The Preparation of Church Leaders To Equip Their Congregations For Ministry To Multiethnic Communities

SOUTHWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
THE PREPARATION OF CHURCH LEADERS TO EQUIP THEIR CONGREGATIONS
FOR MINISTRY TO MULTIETHNIC COMMUNITIES
A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED TO
THE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY COMMITTEE
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY
FUNCTIONAL MAJOR: MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM
BY
DAVID HUGH RHOADES
JANUARY 2005
Copyright © 2005 by David Hugh Rhoades
All rights reserved
ii
ACCEPTANCE OF PROJECT REPORT
as Submitted by
DAVID HUGH RHOADES
on
JANUARY 18, 2005
This project report has been accepted by the faculty supervisor and the
field supervisor as being permissible for submission to the Doctor of Ministry
in partial fulfillment for the requirements for graduation.
_______________________________________
Faculty Supervisor
_______________________________________
Field Supervisor
iii
iv
This project is dedicated to my wife, Amy, who is a wonderful blessing from the Lord.
She has supported my academic career with much joy, patience, and companionship.
Her steadfast faith provides me with encouragement and inspiration.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION 1
II. PROJECT SUMMARY 6
III. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION 38
IV. CRITICAL EVALUATION 55
V. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER IMPLEMENTATION 69
APPENDICES
1. ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

OF MT. HEALTHY 72
2. DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEWS 73
3. INTERVIEW FOR MEMBERS OF A MULTIETHNIC CHURCH 76
4. EVALUATION FORM FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS 77
5. SEMINAR RECRUITMENT LETTER 79
6. COVENANT OF PARTICIPATION81
7. PROFESSIONAL FLYER 82
8. PRE-SEMINAR INSTRUCTIONAL EMAIL TO SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS 83
9. SEMINAR: “THE MULTIETHNIC MISSION OF YOUR CHURCH:

REACHING ACROSS THE ETHNIC DIVIDE” 84
10. EVALUATION FORM FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS 110
vi
11. SEMINAR SELF-EVALUATION FORM FOR THE PROJECT LEADER 112
12. POST-SEMINAR INSTRUCTIONAL LETTER TO SEMINAR

PARTICIPANTS 113
13. PLANNING EVALUATION TOOL 114
14. AVERAGE MEAN SCORES FOR ALL INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS 115
15. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #1 -

MARCIA 116

STEPHEN 118

BARBARA 120

LISA122

GERALD 124

DEBBIE 126
21. NOTES FROM THE INTERVIEWS 128
22. AVERAGE MEAN SCORES FOR ALL SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS 133
23. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #1 -

ASHLEY 134

DALE 136

KEN 138
vii
viii

GARY 140

DWIGHT 142

DAVE 144

LARRY 146
30. ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE COMMUNITY OF THE

CHURCH ASHLEY PASTORS 148

CHURCH JEROME PASTORS 149

CHURCH ANDREW PASTORS 150

CHURCH DAVE PASTORS 151

CHURCH LARRY PASTORS 152
BIBLIOGRAPHY 153
ADDENDUM
PROSPECTUS 1
ix
x
INTRODUCTION
Project’s Purpose
This project, “The Preparation of Church Leaders to Equip Their Congregations for
Ministry to Multiethnic Communities,” addressed the need for pastors and other spiritual
leaders to challenge, inspire, and provide church members with the necessary tools to
minister to people of all ethnicities in their community. The project leader created a seminar
and a learning community whereby he and the participants could teach and encourage one
another to lead their congregations in multiethnic community ministry. He shared with the
participants insights gained from his own personal and ministerial experiences, interviews
conducted over the past few years of church leaders engaged in multiethnic ministry, and
interviews of members of the multiethnic church he pastors.
In the first phase of the project, the project leader interviewed three Afro-American
and three Euro-American members of the multiethnic church that he leads. These interviews
were conducted to determine the effects and importance of ethnicity on the faith of members
of multiethnic churches. The project leader also sought to gain insight into the perceived
effect of ethnicity on churches in multiethnic communities. Those interviewed were asked to
determine a value on the importance they placed on being a member of a multiethnic church.
They were also asked to advise leaders of ethnically homogeneous churches how they might
help their congregations develop relevant community ministries that reach across ethnic
barriers. Information supplied by those interviewed was included in the seminar.

In the second phase of the seminar, the project leader prepared seminar and learning
community participants to equip their congregations for multiethnic ministry. The seminar
consisted of three sessions that addressed some of the most common issues church leaders
face in helping their churches engage in multiethnic community ministry. The first session
taught the participants the basics and implications of a biblical perspective of ethnicity. The
second helped these leaders see the value of a congregation being ethnically congruent with
its community. The project leader designed the final session to help the participants begin to
develop a plan of action for their own church. The learning community served as an
extension of the seminar whereby further discussion could be facilitated.
Project’s Origin
The idea of the project was born out of the project leader’s personal and ministerial
experiences. Over the last ten years, the project leader has been the pastor of three churches.
Each church had unique ways of relating to its ethnically diverse community. Northside
Baptist Church in DeQuincy, Louisiana, had a number of volunteer leaders and members
who would not address their prejudicial attitudes toward people of different ethnicities. Many
leaders and members at Millbrook Baptist Church in Lancaster, Texas, were uninterested in
making intentional efforts to reach its ethnically diverse community with the gospel. The
spiritual deficiencies of these churches made the project leader frustrated that he could not
fulfill his desire to engage in multiethnic ministry.
In the middle of his doctoral studies, the project leader became the Pastor of the First
xi
12
Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy, Ohio. He was pleased to discover that not only did the
congregation have a number of Afro-American members, but the percentages of ethnic
minorities in the church were fairly similar to those of the community (see appendix 1). The
project leader believed that God had providentially placed him at the church for a significant
reason.
For the first few years of his pastorate at Mt. Healthy, the project leader struggled to
specify a particular project idea that dealt with ethnicity. Initially he considered doing a
project that would seek to bring change to his congregation, but because the church was
already diverse ethnically, he questioned the value and effectiveness of the idea. The project
leader then realized that his church could serve as a model for others. Instead of helping the
congregation improve its strength of dealing with ethnicity in a biblical manner, he could
share insights he learned from the congregation with leaders of other churches. He decided to
interview members of the church and use their responses in a seminar designed for leaders of
other churches. The process of discovery experienced by the seminar participants was
continued through the creation of a learning community.
Project’s Importance
The typical Southern Baptist church is devoted to the Bible, studying its teachings
both in small groups and corporate worship. Whether the typical Southern Baptist church is
devoted to applying the Bible’s teachings about reaching people of all ethnicities with the
love of Christ is another matter. In a study conducted for the North American Mission Board
of the Southern Baptist Convention, Jones has discovered that 52.9 percent of Southern
Baptist churches are plateaued or declining in worship service attendance and that only 23
13
percent of Southern Baptist churches have Afro-American participants.1 The project leader
believes that one of the major factors leading to the lack of growth in many Southern Baptist
churches is a failure to remain relevant to North America’s rapidly changing communities.
The project leader has personally witnessed the difficulties experienced by many
Southern Baptist churches in decline. Some churches that were at one time strong, vibrant
congregations with numerous dynamic ministries have gradually declined to the point of
barely surviving and becoming an irrelevant subculture within their own communities. The
project leader began to consider why this transpires. As he listened to the observations made
by others who have seen this same dynamic, he concluded that in most cases the church’s
beliefs had not changed. The communities in which these churches were located, however,
had become ethnically and culturally diverse. The members and leaders of these churches
found themselves unaware of the need, ill-equipped, or unwilling to adapt their own
traditional practices for the sake of relating better to the people of their communities.
The project leader believes that the percentage of Southern Baptist churches that are
plateaued or declining will increase if pastors and other church leaders are not trained to
equip them to engage their multiethnic communities. On one recent occasion the project
leader told another pastor that a crisis is coming to Southern Baptist churches if they fail to
reach across ethnic lines. The pastor replied that the crisis had already arrived.
1Phillip B. Jones, “Southern Baptist Congregations Today,” in www.namb.net [article

on-line]. Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board, February 2001. Available from
http://www.namb.net/root/resources/stats/Southern Baptist Congregations Today.pdf.
Accessed 20 December 2004. Internet.).
PROJECT SUMMARY
On 23 September 2004, the prospectus was approved by the Doctor of Ministry
Committee at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The project leader conducted six
interviews of church members of the First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy from 29 September
2004 to 3 October 2004. He hosted the seminar on 13 November 2004 and the learning
community on 6 December 2004.
With specific goals in mind to accomplish the project, the project leader interviewed
six members of the multiethnic church he leads. First, he selected three Afro-American and
three Euro-American members of the church. These members represented a cross-section of
the congregation. The ages of those interviewed ranged from eighteen to sixty-six. One
ethnically mixed married couple was interviewed. This couple has ethnically mixed children,
as does another person interviewed. Second, he allowed those interviewed to discuss their
personal ethnic experiences, especially as it relates to their faith. Third, the project leader
asked each participant to determine a quantifiable value of being a member of a multiethnic
church in a multiethnic community. Fourth, those interviewed were given the opportunity to
advise leaders of ethnically homogeneous churches how to reach their multiethnic
communities for Christ. The project leader used information from the interviews to make
final adjustments to the seminar for church leaders.
xiv
15
Interviews with Church Members
Interview #1 - Marcia
On 30 September 2004, the project leader interviewed Marcia,2 a forty-five-year-old
Euro-American wife and mother of three. She has held various leadership positions in the
church, including serving as the chairperson of the most recent Youth Minister Search
Committee. She and her husband have been members of the church for twenty years.
Marcia grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. She remembered the idea of forced busing
being a bitter and divisive issue in the community. In junior high school, she witnessed a
number of racial incidents and fights. On one occasion, four or five Afro-American girls
surrounded her and pushed the items she was carrying to the ground. She interpreted this to
be a racist act.
As a child, Marcia attended a Methodist church with no minorities. One day she
asked someone why there were not any Afro-American people in church. She was told that
people of color would not be comfortable with them and that they were happy to be
separated. This segregationalist attitude notwithstanding, she does not remember any church
members making outward displays of racism or hostility toward people of different
ethnicities.
To Marcia, the way people treat each other is the most radical social change in regard
to ethnicity in her lifetime. When she was growing up, Euro-Americans were not discouraged
or ashamed when they used disparaging terms in reference to minorities. Now ethnic name-
calling is taboo. She does not believe that this outward change of people’s speech has truly
2To ensure privacy for the people who participated in the interviews, seminar, and
Learning community, the last names of all the participants will be withheld.
16
affected their hearts, however. Some of her extended family members who live in the South
continue to be racists. They become especially agitated when the subject of ethnically mixed
marriages arises.
When asked if ethnicity affects her faith as a Christian, Marcia responded negatively
in an emphatic way. She said that God created all people equally, and therefore she does not
make an issue of people’s ethnicity. She attempted to be color-blind in her relationships with
others, especially at church.
Marcia stated that Christians should deal with ethnicity by opposing racism boldly.
Christians and non-Christians alike need to know that all are created equal. She believed that
God’s church should not have ethnic divisions in it. It is her experience that Southern Baptist
churches in the South are still very segregated. She said that these churches should be
ashamed of themselves, especially since heaven will be integrated. It is her contention that
churches located north of the Mason-Dixon line do a better job of integrating than those
south of it.
Marcia struggled to answer how much she values being a member of a multiethnic
church. She claimed that she never wanted ethnicity to be an issue, especially among God’s
people. Since the project leader asked, however, she acknowledged that it is important to her
to be a member of a multiethnic church. She is proud of her church’s openness to people of
all ethnicities.
When asked why many churches in ethnically diverse communities are themselves
ethnically homogeneous, Marcia replied that people are fearful of others who are different
than themselves. Church members, like people in the community, are most comfortable
talking and relating to people of the same ethnicity. She added that this sociological
phenomenon does not excuse Christians from sharing the gospel with people of different
ethnicities. The love of God should overcome any fear Christians have of other people.
To begin to minister better to an ethnically diverse community, Marcia said that
churches must first realize that they cannot be all things to all people. There are some people
and even some groups of people that a church may never reach. It is important for a church to
be authentic to who God has created it to be. If a church attempts to reach everyone and
discovers a group that remains unreached, the church should consider starting a new church
for that group. Second, a church must be aware of the needs of the community and meet
those needs. If a church has lost touch with its community, it needs to go through a process of
rediscovery. Church members must learn to use ministry opportunities as a vehicle through
which the gospel can be shared.
Interview #2 - Stephen
On 30 September 2004, the project leader interviewed Stephen, an eighteen-year-old
Euro-American man. Before graduating from high school, he was a leader in the church’s
youth ministry, serving as a member of the most recent Youth Minister Search Committee.
Stephen has an interest in apologetics, and he has participated in short-term international
mission trips. His perspective is unique in that he has always been a member of a multiethnic
church, faithfully attending the First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy since his birth.
When asked about his early experiences of ethnicity, Stephen recalled one particular
incident. An Afro-American family moved to his street when he was eight years old. He
17
18
became friends with one of the family’s children. At school, he read a book about slavery that
contained a derogatory term for Afro-Americans. After Stephen called his friend that word,
the friendship deteriorated. He later learned that the word was offensive.
The majority of the students at the high school Stephen attended were Afro-
American. He believed that some of those students constantly sought out incidents of racism,
thereby creating an atmosphere of racial tension. These Afro-American students would use
this tension to maintain a defensive and hostile attitude. Stephen understood that it was his
responsibility to share Christ with these students, but their angry demeanor made this
difficult.
Even in his relatively brief life experiences, Stephen has observed a change in the
way Americans deal with ethnicity. He believed that people today are inclusive and usually
free from racism. He attributed this to a postmodern way of thinking and society’s promotion
of tolerance.
Stephen believed that his ethnicity has an effect on his faith. He said that his life
experiences have been limited by the way he was raised. He was eager to expand his
knowledge of other people’s experiences because he saw God’s creativity in the world’s
ethnic and cultural diversity.
When asked how the Christian faith should deal with ethnicity, Stephen stated with
conviction that Christians have not lived up to scriptural teachings on the subject. He
believed that Christians either put too much emphasis on ethnicity or value certain ethnic
groups to the exclusion of others. A balanced view of ethnicity is essential to remaining
faithful to the Bible.
When asked why many churches in ethnically diverse communities are themselves
19
ethnically homogeneous, Stephen said it was because American Christians value comfort and
lack nothing. He believed that Christians are content keeping to themselves, especially if the
alternative means overcoming the visible barrier of ethnicity. An intimidation factor also
exists in people’s hearts, whereby they are fearful of being labeled a racist. The net result is
that people are afraid even to speak to people of different ethnicities because they might say
something offensive. As an example of this dynamic, Stephen recalled a time when his
church attempted to minister to the people living in apartments near the church campus. A
large group of Afro-American youth came to the church for a special program. Their
presence created an atmosphere of racial tension. When one of the more unruly Afro-
Americans was asked to remain quiet, the honor of the entire group was offended. They did
not return to the church.
Stephen believed that the best way for an ethnically homogeneous church to reach its
diverse community is to become that ethnicity through membership or ministerial staff. A
church will only become more diverse ethnically if its people are taught to interact with the
community. Another option is that churches of various ethnicities in the community could
work together on special projects. This would serve as both a display of unity and a way of
helping Christians learn to serve people of different ethnicities.
Interview #3 - Barbara
On 30 September 2004, the project leader interviewed Barbara, a sixty-six-year-old
Afro-American woman. Barbara moved from Alabama to Cincinnati when she was four
years old. She could recall numerous examples of racism, although she admitted that the
situation in the South was more severe than what she experienced. One of the more vivid
20
personal examples of racism occurred at Coney Island, a local amusement park. As a young
person, she wanted to attend the park, but she was told that Afro-Americans were not allowed
to go there. When the policy changed to allow Afro-Americans to attend, they were not
allowed to go into the swimming pool. She interpreted her experiences of ethnicity in her
early years as more segregated than hostile.
The Afro-American church Barbara attended as she was growing up did not deal with
ethnicity directly. She sensed that some members were prejudiced against Euro-Americans,
although she did not witness any direct displays of racism perpetrated by church members.
Outside of the church, however, both Afro-Americans and Euro-Americans were guilty of
racist acts.
Barbara believed that Americans have changed in their experiences of ethnic issues
since her early years. Overt institutional racism no longer exists. Now Afro-Americans do not
have to go to the back of the bus. Everyone can eat at the same restaurants and drink from the
same water fountain. Simple changes like these were significant to her because segregation
made her feel less than human.
When asked what ways the Christian faith should deal with ethnicity, Barbara replied
that ethnicity should not be an issue for Christians. She did, however, state that she valued
being a member of a multiethnic church. She said that being a part of a church with all kinds
of people helped attenders feel comfortable.
Barbara observed that American Christians are making a great effort to deal with
ethnic issues in a biblical manner. In her earlier years, this was not the case. She believed that
the best way to continue making progress is for churches to get into the community and let
people know they are welcome to attend.

21
Barbara was the first person interviewed to mention music as an important tool to
reach people of different ethnicities. She said that diverse styles of music must be provided if
a church hopes to reach an ethnically diverse audience. Most churches offer whatever style of
music with which the minister of music is most comfortable. Those leading the music
ministry should help the church expand its musical experiences.
Interview #4 - Lisa
On 30 September 2004, the project leader interviewed Lisa, a thirty-two-year-old
Euro-American woman. Lisa did not have many experiences with people of other ethnicities
when she was young. Her schools, church, and community were all predominately Euro-
American. When Lisa first attended college, she discovered that she was one of a few Euro-
American athletes. Her parents, who were not Christians at the time, were shocked when she
told them a few months later that she was pregnant by an Afro-American man.
Lisa has now been married twice, both times to Afro-American men.3 Her children
are all ethnically mixed. Although she has not personally experienced acts of racism directed
at her, she has witnessed it directed at her husbands. They have had to endure verbal abuse,
racial profiling by police officers, and discrimination in the workplace.
Lisa believed that Americans are more accepting of ethnic diversity than they were
when she was younger. Ethnically mixed marriages and children are not looked upon with
scorn as often. However, she doubted whether churches in America were doing a better job
dealing with ethnicity than in the past.
Lisa did not believe that ethnicity affected her personal faith, but it remained an issue
with which Christians must grapple. She said that one of the best examples of how Christians
3Lisa is the wife of Gerald, who was the fifth person interviewed for this project.
22
deal with ethnicity is through the service of missionaries, who are willing to change their
cultural ideas and practices in order to share Christ with others. She strongly desired that her
children attend an ethnically diverse church. She wanted them to see that people are able to
love one another without regard to the color of one’s skin.
When asked why there are so many churches in multiethnic communities that are
themselves ethnically homogeneous, Lisa focused attention on the leadership. She said that
most congregations will look like their leaders. She knew of only one situation where the
leadership of the church was a different ethnicity than the majority of the congregation. If a
church wants to reach people of different ethnicities, Lisa believed that it should hire an
ethnically diverse staff.
Interview #5 - Gerald
On 30 September 2004, the project leader interviewed Gerald, a thirty-two-year-old
Afro-American man. Gerald was raised in an ethnically diverse neighborhood and attended a
diverse, bilingual school in Cincinnati. The church he attended as a child was constituted
entirely by Afro-Americans with the exception of a Euro-American Associate Pastor.
Gerald told the project leader of some interesting ethnic experiences. The only racist
act he remembers from his childhood occurred when he was nine years old. He got on the
school bus one day and was called “a little black monkey.” Years later, when he returned to
Cincinnati from college, he narrowly escaped being hit by a car driven by a Euro-American
man who called him a disparaging word. His marriage to Lisa (see above) is his second
marriage to a Euro-American woman. All of his children are ethnically mixed.
Gerald believed that Americans have changed in their experiences of ethnic issues
23
since he was a child. He said that people are less likely to talk about ethnicity because it is
not politically correct. People seem to be fearful of being labeled a racist.
Gerald did not believe that ethnicity affected his faith, nor did he see it playing a
strong role in the text of Scripture.4 He did, however, see the need for Christians to be open
and honest in addressing the rifts between people of different ethnicities, which can only be
handled effectively by prayerful people. He said that too many Christians choose the easy
option of neglecting the ethnic issues that are before them, allowing other segments of
society to give a voice to the problems.
Gerald valued being a member of a multiethnic church. He wanted his ethnically
mixed children to witness people of different ethnicities existing in harmony. He believed
that through the work of multiethnic churches American society will discover the answers to
the ethnic problems it experiences.
Gerald believed the greatest hindrance to ethnically homogeneous churches
ministering to their multiethnic communities was tradition. To their own detriment, churches
are inclined to becoming bound by tradition, resulting either in an inability to comprehend
what it takes to change or in an unwillingness to alter their routines. A mature church,
however, will be evidenced by its leaders’ ability to help it work through the changes
necessary to impact its community for Christ.
Gerald stated that once a church is committed to reaching its community, the
congregation must continually gain a greater understanding of it. Church members cannot
remain within the walls of the church and hope that the community comes to them. Their
4When he asked the project leader if his view of ethnicity in the Bible was accurate,
the project leader was able to give him examples of the ethnic diversity found in the New
Testament.
leaders must develop a plan that will discover and address the needs of the community. When
that occurs, the community will take notice of what God is doing in the church.
Gerald also believed that another key component in helping a church reach its diverse
community is through the training of an ethnically diverse leadership. For example, if a town
has a large percentage of Afro-Americans, a church should seek to place committed and
qualified Afro-Americans in visible leadership positions. Whether those leaders are paid
ministerial staff or key volunteers would be decided on an individual basis.
Interview #6 - Debbie
On 3 October 2004, the project leader interviewed Debbie, a forty-one-year-old Afro-
American single mother of two. She grew up on the predominately Afro-American west side
of downtown Cincinnati. Her mother taught her that everyone is equal in God’s eyes and
worthy of respect. She was raised to be open and friendly to people of all ethnicities. Both
the Euro-American and Afro-American teachers at her school treated her as they treated
everyone else. She could not recall any racist acts in her early years.
Debbie did not believe that Americans are less racist than in the past, although she did
say that the occurrences of hateful words and actions have subsided. She maintained that
racism is a condition of the human heart. Unless people have received Christ, their hearts are
the same, even if the outward acts have changed.
Debbie believed that ethnicity affects her faith, just as any other aspect of humanity
would affect one’s faith. She said that God designed her to be Afro-American and that skin
color affects a person. In her opinion, some of her friends have allowed the color of their skin
to affect their faith in a negative way, rejecting Christianity because they viewed it as a
24
“white man’s religion.”
Debbie valued being a member of a multiethnic church, and she gave the project
leader three reasons why more multiethnic churches are needed. First, multiethnic churches
are the only ones that truly reflect what heaven will be like. Second, multiethnic churches
have the advantage of being in a position to change when the community around them
changes. Finally, multiethnic churches provide a diverse Christian environment suitable for
the rearing of ethnically mixed children.
Debbie said that Christians should be the ones who actively reach across ethnic lines.
Churches that desire to be effective in multiethnic ministry need to be involved in the
community. She believed that although American Christians have been slow to embrace
people of other ethnicities, today it is occurring more often because the need is evident.
25
26
Summary Comments on the Interviews
Each of the participants interviewed displayed a strong interest in helping the project
leader. They believed the subject matter is critical to the health of churches in America. Each
participant provided the project leader with a unique perspective and a depth of insight.
The interview participants expressed some common themes and principles that helped
to illuminate issues with which church leaders must deal. First, each participant valued being
a member of an ethnically diverse church, even though their personal experiences with
ethnicity varied greatly. This should serve as a reminder to church leaders not only to value a
congregation’s size or budget, but also the diversity of its spiritual environment.
The interview participants also observed that ethnically homogeneous churches have
difficulties dealing with change, especially if it involves relating to people of other
ethnicities. The participants cited fear, comfort, and tradition as reasons for a congregation’s
resistance to change. The participants stressed the importance of pastors in helping churches
minister to their multiethnic communities. Church leaders must be trained as to how they can
be agents of change.
Another common theme expressed by the interview participants occurred when each
one answered how an ethnically homogeneous church could minister better to its ethnically
diverse community. Each participant said that church leaders and members must penetrate
and engage the community. By doing so, the church will discover the community’s values
and needs. The people of the community will view the church’s involvement in it as an act of
love and caring.
“The Multiethnic Mission of Your Church” Seminar

