships.
• United by Faith: The Multiracial Congregation as an Answer to the Problem of Race ~ Curtiss Paul Deyoung, Michael O. Emerson, George Yancey, Karen Chai Kim
• Divided By Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America ~ Michael Emerson
• One Body, One Spirit: Principles of Successful Multiracial Churches ~ George A. Yancey
• Racism@Work Among The LORD’s People ~ Robert Upton
• No Partiality : The Idolatry of Race and the New Humanity ~ Douglas R. Sharp
• Prejudice and the People of God: How Revelation and Redemption Lead to Reconciliation ~ Charles Ware
• One New People: Models for Developing a Multiethnic Church ~ Manuel Ortiz (1996; IVP’s preview; this excellent book shares case studies of churches listed above)
• The Global God : Multicultural Evangelical Views of God ~ Aida Besancon Spencer & William David Spencer,editors (1998; Baker)
• What Color Is Your God? : Multi Cultural Education in the Church ~ James Breckenridge (1994) includes excellent chapters on Asian American culture and social dynamics; the traditional ethnic Asian church is a multi cultural setting, which implies cross cultural communication methods for ministry and teamwork
• Where the Nations Meet : Reaching the World Next Door ~ Stephen A. Rhodes (1998; IVP) sets forth a biblical, ministry-tested pastoral theology of multicultural ministry
• annotated bibliography of books and articles from congregations.info
• Strange Virtues : Ethics in a Multicultural World ~ Bernard T. Adeney (1995; view IVP’s preview)
• Racial Equality in the Church : A Critique of the Homogeneous Unit Principle in Light of a Practical Theology Perspective ~ Bruce W. Fong (1996)
  makes a case for church life that balances between reality and theology, suggests possible models of mutual acceptance in the church, and wrestles with the question: “Are ethnic churches biblically justifiable?”
• Embracing Diversity : Leadership in Multicultural ~ Charles R. Foster
• “We’re the Church Together” ~ Foster & Brelsford
• Focus Groups : A Practical Guide for Applied Research ~ Richard A. Krueger
• A Theology As Big As The City ~ Ray Bakke (1997; view IVP’s preview)
• The Gospel in Black & White : Theological Resources for Racial Reconciliation ~ Dennis L. Okholm (Editor, 1998)
• The Universe Next Door : A Basic Worldview Catalog ~ James W. Sire (3rd ed, 1997; view IVP’s preview)
• Neighboring Faiths ~ A Christian Introduction to World Religions ~ Winfried Corduan (1998; IVP) not just a formal survey of world religious teachings, but how each religion is practiced in daily life
• Cross-Cultural Conflict : Building Relationships for Effective Ministry ~ Duane Elmer (1994; view IVP’s preview) good handbook for conflict resolution across a wide variety of cultures; concepts such as truth, integrity and accountability aren’t so transcendent
• Penetrating Missions’ Final Frontier: A New Strategy for Unreached Peoples ~ Tetsunao Yamamori (1993; view IVP’s preview)*

Churches

• Open Directory of Multi-ethnic Churches // Multiethnic Churches Listing
• Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas (Little Rock, AR)
  Pastor Mark DeYmaz; home of the Mosaix Global Network
• Bridgeway Community Church (Columbia MD)
  Pastor David Anderson, author of Multicultural Ministry: Finding Your Church’s Unique Rhythm, co-author of Letters Across the Divide: Two Friends Explore Racism, Friendship, and Faith; hosted Reconciliaton Live radio talk show
• Mosaic (Los Angeles CA)
  Pastor Erwin McManus [about 1/3 Latino, 1/3 Asian, 1/3 Anglo]
• Newsong Community Church (Irvine CA)
  Pastor David Gibbons [35% Korean, 35% Chinese, 10% Asian, 17% White, 3% African-American & Hispanic]
• Grace Bible Fellowship (Cary NC)
  Pastor Norman Peart, author of Separate No More: Understanding and Developing Racial Reconciliation in Your Church
• Glide Memorial United Methodist Church (San Francisco)
  news articles from 2002: Church gets leg up on inner-city outreach, Glide Memorial United Methodist programs, Radical church looks at its future, Interview with Cecil Williams
• Washington International Church (DC)
• Jubilee Christian Center (San Jose) – [ 35% White, 30% African-Am, 20% Hispanic, 15% Asian ]
• Covenant Church of Pittsburgh (PA) – [ about 50% White, 50% African-Am ]
• Armitage Baptist Church (Chicago IL) – people from over 40 nations in attendance
• Christian Fellowship Baptist Church (Amherst NY) [1/3 Black, 1/3 White, 1/3 Indian/Pakistani]
• Emmanuel Reformed Church (Paramount CA) [50% White, 40% Latino, and 10% Black]
• Rock of Our Salvation (Chicago IL)
  Pastor Raleigh Washington (with Glen Kehrein; authors of Breaking Down Walls : A Model for Reconciliation in an Age of Racial Strife )
• Word of Life (Springfield VA) over 100 nationalities in its international congregation

