Crossing racial and ethnic divides is not easy, but it is worth it. One spring, our fellowship took some time to talk about how things were going for us as a multiethnic fellowship. We had spent time in racial specific groupings (Asian, black, Latino, mixed and white), then we came together as a whole group to share our thoughts.
When each group had finished talking, I said: “This is great. ACF can have a new motto: ‘Where everyone is uncomfortable.'” One of our black students quickly added, emphatically, “And that’s OK!” This is the reality of a multiethnic fellowship. Everyone needs to be a little uncomfortable in order to serve the needs of the wider body. That is what it means to be a servant of Christ.
A fellowship is not multiethnic unless responsibility and authority is shared. It is not enough to have a smattering of people of different ethnicities in attendance. People of different races and cultures need to be in positions of decision-making and visible leadership. This is not tokenism, but a way of being certain that God’s voice is heard through the various heritages, ethnicities and experiences of those God has brought into the community. We all have blind spots that cause us to distort what might be clear to others. We therefore need one another in order to see.
Having people of different ethnicities and races in visible leadership roles is another way of helping people to feel welcome. Just as with television viewing preferences, when people see others who look like themselves in leadership roles, it makes a significant difference in the way they feel. When people ethnically similar to me fill visible and substantial roles, it communicates an assurance that I, too, will be valued and have a voice in what happens in this group. When only majority leadership is evident, then the opposite message about minority involvement is communicated.
Adapted with permission from A Transforming Vision: Multiethnic Fellowship in College and in the Church by Paul Sorrentino (IVP). The book is available at leading book stores including Amazon.
Related Articles:
Why Do I Care About Racial Reconciliation?
Moved to Action
White People Worship?
A Different Ministry Model
Leading a Multiethnic Fellowship
Multiethnic Worship
A Case for Continuing Monoethnic Minority Fellowships