On 13 November 2004, the project leader conducted a free five-hour seminar for
church leaders called “The Multiethnic Mission of Your Church” (appendix 9). The project
leader emailed, phoned, and mailed over seventy Southern Baptist pastors and Christian
leaders from four Baptist associations5 with an invitation to participate. Nine people decided
to attend, including following five pastors, three lay leaders from one church, and one Baptist
collegiate minister.
The seminar had three sessions, each designed to last approximately ninety minutes.
The first session, “Understanding Ethnicity — A Biblical Perspective,” established certain
biblical principles as a common framework to discuss ethnicity. In the second session, titled
“The Calling of Your Church: Ethnic Congruency,” the project leader sought to obtain from
the participants a commitment to the principle of ethnic congruency.6 The final session,
“Developing a Plan for Your Church,” provided the participants with a framework for
creating a specific plan whereby they could begin to equip their congregations to minister to
their multiethnic communities. The project leader supplied each participant with a workbook,
and the answers for the questions within the workbook were projected on a screen.
5The associations were the Baptist Association of Greater Cincinnati, the Dayton
Baptist Association, the Northern Kentucky Baptist Association, and the Ohio Valley Baptist
Association.
6The principle of ethnic congruency states that under most circumstances a church is
most healthy and best able to grow when it is ethnically similar to its community.
27
Session 1: “Understanding Ethnicity — A Biblical Perspective”
The seminar began with a time of personal reflection. When asked how each
participant’s church was doing in ministering across ethnic lines, no one answered that his
church was effective.7 The participants attended the seminar for different reasons. Dave
sought specific answers to how his church could minister to a group of Russian immigrants.
The other participants wanted to focus the discussion on two topics: (1) Is it each church’s
responsibility to reach every ethnic group in its community for Christ; and (2) if so, how does
a church do it? Each participant seemed eager to discuss how ethnicity affects his ministry.
The project leader miscalculated the amount of time that Session 1 would take. He
assumed that since so many of the principles of biblical ethnicity discussed are drawn from a
basic understanding of biblical theology, the pastors and other church leaders would not
make many new discoveries. What was new to the participants, however, was that the project
leader made explicit the implications of having a biblical theology in regard to ethnicity. The
first session lasted over two hours.
The discussion of why a biblical understanding of ethnicity is needed helped the
participants realize the importance each church leader has not only to his own spiritual life,
but also to his church and community. Some participants had not considered that people in
their community were looking for leaders who can bring unity to different ethnic groups. The
7All of the seminar participants are Euro-American except for Jerome, who is Afro-
American. Jerome’s church is predominately Afro-American, although they do have some
regular attenders of different ethnicities. Jerome might have answered differently than the
other participants, but he came to the seminar after the time of reflection was complete.
28
29
participants realized that multiethnic ministry tends to become an afterthought if it is not
maintained as a church priority, regardless of how strongly the community yearns for a group
to show leadership in this area.
The participants all resonated with the ideas that people of every ethnicity are created
in the image of God and that all people are physical relatives of one another. When the
discussion turned to the principle of salvation—which states that God’s plan of salvation
includes people of every ethnic group—some participants seemed to have heard something
new. One participant said that he always thought of the biblical terms “Jew” and “Gentile” in
a theological, and not ethnic, way.
The discussion became more intense when the participants debated the principle of
unity. The point of contention was not whether the power of the gospel to unite is greater
than the human tendency to remain separated ethnically; it was whether that tendency is
sinful. The participants debated whether it is wrong to desire to be with people like oneself.
They never came to a unanimous agreement on the issue, but they all agreed on two points:
(1) People want to be with others who are ethnically similar to themselves; and (2) church
leaders must help their congregants overcome the fear of ministering to people of different
ethnicities.
During this discussion the project leader mentioned the homogeneous unit principle
(HUP), which states, “People like to become Christians without crossing racial, linguistic, or
class barriers.”8 Dave said that he had not heard of the principle before. The project leader
was surprised to discover that the HUP was a new concept to many of the other participants
as well.
8Donald McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, 3d ed., ed. C. Peter Wagner

(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 163.
30
The project leader asked the participants to consider the implications of believing that
the power of the gospel is greater than the human tendency to remain ethnically separated.
Under what circumstances, then, could a congregation legitimately remain one ethnicity?
Only two answers were given. First, if a church was located in an isolated community that is
only one ethnicity, then it will be that ethnicity. A second and more remote possibility might
occur if a church was located in an ethnically divided country (e.g., South Africa during
apartheid). Even in the second scenario, however, churches bear the responsibility to be
instruments of cultural and societal change by loving and including all people.
The participants seemed encouraged to hear that every Christian church is
commissioned and empowered to engage in multiethnic ministry. The project leader
established that Jesus and the apostles both taught and exemplified multiethnic ministry.
Most participants had never noticed the ethnic diversity of people in the New Testament. The
project leader demonstrated how the Syrophoenician woman (cf. Mark 7:24-37), the
Samaritan woman (cf. John 4), the Ethiopian eunuch (cf. Acts 8:25-40), Cornelius (cf. Acts
10), Lydia of Thyatira (cf. Acts 16:14, 15), and the Philippian jailer (cf. Acts 16:27-34) were
ethnically or culturally different than the person sharing God’s love with them. If Jesus and
the apostles could break through the barriers of ethnicity, then today’s church is empowered
to do the same.
The most important and controversial principle discussed in Session 1 was the
principle of leadership. If a church is located in an ethnically diverse community, then not
only should it have an ethnically diverse membership but also an ethnically diverse group of
leaders. A dynamic and powerful synergy exists when all three groups—community,
congregation, and leaders—are symmetrical. The project leader showed that the leaders of
31
the early church were ethnically diverse. First-century church leaders consisted of Jews,
Greek-speaking Jews (cf. Acts 6:5), Gentiles, dark-skinned people (e.g., Simeon in Acts
13:1), people of mixed ethnicities (e.g., Timothy), and multicultural people (e.g., Apollos, a
Jew from Alexandria). A church with visible leaders of different ethnicities allows people of
those ethnicities to have a sense of belonging.
Andrew objected to the idea that having a church with leaders of different ethnicities
would best facilitate ministry to those ethnicities. He wanted to know why this was the case,
if indeed the gospel is powerful enough to overcome ethnic barriers. He also asked if not
having a diverse leadership is really a problem if the church is leading people to Christ. The
project leader allowed the other participants to answer his objection. Jerome said that while it
is true that the gospel can overcome any barrier, it is just as true that people are most likely to
respond to others who are like themselves. Whether this is sinful on their part or not does not
matter; it is a reality.
Another participant added that the burden of responsibility needs to be on Christians
to make the gospel as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. He said that the
gospel is powerful enough to overcome barriers of ethnicity; however, lost people have not
yet experienced the its power. It is the responsibility for those who have experienced the
gospel’s power to bridge the gap to reach those who have not. If it takes helping people of a
different ethnicity become visible leaders in the church in order to bridge the gap of ethnicity
that exists in the community, then that is what the church needs to do.
The project leader called upon the seminar participants to recognize the critical need
for church transformation. Both individuals and churches in the New Testament were willing
to change for the sake of reaching people of different ethnicities. The participants all agreed
32
that changing a church’s inner culture to relate that of the community is both necessary and
difficult. The project leader told them that the third session would help them develop a plan
whereby change would become easier to facilitate.
The last principle of ethnicity discussed was the principle of love. Everyone agreed
that God’s love is displayed in a powerful and unique way when a multiethnic church
ministers to its multiethnic community. The issue for the participants was not whether their
congregations were agreeable to people of different ethnicities being a part of the church; it is
whether the church leaders would make the intentional choice to enable their churches to
become powerful multiethnic witnesses for Christ. The project leader told the participants
that if they were willing to accept the challenge of intentional multiethnic ministry to the
community, it would take a commitment to the principle of ethnic congruency.
Session 2: “The Calling of Your Church: Ethnic Congruency”
Prior to attending the seminar, each participant was asked to bring the results of an
ethnic survey conducted with his or her congregation. They were told that the congregational
survey would be compared to a community survey prepared by the project leader.
Unfortunately, none of the seminar participants brought the results of his congregational
survey with him.
Nevertheless, at the beginning of Session 2, the project leader asked the participants
to estimate how many Afro-Americans, Asian-Americans, Euro-Americans, and Hispanic-
Americans regularly attended their churches. Ashley, Larry, and Andrew said that their
congregations were all Euro-American. Dave said that only a few regular attenders of his
church were not Euro-American. Ken, who leads a collegiate ministry close to the University
33
of Cincinnati campus, said that his ministry has a few minorities, but the percentages
certainly did not come close to matching that of students at the university. Jerome said that
his church ministers to a few Euro-American and ethnically mixed families. Each church
(and Ken’s ministry) is located in an ethnically diverse setting.
The project leader mentioned that ethnic dissimilarity between a congregation and its
community is a problem. He asked the participants to discuss the validity of the statement.
They all agreed that ethnic dissimilarity between a church and its community indicates that it
does not relate well to every group in its community.
Dave wondered whether a church that did not represent the ethnic composition of its
community had worth or value in God’s eyes. The project leader responded with his opinion
that every church that is faithful to the gospel has value. One duty of pastors and other
Christian leaders is to expose spiritual areas in which the church may be lacking and lead the
church to make changes. Ethnic homogeneity in an ethnically heterogeneous community may
be an indicator of a spiritual problem that needs to be addressed.
Dave then asked the project leader’s opinion if it is better to have multiple churches
of different ethnicities or one multiethnic church. Dave said that there might be some people
who would never be reached by a single church. The project leader responded that he was
correct that no single church in a pluralistic society will be able to reach the entire
community for Christ. However, Christian leaders need to allow for some additional
considerations. In the United States, certain cultural barriers (e.g., language) are more
difficult to overcome than the barrier of ethnicity. It would be advisable, therefore, for an
existing church to start a new work that can reach the people that remain unreached due to a
language barrier. However, since most people in the United States have shown a willingness
34
to be with people of different ethnicities in other settings, ethnicity should not be the sole
reason a new church is started.
Also, Christian leaders need to understand that a multiethnic congregation has value
that ethnically homogeneous churches do not have. As Debbie mentioned in her interview,
only multiethnic churches represent what heaven will be like. The project leader told the
seminar participants that every one of the six members of his church that he interviewed said
that being a member of a multiethnic church was important or very important. There seems to
be at least a segment (and probably a majority) of people in society today that are looking for
a place where people of all colors are loved and accepted.
The project leader asked the participants to consider the strengths of having a
multiethnic congregation. In addition to the answers he provided in the seminar, Jerome said
that a multiethnic church gives the pastor a greater voice in the community. Another
participant added that the pastor can take comfort in the knowledge that he is doing God’s
will in reaching many segments of the community with the gospel.
The project leader challenged the seminar participants to make a commitment to
changing their churches in this regard. He showed how the first-century church was a model
for change in modern churches. The early church set aside their legalism, favoritism, and
prejudices in order to minister to different kinds of people. The project leader noted that
although these changes did not occur immediately, they nevertheless occurred because the
first-century church had men of conviction leading it.
The project leader asked the participants to adopt the principle of ethnic congruency
as a part of their ministerial philosophies. If a vast difference exists between the ethnic
constitution of the congregation and that of the community, church leaders should honestly
evaluate why this dynamic has occurred. The seminar participants agreed with the project
leader’s contention that a large degree of ethnic dissimilarity between a church and its
community comes from two primary sources: spiritual problems or community transitions.
The project leader listed three common spiritual problems within churches that hinder
multiethnic ministry: racism, indifference toward the lost in the community, and an
unwillingness to minister to people dissimilar to oneself. To this list the participants added as
spiritual problems disobedience to the Great Commission, hypocrisy, and a lack of
consistency. The project leader pointed out that spiritual problems require a spiritual solution,
and the spiritual solution to sin is confession and repentance.
Church-wide repentance begins with the formal or informal leaders of the church. The
project leader challenged the seminar participants to examine their own hearts in regard to
the spiritual problems that hinder multiethnic ministry. Of the three sins mentioned, the
participants discussed racism at length. They were particularly interested in the project
leader’s delineation of the three degrees of racism.9 First-degree racism occurs when
prejudicial comments are thought or said without true realization. Second-degree racism
occurs when one continues to make racist remarks to the extent that others notice it and bring
it to the attention of the person, but he or she denies being a racist. Third-degree racism
occurs when someone is fully aware of being a racist, and he or she is content to remain that
way. The project leader urged the participants to consider whether they were guilty of any
degree of racism, and if so, to confess it before the church. By doing so, it will show church
members that the participant is making a serious attempt to love people of all ethnicities.
9Adapted from Sheila Myers, “The Three Degrees of Racism,” in www.goshen.edu

[article on-line] (Goshen, IN: Goshen College, September 1998); available from
http://www.goshen.edu/recordarchive/1998-99/9-17/stories/racism.html. Accessed 30 July
2003. Internet.
35
The project leader said that personal confession empowers a church leader to take a
strong, unyielding stand against racism. Dave asked if that was always the wisest thing to do.
He wondered if racism, like many other sins, could be exposed gradually over time through
the consistent example and teaching of a godly pastor. The project leader agreed that it could,
adding that he paid a price for taking a strong, vocal stand against racists in the church.
The final part of Session 2 was a discussion of community transitions. The project
leader said that the best way to discover how the community is changing (or had changed) is
to ask people. Talking to people was the modus operandi of the apostle Paul (cf. Acts 17:17).
As pastors today follow the example of Paul, their church members will follow their
example. The real difficulty in creating change in the church, however, is not in talking to the
people of the community, but in convincing the other leaders of the church to agree to the
change.
Session 3: “Developing a Plan of Action”
The project leader designed the third session of the seminar to give the participants a
blueprint10 to help lead their churches through the changes necessary for effective ministry to
their multiethnic communities. The participants did not engage in as much discussion in the
final session as they did the first two. The project leader believes that this occurred for two
reasons. First, the participants had grown physically tired. Second, the actual implementation
of the third session could not be accomplished during the seminar. It was to be done in their
churches over the coming months and years.
The first step in equipping a church for ministry to its multiethnic community is to
10Adapted from Michael Pocock and Joseph Henriques, Cultural Change and Your
Church (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), 198-213.
36
37
help the church recognize that a response to the changing community is necessary. This is
best accomplished through prayer and a study of the community. The project leader said that
a pastor could assign a task force to undertake a study of the community and report its
findings to the congregation. In studying the community, it is necessary for church leaders to
talk to people in it. The project leader pointed out that all six of the church members
interviewed said community engagement is important.
The project leader then demonstrated how church leaders might be able to assess the
situation. Church leaders should evaluate and interpret the significance of the report from the
task force assigned to study the community. Additionally, church leaders should make an
assessment of the church’s resources in order to determine what ministries could be
accomplished.
The third step for the pastor and church leaders is to recast the vision of the church.
The pastor should lead the church in evaluating its mission, vision, values, and the lessons
learned from the first two steps of this plan. As these issues are presented to and discussed by
the congregation, a consensus should begin to develop. The project leader and the
participants discussed some of the ways in which to build a consensus.11
The project leader told the participants that after the church is made aware of the
changing community, assessed the situation, and has a renewed vision to reach the
community, the next step is implementation. He gave the participants some tips in goal-
setting, working with key leaders, and pacing the timing of change. He stressed that although
some people will be obstacles to change, the goal for the pastor is to bring as many people as
11Because of time restraints, the project leader omitted the discussion of relocating a
church. Since none of the participants expressed an interest in discussing relocation, the
project leader interpreted this to mean that none of their churches were presently considering
the option.
38
possible through the process.
The final step in developing a plan of action is to make periodic evaluations at stated
intervals. The project leader challenged the participants to see where God is working. Some
of the indicators of God at work include changed lives, contributions to the work, new
leadership, and expanded spiritual boundaries. One participant added that spiritual warfare is
another good indicator of God at work. The participants all agreed that it is important to
pause occasionally and celebrate the victories that God has given the church.
As the final session came to a close, the project leader gave each participant a copy of
Pocock and Henriques’ book Cultural Change and Your Church. He encouraged them to
begin the process of equipping their churches for multiethnic community ministry. He also
invited them to participate with him in a learning community that would address how each
pastor could continue the process of equipping his church.
Summary Comments on the Seminar
The seminar participants seemed greatly encouraged by the project leader and one
another. They enjoyed discussing how to help their churches engage in multiethnic ministry.
Jerome seemed particularly encouraged to see Euro-American pastors taking an interest in
other ethnicities.
Most of the seminar participants actively participated in the discussions. Two of the
volunteer leaders from Larry’s church, however, were very quiet. The project leader
occasionally called upon them to express their opinions, but their answers were very brief.
Although they did not indicate it on the Evaluation Form for Seminar Participants they
completed, the project leader wondered if they disagreed with the material presented in the
39
seminar. It was evident that each of the other participants enjoyed the time together. The
pastors each expressed interest in continuing the process of discovery through the learning
community.
The project leader gained insights for ministry by leading the seminar. First, he saw
great value in working with pastors and other church leaders. The person who influences
those who influence God’s people multiplies his effectiveness in the kingdom of God. The
project leader will look for additional opportunities to help leaders in the future.
The seminar taught the project leader that the perception that participants have of the
seminar leader greatly affect their receptivity to the material he presents. By intentionally
asking open-ended questions and not assuming the role of an expert, the project leader
conveyed himself as an equal. The project leader will seek to develop his coaching skills in
the future.
The project leader also was reminded that the Bible contains the principles that
address everything that church leaders encounter. The basic implications of a biblical
perspective on ethnicity had either been lost or never considered by the seminar participants.
What they wanted to hear was not how new sociological techniques could fix their problems,
but how the Bible addressed the issue of ethnicity. When they understood that God had
already given them the solution, they felt empowered to accomplish his will.
Learning Community
On 6 December 2004, the project leader hosted a learning community luncheon that
served as an extension of the seminar. All of the seminar participants were invited, and those
that attended were Ashley, Ken, Larry, and Dave. Four other Christian leaders who could not
40
attend the seminar came to the luncheon: Don, an missionary for a Baptist association in the
Cincinnati area; Dennis, an urban strategist for a Baptist association in the Cincinnati area;
Jim, a pastor of a predominately Afro-American Baptist church in Cincinnati; and James, a
former missionary and current pastor of a new multiethnic church in Cincinnati. Prior to the
implementation of this project, the project leader did not know Jim or James. Dennis, who
was an acquaintance of Jim, mentioned to the project leader that Jim might be a good
resource for discussion.
The addition of Jim, who is Afro-American, and James, who is Euro-American, to the
group was especially helpful. A few weeks before the luncheon, they, along with a few other
pastors, started a multiethnic and multicultural church that meets at the campus of the church
Jim pastors. They have had experiences that the other participants, including the project
leader, did not have. Jim and James were very supportive and encouraging to the others in the
group.
The learning community created a dynamic within the group that was expressive and
difficult to control. The project leader had planned to ask each question in the Planning
Evaluation Tool (appendix 14), but the discussion naturally flowed to subjects that the project
leader did not foresee. Instead of quenching the spirit of the discussion by trying to narrow its
focus, the project leader encouraged a free progression of discourse. If he had strictly
followed the Planning Evaluation Tool, half of the learning community participants would
have no basis for discussion since they did not participate in the seminar.
The project leader asked those who participated in the seminar if they had any
progress in implementing changes in their church. Ashley said that he approached his
chairman of deacons with the idea of equipping the church he pastors to engage in
41
multiethnic ministry. The deacon replied that it would be better for people of different
ethnicities to attend ethnic churches instead of their church. This was a discouraging turn of
events for Ashley. He responded to the deacon by using the project leader’s work as the basis
for a Bible study on Wednesday nights. Ashley was determined to teach the church about the
importance of reaching all ethnicities for Christ.
The project leader asked the group if they had any ideas or encouragement for Ashley.
Jim told Ashley that a pastor cannot not lead the church where he has not been. He said that
Ashley personally needed to bring people of different ethnicities into the church. Jim
challenged all the pastors to be honest with themselves in this regard. James added that the
people of Ashley’s church probably had few or no cross-cultural experiences. He suggested
that Ashley take some people on a short-term mission trip.
Ken, who takes college students on an annual international mission trip, said that he
has struggled to grasp what it is like to divest himself of the inherent power of being light-
skinned. He feels that his limited experience hinders his ministry to people of different
ethnicities. Jim agreed with Ken’s assessment. He said that diversity to Afro-Americans is
different than diversity to Euro-Americans. Most Euro-Americans do not have experience
following a dark-skinned leader, while it is common for Afro-Americans to follow light-
skinned leaders. Jim suggested that if Ken could find an associate who is an ethnic minority,
it would add a degree of validity to the collegiate ministry in the minds of the students he is
trying to reach.
The project leader asked if anyone else was making progress in regard to multiethnic
ministry. Ashley interjected again to mention that he would be interviewed on a secular talk
radio show on the upcoming Friday for placing a cross on Fountain Square in downtown
42
Cincinnati. This would be a significant community event because of a controversy caused by
the Ku Klux Klan placing a cross on Fountain Square a few years before. Ashley asked for
the other participants to pray that he would have the opportunity to explain that the cross he
puts up would not be a cross that divides, but a cross that unifies people of all ethnicities.
The project leader then asked Jim and James about the formation of the multiethnic
church they started. They replied that they met at a non-denominational gathering of
Christians called Transformation Cincinnati. Jim had a deep desire to do some kind of
multiethnic ministry, but he did not know what to do. He said that he did not perceive at the
beginning where God was leading him. Jim and James soon found some other pastors who
had the same desire. Out of months of prayer and preparation, the multiethnic church was
formed. Jim encouraged the others in the learning community to be open to new ideas.
The project leader asked the participants what their biggest obstacle was. Larry said
that he was having difficulty helping the other leaders of the church see the need to change.
When another participant asked him how long he had been the pastor at his current church,
Larry replied that he has only been there a few years. Ashley added that he has been at his
church for six months. All of the other participants agreed that, due to the brevity of their
pastorates, neither Larry or Ashley were in a position to make major changes at the church.
Jim added that the volunteer leaders in their churches did not trust them yet. The project
leader encouraged Larry and Ashley to be patient as they deal with the established leaders in
their churches. He said that the other authority figures in his own church appreciate his
honesty and candidness as he tries to include them in decisions.
Dave mentioned that the two biggest obstacles his church faces in reaching the
community are a language barrier and money. His church had been trying with mixed results
43
to minister to a group of Russians. They have taught an “English as a Second Language”
class, but the attendance was sparse and inconsistent. The project leader asked the other
participants how they would advise Dave. Don mentioned that perhaps Dave could reach one
Russian who could serve as a witness to the rest of the community.
The project leader asked the group about the importance of having a vision for the
church. Don replied by giving the example of Delos Sharpton, a Euro-American pastor in St.
Petersburg, Florida. The church he led was located in a transitioning community. Sharpton
had a vision to reach the community in an effective way, but the church he led was ethnically
different from its surrounding community. After much prayer and consultation with other
church leaders, Sharpton proposed bringing an Afro-American minister on staff. The church
members who by that time resided a long distance from the church campus were encouraged
to find a new church home. Over time the church began to transition into an ethnically mixed
congregation. At the appropriate time, Sharpton stepped aside and allowed his associate to
become the senior pastor. A handful of the original Euro-American families remained
members at the church. The result was that instead of dying out, the church became
ethnically congruent to its community and began to thrive.12
12Graves, James, Lewis Lampley, and Delos Sharpton. Three Churches : One Spirit.
Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1978.
44
Summary Comments on the Learning Community
The learning community luncheon was perhaps as effective and meaningful as the
seminar. Its casual setting provided an open format for discussion. The learning community
also gave each participant a sense of equality. All the participants were seated, and no one
assumed the role of the teacher. As a result, each of the participants was an encouragement to
the others.
Both of the most important insights that came from the learning community dealt
with leadership. Jim emphasized the need for Euro-American pastors to lead their
congregations by example. Simply preaching or compelling others about the need to cross
ethnic lines is insufficient. He reiterated that a church wanting to reach people of different
ethnicities will have an ethnically diverse leadership team. A diverse leadership team will
accomplish two goals that a homogeneous team cannot. It will provide legitimacy to the
church in the minds of people in the community. It will also help team leaders not feel
inadequate when trying to reach people of different ethnicities.
As the luncheon came to a close, the project leader asked the participants if meeting
together on a quarterly basis was of interest to them. Each participant indicated that it was.
The project leader sensed that the struggles experienced by these pastors and church leaders
as they dealt with ethnicity was something that would require continued wisdom and
encouragement.
45
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION
As mentioned before, the principle of ethnic congruency states that under most
circumstances a church is most healthy and best able to grow when it is ethnically similar to
its community.13 This project was implemented to encourage pastors and other church leaders
to equip their churches to become ethnically similar to their communities. Van Engen writes,
“Because God’s mission seeks careful and balanced complementarity between universality
and particularity, churches in North America should strive to be as multi-ethnic as their
surrounding contexts.”14 This tension between the universal and the particular exists in at
least four major theological themes that relate directly to the principle of ethnic congruency.
Also, three modern historical movements affect ethnic congruency in today’s churches.
Universality and Particularity in Biblical Theology
In its description of humanity, the Bible consistently maintains a balance between the
dual and complementary themes of universality and particularity. Humans experience both
realities in relation to their creation by God, their sin against him, their redemption by Christ,
and their ecclesiastical relationships. As the apostle Paul understood, universality and
particularity are dual and related themes in God’s plan: “He made from one man every nation
of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and
the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26).15
13Leaders of ethnically homogeneous churches in multiethnic communities have the

responsibility of addressing how people in other segments of their community will be
reached for Christ. Ethnicity is a major sociological factor affecting a church’s ministry to it’s
community. “What can be said of ethnicity in particular can be said of culture in general”
(Ronald A. Reminick, Theory of Ethnicity: An Anthropologist’s Perspective [Lanham, MD:
University Press of America, 1983], 63).
14Van Engen, 3.
15All references to Scripture are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995
46
The Universality and Particularity in God’s Creation of Humanity
From its outset, the Bible universalizes the human trait of being made in God’s image
(cf. Gen. 1:27). The image of God extends from Adam to his descendants (cf. Gen. 5:3),
which includes every human of every ethnicity who ever lived. Although theologians over
the centuries have debated the meaning of the image of God, many Old Testament scholars
today view the image as the function of “exercising dominion over the natural world.”16 The
distinction from the rest of the creative order as God’s royal representatives in the world is
foundational to the work of God in history. “The entire redemptive purpose and plan of God,
including the incarnation and death-resurrection of Jesus as the Son of God, is predicated
upon the veritable worthwhileness of God’s redeeming human beings.”17
The basic teaching that every human is created in the image of God compels his
church to minister to every human. The very existence of each person, regardless of skin
color, indicates the divine approval of humanity’s creation. Additionally, if a person of any
color of skin happens to reside in a particular community, God has given his approval to that
person living there (cf. Acts 17:26). A church has the responsibility to minister to the people
in its community, especially in light of God’s approval of the existence and location of the
people in that community.
The universal image of God in humanity enables humans to relate to one another
despite ethnic distinctions. “All who have been made in the image of God have more in
edition.
16Ian Hart, “Genesis 1:1-2:3 as a Prologue to the Book of Genesis,” Tyndale Bulletin
46 (Nov. 1995): 317.
17James Leo Garrett, Jr. Systematic Theology, vol. 2, 2d ed. (North Richland Hills,
TX: Bibal, 2000), 466.
47
common than they have in distinction from one another.”18 If people of different ancestries
were genetically separate species, interethnic relationships might be impossible. However,
the “consistent testimony of Scripture is that the human race is one race—created as a unity
by God (Acts 17:26), and all alike intended to be the recipients of the gospel (Mt. 28:19).”19
Coupled with the universal trait of being made in God’s image is the particularity of
God’s creation of each person. “God chose not to create people from a precast die in which
every person would come out exactly the same as every other.”20 Like other unique physical
features, the color of each person’s skin displays the creative expression of God. Each person
is also unique spiritually, as evidenced by the sovereign distribution of spiritual gifts to those
who receive Christ (cf. Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12-14; 1 Tim. 4:14). The uniqueness of each
person is an encouragement for the church to view ethnic distinctions not as something to
struggle against, but something to celebrate.
The Universality and Particularity of Sin
The universality of sin is a basic and almost unquestioned biblical teaching. “It is
well-known that the Church’s dogmaticians have debated for centuries questions that arise
out of the doctrine of sin, such as the origin of sin, the nature of original sin, the imputation
of sin, and other related questions. . . . There is one thing, however, over which the battlers
have had no disagreements, and that is the universality of sin.”21 With Jesus Christ as the sole
exception, sin is a part of every human’s experience.

