"A World of Worship" Multi-Ethnic Worship Conference

Interested in developing biblical worship in your local church which reflects realities of the multi-ethnic, global church?http://www.aworldofworship.org/

Gain a biblical perspective of the inseparable connection between global worship, global mission, and the local church. Gain a vision for multi-cultural worship in your church by learning global Christian songs that reflect the ethnicities of your community and beyond, and how to use them in services. This event is for pastors, worship leaders and musicians, and anyone interested in the topics. It is a ministry of the International Council of Ethnodoxologists.

In Dallas/Ft. Worth on Janury 16-17, 2009, at Meadows Baptist Church, Plano, TX. Cost is $15

America in 2050: Minorities in Majority

Click on:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/13/news/economy/america_2050/index.htm

or

Find this article at: http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/13/news/economy/america_2050/index.htm

Why Americans Prefer Their Sundays Segregated

*This article can be accessed if you copy and paste the entire address below into your web browser.http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/04/segregated.sundays/index.html

Multicultural Baptist Church in San Marcos

From this week's Baptist Standard ("published 2008-07-08")

...

Redwood Baptist Church leaders consistently promote multicultural ministry, and the church’s diverse congregation testifies to those efforts. Combined, the Hispanics, African- Americans, and people with special needs at Redwood Baptist Church equal the number of Anglos in the congregation, which is a healthy proportion, Lanning noted.

Rodriguez translates sermons into Spanish to make them accessible to the Hispanic congregation.

The church’s diversity is a result of active outreach, Lanning said.

“Church growth and church planters won’t succeed with homogeneous groups,” he said.
Ethnic diversity “has to be intentional.”

...

Whole article: http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8232

Multicultural Worship: An Update

Saturday, June 28: We were small in number, but the excitement was huge!

Everyone in attendance was from our church, The Crossing, but we spoke with many of you on the telephone and per email. Thank you for your encouragement.

Those of us who met were in agreement that, before we came together as a choir, we needed an event such as a Choir Clinic at which choirs or praise groups will come together and learn from one another over a weekend. We will invite a worship leader from outside our association, who is presently leading praise and worship groups in a multicultural church to facilitate the clinic. The program would primarily be a time of singing as a choir, rehearsing new music and styles; and meeting in breakout sessions for the purpose sharing and gathering knowledge from one another.

We want to ask our church, The Crossing, to accept the responsibility of organizing and hosting this event. However, if any of you want to be involved in the discussions and planning, please give Charlie or I a call. We are not only very open to co-sponsors, we desire them. We feel our experience is so very limited. The idea of the Choir Clinic would be to learn from one another, especially cross-culturally.

Please be in prayer for this team and watch for an announcement about the details.

Blessings,
Charlie and Glenda Brown

Invitation from Charlie and Glenda Brown, The Crossing Baptist Church

One of the greatest challenges in starting or developing multicultural churches is worship and music style. It is difficult to find a single leader who has the skills and experiences needed to lead believers in heart-felt worship typical of every culture represented. However, our association is remarkably diverse and talented. When we gather we represent 70 languages and cultures.

Imagine a choir made up of musicians from diverse DBA churches. It’s a beautiful image, but who other than our Lord Jesus Christ, can bring us all together in unified worship? The Bible teaches that we should pursue unity with the spiritual gifts He has given us (Ephesians 4:1-16).

This is why we believe God wants to use a diverse group of worship leaders, singers, and instrumentalists from Dallas Baptist Associational churches to share with one another, through music, the styles in which our different cultures or ethnic groups profess our common faith and express our praise and adoration to our one Savior and Lord.

As we sing and rehearse together, each leader will model a typical worship rehearsal in his or her own culture. A leader will teach one or two songs, choruses, anthems, etc. to the choir just as they are sung by his or her own people. After hard work and warm fellowship, we will invite the members of our DBA churches to join us for periodic “Night(s) of Worship” that, with the Spirit’s help, will not only honor and glorify Jesus, but help us to see and understand the fullness of God and His Eternal Kingdom more completely.

