Ministry News
Megachurches Break the Racial Divide
- Details
- Tuesday, 12 January 2010 17:32
As the nation celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, a new group is breaking the racial divide often seen on Sunday mornings—evangelical megachurches. According to a Time magazine report about 25 percent of churches with at least 1,000 members have more than 20 percent minority congregants. This is compared to only 7.5 percent of churches smaller than 1,000 congregants that claim to have more than 20 percent minorities.
Joel Osteen's 43,500-member Lakewood Church in Houston is evenly divided among blacks, Hispanics and a group including whites and Asians. Bill Hybels' 23,400-person Willow Creek Church in Chicago has 20 percent minorities.
David Campbell, a political scientist at Notre Dame who is studying this trend, says "if tens of millions of Americans start sharing faith across racial boundaries, it could be one of the final steps transcending race as our great divider."
Hybels has said he has been intentional about integrating his once all-white congregation. Willow Creek has added a variety of musical styles to their worship experience, a bilingual service and a small-group study about race to their church agenda. Hybels says it wasn't until he read Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America that he realized that having segregated churches violated Scripture. "I went from thinking I don't have a race problem to There is a huge problem in our world that I need to be part of resolving," Hybels said. [time.com, 1/11/10]
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Comments
I don't believe that all churches should be multicultural. You're right in suggesting that approach to ministry would be disingenuous at best.
Rather, all churches should be a mirror reflection of their community.
So, if you are in all black community than you should have an all black church. Of if you are in all all Asian community ... you get the picture.
But if you are in a multicultural community (i.e., Bill Hybels and Willow), your church should reflect that diversity.
In that setting, it is Biblical and spiritually appropriate to offer a wide range of music/ministry styles that appeal to each culture represented in the community.
If we knowingly or unknowingly exclude others by our approach, it makes Jesus angry. Read Mark 11:15.
That intentional style of multicultural ministry is an authentic expression of the body of Christ walking together in harmony and unity. That kind of ministry that makes room for everyone makes God smile.
Along with, "Willow Creek has added a variety of musical styles to their worship experience...." Hip Hop and Rap?
I can just picture black churches having special Country Music worship services to draw Caucasians. That's not about to happen.
While it's wonderful to have Brethren of all races worshiping together, why does it take compromise and gimmicks as a draw? There is going to be a price paid somewhere along the line for trying to become "multi-cultural" just for the sake of bridging the "racial divide."
This is taking "Seeker Friendly" churches to a new low.
Shouldn't the power of the Gospel be enough to draw believers together? Or, am I missing something here?
Just a thought.
Check out www.peopleschurch.tv which is a multicultural church led by my friend Herbert Cooper. He's black and married to a white girl and leads a 3000 member church with at least 20% whites if not more.
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