18Garrett, 482.
19John Root, “Issues for the Church in a Multi-Racial Society,” Themelios n.s. 10, no.
2 (Jan. 1985): 31.
20C. Peter Wagner, “How Ethical Is The Homogeneous Unit Principle?” Occasional
Bulletin 2 (Jan. 1978): 13.
21S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. “Studies in Romans. Part IX: The Universality of Sin”
Bibliotheca Sacra 131 (Apr. 1974): 168-9.
48
The doctrine of the universality of sin not only conveys that all humans have sinned,
but also that no ethnic distinctions exist by which one group is unaffected or somehow less
affected by sin. Commenting on Romans 5:12-21, Rapinchuk states that the universal nature
of Paul’s discussion of sin and salvation should be “defined as without ethnic distinction
rather than without exception. When Paul speaks of ‘all men’ he speaks in the sense of both
Jews and Gentiles, not in the sense of every individual.”22
Just as true as the universality of sin is its particularity. Both individuals and groups
of people have a predisposition to being tempted in certain ways which any combination of
physical or spiritual factors may spark. The biblical account of the kings of Israel and Judah
demonstrate the tendency of people to follow their parents’ example, which often includes
the commission of the same types of sins (cf. 1 Kin. 15:3, 26; 22:43, 52; 2 Kin. 21:21).
However, as Ezekiel 18 explains, each person still has the freedom to choose obedience in
spite of any predisposition toward a certain kind of sin.
The particularity of sin within an ethnic group does not imply a biblical justification
for racism or prejudice. Christians should not view the actions they disapprove of as being
stereotypical of a certain ethnic group. Ethnic generalizations can harm a Christian’s witness.
Some Christians of European descent have made an argument that darker colors of
skin find their origin with Cain (cf. Gen. 4:13-15) or the curse of Canaan (cf. Gen. 9:20-27).
However, no biblical evidence exists that the mark placed on Cain means that he became a
slave or turned black, nor is there evidence that the curse on Canaan means that dark-skinned
people are somehow inferior to others.23 To try to use the Bible as a source of justification for
22Mark Rapinchuk, “Universal Sin and Salvation in Romans 5:12-21,” Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society 42 (Sept. 1999): 440.
23For a more thorough study of these texts, see Garrett, 480-1.
49
prejudicial and hateful attitudes toward others demonstrates the powerful blinding effect sin
can have on a person’s heart.
The Universality and Particularity of the Saving Work of Jesus Christ
Both the teachings and the atoning work of Jesus have universal implications. “The
Gospels picture Jesus as a king, the ruler over all of the universe.”24 The kingdom of God,
which included Gentiles (e.g., Matt. 8:10, 11) “was the central message of Jesus.”25 Jesus’
teaching stood in stark contrast to that of his contemporaries, who viewed the kingdom as
consisting of Jews alone. Salvation is available to people of any ethnicity because “Jesus
made response to his own person and message the determining factor for entering the
eschatological Kingdom.”26
The universality of Christ’s work is seen in the tearing of the veil of the temple when
Jesus died (cf. Matt. 27:51) and subsequent New Testament teachings (e.g., 1 Tim. 2:4-6; 2
Pet. 3:9; 1 Jn. 2:2). “It is clear . . . that God has provided in Christ a Savior for all. He desires
that all should receive this Savior.”27
One implication of the universality of Christ’s work is that his church is to take on his
mission. There can be no justification for failing to share the gospel with people of a different
ethnicity. If cultural gaps exist between a church and its community, the church bears the
responsibility to overcome those gaps. Had Christ simply waited for humanity to relate better
to him before he began his saving work, there would be no salvation today. Instead, in
24Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984), 767.

25George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, rev. ed., ed. Donald A.
Hagner (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 54.
26Ibid., 62.
27George McKillop Cowan, “The Field is the World,” Bibliotheca Sacra 100 (July
1943): 439.
Christ’s incarnation he took on the form and customs of humanity in order to complete his
salvific work.
Jesus coupled the universal scope of his teachings and work with a realization of the
particular distinctions of being a Jew. “The complementarity of universality and particularity
is very strong in Jesus’ ministry. At one point Jesus sends his disciples ‘to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel’ (Matt. 10:6). Yet this is the same Jesus and the same gospel of Matthew
that will strongly emphasize that the disciples are to meet him in the cosmopolitan, multi-
cultural setting of Galilee. There he will say, ‘all [sic] authority is given to me in heaven and
on earth, go therefore and disciple ta ethne–the nations’ (Matt. 28:18-19).”28
The church today should follow the example of Jesus and his apostles in recognizing
the ethnic and cultural distinctions between different people. While the gospel message will
not change and must not be corrupted, it can be presented in different formats. Pastors and
other church leaders need to help their congregations understand the critical need to utilize
new and different methodologies in order to reach people of all ethnicities for Christ.
The Universality and Particularity of the Church
The very nature of the New Testament church is one of being universally open to
“whoever believes” (Rom. 10:11) and constituted by people of various ethnic groups. “The
universalism of the New Testament which was really new as far as Judaism was concerned
was its abolition of the distinction between Jew and Gentile, or ‘Greek,’ as the language of
the time drew the distinction. This distinction was not nationalistic but religious and cultural.
It was a distinction that even the most ecumenical type of Judaism had never been able to
28Chuck Van Engen, “Is the Church for Everyone? Planting Multi-Ethnic
Congregations in North America,” Journal for the American Society for Church Growth 11
(Spr. 2000): 5.
50
eradicate, even with its best intentions.”29
Galatians 3:28 explicitly denounces ethnic barriers in the church. The Holy Spirit’s
work of salvation overcomes ethnic barriers and makes believing Jews and Gentiles “one
new man” (Eph. 2:15) in Christ. Acts 8 recounts how Philip led the Ethiopian eunuch to
Christ. “The Ethiopia referred to is in all probability the ancient kingdom of Meroe. . . .
Referred to in the Old Testament as the Kingdom of Cush, its population consisted of
blacks.”30 Likewise, when Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts
10:47, 48), Peter concluded that no one “could hinder (kōlyō) the baptism of these Gentiles
and their full inclusion into the Christian community.”31
The explicit teaching of the New Testament in denouncing ethnic barriers serves as a
clear indication that churches are not allowed to exclude people on the basis of ethnicity. The
church is to be a community of believers of any color. The barriers of ethnicity that once
divided those who are now believers have been eradicated, even though the ethnic
distinctions remain.
The leadership of the early church was ethnically diverse. Although each of the
twelve apostles was Jewish, many other church leaders, such as Titus (cf. Gal. 2:3), were
Gentile. Among those listed in Acts 13 as prophets and teachers at the Antiochan church was
Simeon whom they called Niger. His Latin nickname was probably a reference to his dark
complexion, presumably in contrast to other church leaders. If this is correct, then God
himself approved of the fasting and prayers of a dark-skinned man when the Holy Spirit
29Bruce Vawter, “Universalism in the New Testament,” in Ethnicity, ed. Andrew M.

Greeley and Gregory Baum (New York: Seabury, 1977), 80.
30John B. Pohill, Acts, The New American Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery
(Nashville: Broadman, 1992), 223.
31Ibid., 265.
51
52
commanded them all, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have
called them” (Acts 13:2).
The ethnic distinctions that remain even after people come to faith in Christ are not a
weakness for the church, but a strength. If church leaders today will follow the example of
the first-century church in appointing and developing an ethnically diverse leadership, the
church will be empowered to reach people that would remain unreached otherwise.
Recognizing ethnic distinctions as a reality and allowing them to serve as a vehicle for new
ministry opportunities is a key to a church becoming ethnically congruent.
The Impact of Modern Historical Movements on Ethnic Congruence
Extrabiblical historical issues affect the congruence of churches to their communities.
Three recent historical issues or movements are most germane to this project: the ways the
Southern Baptist Convention has dealt with ethnicity; the influence of black theology on the
Afro-American community; and the impact of the church growth movement on multiethnic
churches.
Ethnicity and the Southern Baptist Convention
The reputation of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) as slow to embrace ethnic
diversity originates in its formation. While various related issues were involved in the
formation of the SBC, “slavery was the final and most decisive factor.”32 The problems
Southern Baptists have had dealing with ethnicity, however, are not limited to events that
occurred over a century ago.
Although the SBC has issued twenty-two resolutions since 1937 against prejudice and
32H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage (Nashville: Broadman, 1987), 381.
53
racism, many still perceive Southern Baptists as being slow to deal with ethnic issues. This
perception is based in reality, as evidenced by the negative reaction to Martin Luther King,
Jr.’s visit to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on 19 April 196133 and by the
admission of Southern Baptist leaders such as W. A. Criswell.34 Even the 1995 resolution on
racial reconciliation, which “marked the denomination’s first formal acknowledgment that
racism played a role in its founding,”35 was not well-received by some leaders of the Afro-
American community. The leader of the National Baptist Convention at the time rejected it,
saying, “The civil rights struggle is still going on and we need more than an apology.”36
Many Southern Baptist churches today find themselves located in ethnically
transitioning communities. If these churches fail to learn how to minister to their multiethnic
communities, they will undoubtedly die. This dynamic is being witnessed in virtually every
large community with Southern Baptist churches in it. Typically, these predominately Euro-
American churches discover that their membership either moves to another community or
begins to die out. As the community becomes more ethnically diverse, these churches are
unable to relate and minister effectively to the people around them. What remains is an aging,
Euro-American congregation surrounded by a younger, ethnically mixed community. Church
leaders must be prepared to equip their churches with the necessary tools to engage in
community ministry.
33Henlee Hulix Barnette, “The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Civil
Rights Movement: The Visit of Martin Luther King, Jr., Part Two,” Review and Expositor 93
(Winter 1996): 77-126. The reaction against King’s visit was so severe that within four
months the seminary’s trustees and president issued a statement of regret for offending
Southern Baptist sensibilities. “No mention of King’s visit appeared in any of the Seminary’s
publications for twenty-three years” (Ibid., 78).
34W. A. Criswell, Look Up, Brother! (Nashville: Broadman, 1970), 50.
35“SBC Renounces Racist Past,” Christian Century 112 (5 July 1995): 671.
36“Black Baptist Rejects Apology by SBC,” Christian Century 112 (27 Sept.-4 Oct.
1995): 879.
54
Black Theology and the Afro-American Community
Black theology, a system of beliefs indigenous to North America which gained
prominence through the civil rights movement, “is engaged theology, committed to the
amelioration of the condition of black people and consciously locked in battle with white
racism.”37 The movement arose partly because of the silence of Euro-American Christians to
the continuing problem of racism in the twentieth century. James Cone, the most influential
proponent of black theology, finds the significance of the movement “in the conviction that
the content of the Christian gospel is liberation.”38
Like other liberation theologies, black theology has as its primary biblical text Luke
4:18, 19. Jesus’ mission is viewed primarily as that of bringing liberation to oppressed
people. Cone writes, “Black theology puts black identity into a theological context, showing
that black power is not only consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ: it is the gospel of
Jesus Christ.”39
Proponents of black theology incorrectly stress that since Jesus intentionally
identified with oppressed persons such as prostitutes and the poor,40 special status to the
oppressed in America is justified. However, they claim that one does not need to have dark
skin to qualify for this special status. Cone writes, “Being black in America has very little to
do with skin color. To be black means that your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body
37Virgil Cruz, “Black Theology,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter

A. Elwell.
38James Cone, “Black Theology and Black Liberation,” Christian Century 87 (16
Sept. 1970): 1086.
39Ibid., 1084.
40Jesus offered salvation not only to the poor and oppressed, but also to the rich and
powerful (e.g., Nicodemus [cf. John 3] and Zaccheus [cf. Luke 19:1-10]).
55
are where the dispossessed are.” 41
The seductive influence of black theology has led many Afro-American churches and
Christian leaders to replace the power of Christ to save souls with an emphasis on
empowering Afro-Americans to save themselves. In contrast, biblical theology stresses that
while the salvation and liberation Christ offers ultimately includes freedom from human
oppression, the primary need for all humans is freedom from the bondage of sin. The
relationship one has with God is primary, and it will affect his or her relationships with
others.
Black theology not only fails to reconcile individuals with God, it also is a divisive
factor that keeps ethnic groups apart. Proponents of black theology “speak of reconciliation
that brings black men together . . . [but not] of reconciliation that brings black and white men
together.”42 As a result, black theology has not gained a strong foothold in the dispossessed
Hispanic or Asian communities, nor will it ever gain a significant following among Euro-
Americans.
As increasing numbers of Americans value inclusiveness, the influence of teachings
such as black theology will remain insignificant. The danger of black theology to churches
wishing to engage in multiethnic community ministry is a theological one. Church leaders
must remain on guard against those who would use the Bible and Christian terminology to
distort the message of the gospel.
The Church Growth Movement and Multiethnic Churches
41James Cone, Black Theology and Black Power (New York: Seabury, 1969), 151;
quoted in Virgil Cruz, “Black Theology,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter
A. Elwell.
42J. Deotis Roberts, Liberation and Reconciliation: A Black Theology (Philadelphia:
Westminster, 1971), 152.
56
The church growth movement “seeks to understand, through biblical, sociological,
historical, and behavioral study, why churches grow or decline.”43 Based on foundational
premise of the homogeneous unit principle (HUP), leaders of the church growth movement
emphasize that they want to “become all things to all men, so that [they] may by all possible
means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). Cultural or ethnic differences require different kinds of
churches if people are to respond to the gospel. Therefore, it is believed, churches should
specialize in reaching one homogeneous unit.44
While few would doubt the popularity of the church growth movement, it is not
without its critics. One of the most severe and most common criticisms of the homogeneous
unit principle is that it is essentially racist. Bosch writes that “an unbiased reading of Paul
cannot but lead one to the conclusion that his entire theology militates against even the
possibility of establishing separate churches for different cultural groups.”45 Paul desired that
Jewish and Gentile believers realize that they constitute one body of Christ.
In response, church growth leader C. Peter Wagner suggested that forcing
homogeneous churches to become heterogeneous would essentially require the unchurched to
accept the idea of ethnic diversity before receiving Christ. He says that “culturally
homogeneous congregations, when they are formed voluntarily and when they are open to all
others who wish to become members, possess an intrinsic integrity as Christian
communities.”46
Wagner also accused his critics of “assimilationist racism,” in which a powerful group
43Thom S Rainer, The Book of Church Growth (Nashville: Broadman, 1993), 21.
44McGavran defines a homogeneous unit as “a section of society in which all the
members have some characteristic in common” (McGavran, 69).
45David J. Bosch, “Church Unity Amidst Cultural Diversity,” Missionalia 10 (1982):
21.
46C. Peter Wagner, “How Ethical Is The Homogeneous Unit Principle?”: 12.
57
destroys the culture of a less powerful group by assimilating its members into that of the
majority. “Church growth leaders believe that one of the most effective antidotes to racism,
prejudice and injustice is to allow each people the dignity of contextualizing the Christian
message and lifestyle in a way that is compatible with their own worldview without having
forced upon them a kind of Christianity that seems foreign to them.”47
The theological tension felt by the church growth movement in this regard is one
between ecclesiology and soteriology. How can the church remain true to its calling of being
“one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28) while not adding requirements to salvation? Wagner’s
solution—based more on sociological reality than a biblical ideal—is through two spheres of
Christian interaction: the intracongregational and the intercongregational. “The local
congregation in a given community should be as integrated as are the families and other
primary groups in the community, while intercongregational activities and relationships
should be as integrated as are the secondary social groups in the community and society as a
whole.”48 He sees little usefulness for heterogeneous churches, claiming that “such a church
seldom grows, and when it does it is frequently heavy on transfer growth and light on
conversion growth.”49
Wagner fails to provide hard data to show that multiethnic congregations are a
hindrance to people receiving Christ. On the contrary, a multiethnic church may be more
effective than an ethnically homogeneous one in sharing Christ with those persons in the
community who do not consider ethnicity a strong bonding factor. The more removed
American society grows away from the institutional racism of the early and mid-twentieth
47C. Peter Wagner, “Recent Developments in Church Growth Understandings,”
Review and Expositor 77 (Fall 1980): 515.
48Wagner, “How Ethical Is The Homogeneous Unit Principle?”: 18.
49Ibid., 16.
58
century, the more people may be willing to accept multiethnic relationships in a
congregational setting. Barriers of color may become bridges of invitation.50
Wagner’s prescription of one church for each ethnic group may work in many areas
of the world, but he oversimplifies the case in most North American communities. People
already accept a great amount of ethnic diversity in almost every other area of life. In most
communities other sociological factors—such as income or lifestyle—are strong enough to
overcome differences in skin color. In this context, God may desire and empower a single
congregation to model Christian love and grow evangelistically while overcoming ethnic
barriers. “The sociological impossibility . . . is theologically possible.”51
The homogeneous unit principle is not inaccurate. People are more likely to become
Christians if it means they do not have to cross linguistic, cultural, or ethnic barriers. The
reality to most North American people, however, is that ethnicity is not as powerful of a
barrier as it once was. To the people who enjoy living in a pluralistic, diverse society, the
homogeneous unit principle might not apply, especially in regard to ethnicity.
Conclusion
Both the clear teaching of Scripture and the modern historical movements cited
compel the need for individual churches in North America to be as ethnically diverse as the
communities in which they are found. Churches in diverse populations must become a
witness of Christian unity in the midst of diversity. A real and practical balance should exist
between the universality of the gospel message and the particularity of each person’s
individual ancestry and ethnicity.
50Leaders of the church growth movement have recently begun to see the
evangelistic value of multiethnic churches. For one example, see Van Engen, 3-71.
51Bosch, 21.
The project leader did not experience any foundational change to his theological
beliefs as a result of the project. All of the people he worked with, however, reminded him of
the critical need for church leaders to equip their churches for multiethnic ministry. From
their own experiences they kept mentioning foundational principles that the project leader
incorporated into the seminar. The key to effective multiethnic community ministry is in
knowing and applying these principles.
59
60
CRITICAL EVALUATION
The project leader sought to accomplish certain goals that would help him complete
the project. He attempted to use methodologies that were measurable and specific. Through
the completion of the project, he was able to attain personal growth for himself, the church
members he interviewed, and the church leaders he interacted with in the seminar and
learning community. The project leader was pleased with the project’s structure and results.
Methodology
Given the difficulties that many churches have in remaining relevant to their
ethnically transitioning communities, the project leader focused on helping church leaders.
Believing that real and lasting change will not occur in churches without the direction of
spiritual leaders, he designed the project to help church leaders equip their churches to
engage in ministry to their multiethnic communities. To prepare these leaders for this task,
the project leader set goals that relate to the following groups: the project leader, the church
members interviewed by the project leader, and the seminar participants.
Evaluation of the Project Leader
The first personal goal set by the project leader was to demonstrate effective
interviewing skills. He enlisted from the church that he pastors three Afro-American
members (Barbara, Gerald, and Debbie) and three Euro-American members (Marcia,
Stephen, and Lisa). Each participant freely shared his or her own life experiences with the
project leader as he asked questions from the Interview for Members from a Multiethnic
Church (appendix 3).
The project leader asked each interview participant to complete the Evaluation Form
61
for Interview Participants (appendix 4). He set a goal of demonstrating effective interviewing
skills by achieving an average mean score of 4 or above (indicating affirmation) on each
issue addressed by the form. He scored a 5 on whether he clearly stated the purpose of the
interview. When asked whether the project leader asked questions that effectively fulfilled
the purpose of the interview, the participants gave him a mean score of 5. He scored a 4.8 on
whether those interviewed were allowed to discuss their personal ethnic experiences. The
project leader also achieved a score of 4.8 when he asked if those interviewed determined a
value of being a member of a multiethnic church within a multiethnic community. On
whether the interview participants discussed their personal opinions concerning why many
churches are not ethnically congruent with their communities, the participants gave him a
score of 5. The project leader scored a 4.8 when he asked if those interviewed were given the
opportunity to specify strategies church leaders could implement to help equip their
congregations for ministry to their multiethnic communities. A score of 5 was achieved when
the interview participants responded to whether they had the opportunity to specify strategies
that their own church might use to become more effective in ministering to its multiethnic
community. With no interview participant giving the project leader a score less than 4, the
project leader achieved his goal of scoring 4 or more on each issue addressed in the
interviews (appendix 15).
The project leader also demonstrated effective interviewing skills by noting the
comments of those he interviewed (appendix 22). In addition to the notes he took, the project
leader provided an opportunity for the interview participants to record comments on the
Evaluation Form for Interview Participants. All of these written observations enabled the
project leader to accurately represent what the participants said.

62
The project leader set a personal goal of enlisting at least twelve church leaders from
six different churches to attend the seminar. Through the creation and dissemination of a
Professional Flyer (appendix 7) that he mailed with a Seminar Recruitment Letter (appendix
5), personal invitations,52 and email correspondence,53 over seventy pastors were invited to
attend the seminar. Of these, nine church leaders from five churches and one parachurch
ministry were in attendance. Jim, who wanted to attend the seminar but could not because of
a scheduling conflict, later participated in the learning community.54 Although the goal of
twelve seminar participants was not achieved, the project leader was satisfied with the
number of people in attendance.
The project leader set a personal goal of assisting the seminar participants in the
development of a multiethnic ministry plan. The first step in the achievement of this goal was
to instruct the participants through written correspondence four weeks prior to the seminar to
conduct an ethnic survey of his congregation. The project leader gave this instruction in both
the Seminar Recruitment Letter (appendix 5) and the Pre-Seminar Instructional Email to
Seminar Participants (appendix 8).
The project leader also assisted the seminar participants in developing a multiethnic
ministry plan by using comments from the Notes from the Interviews (appendix 22) to make
adjustments to the seminar. He told the seminar participants that each of the persons
interviewed found great value in being a member of a multiethnic church. The project leader
also mentioned that those interviewed stressed the importance of church leaders helping their
52The project leader personally invited a over twenty pastors to the seminar at a
series of meetings celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Baptist Association of Greater
Cincinnati on October 4-6, 2004.
53The email correspondence contained the same content as the Seminar Recruitment
Letter.
54Four other pastors expressed interest in the seminar but could not attend.
63
congregations to engage the community and develop leaders of different ethnicities.
The project leader measured whether he assisted the seminar participants in
developing a multiethnic ministry plan by attempting to receive an average mean score of 4
or above (indicating affirmation) on each issue addressed by the Evaluation Form for
Seminar Participants (appendix 10).55 The average scores were recorded on the Average
Mean Scores for All Interview Participants (appendix 15). He scored a 5 on whether he
clearly stated the purpose of the seminar. The seminar participants gave the project leader a
4.7 when asked if he provided them with a customized demographic survey of their
communities to compare with the congregational survey they conducted. The only person to
give the project leader less than a 5 on this question was Ken, who gave him a neutral score
of 3. Because of his specialized ministry to college students, the project leader could not
acquire a community survey for Ken.
The project leader scored a 4.9 as to whether he effectively taught the implications of
a biblical perspective on ethnicity. When asked if the project leader demonstrated with
specific examples how Pocock’s five steps for determining a church’s response to its
changing community could be the basis for the development of a multiethnic ministry plan,
he averaged a 4.6 score. He received the same score when he asked the participants if they
were personally committed to equipping their church for ministry to its multiethnic
community.
Evaluation of Interviews
55Because of scheduling conflicts, Jerome and Andrew excused themselves from the
seminar approximately thirty minutes before its completion. As a result, neither one was able
to complete the Evaluation Form for Interview Participants.
64
The project leader accomplished two goals relating to interview participants that
enabled him to complete the project. First, he allowed each participant to communicate the
effects of ethnicity on his or her faith. The project leader made notes of the personal ethnic
experiences each participant related to him (appendix 22). He also determined the value that
each participant placed on being a member of a multiethnic church within a multiethnic
community. Other than Marcia, each participant placed the highest importance on being a
member of a multiethnic church. Marcia said that while it is important to her, she would
rather ethnicity not be an issue.
The project leader also achieved the goal for the interview participants to
communicate their personal opinions about the effects of ethnicity on churches in multiethnic
communities. Each one gave related answers why many churches are not ethnically
congruent with their communities. Each participant also said that the best strategy church
leaders of ethnically homogeneous congregations could implement to help their churches
minister to their multiethnic communities is simply to penetrate and engage the community.
When asked how the participant’s own church might minister better to its own multiethnic
community, the participants responded with varying answers: more community engagement,
multiethnic leadership development, and more varied musical experiences.
Evaluation of Seminar
The project leader set two goals relating to seminar participants. First, he sought to
identify the ethnic congruency of each participant’s congregation to its community. This
would be accomplished by comparing a congregational ethnic survey provided by each
participant to an ethnic survey of each represented church’s community provided by the

