On July 14, 2005, hundreds of Presbyterians will gather in New York City to be nourished by Bible study and fellowship, and to learn from one another at the multicultural church conference. This annual event draws an increasing number of participants each year, and for good reason. As the diversity of our denomination continues to grow, so too does the need to understand the joys and pitfalls of multicultural ministry. At the most basic level, these are seen in the hospitality of shared meals of various cuisines and in the power struggles over who is allowed to cook what type of food in the church kitchen.

The United States melting pot has become a stew pot in which each culture adds texture and color to the others, while retaining its own particular character. Pasadena Presbyterian Church, (Pasadena, California) a congregation of 850 members where I am co-pastor, is part of this trend. Each Sunday we worship in three languages: English, Korean, and Spanish. We are part of San Gabriel Presbytery, the smallest presbytery geographically in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Twenty-eight languages are spoken within the presbytery’s bounds, and its twenty-six congregations worship in eight languages. A few miles to our north is an English-speaking congregation in which an Arabic-speaking Presbyterian congregation has nested for ten years. Just to our east and west are Thai and Philippino churches, respectively.

Pasadena Presbyterian Church (PPC) used to be one of the bastions of the white establishment in Pasadena. It was, for many years, the backdrop for the official photos of the Tournament of Roses Parade. Now, the congregation is so diverse that we have a multicultural Thanksgiving dinner on the Sunday just before Thanksgiving. Church members from all three language groups share the kitchen for two full days of cooking. They make traditional American turkey and dressing; kimchee, Asian noodles, and sushi; and tamales, enchiladas, rice, and beans. They stand side-by-side to serve the nearly 300 members who attend.

Several models for multicultural ministry are used across the church. Some congregations remain completely English-speaking, but include a mix of European, African, Asian, and Latino peoples, enriching worship, music, and outreach with a range of traditions. Others, primarily immigrant congregations, wrestle with the different cultures of first generation immigrants and 1.5 or later generations who are bicultural and Americanized. They are challenged to find a way for a church that has always worshiped and conducted its business in Korean, Thai, or Spanish to reach new generations who attend school in English, listen to English lyrics, conduct their business in English, have little interest in “the old ways,” and no longer speak the language of their ancestral land.

However, when most of us speak today of multicultural ministries, we mean ministry settings that are multi-racial, multicultural, and multi-lingual. Since the changes in immigration law in the 1950s and ’60s, the number of immigrants from countries beyond Europe has grown exponentially. The number of languages spoken within the United States has exploded beyond the imagination of most U.S. Presbyterians. This multi-racial/multi-lingual dimension is primarily what makes today’s multicultural ministries different from those of the past. Not only are issues of race and culture astir, but the ability to communicate is overtly hindered by language barriers. This article presumes multicultural ministry settings with at least two active languages under the same church roof.

One of our fun events at PPC is a dinner to which everyone brings a dish from his or her cultural/national heritage. We have kimchee, sushi, tamales, grape leaves, sausage, and homemade sauerkraut (the other co-pastor, my husband Mark Smutny, brings that), Norwegian sugar cookies (I bring those), egg rolls, fried chicken, and TexMex. We go table-to-table and interview people about what they brought. It helps everyone remember that we are immigrants from another land.

As congregations reach out to one another across culture and language, they do so from a biblical faith perspective that recognizes the neighbor in the stranger. They remember that Christ has made us one body, no matter our language or race, and that the church is called to give witness to this unity in its life together. In the reign of God, such partnerships would be grace-filled and trouble-free. However, since the reign of God has not yet arrived, both grace and trouble still abound.

Two primary models exist for congregations who feel called to multicultural ministry. The first and most common is nesting, in which two separate congregations with distinct governing bodies share space in one church facility. The second does not have a commonly used, descriptive name. In this second model, multiple language groups are part of the same congregation and under the authority of one session. The image and name I propose for this model is a quilted congregation. Each model is appropriate under particular circumstances. Each has opportunities for transformational experiences that will change the congregation and the faith of its members. Each also has minefields that must be crossed with prayer and care to reach the Promised Land.

In the nesting model, one congregation—usually an aging, Anglo congregation with dwindling financial resources—is approached by a group from another racial ethnic part of the community seeking space to house their small, but energetic, ministry. The second group usually worships in a language other than English. Sometimes presbyteries begin a ministry in another language and ask a shrinking congregation to provide space to the new fellowship. All involved expect the new congregation to grow in size and financial resources until it is able to “fly” from the nest into its own building.

English-speaking congregations usually enter nesting agreements from a mix of motives. They genuinely believe the biblical reasons for hospitality given above, and they also need help meeting ongoing expenses for the building upkeep and salaries. Renting space to another congregation unable to fund their own building seems like a God-given opportunity to meet both needs.

