What is a Multicultural Church?

A Multicultural Church is a congregation that intentionally seeks to recognize, celebrate and incorporate a diverse membership:

in worship by using all-inclusive music, languages, arts and theological expressions,
in a creative and meaningful evangelism by providing the good news in a cup that people recognize with great respect and appreciation for their racial and cultural backgrounds,  and
in leadership by intentionally and willingly sharing power and resources and advocating for justice and equal representation in sessions, church committees and executive positions.

How to Become a Multicultural Church

• By preaching the good news to all
• By embracing diversity
• By reflecting diversity in worship
• By sharing power
• By hosting strangers and aliens
• By breaking the barriers of race and fear

Add this video to your Web site or blog.

Multicultural Ministries in Congregations

• In the Stated Clerk's Annual Statistical Report for 2003, one in six congregations (17%) described their church as being a congregation with one cultural majority (at least 80% of membership) and a significant influence from other cultures.
• Ten percent responded that their congregation was one that provided space for a nesting congregation or an immigrant fellowship of people from a culture different from the larger Church.
• Three percent indicated that the congregation had no one cultural majority.
• Two percent stated that the congregation was a bi-cultural congregation and another two percent described their church as being intentionally transformed into a multicultural congregation in a changing neighborhood.
• Less than one percent identified themselves as a new church development intentionally started as a multicultural congregation.

Languages used in Worship

• Only 6% of the congregations reported regularly using a language other than English in any of its worship services.
• While Spanish and Korean were the most prevalent, languages other than English were: Arabic, Armenian, American Sign Language, Chinese, Choctaw, Farsi, Hungarian, Japanese, Mandarin, Navajo, Pima, Taiwanese, Thai, Tlingit, and Welsh.