65
project leader. In the project leader’s opinion, this goal was not fulfilled adequately.
None of the seminar participants completed an ethnic survey of his congregation,
even though the project leader requested that it be done in both the Seminar Recruitment
Letter (appendix 5) and the Pre-Seminar Instructional Email to Seminar Participants
(appendix 8). In the opinion of the project leader, the seminar participants failed to
accomplish this for one of three reasons. First, the participants whose churches are ethnically
homogeneous may have assumed that such a survey was pointless. Second, the pastors of the
other churches may not have realized the importance of completing the survey. The project
leader could have stressed its importance more by personally calling each seminar participant
with a request to complete the survey. A third reason the congregational ethnic surveys were
left undone may be that some pastors simply forgot to do it.
Even though the seminar participants did not complete their congregational surveys,
the project leader was still able to provide them with ethnic surveys of each church’s
community (appendices 31-35).56 Some of the participants had seen demographic studies of
their communities before, but none had seen projections of ethnic growth or decline. This,
along with each church leader’s familiarity with the fundamental ethnic composition of his
congregation, provided a basis for a productive discussion.
The second main goal the project leader set for the seminar participants was that they
begin to develop a plan to equip their congregations for ministry to their multiethnic
communities. The third session focused on this activity. This goal was accomplished with
mixed results.
On the Evaluation Form for Seminar Participants (appendix 10), the project leader
56As stated above, Ken’s “congregation” are collegians that attend a number of
Cincinnati area campuses. The project leader did not complete a community survey for him.
66
asked each participant to indicate whether he had begun to develop a plan to equip his
congregation for ministry to its multiethnic community. This question was the only one on
the form that received less than an average mean score of 4 (indicating affirmation). The
project leader received a 4 from Ken, which the project leader attributes to Ken’s ministry not
being based in a church. All four representatives from Larry’s church gave the project leader
a 3. The average mean score for the project leader on this question was 3.6.
The project leader believes that there are three possible reasons for this score being
lower than anticipated. First, by the time the development of a plan was discussed (Session
3), the participants were growing tired. To encourage more interaction and attention to the
subject, the project leader could have provided case studies for the seminar participants to
discuss. Second, in Session 3 the project leader focused on presenting the principles
necessary in forming the basis for the development of a multiethnic ministry plan. He should
have stopped periodically to allow the participants to discuss exactly how they might
implement each step. Third, there is the possibility that Larry’s church suffers from a lack of
adequate planning. The project leader received the lowest scores on this question from
participants attending this church. Two of the three volunteer leaders from Larry’s church
mentioned in their comments that they were willing to help the church minister better to its
multiethnic community if a plan was in place.
The project leader also asked the seminar participants to meet with him within a
month to review and evaluate the development of their plans. This meeting came in the form
of the learning community luncheon. The project leader did not expect any volunteer leaders
to attend the learning community, but he hoped that each of the pastors would. Of the five
people who attended the seminar but not the luncheon, three were the lay leaders (Dale, Gary,
67
and Dwight), and two excused themselves from the seminar prior to being asked to attend the
learning community (Jerome and Andrew). Jerome and Andrew were asked later to come to
the learning community, but neither could attend. Each of the other seminar participants
(Ashley, Ken, Dave, and Larry) attended the learning community.
The final way in which the project leader sought to help each participant develop a
plan to equip his congregation for ministry to its multiethnic community was by reviewing
and evaluating the development and implementation of the plan during the follow-up session.
Even though the open format of the learning community did not allow the project leader to
ask each question in the Planning Evaluation Tool (appendix 14), the seminar participants all
shared how their plans were developing. The Planning Evaluation Tool served as a general
guide for the group discussion.
Growth in the Project Leader
The project leader grew personally and ministerially during the course of the project.
The project helped the leader to be more focused and disciplined than he had been at any
other time in ministry. It also provided him with the opportunity to lead pastors and other
church leaders.
The discipline and focus needed to complete the project required the leader to
eliminate unnecessary items and tasks from his calendar. The project leader prioritized his
daily activities and did not attempt to accomplish a number of secondary goals. He sacrificed
his usual recreational pursuits so he could complete the project and report.
The area of personal ministry in which the project leader grew the most was in
leading leaders. Being a pastor, he has had vast experience leading followers in both large
68
and small settings. Dino Senesi, the project leader’s field advisor, cautioned him not to treat
the seminar and learning community participants as if they were unknowledgeable. They
were to be considered equal peers. Senesi directed the project leader to resources on
coaching.57
As the project leader learned more about coaching leaders, he decided that lecturing
would an ineffective technique to use during the seminar and learning community. He asked
open questions that compelled the participants to give thoughtful answers.58 When someone
had a question, instead of stating his own opinion, the project leader asked the other
participants to answer it. In many ways the seminar and learning community reminded the
project leader of his doctoral seminars, which provided him with valuable leadership
experience in a peer-to-peer setting.
Leading discussions among equal peers also gave the project leader experience in
handling passionate discussions delicately. Ethnicity is a difficult issue to discuss because it
is a part of one’s basic constitution as a human. People are sometimes fearful that they might
offend someone if they say the wrong thing. There also exists an inadequacy in people’s
minds as to the amount of attention ethnicity should receive. Ignoring ethnicity means
ignoring the obvious, but overemphasizing it can make people nervous or angry. In the
seminar and learning community, when someone made a comment that could be
misinterpreted, the project leader asked him to clarify or restate what he meant.
The learning community’s open forum provided the project leader with experience in
keeping the discussion focused on the issue at hand. When the project leader asked the
57Especially helpful was the book by Robert E. Logan and Sherilyn Carlton,
Coaching 101: Discover the Power of Coaching (St. Charles, IL: ChurchSmart Resources,
2003).
58Many of these questions were adapted from Logan, 119-20.
69
participants about the biggest obstacle they faced, Dennis said that he could see the
homosexual community as being an obstacle. Not knowing what he meant, the project leader
asked him to explain. Dennis said that if precautions are not taken, those who promote a
homosexual agenda might interpret a church’s ethnically inclusive policy to mean that it is
inclusive to homosexuals. Don added that he was warned at a recent conference that certain
homosexual groups might attempt to become members at a church and then vote out those
who reject homosexuality as an acceptable alternative lifestyle. Not wanting to get
sidetracked into a prolonged discussion about the agenda of the homosexual community, the
project leader thanked both men for their comments and asked the other participants what
obstacles they might face in equipping their churches to engage in multiethnic ministry.
The project leader also gained valuable experience in recruiting church leaders to be a
part of a seminar. In the Seminar Recruitment Letter (appendix 5), he sought to gain interest
in the seminar by stressing that the participants’ involvement would not only be helpful to
them, but also instrumental in making a positive impact on God’s kingdom in the future. The
project leader created a full-color Professional Flyer (appendix 7) to catch the attention of
those he invited. The project leader discovered that, at least for this project, a Covenant of
Participation (appendix 6) did not achieve its goal of securing a commitment to attend the
seminar. None of the seminar participants returned a signed Covenant of Participation to the
project leader. Instead, they informed him personally, by telephone, or by email that they
would attend.
Growth in Others
One of the unintended outcomes of the interviews was that each participant grew in
70
his or her self-understanding. While the questions about the participants’ early years were
easy to answer, other questions required more thought. Prior to the project leader’s asking,
none of the participants had ever considered whether ethnicity affects their faith. The
relationship between ethnicity and faith was something that they had always taken for
granted.
Stephen and Barbara were the two persons interviewed that were most deeply
affected by the interviews. Stephen is a young man who is seeking to fulfill God’s will for his
life. He is very intelligent and seems to be on a quest for deeper knowledge. The questions he
was asked during the interview helped him discover how limited his perspective is as a Euro-
American man. Barbara, however, is an older Afro-American woman who has lived through
some of the most divisive times in American history. The interview allowed her to reflect on
personal life experiences she had not considered for a long time. The project leader could see
the pain still evident on her face when she spoke of institutional racism that once existed, and
he began to understand how grateful she was that society had changed for the better.
The project leader believes that the seminar participants were most helped by the
discussion of a biblical perspective of ethnicity (Session 1). The participants had a love for
the Bible, and they seemed excited to be able to make new biblical discoveries in regard to
ethnicity. Some participants had not considered the extent to which the New Testament deals
with ethnicity. All of them were able to understand the implications that a biblical perspective
of ethnicity has on one’s ministry.
Although the learning community was originally designed to be an extension of the
seminar, the inclusion of pastors and denominational leaders who did not attend the seminar
added a richness to the discussion. Jim’s perspective, not only as an Afro-American but also
71
as a pastor actively engaged in a multiethnic church plant, was unique and challenging. He
helped the other church leaders understand the difficulties they might encounter in leading
their churches to reach their multiethnic communities for Christ.
Structure of the Project
The project leader was comfortable with the structure of the project. The interviews,
seminar, and learning community were effective in helping him achieve his goals. To make
the project even more effective, the project leader would only make minor changes to the
seminar.
As stated earlier, when he first considered doing a project that dealt with churches in
multiethnic settings, his ideas focused on helping his own church minister more effectively to
its multiethnic community. He then realized that the project would be more significant if he
could use his own congregation as a resource to help other church leaders. The interviews
with three Afro-American and three Euro-American members of the project leader’s
multiethnic church served him well in this regard.
The project leader was also pleased with the design of the seminar itself.59 The
establishment of a biblical framework in which ethnicity could be understood served as a
good starting point. From there the project leader sought to obtain a commitment to the idea
of ethnic congruency. The final session provided the participants with some principles and
examples of how to begin the process of transitioning a church into becoming ethnically
congruent with its community.
The creation of a learning community was a helpful way to conclude the project. As
59The design of the seminar could be summarized by answering three questions:

What does God say? Does a commitment to God’s command exist? How can God’s
command be fulfilled?
mentioned before, having an open forum for discussion allowed the participants to freely
express their frustrations, obstacles, and victories. The relationships established in the
learning community will also be able to serve as an ongoing resource for pastors and church
leaders in need of advice or assistance.
72
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER IMPLEMENTATION
The project leader believes that the work accomplished during the project can be used
in the future in two ways. He has a desire to continue the learning community. He also
believes that the seminar can serve as a valuable resource for pastors and church leaders.
The learning community was a helpful forum whereby pastors could acquire
knowledge and advice from one another. When pastors freely discuss issues of ministry with
one another, a dynamic occurs whereby each one becomes an equal to the others. The issues
faced in ministry are largely the same regardless of the pastor’s education, vocational status,
or community setting.
When the learning community has a distinct focus —such as ministry to a multiethnic
community—the discussion becomes centered on particular issues and problems. The leader
of the group serves more as a moderator of peers than an expert with all the answers. The
particular focus of a learning community that discusses ministry to a multiethnic community
is also helpful in limiting the participants only to those who have a desire to equip his church
to engage the community.
The project leader hopes to continue meeting with the learning community on a
quarterly basis. The participants in the learning community expressed a desire to get together
occasionally to discuss multiethnic ministry. The project leader will seek to study additional
resources on coaching to maximize his effectiveness in leading the discussions. The project
leader will encourage the participants to invite other pastors and church leaders to the
meetings.
The project leader plans to use the seminar he created to train church leaders how to
equip their congregations to minister to their multiethnic communities. He believes that a

73
great need for such training exists. The failure of many Southern Baptist churches to remain
relevant to their communities through transitions is a major reason so many of them are
plateaued or declining.
Southern Baptist pastors seem to sense the need to be trained in helping their
churches handle community transitions. The project leader has told numerous pastors and
denominational leaders about the work he is doing in regard to the project. None of them
have questioned the need for a seminar addressing multiethnic ministry; on the contrary, most
have expressed great interest in the topic.
In order to make the seminar effective for church leaders in the future, the project
leader will make three minor changes. First, he will not ask church leaders to complete a
congregational ethnic survey prior to attending the seminar, nor will he be able to provide
each participant with a customized demographic survey of his or her community. Instead, the
project leader will demonstrate how the participants can complete a congregational ethnic
survey once the seminar is complete. He will also provide them with the names of resources
where they can obtain demographic surveys of their communities.
The second change the project leader will make in the seminar is that he will include
more discussion in Session 3. The participants will be given the opportunity to discuss case
studies dealing with typical situations experienced by pastors. The project leader will also
seek to get the participants to demonstrate how they will apply the principles taught in the
final session.
The project leader will also try to change the way church leaders are informed of the
seminar. He will continue to use flyers, letters, and emails; but he will also try to make more
contacts in person or on the telephone. He believes that the number of people participating in
74
the seminar will increase if he uses these methods of communication more.
75
76
APPENDIX 1
ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF MT. HEALTHY
Methodology: The dates of the survey were typical Sunday mornings. A deacon counted
people sitting in the church sanctuary. No major changes in the ethnic composition of the
congregation have occurred since the dates of the survey.
Date of Survey Euro-Americans Afro-Americans

21 October 2001 165 people 36 people
28 October 2001 158 people 28 people
9 December 2001 143 people 24 people
The survey shows that on a typical Sunday morning, approximately 84 percent of the
congregation is Euro-American and 16 percent is Afro-American. As a comparison, only 23
percent of Southern Baptist churches have Afro-American participants.60
60Phillip B. Jones, “Southern Baptist Congregations Today,” in www.namb.net

[article on-line] (Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board, February 2001); available
from http://www.namb.net/root/resources/stats/Southern Baptist Congregations Today.pdf.
Accessed 29 July 2003. Internet.
77
APPENDIX 2
DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEWS
1. ETHNIC CLASSIFICATIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY SURROUNDING

THE CHURCH CAMPUS 30
2. ETHNIC CLASSIFICATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 31

78
DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW 1
ETHNIC CLASSIFICATIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY

SURROUNDING THE CHURCH CAMPUS61
Description 3-mi. radius 5-mi. radius 10-mi. radius Hamilton Co.
Total Population 87,761 229,167 788,854 845,303
Euro-American Alone 68.4% 64.5% 70.8% 72.9%

Afro-American Alone 28.6% 32.0% 25.4% 23.4%
American Indian Alone 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2%
Asian-American Alone 0.9% 1.6% 1.6% 1.6%
Pacific Islander Alone 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Other Ethnicity Alone 0.5% 0.6% 0.6% 0.5%
Two or More Ethnicities 1.4% 1.5% 1.4% 1.3%
61The data for the three radii surrounding the church is from a report obtained from
Claritas, Inc., “Pop-Facts: Census Demographic Overview 2002. Prepared for FBC Mt.
Healthy,” (San Diego, CA: Claritas, Inc., 14 July 2003). The data for Hamilton County is
from the U.S. Census Bureau, “QT-P3. Race and Hispanic or Latino: 2000. Data Set: Census
2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File,” in www.census.gov [report on-
line] (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000); available from
http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/
_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_QTP3_geo_id=05000US39061.html; accessed 14
July 2003; Internet.
79
DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW 2
ETHNIC CLASSIFICATIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 62
Description Number Percent
Total Population 281,421,906 100.0
Euro-American Alone 211,460,626 75.1

Afro-American Alone 34,658,190 12.3
American Indian Alone 2,475,956 0.9
Asian-American Alone 10,242,998 3.6
Pacific Islander Alone 398,835 0.1
Other Ethnicity Alone 15,359,073 5.5
Two or More Ethnicities 6,826,228 2.4
62U.S. Census Bureau, “QT-P3. Race and Hispanic or Latino: 2000. Data Set: Census
2000 Summary File (SF 1) 100-Percent Data,” in www.census.gov [report on-line]
(Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000); available from
_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_QTP3_geo_id=01000US.html; accessed 14 July
2003; Internet.
80
APPENDIX 3
INTERVIEW FOR MEMBERS OF A MULTIETHNIC CHURCH
The purpose of this interview is to determine the effects of ethnicity on your faith and on
churches in multiethnic communities.
Name ____________________ Age _____ Ethnicity ________________
1. Describe your early years in regard to ethnic issues. Give a brief example of racism you
have encountered, if any.
2. In your opinion, have Americans changed in their experiences of ethnic issues since your
early years? If so, how?
3. Does ethnicity affect your faith? If so, how? If not, why?
4. In what ways, if any, should the Christian faith deal with ethnicity?
5. How much do you value being a member of an ethnically diverse church?
Not at all A little Somewhat It is important to me Very much so
6. Did you attend church as a child? If so, describe how your church in your early years dealt
with ethnic issues. Did church members show racism or hostility toward people of
different ethnicities?
7. In your opinion, do churches in America today do a better job of dealing with ethnic
issues than in your early years? If so, how?
8. Why do you think that many churches in ethnically diverse communities are ethnically
homogeneous?
9. What could church leaders in an ethnically homogeneous congregation do to help their

church minister better to an ethnically diverse community?
10. What might your own church do to minister more effectively to its ethnically diverse
community?
81
APPENDIX 4
EVALUATION FORM FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS
Please rate the following areas as Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, or Strongly
Disagree. In addition, please list any specific reasons why you rated these areas as such.
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
Strongly Disagree =1
1. The project leader clearly stated the purpose of the interview.
Reason(s) for this rating:
2. The project leader asked questions that effectively fulfilled the purpose of the
interview.
3. I discussed with the project leader my personal ethnic experiences.
4. I determined a value that I place on being a member of a multiethnic church within a

multiethnic community.

82
5. I discussed my personal opinions concerning why many churches are not ethnically
congruent with their communities.
6. I was given the opportunity to specify strategies church leaders could implement to
help make their congregations more ethnically diverse.
7. I was given the opportunity to specify strategies my own church might use to become
more effective in ministering across ethnic barriers.

83
APPENDIX 5
SEMINAR RECRUITMENT LETTER
Dear ___________,
In a sermon preached at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. four days before he died,
Martin Luther King, Jr. commented, “We must face the sad fact that at eleven o’clock on
Sunday morning when we stand to sing ‘In Christ there is no East or West,’ we stand in the
most segregated hour of America.” Far too little progress has been made in the 36 years since
then. A 2001 study by the North American Mission Board discovered that only twenty-three
percent of Southern Baptist churches have African-American members.
Multiethnic church ministry is a passion of my heart, and I believe it is a key to making a real
and lasting impact for Christ in our communities. As a pastor of a multiethnic church, I
understand the kinds of challenges you face in reaching people of different ethnicities. I
know that your heart’s desire is to help your church welcome, love, and minister to all
people.
An opportunity stands before us today to help the churches we lead fulfill Galatians 3:28:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor
female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” I would like to invite you and other key leaders
of your church to a free seminar called “The Multiethnic Mission of Your Church:
Reaching Across the Ethnic Divide.” It will be held on Saturday, November 13 at the
First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided at no
cost to you. The purpose of the seminar is to provide you with the principles and a roadmap
you need to enable your church to minister to its multiethnic community.
I believe that the investment of your time and wisdom in this seminar will have a great
impact for many years in God’s kingdom. Even if you have never pastored a multiethnic
church, the insights you share from your personal experiences will be instrumental in helping
others in attendance have a better understanding of the challenges involved in multiethnic
ministry. I also hope to use your feedback to make improvements to the seminar in the future.
If you can attend the seminar, please review the covenant on the included page and return it
to me. You will notice that your participation in the seminar includes two additional simple
activities: (1) The completion an ethnic survey of the active participants in worship at your
church (see instructions below); and (2) meeting with me within a month after the seminar in
order to evaluate the its impact. These activities will help you get the most out of the seminar.
If you prefer to email me a simple confirmation of your attendance, you may do so at
pastor@firstmthealthy.org. Otherwise, you can return the included seminar covenant to me
at:
First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy

Attn.: David Rhoades
1210 Compton Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45231
I will contact you at a later date to determine how many other key leaders from your church
will attend the seminar.
In Christ,
David H. Rhoades
P.S. Instructions for the pre-seminar “ethnic survey” of your congregation: Ask a deacon
or friend to stand at the back of the sanctuary during worship and count the number of Afro-
Americans (blacks), Asian-Americans, Euro-Americans (whites), and Hispanic-Americans.
For a more accurate estimate, do this for two or three weeks in a row. Bring the survey results
with you to the seminar. At the seminar I will provide you with current demographic data for
your community for comparative purposes.
84
APPENDIX 6
COVENANT OF PARTICIPATION
Desiring to help my church reach people of different ethnicities, I covenant to do the

following:
￢ Complete an ethnic survey of the active participants in worship at my church.
￢ Participate in the seminar.
The Multiethnic Mission of Your Church

Reaching Across the Ethnic Divide
Saturday, November 13 at 9 a.m.
First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy, Ohio

1210 Compton Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45231
(513) 931-0477
Seminar and lunch provided FREE.
￢ Meet with David Rhoades within one month of the completion of the seminar for the
purpose of evaluating the seminar’s impact.
Signed __________________________________ Date ____________________
85
86
APPENDIX 7
PROFESSIONAL FLYER
The Multiethnic Mission of Your Church
Free seminar and lunch for all participants.

Saturday, Nov. 13th from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
First Baptist Church, Mt. Healthy
The first 10 people to sign up will also receive a free copy of
Cultural Change and Your Church: Helping Your Church Thrive in a Diverse Society
by Michael Pocock and Joseph Henriques
Seminar led by Pastor David Rhoades

First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy
1210 Compton Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231
(513) 931-0477
APPENDIX 8
PRE-SEMINAR INSTRUCTIONAL EMAIL TO SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS
Pastors and Seminar Attendees,
As the date for the seminar approaches, let me encourage you to do one thing the next two
87
Sundays. Have a good friend or a deacon take an informal “ethnic survey” of your
congregation. He can simply stand at the back of the sanctuary next Sunday and count the
number of Afro-Americans (blacks), Asian-Americans, Euro-Americans (whites), and
Hispanic-Americans. If your congregation is only represented by one ethnicity, this will be a
very easy thing to do!
Although these four broad categories are not very specific, the information you gather will be
helpful as we discuss how you can reach your multiethnic community for Christ.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me on my cell phone (513-290-4671) or by
email at pastor@firstmthealthy.org.
In Christ,
David Rhoades
Pastor, First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy, Ohio
88
APPENDIX 9
SEMINAR - “THE MULTIETHNIC MISSION OF YOUR CHURCH:

REACHING ACROSS THE ETHNIC DIVIDE”
WELCOME 88
1. UNDERSTANDING ETHNICITY — A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE 90
2. THE CALLING OF YOUR CHURCH: ETHNIC CONGRUENCY 96
3. DEVELOPING A PLAN OF ACTION 104

89
WELCOME
I’m excited that you have chosen to participate in this seminar called “The
Multiethnic Ministry of Your Church: Reaching Across the Ethnic Divide.” We will use
this time to dialogue with one another as we answer the question: “What can I do to
equip my church for ministry to its multiethnic community?”
SEMINAR GOALS
￢ To help you understand the implications of a biblical understanding of

ethnicity as it relates to your church and community.
￢ To encourage you to make a commitment to enabling your church to minister

to its multiethnic community.
￢ To assist you in the development of a plan of action that you can use as a
roadmap in helping your church to change.
Thank you for attending today. I pray that this seminar might help your church
become even more effective in reaching its community for the glory of our God and
Father.
In Christ,
David Rhoades
90
Reflection
1. How is your church doing in ministering across ethnic lines? Where are you
now?
2. What breakthroughs have you seen? What obstacles are you facing?
3. How can we pray for you?
4. What do you want to address in this seminar?

91
SESSION 1
UNDERSTANDING ETHNICITY – A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
I. WHY DO WE NEED A BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING OF ETHNICITY?
5. IT HELPS US (SPIRITUALLY).63
Misunderstandings about ethnicity can cause us to lose sight of God’s

love for the world.
When Jesus first preached at the synagogue in Nazareth, He reminded

the hearers that Elijah and Elisha both ministered to Gentiles. “When they
heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged” (Luke 4:28; HCSB)
and they tried to kill Jesus.
2. IT EMPOWERS OUR (CHURCH).
One of the most important ways a person leads a church is by (example).
“Care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd…tenderly

showing them the way.” 1 Peter 5:2, 3 (Msg)
Are you an example of someone who overcomes ethnic barriers?
3. IT CHANGES OUR (COMMUNITY).
People in your community are looking for leaders who can bring unity in
the midst of ethnic tensions and hostilities.
Jesus said, “As for Me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people
to Myself.” John 12:32 (HCSB)
THE CHOICE
63The underlined answers in the parentheses were not shown in the workbooks used
by the participants.
92
(Conform) our perspective of ethnicity to that of the world.
OR
Allow our perspective of ethnicity be (transformed) by God’s Word so

that we may glorify Christ.
“We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up

against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (HCSB)
II. DISCOVERING THE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES OF ETHNICITY
1. THE PRINCIPLE OF (CREATION) – Every person you encounter is

created in the image of God.
￢ (Everyone) is created in God’s image.
“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him;
male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27 (NASB)
The “man” of Genesis 1:27 includes the woman, who was formed later
than the man and from the man (cf. Gen. 2:22).
￢ The image of God was not (lost) when Adam sinned. All persons are
created in the image of God.
“[Adam] fathered a child in his likeness, according to his image.”

Genesis 5:3 (HCSB)
God covenanted with Noah, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will
be shed by man, for God made man in His image.” Genesis 9:6
(HCSB)
2. THE PRINCIPLE OF (KINSHIP) – Every person you encounter is your

physical sibling through your common ancestry.
We all have our origination from the same (parents).

