An Invitation to Multi-Cultural Ministry
One of the benefits of urban living is the diversity of cultures that are an everyday experience. One is often surrounded by “the other” on the subway, in the streets, at the market, and even in the church. This diversity can be a great blessing or a source of unresolved conflict and misunderstanding; I find this diversity to be a great blessing.
The presence of so many different cultures, languages, and religions is a rich opportunity for new collaborations and partnerships for Christian churches. Unfortunately, multi-cultural ministries are often formed not as a blessing but as a last resort for a declining congregation to garner new income by renting its property to a group that is often from another culture. When a congregation is in decline, it turns to finding needed income by becoming a landlord to new immigrant groups who are organizing congregations. Hence, one often sees a new Korean group renting space in a declining Anglo congregation or a new Spanish group renting space in a declining African-American congregation. This “landlord” paradigm is filled with dynamics that work against partnership in ministry. Rather than creating a new identity for the host congregation, the rental agreement often leads to ongoing conflict about building use, especially the kitchen, with the rental group. The rental group is often treated as a second-class citizen with the relationship fraught with misunderstandings and conflict. Rental agreements seldom lead to new ministries or changed dynamics of host congregations.
Partnerships Versus Rentals
I argue for the intentional creation of multi-cultural worshipping communities that are based on a vision of partnership rather than rental agreements. Theologically, creative and equal partnerships are at the heart of the vision of the reign of God. Rather than starting with the need for more income, let the declining congregation start with the need to increase and grow its ministry. If growth and development is the goal, then one can pursue potential partnerships that lead in that direction. While economic participation will be involved, it is not the most important concept at the beginning of ministry creation.
One exciting aspect of multi-cultural ministry creation is the opportunity it presents to a congregation to experience equality of worth and value as something lodged in the Gospel. When we open up to another culture, we are opening ourselves up to spiritual growth that pushes us beyond our current experience and can potentially enrich our self worth as the “beloved community.” The host church has much to gain spiritually from this partnership. We are not doing the immigrant group a favor, we are expanding our practice of welcoming the stranger and creating the new community where all who are in Christ are one.
Formation of multi-cultural ministries is an important theological task. It challenges us to take the “unity” of all those who are in Christ with a new seriousness that allows us to work through the misunderstandings of communication and cultural difference. Such ministry creation provides real live working situations to practice what it means to be a “servant community” rather than regarding ourselves as a “declining or dying” community. Creating new ministry through multi-cultural involvement provides the host church with the opportunity to redefine itself with an exciting new future. The future may be different from the past but there may be some relief for us to stop grieving over what used to be and start celebrating what the future might bring. This redefinition can be a kind of conversion experience for the host congregation. If you have ever been part of a declining congregation, you know how important it is to change the focus from how it used to be to how a new future can be created. Dying churches generally do not make this transition and end up with long, painful, and non-redemptive deaths. No rental agreement can address this fundamentally theological crisis. New partnerships, however, can bring new life and provide options for ministry for both the host and the immigrant communities who come.
Creating partnerships is not without its own challenges. Everyone has to be willing to give up some autonomy in order to create something new. This is hard! It requires talking about communication, money, building use, shared responsibility, new programs, and governance. Partnership requires change and commitment on everyone’s part. This is often more work than anyone wants to do. This is why many multi-cultural ministries stay with the more limited notion of rental agreements.
I argue, however, that partnership creation has the potential for the renewal of the urban congregation. Creation of partnership with others gives us the opportunity to both celebrate the specificity of our experience while at the same time transcending our experience by welcoming others who are different from ourselves. Rather than being a dying Anglo congregation or a declining African-American congregation, why not change the subject and create a new ministry, which pushes us beyond survival? Multi-racial, multiethnic, mutli-lingual ministry is filled with both challenges and blessings to those who want to move beyond a survival mentality to a new ministry perspective. Rather than grieving about what used to be, why not create a new heaven and a new earth with a fresh partner sent by God to live in your community?
Decline in ministry is not so much about lacking resources as it is about lacking vision. The presence of some many cultures in our urban reality can provide the raw material for a new vision and a new practice. What an exciting prospect to create something new while at the same time honoring the specificity of each culture and context. The presence of a new neighbor can be a source of great hope for churches that need a new vision of the future.
