Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) Review

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Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) ReviewMy how we could have used this book ten years ago when our church (Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL) first decided to cross the racial divide in hopes of becoming multi-ethnic! Our results were recently described in a January, 2010 Time Magazine article that shows both how far Willow has come, and how far it still has to go.
It's interesting that both these authors and our pastor (Bill Hybels) were inspired by Michael Emerson's depressing book "Divided by Faith." For those who haven't read it yet, it describes lasting multi-ethnic churches as sociologically impossible. Yet, as I once responded to Dr. Emerson in a meeting, it HAS to be possible for Christians, because the Bible commands it. This book is the story of HOW it has been possible with God's help, not only for Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, but also for several other cited examples to become truly multi-ethnic (defined as no more than 80% from any one ethnicity.)
A key insight of this book is: however well the homogeneous unit principle of church growth worked in the twentieth century, only multi-ethnic churches can achieve lasting growth in the twenty-first. One reason is that the U.S. is becoming more diverse. Twenty-five percent of the people living near Willow's suburban campuses no longer look like the people who founded Willow. Any church that today only appeals to only one ethnicity, thereby shrinks its market, especially as the U.S. moves toward becoming majority-minority by 2042. Second, and more importantly, people who are considering the message of the church today can't avoid wondering why it can't be at least as diverse as their workplace. As this book put it "For in an increasingly diverse and cynical society, people will no longer find credible the message of God's love for all people when it's preached by segregated churches."
Another key insight: "it is the [multi-ethnic] church at Antioch, and not the [homogeneous] church in Jerusalem, that is the most influential church of the entire New Testament." and "it wasn't until the church at Jerusalem was persecuted that individuals were forced to carry the message of Christ to other lands and people."
The book lists seven core commitments of a multi-ethnic church: embrace dependence, intentional steps, diverse leaders, cross-cultural relationships and competence, inclusion and mobilizing for impact.
Thankfully, this book then gets into actual cases, such as tongues, women in ministry, politics, the undocumented, worship music, wine versus grape juice, choosing leaders, and resolving conflicts. It also presents various models of how multi-ethnic churches function, listing strengths and weaknesses of each approach. For instance, Willow now has a popular weekly service in Spanish, good for attracting Hispanics. However, the resulting challenge is how to ensure Willow remains united, not two congregations sharing a building.
I found the transitions between the two authors a bit hard to track, and still wonder about the ethnicity of Deymaz. Those primarily concerned about bridging the specific divide between black and white may want an additional book, such as the book "Letters Across the Divide" that helped Willow start its "Justice Journey."
Overall, for churches interested in actually becoming multi-ethnic, this is your "how to" guide.Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) Overview

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