93
“Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of
all the living.” Genesis 3:20 (NASB)
“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the
face of the earth.” Acts 17:26 (NASB)
3. THE PRINCIPLE OF (SALVATION) – God’s plan of salvation includes

people of every ethnic group.
￢ From the very beginning God indicated that the recipients of His grace
would be the woman’s descendants.
“And I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and
between your seed and her seed.” Genesis 3:15 (NASB)
￢ In the Abrahamic covenant, God promises to bless “all the families of the
earth.” Genesis 12:3 (NASB)
￢ Simeon’s blessing of God declared Jesus to be the salvation of both Jew

and Gentile.
“A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and glory to Your people Israel”

Luke 2:32 (HCSB)
￢ The apostle Paul declared to Jewish leaders that the Gentiles will
respond to the gospel.
“Therefore, let it be known to you that this saving work of God has been
sent to the Gentiles; they will listen!” Acts 28:28
￢ The twenty-four elders in heaven sing a song declaring Jesus to have

redeemed men “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
Revelation 5:9
4. THE PRINCIPLE OF (UNITY) – The power of the gospel you proclaim is

(greater) than the human (and sinful?) tendency to remain separated from
other ethnicities.
￢ The Ethiopian eunuch who received Christ and was baptized (cf. Acts
8:25-40) was in all probability from the ancient kingdom of Meroe (i.e., the
Old Testament kingdom of Cush), which consisted of dark-skinned people.
￢ The Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius and his household (cf. Acts 10:44-
94
48), indicating divine approval of the salvation of Gentiles. They were then
baptized in water, signifying their unity with Jewish believers.
￢ God created His church to be ethnically (diverse) but not ethnically

(divided). [Agree or disagree? Under what circumstances can a church
legitimately remain one ethnicity?]
“There is no Jew or Greek…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:28 (HCSB)
￢ Being (prejudiced) is displeasing to God.
“But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are
guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker.”
James 2:9 (TEV)
5. THE PRINCIPLE OF (MINISTRY) – You are (commissioned) and

(empowered) to engage in multiethnic ministry.
￢ Jesus and the apostles (taught) that we should minister to people of

different ethnicities.
￢ Jesus: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (Gr. ta ethne)
…” Matthew 28:19 (NASB)
￢ Paul: “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works
of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of
Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.” Romans 3:28-29 (NASB)
“There is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants,
heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:28-29 (NASB)
￢ Peter: “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them (the Gentiles)
giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no
distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith….
But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus,
in the same way as they also are.” Acts 15:8-9, 11 (NASB)
￢ James: “My brothers, hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ
without showing favoritism.” James 2:1 (HCSB)
￢ Jesus and the apostles (exemplified) multiethnic ministry.

95
￢ Jesus:
(The Syrophoenician woman) (Mark 7:24-37)
(The Roman centurion’s slave) (Luke 7:1-10)
(Nicodemus, a Jewish rabbi) (John 3)
(The Samaritan woman) (John 4)
￢ Philip: (The Ethiopian eunuch) (Acts 8:25-40)
￢ Peter: (Cornelius, a Gentile) (Acts 10)
￢ Paul and Silas: (Lydia of Thyatira) and (the Philippian jailer) (Acts
16:14-34)
6. THE PRINCIPLE OF (LEADERSHIP) – The leaders of your church should

consist of people of different ethnicities.
First-century church leaders were:
￢ (Jewish) – The apostles (Matt. 10:2-4; Acts 1:23)
￢ (Greek-speaking Jews) – The Seven (Acts 6:1-5)
￢ (Gentiles) – Church elders (Acts 14:23)
￢ People of different (ethnicities and ancestries) – The five prophets and

teachers at Antioch (Acts 13:1)
￢ People of (mixed ethnicities) – Timothy (Acts 16:1).
￢ (Multicultural) – Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria (Acts 18:24).
7. THE PRINCIPLE OF (TRANSFORMATION) – Your church should

(change) its cultural patterns and traditions in order to reach different people
with the gospel.
￢ The apostle Paul was willing to change.
“I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save
96
some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22 (NASB)
￢ The (church at Jerusalem) was willing to change.
James said, “We should not cause difficulties for those who turn to God
from among the Gentiles.” Acts 15:19 (HCSB)
￢ (Timothy) was willing to change.
[Paul] took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in
those places, since they all new that his father was a Greek.”
Acts 16:3 (HCSB)
8. THE PRINCIPLE OF (LOVE) – The love of God displayed by a multiethnic

church to its community is a powerful (witness).
￢ Church members should love and care for one another without regard to
ethnicity.
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for
one another.” John 13:35 (NASB)
￢ When people of a different ethnicity attend your church, they will notice the
ethnicity of your church members and make one of two observations:
“Maybe they will love me”
OR
“They only love their own.”
The question is not “(Is that fair?)” but “(Is that reality?).”
￢ In many cases, church leaders must make an intentional (choice) to

enable their church to become a multiethnic witness for Christ.
97
SESSION 2
THE CALLING OF YOUR CHURCH: ETHNIC CONGRUENCY
I. YOUR CHURCH AND COMMUNITY – WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?
ETHNIC CONGRUENCY – How ethnically (similar) is your congregation to

its community?
Compare the ethnic survey of your congregation to the ethnic survey of your
community.
CHURCH COMMUNITY
Euro-Americans: ________ ________
Afro-Americans: ________ ________
Hispanic-Americans: ________ ________
Asian-Americans: ________ ________
What are the points of similarity?
Of dissimilarity?
98
II. WHY BE CONGRUENT?
1. Ethnic dissimilarity between a congregation and its community is a

(problem)!
Agree or disagree? Why or why not?
If ethnic dissimilarity between a congregation and its community is a problem,

what kind of problem is it? Spiritual, sociological, or something else?
When a church cannot relate to its community:
￢ Community-based (ministry) and (missions) become difficult.
￢ The church becomes a (self-contained subculture) unable to minister to its

community.
￢ Eventually, (spiritual and physical resources) evaporate. [Principle: The

money is in the fish (Matt. 17:27)!]
￢ Other problems:
99
2. Ethnic similarity between a congregation and its community is a
(blessing)!
Blessings a church experiences when it relates well to its community:
￢ Community-based ministry will be (easier) and more (relevant).
￢ A greater (witness) of Christ’s love will exist.
￢ People from the community will (respond) to the gospel.
￢ Other blessings of ethnic similarity between a congregation and the

community:
100
III. WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO CHANGE YOUR CHURCH
1. Changing your church requires a (high-level commitment) from its

leadership.
The 1st-century church struggled with issues of ethnicity, but its leaders
remained committed to the principle that the gospel of Jesus Christ can
overcome ethnic barriers. They were willing to change the church’s cultural
patterns and traditions for the sake of ministry to different kinds of people.
￢ The 1st-century church set aside their traditions of (legalism).
￢ The 1st-century church set aside their mindset of (favoritism).
￢ The 1st-century church set aside their attitudes of (prejudice).
These changes did not come easily or quickly.
￢ Over 15 years passed between Passover and the Jerusalem Council.
￢ Even after the Jerusalem Council, Paul continued to struggle with

those who were unwilling to change their traditions, mindsets, and
attitudes. Nevertheless, Paul remained faithful in his belief that change
was necessary.
2. Changing your church requires its leaders to (believe) in the principle of

ethnic congruency.
The principle of ethnic congruency states that under most circumstances a

church is most (healthy) and best able to (grow) when it is ethnically similar to
its community.
3. Changing your church requires its leaders to (honestly evaluate) why

there may be some ethnic dissimilarity between your church and its
community.
There are at least two reasons why a church may be ethnically dissimilar to
its community: (Spiritual problems) or (community transitions).
101
COMMON SPIRITUAL PROBLEMS:
￢ (Racism)
￢ (Indifference) toward the lost in the community
￢ An (unwillingness) to minister to people unlike ourselves.
￢ Other spiritual problems:
Spiritual problems require a spiritual (solution).
The solution to sin is not new methodologies, but (confession) and

(repentance).
“But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God
to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrong things we have done.
1 John 1:9 (NCV)
Repentance must begin with the (leaders) of the church.
￢ Do your leaders harbor racist attitudes in their hearts? What do they

say when no one of another ethnicity is around?
“If you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the
law as transgressors.” James 2:9 (NASB)
Degrees of racism:
￢ 1st degree – Showing prejudice against someone of a different

ethnicity because of environmental factors. Comments are
usually thought or said without true realization. [E.g., “Black man
driving a nice car…probably a drug dealer,” or, “White men can’t
jump.”]
￢ 2nd degree – Continuing to make racist remarks and denying

being a racist. Others may notice the person’s latent racist
tendencies, but the racist is unable to perceive it.
￢ 3rd degree – Fully aware of being a racist and content with

remaining that way.
￢ Do your leaders care about the lost condition of people in your

community?
“…And by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he
saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when
he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a
Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw
him, he felt compassion…” Luke 10:31-33 (NASB)
￢ Are your leaders unwilling to bridge the gap across barriers of

ethnicity? Across other barriers?
“God said, ‘What’s this? How is it that you can change your feelings
from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did
nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night
and died the next night. So, why can’t I likewise change what I feel
about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than a
hundred and twenty thousand childlike people who don’t yet know right
from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?’”
Jonah 4:10-11 (Msg)
If your own heart is right with the Lord, you can becomes an instrument
of change in the church through your:
￢ Personal (story)
Peter: “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew
to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me
that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.” Acts 10:28 (NASB)
If you have been guilty of racism and you confess it before the church,
the people will know that you are (serious) and not just (preaching).
￢ Prophetic (preaching)
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove,

rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
2 Timothy 4:2 (NASB)
102
103
Racism, indifference, and an unwillingness to change are (ugly sins)

that must be (confronted) and (rebuked).
￢ Powerful (praying)
“When a believing person prays, great things happen.”

James 5:15 (NCV)
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who
remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do
nothing without Me.” John 15:5 (HCSB)
COMMUNITY (TRANSITIONS)
Some churches having difficulty relating to their community are not primarily
affected by spiritual problems. These churches are having difficulty dealing
with the nature of how their community is changing.
If you can identify how your community is changing, you can identify how to
remain (relevant) to it.
How to discover the way your community has changed: (Ask people.)
“[Paul] was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing
Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be
present.” Acts 17:17 (NASB)
Michael Ortiz has identified six kinds of transitions a community goes

through:
￢ (Generational) – (The younger replaces the older.)
￢ (Economic) – (The money of businesses and families move.)
￢ (Geographical) – (The inhabitants move, and new ones replace them.)
￢ (Cultural) – (New people bring new cultures.) [Ortiz says that this is the
single biggest factor affecting churches.]
104
￢ (Ethnic) – (Attitudes and prejudices become evident.)
￢ (Spiritual) – (Churches lose their spiritual vibrancy and beliefs. New

religions arrive.)
Which of these transitions have affected your community in the past?
Which are affecting your community now?
Why does it matter whether we identify how the community is changing?
￢ The people in your church who are “stuck in the past” are most likely
the people who have been there the (longest).
￢ The people who have been there the longest are likely to have the
most (influence).
￢ The key to changing your church lies in influencing it to realize the

(current) conditions of the community and accepting the challenge to
reach it for Christ.
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being
provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.”
Acts 17:16 (NASB)
The process of changing a church is both challenging and rewarding.

105
SESSION 3
DEVELOPING A PLAN OF ACTION
These steps may provide a helpful blueprint to leading your church through the
changes necessary for it to best minister to its multiethnic community.
STEP ONE – (REALITY RECOGNITION)
Because your community is changing, help your church recognize that a response is
necessary.
Action steps:
1. (Prayer) - The pastor and other church leaders pray about the best approach
to relating to the community.
The involvement of other key leaders is the (catalyst) to creating change in

your church.
2. (Study the community) – The church’s leadership group could appoint a

task force to undertake a study of the community and report its findings to the
congregation.
[In my interview of three Euro-American and three Afro-American members of my church, I

asked, “What could church leaders in an ethnically homogeneous congregation do to help
their church minister better to an ethnically diverse community?” Every one of them said, “Get
the church into the community and find out the needs.”]
Helpful hints:
￢ (Walk—not drive—) through your community to discover what is

actually there. Do this exercise with other key leaders. [Sample: Door-
to-Door Evangelistic Survey]
￢ Review (your local newspapers) to discover the characteristics and

aspirations of the different ethnic groups in your community.
￢ Gather (demographic data) and other community information from your

denomination, Percept, Claritas, the Internet, and other easily
accessible sources.
￢ Other ways to study the community:

106
STEP TWO – (ASSESSING THE SITUATION)
Action steps:
1. (Evaluation/Interpretation) - The church’s leadership group should evaluate

the community study, preparing an interpretation of its significance to the
church.
“Here are the facts, and here is what it means to our church.”
Helpful hint: Group your observations from Step One into the six basic
categories of transition that communities go through. You may discover that
although the church attributes its loss of members to the arrival of new
ethnicities, the reality is that the spiritual vitality of the church has declined.
2. (Study the church’s resources) – The church’s leadership group should

appoint a task force (perhaps the same task force as above) to study the
church’s resources. A report would be prepared for the congregation that
shows how its resources could be used to reach the community.
What resources does every church have?
￢ (Spiritual gifts)
￢ (Skills)
￢ (Experience)
￢ (Facilities)
￢ Other resources:
STEP THREE – (RECASTING THE VISION)
Action steps:
1. Congregational (prayer and reflection).
Focus congregational meeting(s) on the following:

107
￢ What is the (mission) and (vision) of our church?
[A mission statement describes the overall purposes of your church. A

vision statement is a vivid description of your church as it carries out its
purposes. The more specific the vision, the more dynamic the results.]
￢ What (values) does our church have?
[Values are the core priorities in your church’s culture, including what
drives your members. Note the difference between your church
members’ preferred values and its true values (those values actually
reflected by members’ behavior).]
￢ What does the Bible teach about (outreach) and (ministry)?
￢ What did we learn about our (community) in Step One?
￢ What (resources) did we learn our church has?
2. Build a consensus for (action).
How to build a consensus
￢ Make sure everyone knows and understands the overall (vision).
[Example: Hispanic-Americans are moving into your community, and

your vision includes reaching people of different ethnicities for Christ.
You want to make sure that everyone knows and shares that vision.
This is the time to decide how to reach them.]
￢ (Brainstorm) possible issues, problems, and options identified in the

time set aside for congregational prayer and reflection.
[Tip: You may want to assign different issues to different groups within
your congregation. This allows everyone to have a part in the
planning.]
[Example: Some of the issues involved with reaching Hispanic-

Americans include overcoming barriers in language. How will the
church overcome the language barrier? Also, the culture of Mexicans is
different than the culture of Puerto Ricans. Who will be our target?
How can we reach them?]
￢ Try to get people to (verbalize) their unspoken thoughts.

[If a “power broker” in your church is unusually silent, ask him, “What
are you thinking?”]
￢ Be aware of (misaligned) understandings.
[A disagreement over a particular topic is often due to different

interpretations of the foundational issues. For example, as you discuss
the implications of reaching Hispanic-Americans in your community,
you may find that someone’s understanding of the church’s vision did
not include reaching across language barriers. In a case like that, you
may need to revisit the agreed upon vision of the church.]
￢ Simplify (complex) issues.
[Discuss each element of a complex issue in turn. This helps everyone

focus on the same thing at the same time. There is always the one
person in every crowd that wants answers to every detail (especially
money) before he is willing to consider options.]
￢ Be aware of the (third) way.
[Often there is more than one solution that would seem to work, and
sometimes God’s will sometimes includes abstract or strange ideas
(e.g., walking around the walls of Jericho).]
￢ Give people (time).
[Ensure that everyone gets the chance to express their views. This
requires patience. It is easy to get frustrated over the time it can take to
build a consensus. Quickness does not equal quality.]
￢ Make those who (lost) feel good.
[Consensus does not mean unanimity. If there has to be a majority

decision, it is important to acknowledge publicly the importance of their
points of view.]
108
109
Key question: Should we decide to move?
￢ Under what conditions, if any, would it be acceptable for a church to move to

another community?
￢ Is moving to another community only a last option?
￢ What would be the benefits?
￢ What would be the drawbacks?
￢ What obstacles would a church face?
￢ If a church prayerfully comes to that decision, how important is it to sell the

existing facilities to a church with similar spiritual and doctrinal commitments?
110
STEP FOUR – (IMPLEMENTING THE VISION)
Action Steps:
1. Help your church set (SMART) goals: [You will want to use your church’s
leadership team to set these goals.]
Specific – [Provide enough detail so that there is no indecision as to what

exactly you should be doing when the time comes to do it. Example: “Reach
Hispanic-Americans” is a poor goal, but a specific goal would be “Start an
English as a second language class in the next three months.”]
Measurable – [You should be able to measure your progress, and when your
goal is complete you should have some tangible evidence of completion. This
ensures that you were successful and that your time wasn’t wasted. To
determine if you goal is measurable, ask questions such as “How much? How
will I know when it is completed?]
Acceptable – [Build a consensus around your goals. They should be agreed

upon by the church. Your church knows best its strengths and weaknesses.]
Realistic – [Don’t set goals that your church cannot/will not reach. It is better
to start small with what you can do. Success breeds success! Develop a plan
which makes your goals realistic.]
Timed – [Your church’s goals should have a time limit to them. This allows it
to be measured.]
2. Get your key leaders (working) where they are best gifted. [Use them to
build on your church’s strengths instead of trying to strengthen its
weaknesses. Pray that the Lord will provide additional leaders who are gifted
in areas where your church is weak.]
3. Pay special attention to your (speed). [Changing your church’s target and
vision is usually a slow process. Your goal is to bring along as many people
as possible through the process of change.]
111
STEP FIVE – (EVALUATION)
Plan periodic evaluations with your church’s leadership group at stated intervals.
These evaluations will give people the opportunity to identify difficulties and make
plans to overcome them. They will also ensure that the church’s objectives are being
met.
Action steps:
1. Look to see where (God is working).
Indicators of God at work:
￢ (Lives) are changed.
“That day about 3,000 people were added to them. And they devoted
themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of
bread, and to prayers.” Acts 2:41-42 (HCSB)
￢ God’s people (contribute) to His work.
“So they sold their possessions and property and distributed the
proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.” Acts 2:45 (HCSB)
￢ New (leaders) emerge.
“In the local church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian,
Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.”
Acts 13:1 (HCSB)
The ethnicity of your church leadership is perhaps the most

important key to reaching your multiethnic community for Christ.
￢ The church’s spiritual (boundaries) grow.
The prayer of Jabez: “If only You would bless me, extend my border,
let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not
cause any pain.” 1 Chronicles 4:10 (HCSB)
￢ Other indicators of God at work:

112
2. Be prepared for continued (opposition).
3. Celebrate your (victories). [Give God all the credit for what has taken
place.]
113
SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Key questions:
￢ What can I do (personally) to equip my church for ministry to its multiethnic

community?
￢ Where do I begin in this (process)? Each church is at a different level.

Possibilities:
￢ The church doesn’t recognize the reality of its need to reach its multiethnic
community. Start on Step One: Reality Recognition.
￢ The church recognizes the need, but doesn’t know what to do. Assess
the situation; recast the vision; implement it; and then evaluate.
￢ What (people) will I need to use to develop a plan of action? What existing
structures—both formal and informal—do I need to work through to make
changes?
[Follow-up: A learning community that meets quarterly. The first meeting would be a
lunch one month from today.]
APPENDIX 10
EVALUATION FORM FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
1. The project leader clearly stated the purpose of the seminar.
2. The project leader provided me with a customized demographic survey of my

community to compare with a congregational survey I conducted.
3. The project leader effectively taught the implications of a biblical perspective on

ethnicity.
4. The project leader demonstrated with specific strategic examples how Pocock’s five
steps for determining a church’s response to its changing community can be the basis for the
development of a multiethnic ministry plan.
114
115
5. I am committed to equipping my church for ministry to its multiethnic community.
6. I have begun to develop a plan to equip my congregation for ministry to its


116
APPENDIX 11
SEMINAR SELF-EVALUATION FORM FOR THE PROJECT LEADER
At the close of the seminar, the project leader rated the following questions Strongly Agree,
Agree, Neutral, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree.
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
1. The project leader clearly stated the purpose of the seminar. 5
2. The project leader effectively taught a biblical perspective on ethnicity. 5
3. The project leader effectively challenged church leaders to make a 5

commitment to ethnic congruency.
4. The project leader effectively challenged church leaders to apply the 4

implications of ethnic congruency to their situations.
117
APPENDIX 12
POST-SEMINAR INSTRUCTIONAL LETTER TO SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS
Dear __________,
Thank you for participating in the seminar “The Multiethnic Mission of Your Church:
Reaching Across the Ethnic Divide.” I hope you found the subject to be as important and
demanding as I do.
As I indicated in the seminar, I would like to meet with you within the next three or four
weeks. The purpose of our meeting would be to review and evaluate the plans you
formulated to address this important issue.
I have discovered that sometimes I get new and fresh ideas after thinking about things for a
while. Let me encourage you to continue to review and even revise your plans to equip your
church for ministry to its multiethnic community.
If I have not already done so, I will contact you soon in regard to when we can meet.
In Christ,
David H. Rhoades
(513) 674-7453 (home)
(513) 290-4671 (cell)
pastor@firstmthealthy.org
118
APPENDIX 13
PLANNING EVALUATION TOOL
1. In what ways will the church leader help others in his or her church recognize the reality of
the church’s changing community (Possible examples include walking through the
neighborhood, reading the local newspapers, and studying demographic data.)? Will a task
force be formed? If so, who has the authority to form such a task force?
2. In what ways will the church leader help assess the situation? How will he or she
communicate the facts discovered in Step One? Will these be interpreted according to
Ortiz’s six basic categorizations of transitions communities go through? Does the church
leader envision a task force being formed to examine the church’s resources?
3. Does the church leader have a vision for the church? How will the church leader set to
recast the vision of the church (e.g., through meetings)? Would a group be assigned to each
of the points of the mission statement? What is the process by which the church will come
to an agreement on a vision statement?
4. How will the church leader help the church implement the vision? In what way is the
church structured so as to take steps in implementing its vision?
5. What persons or groups will evaluate the implementation of the church’s recast vision?
6. What will be the most difficult part of helping your church through this change? Why?
How will you deal with the problems that may arise?
119
APPENDIX 14
AVERAGE MEAN SCORES FOR ALL INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
1. The project leader clearly stated the purpose of the interview. 5
2. The project leader asked questions that effectively fulfilled the purpose of the 5
interview.
3. I discussed with the project leader my personal ethnic experiences. 4.8
4. I determined a value that I place on being a member of a multiethnic church

4.8
within a multiethnic community.
5. I discussed my personal opinions concerning why many churches are not 5

ethnically congruent with their communities.
6. I was given the opportunity to specify strategies church leaders could 4.8
implement to help make their congregations more ethnically diverse.
7. I was given the opportunity to specify strategies my own church might 5

use to become more effective in ministering across ethnic barriers.
120
APPENDIX 15
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #1 - MARCIA
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
2. The project leader asked questions that effectively fulfilled the purpose 5
of the interview.
3. I discussed with the project leader my personal ethnic experiences. 4
4. I determined a value that I place on being a member of a multiethnic church 4


121

6. I was given the opportunity to specify strategies church leaders could 5

7. I was given the opportunity to specify strategies my own church might use 5
to become more effective in ministering across ethnic barriers.

122
APPENDIX 16
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #2 - STEPHEN
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
He said, “The purpose of this interview is....”
of the interview.


123



124
APPENDIX 17
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #3 - BARBARA
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
of the interview.


125



126
APPENDIX 18
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #4 - LISA
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
of the interview.


127



128
APPENDIX 19
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #5 - GERALD
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
Very well-prepared and well-stated.
of the interview.
He was very open and attentive to my response.

I was able to give my opinion about the makeup of our church!

129



130
APPENDIX 20
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #6 - DEBBIE
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
of the interview.
David asked questions of me of how to reach out to the community and ways
that our and other churches can effectively reach the community.
Questions were asked from early, middle, and current states of my life experiences.