Anyone who has looked closely at a bird’s nest, however, knows that it gets quite messy and crowded. What happens in a congregational nest is just as messy. In a nesting relationship, the Anglo congregation retains the building, sets policy for building use, and rents space to the non-English speaking congregation. Although attempts are made to accommodate the desired schedule of the new congregation, the convenience and patterns of the long-term Anglo congregation nearly always trump the requests of the nesters.

Each group needs its own hymnals, Bibles, banners, and educational resources. Must those of the nesting congregation always be the ones that are put away, or does the Anglo congregation make space in the hymnal racks and on the walls for the tangible presence of the other group? How will outdoor signage be handled so that each congregation is advertised? How will the ones who built the nest respond if a non-English sign draws equal or more attention? Once again, the nest gets crowded and decisions have to be made about how to balance these needs.

The nesters’ children are usually just as messy as the children of the nest-builders, but since there aren’t many of the latter around for comparison, this fact is not realized by the Anglo congregation. Tensions rise as a result. Because the Christian education committee and session of the Anglo congregation usually do not include representation from the nesting congregation, problems tend to be raised and aired from only one side. Decisions are passed from those in power to those who nest. Under these circumstances, racial stereotypes and accusations of disrespect for property often begin to poison the nest.

Envy and resentment can become common in nesting. The congregation who built the nest often continues to shrink (unless they’ve used this new vision of ministry as an opportunity to reinvent their own ministry) and begins to feel envious of the new, evangelistic congregation that is often bursting with energy and new members. Meanwhile, resentment increases in the nesters as their membership grows in comparison to the Anglo church. They begin to want access to proportionately more of the nest, and not just during the inconvenient off-hours established originally. Since few, upstanding Presbyterians want to acknowledge our envy, resentment, and possessiveness—even to ourselves—the fundamental issues tend not to be addressed.

Often the pastors of the two congregations maintain a good working relationship, but since complaints are received and policies are set by the Anglo session without representation from the nesting congregation, tension, distrust, and conflict usually increase as the relationship progresses. Even when the two groups begin with the best of intentions, the relationship is tested by the fact that one group owns the building and sets both policy and rent, while the other feels powerless to use and adapt the facilities to their own needs. Too often, the Anglo congregation pushes the others out of the nest and reclaims the nest for itself. The parties separate with feelings of injury, instead of celebrating the diversity and unity of God’s church that has brought them together.

All of this having been said, nesting arrangements can be helpful and transformational to all involved. The difficulties are not insurmountable and are worth tackling, but they require the biblical virtues of patience, kindness, humility, love, and generosity. To work well, nesting partnerships must be able to meet each other as equals. This is often best accomplished by establishing a task force composed of members of each congregation’s session and the respective pastors. The task force becomes the crucible for working through issues of space, care of property, sanctuary, and kitchen use. Concerns from each language group can be brought to the task force and discussed before being forwarded to their sessions. The task force can also plan joint programs such as dinners, worship, and mission programs that help members know each other as fellow Christians, instead of merely landowner and tenant. In such a setting, the vision of the church in Ephesians 2:1-11 becomes a reality, as those who are near and those who are far off are reconciled through Christ Jesus.

The second model of multicultural ministry is what I have chosen to call a quilted congregation. I’ve chosen the metaphor of a quilt for this model both because of how quilts are made and their purposes. Quilts are intentionally made of different fabrics, colors, and textures. It is the arrangement of these differences that provide the quilt’s beauty. Some fabric is handed down from previous generations, some from old dresses or sheets or jeans, some contributed by neighbors, some purchased specifically for the purpose of being quilted. Even the same fabrics given to two different people will likely be stitched into a different pattern that fits the creator of the quilt. So it is with quilted congregations. Different cultures and languages are stitched into a beautiful, exciting, unique pattern that could not have foreseen, but which, no doubt, existed in the mind of God.

In addition, once quilted pieces have been stitched together, they are attached to one sheet of backing that provides the solidity, protection, and unity necessary to hold the quilt together.
Living together under the authority of one session, one polity, one Lord, one witness to the community, and in one church that is home to all its parts provides an interwoven backing that holds a quilted congregation together and makes it strong.

This backing allows for improvisation and experimentation as the congregation grows in numbers, awareness, and unity. As Mary Catherine Bateson wrote in Composing a Life (New York: Grove Press, 1989, pp. 62-63):

Even in a crazy quilt, the various pieces, wherever they come from, have to be trimmed and shaped and arranged so they fit together, then firmly sewn to last through time and keep out the cold. Most quilts are more ambitious: they involve the imposition of a new pattern. But even crazy quilts are sewn against a backing; the basic sense of continuity allows improvisation. Composing a life involves an openness to possibilities and the capacity to put them together in a way that is structurally sound.

The quilted congregation model is what we have used at Pasadena Presbyterian Church since 1999, when PPC’s session decided it wanted to more accurately reflect its multicultural, multi-lingual community. In a community and world divided along ethnic lines, we at PPC believe God is calling the church to provide models in which people from different races, cultures, and languages worship and work together, make decisions together and care for each other, study Scripture and share our faith with each other. Such a congregation attracts members who want their church experience to be as culturally diverse as their educational and work settings.

