Pastors, Ministry Leaders and Christians Don't Want To Talk About This…

I’ve visited several churches crossing several racial boundaries. What I’ve discovered is the same thing I observe with most of the way we behave in the world, which is this…

…People prefer being around, living with, and talking to people that either look like them, act like them, or can identify with them. People who have spent most of their life around a particular race, age group, or social class are more likely to spend the rest of their life mostly around or within that same category.

As sad as it sounds, it seems that the institutional church is one of the worst when it comes to that. We divide racially, financially, socially, and denominationally. As far as America goes, I think we are a very comfortable society with the freedom to choose who we want to be around and who we don’t. Though we may engage in relationships with people outside of our race, it seems like most of them are very surface. I rarely find a lot of people who do life and live in deep relationship or community with anyone outside of their race. Maybe one out of every 25 people or so. This has always bothered me.

I admire some people’s efforts to bridge this racial gap that has stretched across centuries. However, I’m not sure if pastors and leaders are “scared” to talk, or if they feel that addressing this issue is just too big to handle. I would even say that most of us as Christians in America are more American than Christian. And because of this, it seems that this issue runs deeper than most pastors are willing to handle. Most pastors are limited to a Sunday service and a few events throughout the year to engage people, and of all the 1,000+ issues they may try to address, this seems to be one that they stay away from.

I’ve heard this statement before… “You can’t “make” people want to be around people they don’t want to be around.”

I hate that statement. I wonder if some pastors avoid the conversation in fear that they may lose influence and even members. I wonder if this conversation is left out because some pastors would actually rather stay the way they are, without the hassle of learning other races of people.

For example:
It’s not everyday that you see an Andy Stanley having lunch with a Bishop Eddie L. Long. And they are pastors of the two biggest churches in the city of Atlanta – one being mostly black and the other mostly white. I wonder what would happen in the city of Atlanta if a church like New Birth and North Point decided to have a service together… just ONE SUNDAY! What if leaders with a lot of influence within their cities REALLY began having this conversation with one another FIRST? What if THEY began setting the example? I’ve been members of both of these churches, and they are great churches. I love them both. However, what I find so sad is that most members from either church has never heard of the other. And it seems that they are comfortable if it stays that way.

So that’s my solution: Pastors, set the example with one another in your local communities. Build deep relationships. Do life with one another. Converge your influence. Don’t just wait for the Catalyst Conference. Start now. Today. Everyday. Then, maybe we will begin seeing change and momentum.

Warning: long comment ahead.

I’m not sure I agree that people aren’t talking about it. Is it a problem that American churches aren’t diverse? Yes. But are people talking about it? Absolutely. In fact, a lot of churches are being really intentional about it. I rememember our church in Chicago making a very big, intentional deal of it, which I supported. But I was also disappointed when as a worship leader, I didn’t get asked to sing as often because I was white. They were knocking themselves out to get different-colored faces on stage, and they had an abundance of white singers. It was a big disappointment for me, even while I was happy to see new faces leading us in worship.

If I may play Devil’s Advocate for a minute, here’s something I’ve thought about a lot. It’s not an answer, though — another question When we moved back to Denver after being in Chicago for 12+ years, we knew we wouldn’t be going to the church we got married in (for a variety of reasons; not the least of which is lack of diversity of thought). So we spent a significant amout of time looking for a church after the move. There were several churches downtown that would have been great, but the fact was that although we wanted a house downtown, what we could afford was in the suburbs. And the thing is that if we want to bring our neighbors to church, we needed a church closer to home. Certainly we didn’t mind driving downtown, but that wasn’t the point. If you invite your neighbors to something in Denver, they don’t want to drive more than 15 minutes or so (different from Chicago where people are used to driving a minimum of 30 minutes for something). And we knew we wanted to invite our neighbors to church.

Anyway, the suburb we live in is, well, pretty white bread and generic. The fact is that most of the people here look just like us. That fact makes me sad, but that doesn’t mean Jesus loves them any less.

So, onto church. We did find a church that we love that meets about 12-15 minutes from our house. And while there are a handful of people in it who don’t look exactly like me, the majority definitely do. But its fed from the neighborhoods nearby, which are mostly white. If the neighborhood were mostly Hispanic, I’m sure the church would be mostly too. Likewise if it were a Greek neighborhood, or a Korean one.

I guess the thing I’ve never fully understood is that if people want to go to a “neighborhood” church, and their neighborhood mostly looks just the same as they do, is it *bad* that their church would reflect that too? I don’t know the answer, and frankly, I don’t want to only be friends with people who look just like me. But in general, the people I interact with on a daily basis do.

Do I want more diversity in my life? Absolutely. One of the ways I have gotten it over the years is with online friends. But here’s the thing: I don’t want to only be friends with people who THINK just like me (regardless of race). I try to surround myself with diversity of thought, so I’m not living in a Christian subculture bubble that uses a language the rest of the world doesn’t understand, or worse; doesn’t interact with the rest of the world at all. I don’t have the answer to racial diversity — I really don’t. And I love when my church isn’t just a sea of white faces. But if that’s all that is around me, for now, shouldn’t I do my best to do and act and be what Jesus wants me to do and act and be to introduce them to him?

I’ve often thought that if the church (any church) spent more time just full-on ministering to the neighborhood around them, they might naturally experience some diversity, but regardless if they did or not, they’d just be doing what they were commanded to do. Honestly? I think that might be more of a “miss”. Should Christians in general be intentional about relationship with each other across boundaries (age, race, socio-economics, politics)? YES. Is it necessary to attend the same church with each other on Sunday for that to happen? I’m not so sure.

It’s a good discussion to bring up, regardless

Preach on Preacha !
Yeah, I think most of them just aren’t intentional about it, it’s not they are avoiding it they just aren’t intentional about it. Since I’m in worship I’m constantly looking for people who look different from the people already on our team, I need diversity represented on our Church stage to show the attendees that ALL are welcome in God’s house. If I can’t have that singer or musician I’ll find a video or someone who can read a scripture that represents that Diversity to bring balance. I love Diversity, I grew up in New York, different food, languages, clothing, music…it’s all beautiful. It’s Godly.

Remembering our saved as well as our lost. the biggest problem i see in the Americanized “church” today is the lack of Discipleship I think once you are truly saved by Jesus Christ the judgment involved in segregation fades away because you are truly in submission to Him. Only then can you hear Truth. I am a white 26 year old i preach on a gospel radio station only because I was led there i never thought twice of it the difference in ethnicity is one of the greatest test of true love for one another.