Our church actively reaches out to the community with different efforts. As
more are thought of and known, our church is proactive in bringing these ideas
to the church for implementation. We must keep doing it as it is presented to us.
131
APPENDIX 21
NOTES FROM THE INTERVIEWS64
Interview Participant #1 - Marcia
1. I grew up in the South. We had forced busing. In junior high there were a lot of fights and
racial incidents. One time, four or five Afro-American girls ganged up on me and pushed my
stuff to the ground. Being from Alabama, I remember George Wallace. It was okay to call
blacks names back then, but now it is taboo. Some of my extended family members are still
racists.
2. Yes. Racism has been exposed. It is taboo today. Things are changing.
3. No. God creates all people equally. I don’t think about or see color, especially at church.
4. It should address racism boldly. People need to hear that all are equal. There should be no
divisions. Southern Baptist churches are still very segregated in the South. Heaven, however,
will be integrated. Shame on those who can’t worship together.
5. It’s a non-issue, but I’m proud of our church. It’s important to me.
6. Yes. Everyone was white. My family was Methodist. I was told people of color wouldn’t
be comfortable with us. They were happy to be separated.
7. The difference is that I live north of the Mason-Dixon line. A lot of work needs to be done
in the South.
8. People are afraid to include people who are different than themselves. I think the church
should reflect the community it sits in.
9. First, it needs to realize that it cannot be all things to all people. Second, it should be
aware of the needs of the community (like single moms and childcare) and meet those needs.
Servant evangelism is the key.
10. I would say the same answer as number 9. We should minister to the community with no
strings attached.
Interview Participant #2 - Stephen
1. I remember one vivid experience. A black family moved in across the street when I was
eight years old. I became friends with one of the members. I had recently read a book about
64Each of the numbers correspond to the questions asked in the Interview for
Members of a Multiethnic Church (appendix 3).
132
slavery. It had a derogatory word in it. I was invited to a birthday party but couldn’t go, so I
offered him a rock collection. Later I called him the “N” word. The friendship was rocky
after that. I learned that the word was bad. My high school was about 70% African-
American. Racial tension was blown out of proportion. Overly defensive African-American
students would use the tension to remain on the defensive.
2. Probably so. Oprah’s post-modern mindset is inclusive and non-racist. My personal

experiences may be skewed. In 6th grade, tolerance became big in public education.
3. I think so. First, I’ve been raised a certain way. I’ve been molded a certain way: limited.
Second, I can see God’s creativity in others’ ethnicity and culture.
4. Christians have not lived up to biblical teachings of ethnicity. We either overvalue it or

value only certain races. We should embrace people regardless.
5. It is important to me.
6. Yes. One night a group of black kids were brought in and there was racial tension. When
something minor happened, their honor was offended. They didn’t come back.
7. I really can’t say.
8. Because we’re American Christians, we value comfort and lack nothing. There is
intimidation because of the taboo of racism, so people say nothing so that they aren’t
perceived as racist.
9. Become that ethnicity through membership or staff. Encourage the people to interact with
the community.
10. We have a black church across the street and a Chinese church nearby. We could work
together with them. Encourage people to serve people of different ethnicities.
Interview Participant #3 - Barbara
1. I moved from Alabama to Ohio when I was four. We rode at the back of the bus when I
was a child. The schools were mixed in Cincinnati. There were no blacks at Coney Island,
especially in the swimming pool. It was more segregated than hostile.
2. Yes. I don’t have to go to the back of the bus. We can eat at the same restaurants and drink
from the same water fountain.
3. It does. I miss the black gospel music.
4. Ethnicity shouldn’t be an issue.
133
5. Very much so. You don’t have to feel like you’re weird.
6. Yes. They didn’t, really. I felt that a little prejudice was there, though. Church members
showed hostility to people of different ethnicities outside the church.
7. Yes, they didn’t deal with them earlier. I see a lot of effort today.
8. I hadn’t thought about it.
9. Get into the community. That’s the only way. Let people know they are welcome.
10. We need more diverse music.
Interview Participant #4 - Lisa
1. I went to an all-white school and community until college. I was an athlete in college, but
most of my teammates were African-American. Before my parents were Christians, they
were shocked that I was pregnant, especially by a black man. Now, I’ve seen racism through
my two husbands: racial profiling and discrimination in jobs.
2. Yes. Diversity is more acceptable.
3. No. My faith isn’t based on ethnicity.
4. Missionaries go to various ethnic groups.
5. Very much so.
6. Yes. They didn’t deal with ethnicity. They weren’t racists.
7. I don’t know.
8. The leadership. I know of only one other place where leadership differed from the
congregation.
9. They should hire an ethnically diverse staff (and not just the custodian). If ethnic diversity
is a goal, you need to strongly look in that direction.
10. The same answer as number 9.
Interview Participant #5 - Gerald
134
1. I grew up in a diverse neighborhood and went to diverse, bilingual schools. When I was
nine years old, I caught a bus and was called a “little black monkey.” Later, in college, I came
home and was almost run over intentionally by a white man who called me a “N...”
2. Yes. They are less likely to talk about ethnicity at all because it is not politically correct.
3. No, because it plays no role in my faith. I don’t see ethnicity in the Bible.
4. It needs to be open and honest to address the rifts between the different races. That can
only be addressed through God and prayer. It’s easy to sit back and neglect real ministry. We
allow others to do it.
5. Very much so. I have bi-racial children. They need to see that different ethnicities can
exist in harmony.
6. Yes. It was all black, except for a white associate pastor. It was a happy family. They
didn’t show any racism.
7. Yes. There is a sense of spiritual revival. People are searching for answers.
8. Tradition. They’ve been that way for so long that they don’t know how to change. Change
disrupts their routine.
9. Gain an understanding of the community. Devise a plan for addressing the needs to serve
the community.
10. We need more leaders that represent the community. African-Americans need someone
to identify with.
135
Interview Participant #6 - Debbie
1. I grew up on the west side of downtown Cincinnati. It was all black at the time. Mom
brought us up equal. “Give everyone respect.” I was open to all ethnicities. The white and
black teachers treated us equally. I don’t have any memory of racism in my early years.
2. America is not less racist, even though the negative words and actions have subsided.
Black and white racism still exists in people’s hearts.
3. I’ve been black all my life, and that’s by God’s design. These circumstances affect a
person. The way my mother raised me affects the way I relate to people. I have some friends,
however, who reject Christianity as a white person’s religion.
4. I think there are people who actively try to reach across ethnic lines. We should be
involved in the community.
5. Very much so.
6. Yes. They didn’t deal with ethnicity. They weren’t racists.
7. I believe so. Christians see that embracing other ethnicities is needed.
8. The community changed and the church hasn’t changed its traditions.
9. Fulfill a need in the community. Touch people’s hearts.
10. We do well in many ways. I liked going out door-to-door in the areas near our church.
136
APPENDIX 22
AVERAGE MEAN SCORES FOR ALL SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
2. The project leader provided me with a customized demographic survey of my 4.7

community to compare with a congregational survey I conducted.
3. The project leader effectively taught the implications of a biblical perspective

4.9
on ethnicity.
4. The project leader demonstrated with specific strategic examples how 4.6
Pocock’s five steps for determining a church’s response to its changing
community can be the basis for the development of a multiethnic ministry
plan.
5. I am committed to equipping my church for ministry to its multiethnic 4.6

community.
6. I have begun to develop a plan to equip my congregation for ministry to its 3.6
137
APPENDIX 23
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #1 - ASHLEY
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
2. The project leader provided me with a customized demographic survey 5

of my community to compare with a congregational survey I conducted.
3. The project leader effectively taught the implications of a biblical perspective 5

on ethnicity.
Well thought-out and prepared materials.
4. The project leader demonstrated with specific strategic examples how 5

community can be the basis for the development of a multiethnic ministry plan.
138
Very well explained.
5. I am committed to equipping my church for ministry to its multiethnic 5

community.
6. I have begun to develop a plan to equip my congregation for ministry to its 5

139
APPENDIX 24
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #2 - DALE
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
Covered all known bases.


on ethnicity.
Multiple quotes

140
community.

As outreach director, I do not design programs, but I would be interested in

helping.
141
142
APPENDIX 25
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #3 - KEN
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2


on ethnicity.


community.

143
144
APPENDIX 26
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #4 - GARY
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2
He very explicitly covered why we were here and the goals and objectives.

The handout for our church’s community was specific.

on ethnicity.
A very thorough explanation was presented.


community.
This has been a concern of mine for some time. I hope this will serve as an
impetus for the future.

Our pastor has no plan that I know of. I am very willing to help.
145
APPENDIX 27
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #5 - DWIGHT
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2


on ethnicity.

146
community.

147
APPENDIX 28
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #6 - DAVE
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2


on ethnicity.

148
community.

149
APPENDIX 29
EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #7 - LARRY
Strongly Agree =5
Agree =4
Neutral =3
Disagree =2


on ethnicity.

150
community.

151
APPENDIX 30
ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE COMMUNITY

OF THE CHURCH ASHLEY PASTORS65
Ethnic Classification Percentage of Community

Afro-American 1.0
Asian-American 0.5
Euro-American 96.4
Hispanic-American 0.9
Other 1.2
Projected 5-Year Percentage of Increase or Decrease

Afro-American +13.7
Asian-American +8.6
Euro-American -0.6
Hispanic-American +23.3
Other +14.5
65The information for appendices 31-35 was found at Percept, “10 Basic Race &
Ethnicity Facts,” in www.link2lead.com [report on-line] (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA:
Percept, 2004); available from http://www.link2lead.com/L2L/start.asp?
w=MYCOMM&p=DEFAULT; accessed 6 November 2004; Internet.
152
153
APPENDIX 31

OF THE CHURCH JEROME PASTORS

Afro-American 11.0
Asian-American 1.2
Euro-American 84.8
Other 1.6

Afro-American +5.9
Asian-American +6.1
Euro-American -2.0
Other +7.3
154
APPENDIX 32

OF THE CHURCH ANDREW PASTORS

Afro-American 9.0
Asian-American 1.0
Euro-American 86.1
Other 1.9

Afro-American +6.2
Asian-American +5.2
Euro-American -8.2
Other +5.0
155
APPENDIX 33

OF THE CHURCH DAVE PASTORS

Afro-American 4.6
Asian-American 3.9
Euro-American 88.8
Other 1.3

Afro-American +12.3
Asian-American +10.4
Euro-American +0.5
Other +12.5
156
APPENDIX 34

OF THE CHURCH LARRY PASTORS

Afro-American 18.0
Asian-American 0.7
Euro-American 78.0
Other 1.9

Afro-American +5.9
Asian-American +11.3
Euro-American -7.6
Other +3.8
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Amberson, Talmadge R., ed. The Birth of Churches: A Biblical Basis for Church Planting.
Nashville: Broadman, 1979.
Anderson, Andy, and Linda Lawson. Effective Methods of Church Growth. Nashville:
Broadman, 1985.
Anderson, David, and Brent Zuercher. Letters Across the Divide. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001.
Anderson, Gerald H., and Thomas F. Stransky, eds. Liberation Theologies in North America
and Europe. New York: Paulist, 1979.
Anderson, Leith. Dying for Change. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1990.
Annan, Nelson. More People! Is Church Growth Worth It? Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw, 1987.
Armour, Michael C., and Don Browning. Systems-Sensitive Leadership: Empowering

Diversity Without Polarizing the Church. Joplin, MO: College Press, 2000.
Arn, Charles, Donald McGavran, and Win Arn. Growth: A New Vision for the Sunday School.
Pasadena, CA: Church Growth, 1980.
Arn, Win, and Charles Arn. The Master’s Plan for Making Disciples. Pasadena, CA: Church
Growth, 1979.
Arnold, Jeffrey. The Big Book on Small Groups. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992.
Bandy, Thomas. Coaching Change. Nashville: Abingdon, 2000.
Barbour, Russell B. Black and White Together: Plain Talk for White Christians. Philadelphia:
United Church, 1968.
Barna, George. African-Americans and Their Faith: Research on the Faith, Culture, Values
and Lifestyles of Blacks in America. Oxnard, CA: The Barna Institute, 1999.
157
158
Barna, George, and Mark Hatch, Boiling Point. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2001.
Baum, Gregory, and John Coleman, eds. The Church and Racism. New York: Seabury, 1982.
Baumann, Gerd. The Multicultural Riddle: Rethinking National, Ethnic, and Religious
Identities. New York: Routledge, 1999.
Blomberg, Craig L., Matthew. In The New American Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery. Vol.
22. Nashville: Broadman, 1992.
Brett, Mark, ed. Ethnicity and the Bible. New York: E. J. Brill, 2003.
Claman, Victor N., David E. Butler, and Jessica A. Boyatt. Acting on Your Faith:
Congregations Making a Difference. Boston: Insights, 1994.
Colburn, David R. and George E. Pozzetta, eds. America and the New Ethnicity. Port
Washington, NY: Kennikat, 1979.
Collins, Gary R. Christian Coaching: Helping Others Turn Potential into Reality. Colorado
Springs: NavPress, 2001.
Conde-Frazier, Elizabeth, S. Steve Kang, and Gary A Parrett. A Many Colored Kingdom:
Multicultural Dynamics for Spiritual Formation. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004.
Cone, James. Black Theology and Black Power. New York: Seabury, 1969.
________. Black Theology Perspectives. New York: Theology in the Americas, 1978.
________. Risks of Faith: The Emergence of a Black Theology of Liberation, 1968-1998.

Boston: Beacon, 1999.
Cook, Marshall. Effective Coaching. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999.
Criswell, W. A. Look Up, Brother! Nashville: Broadman, 1970.
Demmit, Dallas, and Nancy Demmit. Can You Hear Me Now? Colorado Springs: Life
Journey, 2003.
Douglas, J. D. ed. Let the Earth Hear His Voice. Minneapolis: World Wide Publications,
1975.
Dudley, Carl S. Community Ministry: New Challenges, Proven Steps to Faith-Based

Initiatives. Bethesda, MD: Alban Institute, 2001.
________, ed. Next Steps in Community Ministry: Hands-On Leadership. Bethesda, MD:
Alban Institute, 1996.
Edwards, Jefferson D., Jr. Purging Racism from Christianity: Freedom and Purpose Through
159
Identity. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984.
Flaherty, James. Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others. Woburn, MA: Butterworth-

Heinemann, 1999.
Fong, Bruce W. Racial Equality in the Church: A Critique of the Homogeneous Unit
Principle in Light of a Practical Theology Perspective. Lanham, MD: University
Press of America, 1996.
Foster, Charles R. Embracing Diversity: Leadership in Multicultural Congregations.

Bethesda, MD: Alban Institute, 1997.
Francis, Emerich K. Interethnic Relations: An Essay in Sociological Theory. New York:

Elsevier, 1976.
Frazier, Sundee Tucker. Check All That Apply: Finding Wholeness as a Multiracial Person.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002.
Frenchak, David J., and Sharrel Keyes, eds. Metro-Ministry: Ways and Means for the Urban
Church . Elgin, IL: David C. Cook, 1979.
Gabriel, Richard A. The Ethnicity Attribute: Persistence and Change in an Urban and
Suburban Environment. Storrs, CT: Institute of Urban Research, University of
Connecticut, 1973.
Garrett, James Leo, Jr. Systematic Theology. Vol. 2, 2d ed. North Richland Hills, TX: Bibal,
2000.
George, Carl F. Prepare Your Church for the Future. Tarrytown, NY: Revell, 1991.
Gilbert, Larry, and Stan Toler. Pastor’s Playbook. Kansas City: Beacon Hill, 2000.
Goldsmith, Marshall, Laurence Lyons, and Alyssa Freas, eds. Coaching for Leadership: How
the World’s Greatest Coaches Help Leaders Learn. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2000.
Graves, James, Lewis Lampley, and Delos Sharpton. Three Churches : One Spirit. Nashville:
Broadman and Holman, 1978.
Greeley, Andrew M. Why Can’t They Be Like Us? Facts and Fallacies about Ethnic
Differences and Group Conflicts in America. New York: Institute of Human
Relations, American Jewish Committee, 1969.
Harris, Paula, and Doug Schaupp. Being White: Finding Our Place in a Multiethnic World.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004.
Haslam, David. Race for the Millennium. London: Church House, 1996.
160
Hendricks, William, ed. Coaching, Mentoring and Managing: Breakthrough Strategies to
Solve Performance Problems and Build Winning Teams. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career,
1996.
Hennelly, Alfred T. ed. Liberation Theologies: The Global Pursuit of Justice. Mystic, CT:
Twenty-Third Publications, 1995.
Hershberger, Michele. A Christian View of Hospitality: Expecting Surprises. Scottdale, PA:

Herald, 1999.
Hicks, Mary Dee, and David Peterson. Leader as Coach. Minneapolis: Personnel Decision
International, 1996.
Hogan-Garcia, Mikel. The Four Skills of Cultural Diversity Competence: A Process for
Understanding and Practice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1999.
Hopkins, Dwight N., ed. Black Faith and Public Talk: Critical Essays on James H. Cone’s
“Black Theology & Black Power.” Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1999.
________. Introducing Black Theology of Liberation. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1999.
Hunter, III, George G. Church for the Unchurched: A Rebirth of the Apostolic Way.
Nashville: Abingdon, 1996.
Hurn, Raymond W. Guidelines for Launching Ethnic Congregations. Kansas City, MO:
Church Extension Ministries, Church of the Nazarene, 1985.
Hybels, Bill. Courageous Leadership. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.
Janssen, Al, ed. Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper. Colorado Springs: Focus on the Family,
1994.
Jones, Laura Beth. Jesus Life Coach: Learn From the Best. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004.
Jones, William R. Is God a White Racist? A Preamble to Black Theology. Garden City, NY:
Anchor, 1973.
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. Toward Rediscovering the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1987.
Kilburg, Richard. Executive Coaching: Developing Managerial Wisdom in a World of Chaos.

Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2000.
Kong, Joseph S. Voices from a Changing America: Building Christ’s Church Among
Intercultural Peoples. Camp Hill, PA: Christian, 2000.
Ladd, George Eldon. A Theology of the New Testament, rev. ed. Edited by Donald A. Hagner.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.
161
Leonard, Thomas, and Byron Laursen. Portable Coach: 28 Surefire Strategies for Business
and Personal Success. New York: Scribner, 1998.
Lindgren, Alvin J., and Norman Shawchuck. Management for Your Church: How to Realize
Your Church’s Potential Through a Systems Approach. Nashville: Abingdon, 1977.
Logan, Robert E. Beyond Church Growth: Action Plans for Developing a Dynamic Church.
Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989.
Logan, Robert E., and Gary Reinecke. Developing Coaching Excellence. St. Charles, IL:
ChurchSmart Resources, 2003.
Logan, Robert E., and Neil Cole. Raising Leaders for the Harvest. St. Charles, IL:
ChurchSmart Resources, 1995.
Logan, Robert E., and Sherilyn Carlton. Coaching 101: Discover the Power of Coaching. St.
Charles, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 2003.
Macchia, Stephen A. Becoming a Healthy Church. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999.
Many Nations Under God. Birmingham: New Hope, 1997.
Maston, T. B. The Bible and Race. Nashville: Broadman, 1959.
Matthews, Kenneth A. Genesis. In The New American Commentary, ed. E. Ray Clendenen.
Vol. 1A. Nashville, Broadman, 1996.
McBeth, H. Leon. The Baptist Heritage. Nashville: Broadman, 1987.
McGavran, Donald. Understanding Church Growth, 3d ed. Edited by C. Peter Wagner. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.
Meadows, James, and Charles L. Brown, eds. Practical Studies in Church Growth.
Knoxville, TN: East Tennessee School of Preaching, 1999.
Min, Anselm Kyongsuk. The Solidarity of Others in a Divided World: A Postmodern

Theology After Postmodernism. New York: T & T Clark, 2004.
Moffett, Diane Givens. Beyond Greens and Cornbread: Reflections on African American
Christian Identity. Valley Forge, PA: Judson, 2001.
Nebel, Thomas, and Steven Ogne. Empowering Leaders Through Coaching: A Self-Study
Resource Kit for Those who Mentor Volunteer Leaders, Pastors and Church Planters.
St. Charles, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1995.
Neumann, Mikel. Home Groups for Urban Cultures: Biblical Small Group Ministry on Five
Continents. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1999.
Newman, Mark. Getting Right With God: Southern Baptists and Desegregation, 1945-1995.
Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama, 2001.
Nieman, James R., and Thomas G. Rogers. Preaching to Every Pew: Cross-Cultural
Strategies. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001.
O’Neill, Mary Beth. Executive Coaching with Backbone and Heart: A System’s Approach to
Engaging Leaders with Their Challenges. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000.
Ortiz, Manuel. One New People: Models for Developing a Multiethnic Church. Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996.
Oswald, Roy M., and Robert E. Friedrich, Jr. Discerning Your Congregation’s Future: A
Strategic and Spiritual Approach. Bethesda, MD: Alban Institute, 1996.
Patterson, Orlando. The Ordeal of Integration. New York: Basic Civitas, 1997.
Pinn, Anthony B. Why, Lord? Suffering and Evil in Black Theology. New York: Continuum,
1999.
Pocock, Michael, and Joseph Henriques. Cultural Change and Your Church. Grand Rapids:
Baker, 2002.
Pohill, John B. Acts. In The New American Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery. Vol. 26.
Nashville: Broadman, 1992.
Rainer, Thom S. The Book of Church Growth. Nashville: Broadman, 1993.
Reist, Benjamin A. Theology in Red, White, and Black. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975.
Reminick, Ronald A. Theory of Ethnicity: An Anthropologist’s Perspective. Lanham, MD:

University Press of America, 1983.
Rendle, Gilbert R. Leading Change in the Congregation: Spiritual and Organizational Tools
for Leaders. Bethesda, MD: Alban Institute, 1998.
Roberts, J. Deotis. Liberation and Reconciliation: A Black Theology. Philadelphia:

Westminster, 1971.
Romo, Oscar I. American Mosaic: Church Planting in Ethnic America. Nashville: Broadman,
1993.
Ruether, Rosemary Radford. Gender, Ethnicity, and Religion: Views from the Other Side.
Minneapolis: Fortress, 2002.
Samuelson, Robert. The Good Life and Its Discontents: The American Dream in the Age of
Entitlement, 1945-1995. New York: Times Books, 1995.
162
163
Schaller, Lyle E. Innovations in Ministry: Models for the Twenty-First Century. Nashville:
Abingdon, 1994.
Sherlock, Charles. The Doctrine of Humanity. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996.
Singelis, Theodore M. Teaching About Culture, Ethnicity, and Diversity: Exercises and
Planned Activities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1998.
Shibutani, Tamotsu, and Kian M. Kwan. Ethnic Stratification: A Comparative Approach,

New York: The MacMillan Company, 1965.
Southerland, Dan. Transitioning: Leading Your Church Through Change. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1999.
Terry, John Mark, Ebbie C. Smith, and Justice Anderson, eds. Missiology: An Introduction to
the Foundations, History, and Strategies of World Missions. Nashville: Broadman &
Holman, 1998.
Thernstrom, Stephan, ed. Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Cambridge:

Belknap, 1980.
Tillman, William M., Jr., ed. Understanding Christian Ethics. Nashville: Broadman, 1988.
Tippett, Alan R. Church Growth and the Word of God: The Biblical Basis of the Church
Growth Viewpoint. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970.
Towns, Elmer, C. Peter Wagner, and Thom S. Rainer. The Everychurch Guide to Growth.
Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 1998.
Unander, Dave. Shattering the Myth of Race: Genetic Realities and Biblical Truths. Valley
Forge, PA: Judson, 2000.
Van den Berghe, Pierre L. The Ethnic Phenomenon. New York: Elsevier, 1981.
Villafañe, Eldin. Seek the Peace of the City: Reflections on Urban Ministry. Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1995.
Wagner, C. Peter. Our Kind of People: The Ethical Dimensions of Church Growth in
America. Atlanta: John Knox, 1979.
Walzer, Michael. On Toleration. New Haven: Yale University, 1997.
Ware, A. Charles, Eugene Seals, Ken Ham, Ray Hilbert, Ken Johnson, Alex D. Montoya,
James Lowther, Paul H. Dixon, Donald Lloyd Bartlette, Arturo Lucero, and Ken
Hutcherson. Reuniting the People of God. Indianapolis, IN: Baptist Bible College of
Indianapolis, 2000.
Washington, Raleigh, and Glen Kehrein. Breaking Down Walls: A Model for Reconciliation
164
in an Age of Racial Strife. Chicago: Moody, 1993.
Westermann, Claus. Genesis 1-11. In Continental Commentary Series, trans. John J. Scullion.
Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994.
Whitworth, Laura, Henry Kimsey-House, and Phil Sandahl. Co-Active Coaching. Palo Alto,
CA: Davies-Black, 1998.
Wilkins, Michael J. Following the Master. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.
Zackrison, James W. Ministry in an Age Shifting Social Context: A Study Guide on How to
Organize and Run Multiethnic/Multicultural Churches in the 1990s. Lincoln, NE:
North American Division Church Ministries Resource Center, 1993.
165
Articles and Journal Reports
Allen, Jere. “The Church in the Changing Community.” Southwestern Journal of Theology
24, no. 2 (Spr. 1982): 20-7.
________. “Guiding Churches Through Change.” Review and Expositor 80 (Fall 1983): 571-
81.
Anderson, V. Elving, and Bruce R. Reichenbach. “Imaged Through the Lens Darkly: Human
Personhood and the Sciences.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 33
(June 1990): 197-213.
Baily, Kenneth K. “Southern Baptists, 1940-1963: as Viewed by a Secular Historian.”

Baptist History and Heritage 3 (Jan. 1968): 17-31.
Baker, Susan S. “Lessons Learned in Multiethnic Ministry.” Urban Mission 13 (June 1996):
57-8.
Barnette, Henlee Hulix. “The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Civil Rights
Movement: The Visit of Martin Luther King, Jr., Part Two.” Review and Expositor 93
(Winter 1996): 77-126.
Bell, Marty G. “The Beginnings of the Southern Baptist Convention.” Baptist History and
Heritage 30 (July 1995): 16-24.
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “Amsterdam 2000--The Amsterdam Declaration.”

<http://www.amsterdam2000.com/declaration.asp>. 1 Mar. 2001.
“Black Baptist Rejects Apology by SBC.” Christian Century, 27 Sept.-4 Oct. 1995, 879.
Bland, Thomas A. “The Church and Social Change in the South.” Faith and Mission 2 (Fall
1984): 1-17.
Bosch, David J. “Church Unity Amidst Cultural Diversity.” Missionalia 10 (1982): 16-28.
Bundy, Richard. “The Major Issues Facing African-American Families Today.” Growing
Disciples, June-Aug. 1997, 20-3.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. “Anthropology: Part 3.” Bibliotheca Sacra 100 (July 1943): 479-96.
Claritas, Inc. “Pop-Facts: Census Demographic Overview 2002. Prepared for FBC Mt.
Healthy.” San Diego, CA: Claritas, Inc., 14 July 2003.
166
Cone, James. “Black Theology and Black Liberation.” Christian Century, 16 Sept. 1970,
1086.
Conklin, James E. “Urban Church Evangelism in a Multiethnic Society.” In Metro-Ministry:

Ways and Means for the Urban Church, ed. David J. Frenchak and Sharrel Keyes,
188-93. Elgin, IL: David C. Cook, 1979.
Cowan, George McKillop. “The Field is the World.” Bibliotheca Sacra 100 (July 1943): 432-
41.
Eighmy, John Lee. “Recent Changes in the Racial Attitudes of Southern Baptists.”
Foundations 5 (Oct. 1962), 354-9.
“Ethnic Minority Membership Increases in Conservative Denominations.” Christianity

Today, 4 Apr. 1986, 51.
Feinberg, Charles Lee. “The Image of God.” Bibliotheca Sacra 129 (July 1972): 235-46.
Garrett, James Leo, Jr. “The Distinctive Identity of Southern Baptists vis-à-vis Other
Baptists.” Baptist History and Heritage 31 (Oct. 1996), 6-16.
Garriott, Craig W. “Leadership Development in the Multiethnic Church.” Urban Mission

(June 1996): 24-37.
Geddert, Tim. “Jesus and Ethnicity.” Direction 17 (Spr. 1988): 73-7.
Griffin, Marvin Collins. “Ethical Issues Related to Race Relations in the Southern Baptist
Convention.” Theological Educator 45 (Spr. 1992): 117-27.
Grijalva, Joshua. “The Story of Hispanic Southern Baptists.” Baptist History and Heritage 18
(July 1983): 40-7.
Hart, Ian. “Genesis 1:1-2:3 as a Prologue to the Book of Genesis.” Tyndale Bulletin 46 (Nov.
1995): 315-36.
Hiebert, Frances F. “Doing Mission with a Universal Gospel and Cultural Diversity.”
Direction 17 (Spr. 1988): 81-86.
Hiebert, Paul G. “Ethnicity and Evangelism in the Mennonite Brethren Church.” Direction
17 (Spr. 1988): 87-102.
Hull, William E. “Pluralism in the Southern Baptist Convention.” Review and Expositor 79
(Win. 1982): 121-46.
Johnson, S. Lewis, Jr. “Studies in Romans. Part IX: The Universality of Sin.” Bibliotheca
Sacra 131 (Apr. 1974): 163-72.
Jones, Phillip B. “Southern Baptist Congregations Today.” In www.namb.net [article on-line].