We would like to invite you for breakfast and planning for this choir on Saturday, June 28,, 2008 at 9:00 at The Crossing Baptist Church, 1060 Clay-Mathis Rd. in Mesquite. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in recruiting for, singing with, co-accompanying, and/or co-leading such a choir, please come and share your ideas with us. To RSVP or for more information, please call Glenda Brown at 469-951-8210, Charlie Brown or Julie Galindo at The Crossing Baptist Church office at 972-222-7070.

NYT: "The World Comes to Georgia, and an Old Church Adapts"

Check out this great video: http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=FRsupt218220

and accompanying article from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/22/us/22church.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Next Multicultural Team Meeting

June 5, 2008

10:00 a.m.

DBA Office

We'll hear from Tony Mathews, pastor of North Garland Baptist Fellowship. Tony has served as pastor of this multiracial congregation for the past 15 years. We look forward to a great time of discussion. Free copies of Tony's book, There's More Than One Color in the Pew, will be available to everyone in attendance.

"Dutch-treat" lunch afterward.

DMN's Steve Blow and James Ragland 'Talking Race' column series

"Between May 11 and May 18, 2008, Dallas Morning News columnists Steve Blow and James Ragland wrote a five-column series dealing with racial issues in America. The series also featured videos, reader surveys and a live online chat where Steve and James responded to readers' questions and comments about racial issues."

The link below is to the columns, the videos, the surveys and the transcript of the live chat.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/longterm/stories/051808dnltstalkingrace.37455b9.html

Next Team Meeting

DBA MultiCultural Church Team
Next Meeting
Thursday, April 24, 2008
10 a.m. - 11:30 or 12 noon
At the DBA Offices
(8001 East R. L. Thornton Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75228, 214-324-2803)

We can go out for lunch "American-treat" (That's the Dutch phrase for "Dutch-treat"!

Pastor Charlie Brown will talk with us about how God led his church to be strongly multi-ethnic.

In the time remaining, we'll conclude our discussion of Deymaz's Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church. The previous blog entry has some of my rough-draft discussion notes. Come with specifics you'd like to discuss.

I'm entering some of my rough draft notes on Deymaz's key ideas for us to discuss online if we want. They are entered below as seven seperate entries to make the comments less confusing. Just click on "Comments" below the entry and type away. (Remember that you read blog entries from the bottom up. The newest entries are on top.)

On April 24th we can discuss whatever of these you'd like.

Also, please feel free to invite anyone that you feel would be interested in this conversation.

7. Mobilize for impact

7. Mobilize for impact
Though potentially one of the strongest parts of the book, I thought the chapter was pretty weak on specifics.
His church’s worship attendance has grown (119)
“It paves a remarkable path for the Gospel.” (121)

6. Promote a spirit of inclusion

6. Promote a spirit of inclusion (108 – chap 9)
“Nowhere is this attitude [anyone’s welcome who likes it our way] more pronounced that in a congregations approach to worship.” (109)
Do you make changes to draw people (preemptive) or in response to those who join?
Church is not about you (110)
A healthy m-e church is a place where people are comfortable being uncomfortable (110)
“It’s not about the food; it’s about the family.” (111)
How do you do this, if you do--interwoven in one service or different style services throughout the month? (112)
List of things to do: 113-114

5. Pursuing Cross Cultural Competence

5. Pursuing Cross Cultural Competence (94 – chapter 8)
Work at it and be good at it.
Don’t’ be happy with just interest in or sensitivity to races “Press on to maturity”, scale (103-105)

4. Develop Cross Cultural relationships

4. Develop Cross Cultural relationships (81 – Chapter 7)
Why haven’t churches found “a way of connecting diverse people around a common interest”, like sports, work, school, etc. have?
Is it something in the American culture or human psyche (we really aren’t integrated, or interested in integration naturally) or something in the church?
Have you been able to do develop these kinds of relationships? How? How did you start them? How have they helped?
How are we helping our people to do this (A2f groups, for example)
After started, “Keep the ring on.” (89)
Can DBA help with this specifically? How about at Pastor’s Conference? Setting up a framework for pastors and families to eat with similarly interested pastors of a different race?
“Supper Club” somewhere does this for a community.