Articles

• “On Earth as it is in Heaven” (PDF) by Glen Kinoshita (in Prism Magazine, Sept/Oct 2006) — focuses on segregation that exists within the body of Christ despite the value of equality and justice that Christians profess. Kinoshita interviewed two pastors Adam Edgerly and Ken Fong, pastors who hold racial reconciliation as a core value and Brad Christerson, associate professor of sociology at Biola University, on their perspectives of church diversity.
• Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (Volume 47 Issue 1, March 2008) has a bunch of multiethnic church articles, e.g.
  • “Bring Race to the Center: The Importance of Race in Racially Diverse Religious Organizations “
  • “Fluid Ethnicity and Ethnic Transcendence in Multiracial Churches “
  • “Comparing Catholic and Evangelical Integration Efforts “
  • “Racially Diverse Congregations: Organizational Identity and the Accommodation of Differences “
  • “Politics and Church: Byproduct or Central Mission? “
  • “Predicting Reaction to a Message of Ministry: An Audience Analysis “
  • “Racial Diversity, Gender Equality, and SES Diversity in Christian Congregations: Exploring the Connections of Racism, Sexism, and Classism in Multiracial and Nonmultiracial Churches “
• Sociologist’s Book Explores Keys to Multiethnic Church Membership (Davidson newsletter, September 2004)
• 2003 AAR Abstracts re: multiethnic churches, includes great titles like: “Ethnic Diversity and the Culture of Discomfort,” “Multi-Ethnic Congregations in a Microcosm of World Religions: Snapshots from Flushing, Queens,” “Power and Class: Faith-Based Organizing in a Multi-Ethnic Community”, and “Can Lightning Strike Twice? A Comparative Analysis of Two Large Multi-Ethnic Congregations in Los Angeles.”
• Leading Multi-Ethnic Congregation from an Assemblies of God perspective
• A Church for Our Capital by David Wong, excerpt from Church Planting Voices by Michael Noel (1998) — “A church targeting internationals runs counter to the church growth principle of homogeneous groups.”
• One Lord, One Faith, Many Ethnicities - a great interview with Intervarsity about how it became (one of the few) ethnically diverse Christian organizations (CT 12/30/03)
• Color-Blinded: Why 11 o’clock Sunday morning is still a mostly segregated hour. An excerpt from Divided by Faith. By Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith. (Christianity Today, October 2000)
• A Multiethnic Model of the Church by Russell C. Rosser (Direction Journal, Fall 1998).
• “The inverted norm: the formation and functioning of racially mixed congregations in South Africa”. In Cousineau, Madeleine (ed.) 1998. Religion in a Changing World. Westport, CT: Praeger, pp. 69-78.
• “A global perspective on racial and linguistic integration in South African Christian congregations.“ Journal of World-Systems Research 5, 3 1999:521-553.
• “Silencing Babel: Language preference in voluntary associations – evidence from multi-cultural congregations”. Society in Transition 29 (1-2) 1998: 22-39.
• “Mending the multi-coloured coat of a rainbow nation: cultural accommodation in ethnically mixed urban congregations”. Missionalia 23 (3) 1995: 312-338.
• Multicultural Church Planting Models (PDF) – Kenneth Davis, in The Journal of Ministry & Theology, Baptist Bible College & Seminary (Spring 2003)
• Choices for Congregations: Creating Multicultural and Multigenerational Congregations (Word DOC) by George Bullard
• Multiracial Congregations Project - research led by a team with Michael Emerson, funded by Lilly Endowment
• God’s New Community: The Challenges and Hopes for Multi-racial Churches in America – Jeff Bailey interviews Dr. Michael Emerson, author of Divided By Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America ( Cutting Edge, Summer 2002)
• Learning to Live Together: An Inside Look at One of the Most Culturally Diverse Churches in the Vineyard An Interview with Steve
  Nicholson, Senior Pastor, Evanston (IL) Vineyard ( Cutting Edge, Summer 2002)
• Living in America: Becoming a Multi-Cultural Movement By Mark Fields ( Cutting Edge, Summer 2002)
• Being the People of God: Dealing with the Dividing Walls of Hostility An interview with Mark Fee and Chuck Sullivan, pastors at MetroNorth Vineyard, Melrose, Massachusetts ( Cutting Edge, Summer 2002)
• Church Champions Update #93- spotlights cross-cultural ministries (it’s not only an “over there” thing)
• Multiracial congregations in America: Looking for a more realistic picture of what the world looks like, by Elfriede Wedam
• “Several Nations Under God”: Urban Space, Race, and Religion, a paper presented by Tyrone R. Simpson II (Nov. 2002)
• ‘The most segregated hour in America’: A look at three churches that worship the multicultural way (inthefray.com, Nov. 2001)
• How multi-cultural is the postmodern church? Really. (Next Wave, Mar. 2001)
• Hues in the Pews: Racially Mixed Churches an Elusive Goal (Christian Century, Feb. 2001)
• Urban Cross-Cultural Church Planting Models by Jerry L. Appleby (1986) – nice pictoral overview of church models progressing thru cultural contexts