167
Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board, February 2001. Available from
http://www.namb.net/root/resources/stats/Southern Baptist Congregations Today.pdf.
King, Jr., Martin Luther. “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” Sermon delivered
at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on 31 March 1968. Congressional
Record 114 (9 April 1968).
Kirk, J. Andrew. “Race, Class, Caste, and the Bible.” Themelios 10, no. 2 (Jan. 1985): 4-14.
Lewis, Philip. “Caste, Mission and Church Growth.” Themelios 10, no. 2 (Jan. 1985): 24-30.
Lupton, Robert D. “The Multiethnic Church: Unity Inside vs. Community Outside.” Urban
Mission 13 (June 1996): 5-13.
Maxwell, Joe. “Black Southern Baptists.” Christianity Today, 15 May 1995, 27-31.
May, Lynn E. “Black Southern Baptist Heritage.” Baptist History and Heritage 16 (July
1981): 1-60.
McBeth, Leon. “Southern Baptists and Race Since 1947.” Baptist History and Heritage 7
(July 1972): 155-69.
McCall, Emmanuel. “Lessons of Our Past for the Future: An African-American Perspective.”
Baptist History and Heritage 30, no. 3 (July 1995): 51-3.
McConnell, C. Douglas. “Confronting Racism and Prejudice in Our Kind of People.”

Missiology 25 (Oct. 1997): 387-404.
McSwain, Larry L. “A Critical Appraisal of the Church Growth Movement.” Review and
Expositor 77 (Fall 1980): 521-538.
Morgan, Timothy C. “Racist No More? Black Leaders Ask.” Christianity Today, 14 Aug.
1995, 53.
Newman, Mark. “The Baptist State Convention of South Carolina and Desegregation, 1954-
1971.” Baptist History and Heritage 34 (Spr. 1999): 56-72.
Padilla, C. René. “The Unity of the Church and the Homogeneous Unit Principle.”
International Bulletin of Missionary Research 6 (Jan. 1982): 23-30.
Owen, Bert L. “A Study of the Church Growth Movement in America as Developed from the
Missiology of Donald A. McGavran.” Cumberland Seminarian 18 (Spr. 1980), 1-41.
Rapinchuck, Mark. “Universal Sin and Salvation in Romans 5:12-21.” Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society 42 (Sept. 1999): 427-41.
Redekop, John H. “Ethnicity and the Mennonite Brethren: Issues and Responses.” Direction
17 (Spr. 1988): 3-16.
Romo, Oscar I. “Ethnic Church Growth and the Southern Baptist Convention.” Urban
Mission 16 (Mar. 1999), 18-30.
________. “Ethnic Southern Baptists: Contexts, Trends, Contributions.” Baptist History and
Heritage 18 (July 1983): 3-10.
Root, John. “Issues for the Church in a Multi-Racial Society.” Themelios 10, no. 2 (Jan.
1985): 30-6.
Rosser, Russell C. “A Multiethnic Model of the Church.” Direction 27 (Fall 1998): 189-92.
Rouse, John E. “Role of Segregation in Southern Baptist Policy.” Journal of Religious

Thought 29, no. 2 (1972): 19-38.
“SBC Renounces Racist Past.” Christian Century, 5 July 1995, 671.
“Segregationists Attack Seminary.” Christian Century, 16 Aug. 1961, 974.
Smith, Blake. “Southern Baptist Churches: Convention of Autonomous Bodies Faces Crisis:
World Evangelism or Segregation?” Christianity and Crisis 18, no. 3 (1958), 22-24.
Smith, Sid. “Preparing for Multiethnic Ministry.” In Understanding Christian Ethics, ed.
William M. Tillman, Jr., 145-161. Nashville: Broadman, 1998.
Southard, Samuel. “Segregation and Southern Churches.” Journal of Religion and Health 1
(Apr. 1962): 197-221.
Stamoolis, Jim. “Editorial: Who Is My Neighbor?” Themelios 10, no. 2 (Jan. 1985): 3-4.
Steffen, Tom. “A Response to Chuck Van Engen’s ‘Is the Church for Everyone?’” Journal
for the American Society for Church Growth 11 (Spr. 2000): 73-78.
Toews, John E. “One New Humanity: Ethnicity in Paul.” Direction 17 (Spr. 1988): 78-80.
U.S. Census Bureau. “QT-P3. Race and Hispanic or Latino: 2000. Data Set: Census 2000
Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File.” In www.census.gov [report
on-line]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000. Available from
_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_QTP3_geo_id=05000US39061.html.
U.S. Census Bureau. “QT-P3. Race and Hispanic or Latino: 2000. Data Set: Census 2000
Summary File (SF 1) 100-Percent Data.” In www.census.gov [report on-line].
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000. Available from
168
169
_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_QTP3_geo_id=01000US.html. Accessed 14
July 2003. Internet.
Van Engen, Chuck. “Is the Church for Everyone? Planting Multi-Ethnic Congregations in
North America.” Journal for the American Society for Church Growth 11 (Spr. 2000):
3-71.
Vawter, Bruce. “Universalism in the New Testament.” In Ethnicity, ed. Andrew M. Greeley
and Gregory Baum, 78-84. New York: Seabury, 1977.
Wagner, C. Peter. “How Ethical Is The Homogeneous Unit Principle?” Occasional Bulletin 2
(Jan. 1978): 12-9.
________. “Recent Developments in Church Growth Understandings.” Review and

Expositor 77 (Fall 1980): 507-19.
________. “Vision for Evangelizing the Real America.” International Bulletin of Missionary
Research 10, no. 2 (Apr. 1986): 59-64.
Wiens, Delbert L. “Theological Response to Ethnicity in the Modern World.” Direction 17

(Spr. 1988): 103-17.
Yance, Norman A. “Southern Baptists and Race Relations, 1947-1977: Changing Attitudes
from Harry Truman to Jimmy Carter.” Journal of Religious Thought 35 (Spr.-Sum.
1978): 45-54.
Yuzon, Lourdino A. “Communicating the Good News.” The Asia Journal of Theology 8 (Oct.
1994): 391-401.
170
Unpublished Materials
Blackburn, Geoffrey Herbert. “A Strategy for Cross-Cultural Ministry by the Baptist

Churches of Melbourne, Australia.” D.Min. proj., Fuller Theological Seminary, 1991.
Hargrove, Beverly Minton. “Developing a Strategy of Ministry for a Church in a Community

of Racial Transition.” D.Min. proj., Drew University, 1982.
Kusel, Ronald J. “Church Growth Plans in a Multicultural Setting: First Lutheran Church of
Long Beach.” D.Min. proj., Fuller Theological Seminary, 1989.
Leonard, Charles Randolph. “A Study of Some Multi-Ethnic Congregations in Light of

Church Growth and the Homogeneous Unit Principle.” D.Min. proj., Eastern Baptist
Theological Seminary, 1983.
Mitchell, Netter Page. “Ethnic Diversity Through Growth.” D.Min. proj., United Theological
Seminary, 1998.
Pemberton, Sherman Shipley. “Why Are They White? A Study into Why White Churches
Remain White in Multi-Ethnic Communities.” M.A. diss., California State University,
Fullerton, 1986.
Porter, Lee. “Southern Baptists and Race Relations: 1948-1963.” Th.D. diss., Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary, 1965.
Roach, Richard. “A Strategy for Evangelizing, Discipling, and Congregationalizing Ethnic

Minorities in a Transitional Neighborhood.” D. Min. proj., Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary, 1985.
Walker, Jr., Orris George. “Developing a Program for a Culturally Inclusive Urban Episcopal
Parish.” D.Min. proj., Drew University, 1980.
ADDENDUM
171
172
SOUTHWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
THE PREPARATION OF CHURCH LEADERS TO EQUIP THEIR CONGREGATIONS
FOR MINISTRY TO MULTIETHNIC COMMUNITIES
A PROSPECTUS SUBMITTED TO
THE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY COMMITTEE
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY
FUNCTIONAL MAJOR: MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM
BY
DAVID HUGH RHOADES
APRIL 2004
173
APPROVAL OF PROSPECTUS
as Submitted by
David Hugh Rhoades
1. This prospectus has been approved by the faculty supervisor.
Signed____________________________Date___________
2.This prospectus has been approved by the field supervisor.
Signed____________________________Date___________
3.This prospectus has been approved by the Doctor of Ministry Committee.
Signed____________________________Date___________
174
ABSTRACT
This project, The Preparation of Church Leaders to Equip Their Congregations for
Ministry to Multiethnic Communities, addresses the need for local churches to be ethnically
similar to their surrounding communities. The New Testament ideal is for churches to be as
ethnically diverse as the communities in which they find themselves. The unity experienced
by those with faith in Jesus Christ should overcome the ethnic barriers which typically
separate people. Most congregations in North America have the opportunity to reflect the
truth of the unifying power of the gospel in the midst of ethnic diversity. The goal of this
project is to help church leaders pursue the ideal of ethnic congruency with their
communities for the purpose of a greater scope and depth of ministry.
In the first phase of the project, the project leader will interview six members of an
ethnically diverse church to determine the effects and importance of ethnicity on their faith
and on churches in multiethnic communities. He will use their insights in the second phase of
the project, the centerpiece of which is a seminar called “The Multiethnic Mission of Your
Church: Reaching Across the Ethnic Divide.” The seminar, with pre-seminar and post-
seminar assignments, is designed to help church leaders make the necessary biblically-based
changes in their congregations to facilitate greater community ministry.

175
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SIGNATURE PAGE ii
ABSTRACT iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iv
I. INTRODUCTION 1
II. DESCRIPTION OF MINISTRY NEED 3
III. THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION 5
IV. GOALS 18
V. SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE 21
VI. A PLAN OF MINISTRY 24
VII. SUPERVISION 26
VIII. EVALUATION 27
APPENDICES
1. ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

OF MT. HEALTHY 28
2. DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEWS 29
3. INTERVIEW FOR MEMBERS OF A MULTIETHNIC CHURCH 32
4. EVALUATION FORM FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS 33
5. SEMINAR RECRUITMENT LETTER 35
6. COVENANT OF PARTICIPATION 37
7. PROFESSIONAL FLYER 38
8. PRE-SEMINAR INSTRUCTIONAL LETTER TO SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS 39

176
9. SEMINAR: “THE MULTIETHNIC MISSION OF YOUR CHURCH:
REACHING ACROSS THE ETHNIC DIVIDE” 41
10. EVALUATION FORM FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS 70
11. SEMINAR SELF-EVALUATION FORM FOR THE PROJECT LEADER 72
12. POST-SEMINAR INSTRUCTIONAL LETTER TO SEMINAR

PARTICIPANTS 74
13. PLANNING EVALUATION TOOL 75
BIBLIOGRAPHY 76
177
INTRODUCTION
Interest in a project that addresses the need for multiethnic congregations came from
the project leader’s personal experiences. When he began his studies at the New Orleans
Baptist Theological Seminary in 1993, the project leader occasionally encountered racist
attitudes from Afro-Americans in the community. Shortly after his time in New Orleans, he
unsuccessfully challenged the Euro-Americans in the first church he pastored to repent of
their racism. Most Euro-American members of the second church he pastored were not overt
racists, but they remained indifferent to the need to reach out to the community’s ever-
growing Afro-American population. The impact of these negative experiences compelled the
project leader to address the issue of ethnicity as it affects evangelical Christians.
When the project leader became the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy,
Ohio, he immediately realized that the church was unlike any other he had previously served.
The congregation’s ethnic diversity (appendix 1) enables the project leader to explore issues
related to ethnicity and the Christian faith, especially the need for multiethnic churches.
The project uses certain key sociological and theological terms that require precise
definition. The project leader has chosen to use the word ‘ethnic’ and its variants because of
the genetic and theological implications of the term ‘race.’ “What is commonly called ‘race
relations’ does not consist of relationships among men who are genetically different.”66 An
ethnic group is best defined as “those who conceive of themselves as being alike by virtue of
their common ancestry, real or fictitious, and who are so regarded by others.”67
Terms of color are not used to describe ethnic groups for two reasons. Such terms are
66Tomotsu Shibutani and Kian M. Kwan. Ethnic Stratification: A Comparative

Approach (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1965), 54.
67C. Peter Wagner in Our Kind of People: The Ethical Dimensions of Church Growth
in America (Atlanta: John Knox, 1979), 39.
178
usually poor descriptors of the meanings they are trying to convey.68 Also, the terms ‘white’
and ‘black’ have secondary meanings implying moral goodness or badness. In place of these
terms, ‘Afro-American’ is used to refer to “persons of African ancestry who identify
themselves with this ethnic group,”69 and ‘Euro-American’ is used to refer to persons who
identify themselves with a European ancestry.
‘Ethnic congruency’ is an obscure term to many in the church growth field, yet it is at
the heart of this project. The dictionary defines something being congruous as “being in
agreement, harmony, or correspondence.”70 Ethnic congruency, therefore, refers to a
congregation’s ethnic similarity to its community. Congruency should not be confused with
the more common understanding of homogeneity. “Congruence is similar to homogeneity in
that congruence . . . assumes that most of us are attracted to others who share like values.
Congruence differs, however, from homogeneity in that it refers not only to a characteristic
of the congregation, but to a relationship between the congregation and its community
context.”71
DESCRIPTION OF MINISTRY NEED
The need for this ministry project stems from three main sources: the ethnic tensions
both in greater Cincinnati (the location of First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy) and the
United States overall; the necessity of churches to share commonalities with their
communities; and the historical neglect by church growth strategists to study the impact and
68Rarely does a “black” or “white” person truly have black or white skin.
69Orlando Patterson, The Ordeal of Integration (New York: Basic Civitas, 1997), xi.
Patterson, an Afro-American sociologist, dislikes the term “African-American” because
“white” people are not typically given any qualifying equivalent.
70Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed., s.v. “congruous.”
71David T. Britt, “From Homogeneity To Congruence: A Church-Community Model”
Urban Mission 8 (Jan. 1991): 34.
179
value of multiethnic congregations.
Tremendous ethnic tensions between Afro-Americans and Euro-Americans exist in
Cincinnati. The fatal shooting of an unarmed Afro-American male by a Euro-American
police officer on 7 April 2000 “set off three days of race riots, led to the arrest of 800 people,
cost the city and businesses that were damaged millions of dollars, and tarnished Cincinnati’s
image worldwide.”72 Inter-ethnic relations immediately became a critical issue to
Cincinnatians and remain so to this day. Christians have a unique opportunity to demonstrate
how their faith and love supercede ethnic barriers.
The country as a whole mirrors the inter-ethnic tensions in Cincinnati. “In the United
States, racism, particularly by whites against blacks, has created profound racial tension and
conflict in virtually all aspects of American society.”73 Although the civil rights movement
has diminished or eliminated institutional racism in many segments of society, the racial
climate may nevertheless be deteriorating. George Barna has found that 74 percent of Afro-
American adults and 62 percent of Afro-American teenagers believe that race relations in
America are getting worse rather than better.74 He predicts, “Racism will grow more intense
this decade as whites resist the gains being made by Hispanics and blacks.”75
A second reason for this ministry project is the necessity of churches to share
commonalities with the communities in which they are found. Ethnicity can become a strong
link between a church and its community because it is usually a highly visible characteristic.
However, when a church becomes completely unlike its community, a disconnect forms and
72Jane Prendergast, “Roach Not Guilty; City Under Curfew,” The Cincinnati
Enquirer, 27 September 2001.
73The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, 2d ed., s.v. “Racism.”
74George Barna, African-Americans and Their Faith: Research on the Faith, Culture,
Values and Lifestyles of Blacks in America (Oxnard, CA: The Barna Institute, 1999), 14, 90.
75George Barna and Mark Hatch, Boiling Point (Ventura, CA.: Regal, 2001), 44.
180
outward-focused ministry becomes difficult. 76
Virtually every large community in North America is ethnically diverse, but are
evangelical Christian churches as ethnically diverse as the communities they serve? Four
days before he died Martin Luther King, Jr. observed, “We must face the sad fact that at
eleven o’clock on Sunday morning when we stand to sing ‘In Christ there is no East or West,’
we stand in the most segregated hour of America.”77 The lack of ethnic diversity in most
Southern Baptist churches (appendix 2) stands as an indictment that Southern Baptists have
failed to apply their belief in the unifying power of the gospel. Multiethnic congregations
should be the norm in North America, not the exception.
A final reason this project is essential is that church growth specialists have done little
to address the value of multiethnic churches. In a survey of church growth books written
since 1990, Chuck Van Engen has found that “apart from the HUP [homogeneous unit
principle] emphasis some of the most prominent strategists of church planting in North
America have essentially ignored issues of multi-ethnicity.”78 It was not until 2002 that the
American Society for Church Growth seriously began addressing this oversight.
THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
The principle of ethnic congruency states that under most circumstances a church is
76The First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy is located in a multiethnic community. A

recent demographic study found that 65 percent of people living within a five-mile radius of
the First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy campus are Euro-American, while 32 percent are
Afro-American. The most recent data from the United States Census Bureau also depicts a
tremendous amount of ethnic diversity for the nation (appendix 2).
77Martin Luther King, Jr., “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution” (sermon
delivered at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on 31 March 1968), Congressional
Record 114 (9 April 1968): 9395-7.
78Ibid., 35. Although Van Engen specifically laments the lack of attention given to
multiethnic church planting, the same can be said of the lack of attention given to existing
multiethnic churches.
181
most healthy and best able to grow when it is similar to its community ethnically.79 Van
Engen writes, “Because God’s mission seeks careful and balanced complementarity between
universality and particularity, churches in North America should strive to be as multi-ethnic
as their surrounding contexts.”80 To establish this thesis, the project leader will demonstrate
the balance between universality and particularity as it relates to four major theological
themes. He will also show how three modern historical movements affect ethnic congruency
in today’s churches.
Universality and Particularity in Biblical Theology
In its description of humanity, the Bible consistently maintains a balance between the
dual and complementary themes of universality and particularity. Humans experience both
realities in relation to their creation by God, their sin against him, their redemption by Christ,
and their ecclesiastical relationships. As the apostle Paul understood, universality and
particularity are dual and related themes in God’s plan: “He made from one man every nation
of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and
the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26).81
The Universality and Particularity in God’s Creation of Humanity
From its outset, the Bible universalizes the human trait of being made in God’s image
79Leaders of ethnically homogeneous churches in multiethnic communities have the

