By Laura
According to the Pew Center research, only 7 percent of American churches are racially integrated. This fact to me is shocking. Most Christians I talk to agree that racial reconciliation is important, but then why is there still such segregation taking place within the body of Christ? Various attempts have been made in the Church to work towards this racial reconciliation by encouraging individuals to build interracial relationships. But this strategy has obviously not been successful, at least not so far. The main issue with this approach is its disregard for structural segregation which will not be resolved through individual efforts at reconciliation. It will take the Church as a whole, working together, to begin shifting the composition of American churches to reflect the diversity that is evident among God’s people.
Much of the segregation that takes place in churches is a result of residential separation that has been so institutionalized in our society. The fact that people of different races do not live in the same neighborhoods, ultimately means they will most likely not be attending the same schools, offices, or churches. In his book, American Apartheid, Douglas Massey explains that “deleterious neighborhood conditions are built into the structure of the black community. They occur because segregation concentrates poverty to build a set of mutually reinforcing and self-feeding spirals of decline into black neighborhoods.” The fact that Black Americans have higher poverty rates than White Americans should motivate the Church to see that something has to change.
I believe that the Church can be an instrument of racial reconciliation both on the individual and structural level by finding a way to bring integration, cooperation, and equality within the church itself. How can the Church expect to live into its missional identity when Sundays are considered by some to be the most segregated day of the week? A racially integrated church would break down many negative effects of racial segregation and allow resources to be shared and needs to be met that would not otherwise take place, demonstrating God’s missional heart. So what do you think? Is the church segregated because different races just prefer their own style of worship and preaching? Or is there a deeper issue that will take a Church following the example of Christ to address?
Laura,
I really appreciated your post. I think this is a difficult issue because the changes have to be organic. I have seen strife in churches because they are trying to force diversity in the church instead of opening their doors to everyone and being actively involved in the community. This change would require the people in the congregation to be open to diversity and build genuine relationships. I think people would have to be open to all styles of worship and take some risks. We have to be aware of our contexts and focus on reaching all people in those contexts regardless of race. Your questions are valid and I don’t know an easy way to answer them. Thank you for your questions.
Laura, I totally agree that church should be the place in the world with the most diversity, not the least. It’s really too bad that the church is so divided by race, class and status, it simply isn’t Biblical! I think the ‘deeper issue’ would really come down to the church being uncomfortable with having to change. To provide an engaging worship service for all races there would have to be a lot of compromise in many directions, which undoubtedly makes most churches uncomfortable. Yet the changes would be so rewarding! I took African American Preaching last Jant-term and got visit a few sweet black churches. Those experiences were so awesome and I actually really loved the difference in worship and preaching style. Ultimately, I think it would do all of us a bit of good to step out of comfort zone and embrace God’s creation in all its diversity. That is simply easier said than done.
Laura, I really like some of the questions you brought up and I’ve had a lot of the same ones. I think it’s frustrating how individually churches think of themselves at times. In trying to distinguish themselves from other churches, they also distance themselves and help to reinforce the concept of catering to people’s wants and styles. There’s obviously more to it than this, but I think this affects the lack of diversity apparent.