3. Empower divers leadership

3. Empower divers leadership (70 – chapter 6)
Integrated pulpit established credibility (71)
From pulpit to nursery…this is the “put your money where your mouth is” commitment. (71)
Not “quotas” but intentional (72)
Requires finesse and longer term planning. Even grooming or planting seeds way ahead of time. (72)
Requires relational efforts ahead of time (for the staff search) (73)
Have you heard “Only white folks are interested in racial reconciliation. It’s part of the white man’s burden.”? It adds to the challenge of finding leaders willing to share pulpit as opposed to being the leader in their own.
On a smaller scale church start with diverse volunteers leaders (77)

2. Take intentional steps

2. Take intentional steps (55 – Chapter 5)
(Is this in tension with chapter one? – Not if lead by God to do something.)
Introduces the extent of the multi-ethnic—even to the point of using translation equipment. (55 and 56)
Not assimilate but accommodate (59)
Intentionality even in the placement of the church building! (60)
Terms: multi-cultural v multi-racial v multi-ethnic (61)
Change team name?
The Homogeneous Unit Principle (61)
How do you reconcile the problem of heart language with the desire for a multi-ethnic church?
Small groups based on ethnicity within the church would be counter productive, no? Case study of the Burmese…what might we do?
What about with Spanish language?
What about as we seek to reach the 165 languages in our county?
Multi-Ethnic might not be as likely relationship- or heart-language-based.
What about the statement that even if fewer people end up attending? (63)
Read on page 62, “Rather than expecting non-believers to change their biases prior to accepting Christ…” Research the footnote.
“The h-u principles should no longer inform church planting and development…it will become an increasing hindrance.” (62-63)
Though it’s not natural, “we must not give into system or institutional racism.” (63)
“Praying or waiting as intentional steps” (67) – Kenny’s ideas of “intentionally late”

1. Embrace Dependence

1. Embrace Dependence (on God) (43 – Chapter 4)
Complements David Kuykendall’s “living by grace.”. “
More than anything else I’ve ever done or attempted…the multiethnic church requires me to embrace dependence.” (46)
Isn’t this where God wants us all to be anyway?
“There is no business plan” (46)
Thirteen values deeply ingrained in the American psyche—most fight against this. (47)
This is a key spiritual issue for all—not just multi-ethnic.
A professional approach to church growth will not likely guarantee the establishment of a multi-ethnic church. (48)
How to visibly show this (48)
No offering plate (49)
Generously give up leaders (49)

Seven Core Commitments of A Helathy Multi-Ethnic Church

I'm entering some of my rough draft notes on these ideas for us to discuss on line if we want.

I'll do them as seven seperate entries to make the discussion less confusing. (Remember that you read blog entries from the bottom up. The newest entries are on top.)

On April 24th we can discuss whatever of these you'd like.

Responses to "Self-Segregation Forever?"

The "Letters to the Editor" in response were interesting equally interesting...and divided!

"Diversity isn't a necessity": http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/letters/stories/DN-central_letters_0124edi.ART.Central.Edition1.374b4a5.html


"Segregated places..." and "...aren't bad or good.": http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/letters/stories/DN-west_letters_0124edi.ART.West.Edition1.37fc29c.html


and many more:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/letters/stories/DN-central_letters_0131edi.ART.Central.Edition1.450a46b.html


Do these have implications for Multi-Ethnic churches in the Dallas area?

Self-Segregation Forever?

What about these responses to the Dallas Morning News's question?:

How important is it to live in a racially diverse neighborhood? Does it matter if people of different races self-segregate? http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/opinion/stories/DN-west_sounding_0119edi.West.Edition1.38010b7.html

Online Discussion Multi-Ethnic Church Book

Over the next two weeks I'll be posting things on this site as I continue and hopefully finish reading the book.



We'll be discussing the book "Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church" by Mark DeYmaz in the February 7 meeting.



Some folks already have this book. If you are interested in the book and our discussion in a couple of weeks, let me know. I have one extra copy I can give away.

Multicultral Church Team Meeting

A small group of pastors and leaders investigating and pursuing multicultural churches will meet

At the DBA building

(8001 East R. L. Thornton Freeway)

Thursday, February 7, 10:30 until noon.

We'll go "Dutch" for lunch afterwards, if you'd like to go with us.
(A friend of mine from the Netherlands assures me this is not a cultural slur!)

(3/17/08 - follow up link!: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_dutch Maybe it IS a cultural slur!)