How to Start a Multi-Diversity Church

A multi-diversity church can be started that welcomes people of all races, cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. called 11 a.m. church services on Sunday "the most segregated hour in America." Decades later, many churches are still mainly composed of one racial group. Some existing churches and new church planters want to build a multi-diversity church that can serve people of all races, cultures and ethnicities. A new church can start as a community of believers who intentionally recruit and embrace people from diverse backgrounds, are actively seeking racial reconciliation, and deliberately plan administrative systems that promote diversity.

Instructions

1. Pray that people from different backgrounds in your community will be attracted to your new church and will feel welcome enough to join. Pray that members of the congregation will see new attendees as God sees them, as the unified body of Christ with the Holy Spirit living within them. Depend on God for matters that can't be accomplished through human effort.

2. Meet with church leaders and ask them commit to building a diverse congregation as their primary goal. Encourage honest communication among the leadership about the leaders' past experiences with other cultures and attitudes towards diversity. Ask leaders for ideas that will make the church more diverse and address the leadership's fears or concerns.

3. Develop a vision for the church and define its purpose, like fulfilling the great commission of loving one another and making disciples. A clear vision will help leaders and the congregation to embrace new methods of serving the community. Encourage the church to develop relationships with people from different backgrounds.

4. Ensure that church and volunteers are selected from different ethnicities and reflect the diverse population of your community. Plan the church's ministries and administration so that various groups are adequately represented and involved in the life of the church.

5. Encourage and empower church leadership to share different viewpoints and experiences. The input can be used to create innovative ideas that will benefit the church.

6. Recognize barriers that divide people like personal preferences in worship styles, preaching, the length of services and traditions. Take an eclectic approach to music and the elements of the church service. Present an informal blended worship service with a variety of instruments. Model diversity intentionally by accommodating the needs of the congregation.

7. Be open to making changes so that people feel comfortable in your new church. Apologize for any mistakes that are made while pursuing diversity.

8. Celebrate the heritage of various groups by acknowledging ethnic holidays. International dinners, for example, gives members of the congregation to wear national costumes and present foods from their culture.

9. Show the diversity of the congregation in the pictures and information in the church's printed materials and on the church's website. When people from all backgrounds see these materials, they will feel welcome to experience the new church.

References

• Crosswalk.com: Take 12 Steps Toward Racially Diverse Sundays,Whitney Hopler, 2011
• Multi-Ethic, Multi-Cultural Church; 2009
• Multicultural Church Planting Models, Rev. Ken Davis, 2003