responsibility of addressing how people in other segments of their community will be
reached for Christ. Ethnicity is a major sociological factor affecting a church’s ministry to it’s
community. “What can be said of ethnicity in particular can be said of culture in general”
(Ronald A. Reminick, Theory of Ethnicity: An Anthropologist’s Perspective [Lanham, MD:
University Press of America, 1983], 63).
80Van Engen, 3.
81All references to Scripture are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995
edition.
(cf. Gen. 1:27). The image of God extends from Adam to his descendants (cf. Gen. 5:3),
which includes every human of every ethnicity who ever lived. Although theologians over
the centuries have debated the meaning of the image of God, many Old Testament scholars
today view the image as the function of “exercising dominion over the natural world.”82 The
distinction from the rest of the creative order as God’s royal representatives in the world is
foundational to the work of God in history. “The entire redemptive purpose and plan of God,
including the incarnation and death-resurrection of Jesus as the Son of God, is predicated
upon the veritable worthwhileness of God’s redeeming human beings.”83
The universal image of God in humanity enables humans to relate to one another
despite ethnic distinctions. “All who have been made in the image of God have more in
common than they have in distinction from one another.”84 If people of different ancestries
were genetically separate species, human relationships might be impossible. However, the
“consistent testimony of Scripture is that the human race is one race—created as a unity by
God (Acts 17:26), and all alike intended to be the recipients of the gospel (Mt. 28:19).”85
Coupled with the universal trait of being made in God’s image is the particularity of
God’s creation of each person. “God chose not to create people from a precast die in which
every person would come out exactly the same as every other.”86 Like other unique physical
features, the color of each person’s skin displays the creative expression of God. Each person
82Ian Hart, “Genesis 1:1-2:3 as a Prologue to the Book of Genesis,” Tyndale Bulletin
46 (Nov. 1995): 317.
83James Leo Garrett, Jr. Systematic Theology, vol. 2, 2d ed. (North Richland Hills,
TX: Bibal, 2000), 466.
84Garrett, 482.
85John Root, “Issues for the Church in a Multi-Racial Society,” Themelios n.s. 10, no.
2 (Jan. 1985): 31.
86C. Peter Wagner, “How Ethical Is The Homogeneous Unit Principle?” Occasional
Bulletin 2 (Jan. 1978): 13.
182
183
is also unique spiritually, as evidenced by the sovereign distribution of spiritual gifts to those
who receive Christ (cf. Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12-14; 1 Tim. 4:14).
The Universality and Particularity of Sin
The universality of sin is a basic and almost unquestioned biblical teaching. “It is
well-known that the Church’s dogmaticians have debated for centuries questions that arise
out of the doctrine of sin, such as the origin of sin, the nature of original sin, the imputation
of sin, and other related questions. . . . There is one thing, however, over which the battlers
have had no disagreements, and that is the universality of sin.”87 With Jesus Christ as the sole
exception, sin is a part of every person’s experience.
The doctrine of the universality of sin not only conveys that all humans have sinned,
but also that no ethnic distinctions exist by which one group is unaffected or somehow less
affected by sin. Commenting on Romans 5:12-21, Rapinchuk states that the universal nature
of Paul’s discussion of sin and salvation should be “defined as without ethnic distinction
rather than without exception. When Paul speaks of ‘all men’ he speaks in the sense of both
Jews and Gentiles, not in the sense of every individual.”88
Just as true as the universality of sin is its particularity. Both individuals and groups
of people have a predisposition to being tempted in certain ways which any combination of
physical or spiritual factors may spark. The biblical account of the kings of Israel and Judah
show the tendency of people to follow their parents’ example, which often includes the
87S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. “Studies in Romans. Part IX: The Universality of Sin”
Bibliotheca Sacra 131 (Apr. 1974): 168-9.
88Mark Rapinchuk, “Universal Sin and Salvation in Romans 5:12-21,” Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society 42 (Sept. 1999): 440.
184
commission of the same types of sins (cf. 1 Kin. 15:3, 26; 22:43, 52; 2 Kin. 21:21). However,
as Ezekiel 18 explains, each person still has the freedom to choose obedience in spite of any
predisposition toward a certain kind of sin.
The particularity of sin within an ethnic group does not imply a biblical justification
for racism or prejudice. Some Christians of European descent have made an argument that
darker colors of skin find their origin with Cain (cf. Gen. 4:13-15) or the curse of Canaan (cf.
Gen. 9:20-27). However, no biblical evidence exists that the mark placed on Cain means that
he became a slave or turned black, nor is there evidence that the curse on Canaan means that
dark-skinned people are somehow inferior to others.89
The Universality and Particularity of the Saving Work of Jesus Christ
Both the teachings and the atoning work of Jesus have universal implications. “The
Gospels picture Jesus as a king, the ruler over all of the universe.”90 The kingdom of God,
which included Gentiles (e.g., Matt. 8:10, 11) “was the central message of Jesus.”91 Jesus’
teaching stood in stark contrast to that of his contemporaries, who viewed the kingdom as
consisting of Jews alone. Salvation is available to people of any ethnicity because “Jesus
made response to his own person and message the determining factor for entering the
eschatological Kingdom.”92
The universality of Christ’s work is seen in the tearing of the veil of the temple when
Jesus died (Matt. 27:51) and subsequent New Testament teaching (e.g., 1 Tim. 2:4-6; 2 Pet.
3:9; 1 Jn. 2:2). “It is clear . . . that God has provided in Christ a Savior for all. He desires that
89For a more thorough study of these texts, see Garrett, 480-1.
90Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984), 767.
91George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, rev. ed., ed. Donald A.
Hagner (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 54.
92Ibid., 62.
185
all should receive this Savior.” 93
Jesus coupled the universal scope of his teachings and work with a realization of the
particular distinctions of being a Jew. “The complementarity of universality and particularity
is very strong in Jesus’ ministry. At one point Jesus sends his disciples ‘to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel’ (Matt. 10:6). Yet this is the same Jesus and the same gospel of Matthew
that will strongly emphasize that the disciples are to meet him in the cosmopolitan, multi-
cultural setting of Galilee. There he will say, ‘all [sic] authority is given to me in heaven and
on earth, go therefore and disciple ta ethne–the nations’ (Matt. 28:18-19).”94
The Universality and Particularity of the Church
The very nature of the New Testament church is one of being universally open to
“whoever believes” (Rom. 10:11) and constituted by people of various ethnic groups. “The
universalism of the New Testament which was really new as far as Judaism was concerned
was its abolition of the distinction between Jew and Gentile, or ‘Greek,’ as the language of
the time drew the distinction. This distinction was not nationalistic but religious and cultural.
It was a distinction that even the most ecumenical type of Judaism had never been able to
eradicate, even with its best intentions.”95
Galatians 3:28 explicitly denounces ethnic barriers in the church. The Holy Spirit’s
work of salvation overcomes ethnic barriers and makes believing Jews and Gentiles “one
new man” (Eph. 2:15) in Christ. Acts 8 recounts how Philip led the Ethiopian eunuch to
93George McKillop Cowan, “The Field is the World,” Bibliotheca Sacra 100 (July
1943): 439.
94Chuck Van Engen, “Is the Church for Everyone? Planting Multi-Ethnic
Congregations in North America,” Journal for the American Society for Church Growth 11
(Spr. 2000): 5.
95Bruce Vawter, “Universalism in the New Testament,” in Ethnicity, ed. Andrew M.
Greeley and Gregory Baum (New York: Seabury, 1977), 80.
186
Christ. “The Ethiopia referred to is in all probability the ancient kingdom of Meroe. . . .
Referred to in the Old Testament as the Kingdom of Cush, its population consisted of
blacks.”96 Likewise, when Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit, Peter
concluded that no one “could hinder (kōlyō) the baptism of these Gentiles and their full
inclusion into the Christian community”97 (cf. Acts 10:47, 48).
The leadership of the early church was ethnically diverse. Although each of the
twelve apostles was Jewish, many other church leaders, such as Titus (cf. Gal. 2:3), were
Gentile. Among those listed in Acts 13 as prophets and teachers at the Antiochan church was
Simeon whom they called Niger. His Latin nickname was probably a reference to his dark
complexion, presumably in contrast to other church leaders. If this is correct, then God
himself approved of the fasting and prayers of a dark-skinned man when the Holy Spirit
commanded them all, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have
called them” (Acts 13:2).
The Impact of Modern Historical Movements on Ethnic Congruence
Extrabiblical historical issues can affect the congruence of churches to their
communities. Three recent historical issues or movements are most germane to this project:
the ways the Southern Baptist Convention has dealt with ethnicity; the influence of black
theology on the Afro-American community; and the impact of the church growth movement
on multiethnic churches.
Ethnicity and the Southern Baptist Convention
96John B. Pohill, Acts, The New American Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery
(Nashville: Broadman, 1992), 223.
97Ibid., 265.
187
The reputation of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) as slow to embrace ethnic
diversity originates in its formation. While various related issues were involved in the
formation of the SBC, “slavery was the final and most decisive factor.”98 The problems
Southern Baptists have had dealing with ethnicity, however, are not limited to events that
occurred over a century ago.
Although the SBC has issued twenty-two resolutions since 1937 against prejudice and
racism, many perceive Southern Baptists as being slow to deal with ethnic issues. This
perception is based in reality, as evidenced by the negative reaction to Martin Luther King,
Jr.’s visit to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on 19 April 196199 and by the
admission of Southern Baptist leaders such as W. A. Criswell.100 Even the 1995 resolution on
racial reconciliation, which “marked the denomination’s first formal acknowledgment that
racism played a role in its founding,”101 was not well-received by some leaders of the Afro-
American community. The leader of the National Baptist Convention at the time rejected it,
saying, “The civil rights struggle is still going on and we need more than an apology.”102
Black Theology and the Afro-American Community
Black theology, a system of beliefs indigenous to North America which gained
prominence through the civil rights movement, “is engaged theology, committed to the
98H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage (Nashville: Broadman, 1987), 381.
99Henlee Hulix Barnette, “The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Civil
Rights Movement: The Visit of Martin Luther King, Jr., Part Two,” Review and Expositor 93
(Winter 1996): 77-126. The reaction against King’s visit was so severe that within four
months the seminary’s trustees and president issued a statement of regret for offending
Southern Baptist sensibilities. “No mention of King’s visit appeared in any of the Seminary’s
publications for twenty-three years” (Ibid., 78).
100W. A. Criswell, Look Up, Brother! (Nashville: Broadman, 1970), 50.
101“SBC Renounces Racist Past,” Christian Century 112 (5 July 1995): 671.
102“Black Baptist Rejects Apology by SBC,” Christian Century 112 (27 Sept.-4 Oct.
1995): 879.
188
amelioration of the condition of black people and consciously locked in battle with white
racism.”103 The movement arose partly because of the silence of Euro-American Christians to
the continuing problem of racism in the twentieth century. James Cone, the most influential
proponent of black theology, finds the significance of the movement “in the conviction that
the content of the Christian gospel is liberation.”104
Like other liberation theologies, black theology has as its primary biblical text Luke
4:18, 19. Jesus’ mission is viewed primarily as that of bringing liberation to oppressed
people. Cone writes, “Black theology puts black identity into a theological context, showing
that black power is not only consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ: it is the gospel of
Jesus Christ.”105
Proponents of black theology incorrectly stress that since Jesus intentionally
identified with oppressed persons such as prostitutes and the poor,106 special status to the
oppressed in America is justified. However, they claim that one does not need to have dark
skin to qualify for this special status. Cone writes, “Being black in America has very little to
do with skin color. To be black means that your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body
are where the dispossessed are.”107
The seductive influence of black theology has led many Afro-American churches and
Christian leaders to replace the power of Christ to save souls with an emphasis on
103Virgil Cruz, “Black Theology,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter
A. Elwell.
104James Cone, “Black Theology and Black Liberation,” Christian Century 87 (16
Sept. 1970): 1086.
105Ibid., 1084.
106Jesus offered salvation not only to the poor and oppressed, but also to the rich and
powerful (e.g., Nicodemus [cf. John 3] and Zaccheus [cf. Luke 19:1-10]).
107James Cone, Black Theology and Black Power (New York: Seabury, 1969), 151;
quoted in Virgil Cruz, “Black Theology,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter
A. Elwell.
189
empowering Afro-Americans to save themselves. In contrast, biblical theology stresses that
while the salvation and liberation Christ offers ultimately includes freedom from human
oppression, the primary need for all humans is freedom from the bondage of sin. The
relationship one has with God is primary, and it will affect his or her relationships with
others.
Black theology not only fails to reconcile individuals with God, it also is a divisive
factor that keeps ethnic groups apart. Proponents of black theology “speak of reconciliation
that brings black men together . . . [but not] of reconciliation that brings black and white men
together.”108 As a result, black theology has not gained a strong foothold in the dispossessed
Hispanic or Asian communities, nor will it ever gain a following among white people.
The Church Growth Movement and Multiethnic Churches
The church growth movement, which “seeks to understand, through biblical,
sociological, historical, and behavioral study, why churches grow or decline,”109 maintains a
premise known as the homogeneous unit principle (HUP). The HUP simply states, “People
like to become Christians without crossing racial, linguistic, or class barriers.”110 Leaders of
the church growth movement emphasize that they want to “become all things to all men, so
that [they] may by all possible means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). Cultural or ethnic differences
require different kinds of churches if people are to respond to the gospel. Therefore, it is
believed, churches should specialize in reaching one homogeneous unit.111

108J. Deotis Roberts, Liberation and Reconciliation: A Black Theology (Philadelphia:
Westminster, 1971), 152.
109Thom S Rainer, The Book of Church Growth (Nashville: Broadman, 1993), 21.
110Donald McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, 3d ed., ed. C. Peter Wagner
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 163.
111McGavran defines a homogeneous unit as “a section of society in which all the
members have some characteristic in common” (McGavran, 69).
While few would doubt the popularity of the church growth movement, it is not
without its critics. One of the most severe and most common criticisms of the HUP is that it
is essentially racist. Bosch writes that “an unbiased reading of Paul cannot but lead one to the
conclusion that his entire theology militates against even the possibility of establishing
separate churches for different cultural groups. He pleads unceasingly for the unity of the
Church made up of both Jews and Gentiles.”112
In response, church growth leader C. Peter Wagner believes that forcing
homogeneous churches to become heterogeneous would essentially require the unchurched to
accept the idea of ethnic diversity before receiving Christ. He says that “culturally
homogeneous congregations, when they are formed voluntarily and when they are open to all
others who wish to become members, possess an intrinsic integrity as Christian
communities.”113
The theological tension felt by the church growth movement in this regard is one
between ecclesiology and soteriology. How can the church remain true to its calling of being
“one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28) while not adding requirements to salvation? Wagner’s
solution—based more on sociological reality than a biblical ideal—is through two spheres of
Christian interaction: the intracongregational and the intercongregational. “The local
congregation in a given community should be as integrated as are the families and other
primary groups in the community, while intercongregational activities and relationships
should be as integrated as are the secondary social groups in the community and society as a
whole.”114
112David J. Bosch, “Church Unity Amidst Cultural Diversity,” Missionalia 10
(1982): 21.
113C. Peter Wagner, “How Ethical Is The Homogeneous Unit Principle?”: 12.
114Wagner, “How Ethical Is The Homogeneous Unit Principle?”: 18.
190
Wagner’s prescription of one church for each ethnic group may work in many areas
of the world, but he oversimplifies the case in most North American communities. People
already accept a great amount of ethnic diversity in almost every other area of life. In most
communities other sociological factors--such as income or lifestyle--are strong enough to
overcome differences in skin color. In this context, God may desire and empower a single
congregation to model Christian love and grow evangelistically while overcoming ethnic
barriers. “The sociological impossibility . . . is theologically possible.”115
Conclusion
Both the clear teaching of Scripture and the modern historical movements cited
compel the need for individual churches in North America to be as ethnically diverse as the
community in which they are found. Churches in diverse populations must become a witness
of Christian unity in the midst of that diversity. A real and practical balance should exist
between the universality of the gospel message and the particularity of each person’s
individual ancestry and ethnicity.
GOALS
To help leaders of churches equip their congregations with the tools necessary to
minister to their multiethnic communities, certain goals must be completed. These goals
relate to the following groups: the project leader, the members of the ethnically diverse
115Bosch, 21.
191
192
church whom the project leader will interview, and the seminar participants.
193
Goals Relating to the Project Leader
1. Demonstrate effective interviewing skills by:
1.1 Enlisting at least three Afro-American and three Euro-American members of a
multiethnic church to participate in the interview
1.2 Receiving an average mean score of 4 or above (indicating affirmation) on each of the
following issues addressed by the Evaluation Form for Interview Participants
(appendix 4):
1.2.1 Whether the project leader clearly stated the purpose of the interview
1.2.2 Whether the project leader asked questions that effectively fulfilled the purpose
of the interview
1.2.3 Whether those interviewed discussed with the project leader their personal
ethnic experiences
1.2.4 Whether those interviewed determined a value on being a member of a
multiethnic church within a multiethnic community
1.2.5 Whether those interviewed discussed their personal opinions concerning why
many churches are not ethnically congruent with their communities
1.2.6 Whether those interviewed were given the opportunity to specify strategies
church leaders could implement to help equip their congregation for ministry
to their multiethnic communities

194
1.2.7 Whether those interviewed were given the opportunity to specify strategies
their own church might use to become more effective in ministering to its
multiethnic community
1.3 Noting the comments made by those interviewed
2. Enlisting at least twelve church leaders from six different churches to attend the seminar
through promotion. Examples of promotion include
2.1 The creation and dissemination of a professional flyer
2.2 Personal invitations
2.3 Email correspondence
3. Assist the seminar participants in the development of a multiethnic ministry plan by:
3.1 Instructing the participants through written correspondence four weeks prior to the
seminar to conduct an ethnic survey of his or her congregation
3.2 Adjusting the seminar’s content three weeks prior to the seminar based on the data
from the interviews
3.3 Receiving an average mean score of 4 or above (indicating affirmation) on the
following issues addressed by the Evaluation Form for Seminar Participants
(appendix 10):
3.3.1 Whether the project leader clearly stated the purpose of the seminar
3.3.2 Whether the project leader provided each participant with a customized
demographic survey of his or her community for comparison with the
congregational survey
3.3.3 Whether the project leader effectively taught the implications of a biblical
perspective of ethnicity
195
3.3.4 Whether the project leader demonstrated with specific strategic examples how
community116 can be the basis for the development of a multiethnic ministry
plan
3.3.5 Whether the project leader obtained a commitment from the seminar
participants to equip their churches for ministry to their multiethnic
communities
Goals Relating to Interview Participants
1. Communicate to the project leader the effects of ethnicity on the participant’s faith by:
1.1 Discussing with the project leader his or her personal ethnic experiences
1.2 Determining the value he or she places on being a member of a multiethnic church
within a multiethnic community
2. Communicate the participant’s personal opinions about the effects of ethnicity on
churches in multiethnic communities by:
2.1 Discussing why many churches are not ethnically congruent with their communities
2.2 Specifying strategies church leaders of ethnically homogeneous congregations could
implement to help their churches minister to their multiethnic communities
2.3 Specifying strategies the participant’s own church might use to minister better to its
multiethnic community
Goals Relating to Seminar Participants
116Michael Pocock and Joseph Henriques, Cultural Change and Your Church (Grand
Rapids: Baker, 2002), 198-213.
196
1. Identify the ethnic congruency of the participant’s congregation to its community by:
1.1 Conducting an ethnic survey of the congregation prior to the seminar
1.2 Comparing the congregational survey with a customized community survey provided
by the project leader at the seminar
2. Develop a plan to equip the participant’s congregation for ministry to its multiethnic
community by:
2.1 Formulating at the seminar the initial components of a multiethnic ministry plan
based on Pocock’s five steps for determining a church’s response to its changing
community
2.2 Indicating by a score of 4 or more on the Evaluation Form for Seminar Participants a
willingness to meet personally with the project leader no later than one month after
the seminar to review and evaluate the development of the plan
2.2 Reviewing and evaluating the development and implementation of the plan during a
personal follow-up session with the project leader no later than one month after the
seminar
197
A SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE
The project leader found no completed Doctor of Ministry projects specifically
mention the idea of congruence. However, 149 projects exist that deal with ethnic and racial
issues. Of these, seven cover principles similar to those in this project.
Netter Mitchell’s project, “Ethnic Diversity Through Growth,”117 explored the
receptivity and desire for change at Los Altos United Methodist Church in California. The
church did not reflect the ethnic diversity of the surrounding community, but through
surveys, church publications, sermons, and alternative worship services, it appeared ready to
embrace people of different ethnicities. The project at hand is unique because the project
leader’s church already reflects the ethnic diversity of the surrounding community, thus
suggesting that a willingness to minister across ethnic lines has been realized. Also, this
project deals with the instruction of leaders of other churches regarding ethnic congruence.
Ronald Kusel wrote “Church Growth Plans in a Multicultural Setting: First Lutheran
Church of Long Beach,”118 which examined the church’s current strategy of launching several
ethnic ministries. He developed strategies both for the church and each individual ethnic
ministry to help the church grow. In contrast, this project will not seek to launch or maintain
ethnically-focused ministries, but help church leaders adopt a commitment to ethnic
congruency and apply the principle in their churches.
117Netter Page Mitchell, “Ethnic Diversity Through Growth” (D.Min. proj., United
Theological Seminary, 1998).
118Ronald J. Kusel, “Church Growth Plans in a Multicultural Setting: First Lutheran
Church of Long Beach” (D.Min. proj., Fuller Theological Seminary, 1989).
198
In “A Study of Some Multi-Ethnic Congregations in Light of Church Growth and the
Homogeneous Unit Principle,”119 Charles Leonard sought to provide encouragement to
multiethnic Lutheran congregations and their leaders to continue ministering in urban areas.
He conducted the study primarily through interviewing the pastors of these churches. In
contrast, this project is designed to help church leaders equip their congregations become
more ethnically congruent with their communities.
Orris Walker, Jr. completed a project titled “Developing a Program for a Culturally
Inclusive Urban Episcopal Parish.”120 His project was, in part, a reaction against the
assimilationist model used by the national Episcopal Church at the time. This project,
however, does not seek to implement a program within a single congregation, but to help
church leaders begin changing the entire nature of their congregations so they can better
minister to their communities.
Three projects are the most similar to this one. In “Developing a Strategy of Ministry
for a Church in a Community of Racial Transition,”121 Beverly Hargrove sought to create a
general program of ministry to engage an ethnically changing community. In contrast, the
project at hand is not program-oriented, but seeks to change the homogeneous culture of the
church.
Geoffrey Blackburn’s project “A Strategy for Cross-Cultural Ministry by the Baptist
Churches of Melbourne, Australia”122 sought to develop a strategic model for the mono-ethnic
119Charles Randolph Leonard, “A Study of Some Multi-Ethnic Congregations in

Light of Church Growth and the Homogeneous Unit Principle” (D.Min. proj., Eastern Baptist
Theological Seminary, 1983).
120Orris George Walker, Jr., “Developing a Program for a Culturally Inclusive Urban
Episcopal Parish” (D.Min. proj., Drew University, 1980).
121Beverly Minton Hargrove, “Developing a Strategy of Ministry for a Church in a
Community of Racial Transition” (D.Min. proj., Drew University, 1982).
122Geoffrey Herbert Blackburn, “A Strategy for Cross-Cultural Ministry by the
Baptist churches of Melbourne to minister to many ethnic groups. Because a single model for
cross-cultural ministry may not be universally adaptable, this project leader has concluded
that churches should strive to become ethnically congruent with their communities.
Richard Roach, in “A Strategy for Evangelizing, Discipling, and Congregationalizing
Ethnic Minorities in a Transitional Neighborhood,”123 worked with a Hispanic church and a
Euro-American church to help facilitate ministry in a Hispanic neighborhood. He
encountered difficulties relating to the different primary languages each ethnic group spoke.
In contrast, this project does not specifically seek to overcome language barriers.
A PLAN OF MINISTRY
The first phase of the twelve-week project will consist of final seminar preparations.
In week one the project leader will mail a seminar recruitment letter (appendix 5) to Southern
Baptist pastors in the Cincinnati area. The interested church leaders will return a covenant of
participation (appendix 6) to confirm their attendance. The project leader will then send each
participant a pre-seminar instructional letter (appendix 8), which will include instructions on
conducting an ethnic survey of his or her congregation.
By the end of week two, the project leader will personally enlist and interview three
Afro-American and three Euro-American members of the multiethnic church he pastors. He
will note how each participant expresses his or her personal experiences with ethnicity,
responds to questions about the effects of ethnicity on the Christian faith, and makes
suggestions for church leaders seeking to equip their churches to minister to multiethnic
Baptist Churches of Melbourne, Australia” (D.Min. proj., Fuller Theological Seminary,

1991).
123Roach, Richard. “A Strategy for Evangelizing, Discipling, and
Congregationalizing Ethnic Minorities in a Transitional Neighborhood.” D. Min. proj.,
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1985.
199
200
communities. The project leader will use the Evaluation Form for Interview Participants
(appendix 4) to determine the value each participant places on being a member of a
multiethnic church in a multiethnic community. Over the following five weeks, the project
leader will make modifications to the seminary based on the insights provided by the
interview participants.
The second phase of the project is centered around the seminar, which is titled “The
Multiethnic Mission of Your Church: Reaching Across the Ethnic Divide” (appendix 9). The
participants will come to the seminar with their ethnic surveys completed. The seminar itself,
held at the end of week seven, will consist of three sessions that will successively narrow the
participant’s focus to his or her particular situation. In the first session, the project leader will
establish the biblical principles of ethnicity. In the second session, he will seek to obtain from
the participants a commitment to the principle of ethnic congruency. In the final session, the
project leader will give the participants the framework for creating a specific plan whereby
they can equip their congregations to minister to their multiethnic communities.
Because a one-day seminar does not provide sufficient time to deal with issues
relating to ethnicity and the church, the final phase of the project also consists of a follow-up
session. At the close of the seminar, the project leader will encourage the participants to
continue reviewing and revising their plans. Within one month of the seminar, the project
leader will drive to each pastor’s church campus to evaluate the continued development of
his plans and assist him as needed.
Obstacles
Two potential obstacles may hinder the completion of the project. Due to the
201
sensitivities involved surrounding the issues of ethnicity and changing established churches,
many church leaders may decline to slight participate in the seminar. The project leader will
address this by casting a vision that expresses the importance church leaders have not only
for their church and community, but also that their insights will be instrumental in helping
other Christian leaders. This kind of vision will also enable the seminar participants desire to
continue their participation in the follow-up session after the seminar is complete.
Another potential obstacle is that some seminar participants may reject the principle
of ethnic congruency. They may believe that their church should focus only on certain types
of people, or they might feel an inability to minister to people different from themselves.
Even if a rejection of the principle of ethnic congruency occurs on a philosophical level, the
project leader will still be able to convey how participants’ churches can cross ethnic barriers
in ministering to their communities.
SUPERVISION
Roy Fish, Distinguished Professor of Evangelism at Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary, has agreed to serve as the faculty advisor for this project. The project
leader first studied under his tutelage in a 1999 D. Min. seminar called “Evangelism and
Church Growth in Contemporary Culture.” Fish has been an encouragement to the project
leader in his pursuit of this project. He will continue to provide needed insight as to the
implementation and evaluation of the project.
Dino Senesi, the Director of Church Multiplication for the South Carolina Baptist
Convention, has agreed to serve as the field supervisor for this project. As the Associational
Missionary for the Baptist Association of Greater Cincinnati, Senesi was a key participant in
202
The Greater Cincinnati Pastors’ Consortium, a panel of ministers that discussed ethnic issues
in Cincinnati. Before coming to Cincinnati he served for twelve years as the pastor of First
Baptist Church, Marrero, Louisiana, which sponsored three African-American church plants
during his tenure. Senesi understands the specific issues involved with ministry across ethnic
lines, and he has provided the project leader invaluable advice and assessments in the
development of the project.
EVALUATION
The project leader will utilize certain tools to evaluate both the interviews and the
seminar. The interview questions (appendix 3) will indicate the ethnicity of each interview
participant and give the project leader the opportunity to make detailed notes of the answers.
He will also ask each person being interviewed to fill out an evaluation form (appendix 4)
that will determine whether he fulfilled his interview-related goals.
For the seminar, the project leader will measure whether he achieved his seminar-
related goals by asking each participant to complete an evaluation form (appendix 10) at the
conclusion of the seminar. The project leader will also complete a seminar self-evaluation
form (appendix 11). Each statement on the evaluation forms will be scored on a scale of one
to five, with higher numbers indicating a greater degree of affirmation. The project leader
will send to each participant a post-seminar instructional letter (appendix 12) detailing the
continued review and evaluation process. He will also use a planning evaluation tool
(appendix 13) to help the seminar participants implement their plans during the follow-up
session.

The Preparation of Church Leaders To Equip Their Congregations For Ministry To Multiethnic Communities

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

The Preparation of Church Leaders To Equip Their Congregations For Ministry To Multiethnic Communities

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

SOUTHWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

THE PREPARATION OF CHURCH LEADERS TO EQUIP THEIR CONGREGATIONS

FOR MINISTRY TO MULTIETHNIC COMMUNITIES

A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED TO

THE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY COMMITTEE

IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF

FUNCTIONAL MAJOR: MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM

DAVID HUGH RHOADES

DAVID HUGH RHOADES

JANUARY 18, 2005

field supervisor as being permissible for submission to the Doctor of Ministry

in partial fulfillment for the requirements for graduation.

Her steadfast faith provides me with encouragement and inspiration.

II. PROJECT SUMMARY 6

III. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION 38

IV. CRITICAL EVALUATION 55

V. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER IMPLEMENTATION 69

1. ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

3. INTERVIEW FOR MEMBERS OF A MULTIETHNIC CHURCH 76

4. EVALUATION FORM FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS 77

5. SEMINAR RECRUITMENT LETTER 79

8. PRE-SEMINAR INSTRUCTIONAL EMAIL TO SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS 83

9. SEMINAR: “THE MULTIETHNIC MISSION OF YOUR CHURCH:

10. EVALUATION FORM FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS 110

12. POST-SEMINAR INSTRUCTIONAL LETTER TO SEMINAR

13. PLANNING EVALUATION TOOL 114

14. AVERAGE MEAN SCORES FOR ALL INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS 115

15. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #1 -

16. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #2 -

17. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #3 -

18. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #4 -

19. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #5 -

20. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT #6 -

21. NOTES FROM THE INTERVIEWS 128

22. AVERAGE MEAN SCORES FOR ALL SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS 133

23. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #1 -

24. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #2 -

25. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #3 -

26. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #4 -

27. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #5 -

28. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #6 -

29. EVALUATION FORM RESPONSES FOR SEMINAR PARTICIPANT #7 -

30. ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE COMMUNITY OF THE

31. ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE COMMUNITY OF THE

32. ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE COMMUNITY OF THE

33. ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE COMMUNITY OF THE

34. ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE COMMUNITY OF THE

interviews of members of the multiethnic church he pastors.

effect of ethnicity on churches in multiethnic communities. Those interviewed were asked to

barriers. Information supplied by those interviewed was included in the seminar.

extension of the seminar whereby further discussion could be facilitated.

fulfill his desire to engage in multiethnic ministry.

congregation have a number of Afro-American members, but the percentages of ethnic

continued through the creation of a learning community.

churches is a failure to remain relevant to North America’s rapidly changing communities.

1Phillip B. Jones, “Southern Baptist Congregations Today,” in www.namb.net [article

On 23 September 2004, the prospectus was approved by the Doctor of Ministry

community on 6 December 2004.

three Euro-American members of the church. These members represented a cross-section of

asked each participant to determine a quantifiable value of being a member of a multiethnic

advise leaders of ethnically homogeneous churches how to reach their multiethnic

final adjustments to the seminar for church leaders.

On 30 September 2004, the project leader interviewed Marcia,2 a forty-five-year-old