Date

5-2020

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

C. Fred Smith

Keywords

Growth, Multicultural, Race, Ethnicity, Culture

Disciplines

Christianity | Religion

Abstract

Christianity is a major galvanizing factor. However, it is prudent to pay attention to the real and latent divisions in society that hinder social harmony: even without the calming effect of the Christian faith. Attempting to form a multicultural church must therefore involve an understanding of the races and ethnicities that comprise the target population. That process is as academic as it is pragmatic. The academic aspect of conceiving race involves a historically literate understanding of the heritage and factors that created the present race and ethnic power relations not only in the locale: but across the entire country as well. With that background, it is then possible to begin the process of tapping into the demographic-specific motivators of each race to spur their joining one Christian congregation. Different demographics view the Faith differently. It is essential to define and portray the church as a forum that will not only shelter that demographic from the problems that it faces, but also offer it the aspirations that define success according to the aspirations of a specific stratum. These are the ethos of Christianity, and as such congregations can only subsist when these needs are met, through the lens of Christian teaching. Aside from identifying the message that will appeal to the base aspirations of all the demographics of a multicultural congregation: it is also important to normalize the church’s interactions with the outside world. To that effect, one decisive approach is to incorporate overall cultural competence in the lists of guests coming to teach at the church.

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