Quilted congregations are one church in more than one language. They have one session, one budget, one staff, and one shared witness to the community. Several models exist for how to quilt a congregation, depending on the linguistic abilities of the pastor(s). Sometimes worship is bilingual, most often combining English and Spanish. In some churches, separate worship is held in each language in different parts of the church campus (sanctuary, chapel, fellowship hall) at the same time, with all language groups worshiping together several times per year. In those services, various parts of worship are led in different languages, with bulletins provided in each language. Members pray and sing in the language they find most comfortable, and each group brings an anthem of their own style and language to share. I imagine it sounds and looks like Pentecost may have sounded. Each group has its own adult choir, funded by the church’s music budget. The children’s choir includes participants from each language group who sing in each worship service when they have prepared an anthem.

Church business is conducted in the dominant language (unless the pastor is bilingual), with members of the other language groups who are bilingual serving on the boards, including the session, trustees, and deacons. It takes a long time for power to become equal on the decision-making boards, but the voices are present, recognized, and valued. And when deacons prepare communion elements, they do so for all language groups at the same time.

Generally, each language group has its own leadership team that plans its worship, education, evangelism, and fellowship. Resentment and envy still occur, but are addressed in a manner that keeps them from tearing the fabric of the church: resentment becomes an opportunity to re-examine subtle forms of racism still afoot in the church, and envy over another group’s growth becomes a catalyst for examining one’s own evangelism. Competition can be turned to good! For example, when the Korean part of Pasadena Presbyterian Church outpaced the English-speaking part in per capita pledges last year, we decided that next year’s stewardship campaign would include the Koreans witnessing in the English service about the joy of giving to God.

Small details make a difference. Directional signage in the church needs to be in all languages used, and restrooms signs need to be the international picture variety. Church school classrooms need posters with pictures of children of color and words in the languages used by the congregation. A dedicated phone line if the administrative staff is not bilingual, as well as computer software for the other languages, is critical for communicating that no ministry and culture are second-class.

Quilted congregations must intentionally address issues of racism and exclusion, for they are part of the church’s history and the history of each member. Church dinners and adult education classes give members an opportunity to learn from one another about their life journeys and their faith. The awesome power of the Spirit is palpable as people in small groups and on retreats hear differences in how various cultures have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ speak to them in their own language and culture. No one leaves the room without having been changed.

In spite of the level of cooperation we have reached at PPC, we still hit snags. When we recently remodeled the kitchen, members of the English-speaking part of the congregation thought that the Koreans and Latinos were taking pots, pans, knives, and cooking spoons from the kitchen. The Korean lunch had doubled in size, and they were beginning to store large quantities of rice in bags in the kitchen. These were attracting rodents that loved the new source of food. The Koreans were upset that the church wasn’t taking proper care of their rices. The Latinos just wanted a place to fix their rice, beans, and enchiladas for their Sunday luncheons and Wednesday night meals. Presbyterian Women wanted the tablecloths washed and ironed and felt abused by other groups who were using their tablecloths without providing proper care for them. And the older women who prepare lunch each week for 100 people who attend our weekly concert said people were raiding their supplies and not replacing them before Wednesday. They refused to share their refrigerator and cupboard keys with anyone else.

The kitchen problems festered for about three months until it reached the point that Mark Smutny said, “Enough! Everybody meet in the kitchen next Tuesday at 5:00 and let’s sort this out!”

And sort it out we did. Representatives from each language group were present, as well as Presbyterian Women and the members in charge of the Wednesday concert luncheon. Everyone was polite. No one directly accused the others of stealing or of being inconsiderate. Each one discovered that the others actually shared their same concerns. In the end, refrigerator space was divided, a huge steel canister was ordered to store rice for the nearly 150 Koreans who gather for lunch after worship each week, and additional pots were purchased for cooking tamales. Everyone discovered they were all concerned about the disappearance of kitchen utensils. Each group agreed to share responsibility for laundering tablecloths and dishtowels.

The health of church life is always visible at the table, be it the Communion Table or the kitchen table.

All the issues faced by nesting congregations exist in quilted congregations, but with a key difference. It’s much like the difference between couples just living together and those who covenant before God in marriage. For example, quilted congregations make a lifelong commitment to each other and become one. They share their resources, their home, and their life. They rear their children together, they decorate together, and they go to church together. And when they have problems, they sit down to talk them out in ways that preserve and enhance the covenant. They are part of something larger than they are, and they are blessed by God.

Whether we nest or we quilt, the church is called to be one body, witnessing to one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. In the providence of God, we have been brought together in this great land at this time, in God’s vast diversity of humanity. Now we are called to be instruments of reconciliation, a model of unity in diversity, and a community of hospitality where all are welcome in the kitchen and at the table. From the writings of the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 12:

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one spirit, we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less apart of the body.... If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

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