Date

6-17-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Gregory Faulls

Keywords

Spiritual Formation, Discipleship, Diversity

Disciplines

Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

The problem this research addresses is that New Community Church, a local church ministry, lacks a racially/ethnically rich and diverse spiritual formation experience. A lack of racial/ethnic diversity within churches nationwide is a pervasive issue. While some churches are not more diverse due to location, there are many, including the specific church chosen to be included as part of the problem statement, that are located in diverse communities but still do not adequately reflect the racial/ethnic make-up of their respective communities.

Martin Luther King Jr., once said that “It is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is 11 o’clock on Sunday morning” and, according to experts, that assertion remains true today. This assertion is still largely the reality of most church congregations today despite the growing number of multi-racial churches being established in America. The more concerning issue that led to the selection of this problem statement is that these churches are located in diverse communities and do not communicate a desire to change.

The issue with churches that lack racial/ethnic diversity in multiracial communities is not only that they do not adequately reflect what Heaven is described to resemble as revealed to John in Revelation 7:9 but that it also deprives the believer of a richer and diverse spiritual formation experience. God has called believers to “go into all nations and make disciples” but without an understanding of each other’s background, experience, and culture, the church will lack the tact, and possibly the comfort level, to do so effectively.

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