Links

• Mosaix Global Network: inspiring unity and diversity in the local church [a collaborative network] cf. Mosaix blog + Mosaix multi-ethnic ministry conferences
• TheNewCulture.org – a website of ReNew Partnerships — provides Bible-based resources and training to help Christian leaders to understand, build, and sustain biblical, multi-ethnic community
• Art Lucero’s Unity in Christ magazine and on his blog meticulously defines these terms:
  • Multi-ethnic: A church that is made up of multiple ethnic groups that worship in the language of the dominant group.
  • Multi-cultural: A church that is made up of multiple ethnic groups, but offers worship services in the language and cultural context of one or more immigrant communities as well as in the language of the dominate group.
  • Multi-racial: A church that is made up of multiple races, in North America it is used to refer to a congregation that is predominately White and African-American.
  • Multiculturalism: This term should not be used in the context of the evangelical church. It embodies more than just diversity of ethnicity and culture, it also refers to sexual preference issues.
• Robert Upton: a ministry that is seeking to engage Christian leaders in a discussion and conversation about the Multiethnic/Blended Church
• The BridgeLeader Network (hosted 3 annual Multicultural Leadership Summits– 2001-2003)
• The General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR), a commission of the United Methodist Church – has an excellent bibliography on resources related to racial reconcilation
• emergent diversity — a (blog) conversation on multiculturalism and the church
• Multiethnicity at Intervarsity’s Document Library- perhaps the leading organization that is living out, training, and mobilizing multiethnic leaders
• Assisting Multicultural Churches With Their Various Expressions of Worship – big list of links
• Ethnic Harvest – excellent resource center for serving the ethnic diversity already here in America
• National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC)
• Blended Church Network – a new multi-denominational network
• MultiethnicChurch.com – Pastor Gordon Marchant’s resources
• Congregations.info – best research project with quantified data about multiracial churches
• Antioch Global Network Conference – Multi-ethnic/Cross-Cultural Ministry Conference
• Multicultural Church Network
  part of the AA Church Consulting web site – ministry of Robert Goette, specializing in Korean/Asian Americans
• BrRon’s list of Books on Cultures and Christianity

Cultures

• AAAUnity: African and Asian American Unity
• Unblinded.com: Interracial Community
• ColorQ World: interracial interactions between people of color
• NewDemographic.com: strategies for a mixed race society

Past Events

• Oct 17, 2008 — Multi-Cultural Leadership Conference (Minneapolis, MN)
  with Sheryl Sanders, Michael Emerson, Curtiss DeYoung, Efrem Smith, Jin S. Kim
• Oct 22-25 — CCDA National Conference (Miami, FL)
  with Soong Chan Rah, AR Bernard, John Perkins, and more
• Nov 15, 2008 – Mosaix Northeast Conference(Lancaster, PA)
• Nov 7-8, 2008 – Mosaix Portland Conference (OR)
  with Rodney Woo, Richard White
• Mar 19-20, 2009 — Ethnic America Summit (Phoenix, AZ)
  with Lisa Chinn, Tom Steffan, Noel Castellanos, Huron Clous
• April 26-29, 2011 - The Multi-ethnic Church Planting Conference @ Exponential (Orlando, FL)
• April 20 & 30, 2011 - Race To Unity Conference 2011: REMOVING THE WEDGE @ Grand Rapids

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