Celebrating the ‘browning’ of the church

Conference-goers dance to the new beat of multiculturalism

    When Northeastminster was founded almost a century ago, it was a landmark in an all-white, blue-collar neighborhood of railroad and steel-mill workers.

A choir from the United African Presbyterian Church in Dallas, composed of singers originally from Nigeria, performed during the multicultural conference.
Photos by Evan Silverstein

       The new people of the old neighborhood are mostly refugees from trouble or want in their native countries who have settled in Kansas City with the help of a Catholic charity. They have breathed new life into what had become a declining borough.

       Homes that sat vacant for years are occupied again. Storefronts are filling up with ethnic restaurants and an eclectic, colorful mix of businesses.

       And the members of Northeastminster Presbyterian, most of them white commuters who live in the suburbs, are reaching out to the new residents.

       “There’s a sense that, in order to really be faithful and do viable ministry, we would need the congregation within the walls to look like the community outside the walls,” says the Rev. Mark Moon, Northeastminster’s pastor. “How can I help lead the congregation into becoming more of a multicultural church in some fashion?”

       The congregation has 68 active members, one African-American and 67 white people.

       Moon recently accompanied an elder from his congregation to this city near Dallas, hoping to find answers at the fifth annual Presbyterian Church (USA) Multicultural Church Conference.

       The four-day event, which started on April 22, was planned to give about 500 Presbyterian participants, including people of Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, African and Native American heritage, a chance to share “new steps” toward becoming an inclusive, multicultural church for a new millennium.

       ”What’s neat about this particular conference is the workshops, which are set up to give you practical ideas on how to do multicultural ministry,” Moon says, “as well as having a chance to network with different ethnic groups. All of these different aspects are needed tools ... from music to liturgy to dance.”

       That was a glancing reference to the official conference theme: “Living the Vision: Dancing to a New Song,” inspired by the Old Testament Book of Psalms, chosen because dance, a Biblical symbol of joy, praise and thanksgiving, is associated with all cultures.

       The theme also reflects the hope of PC(USA) leaders and conference organizers that their denomination may one day be truly multicultural, multilingual and multigenerational.

       The conference was sponsored by the Office of Evangelism, Racial and Cultural Diversity (ERCD), part of the evangelism and church development program area in the PC(USA)’s National Ministries Division (NMD). Grace Presbytery and the Synod of the Sun were involved in the planning.      

       Waves of immigration and shifting demographics are calling Presbyterian congregations to be more inclusive and more culturally diverse. PC(USA) officials believe the denomination has about 350 congregations that are “multicultural” — that is, incorporate the traditions of more than one ethnic or racial group. Several hundred other churches are attuned to a single ethnic or racial culture.

The Rev. Helen Locklear, the keynote speaker for the conference, shared the podium with the Rev. Raafat Girgis of the PC(USA)’s Office of Evangelism, Racial and Cultural Diversity.

       Participants in the conference shared a vision of a church enriched by worshipers from a broad spectrum of races and cultures.

       “We believe that the church is not just about good music, fine programming or community service,” Girgis said. “In order to be the church, we must intentionally be something more, something new to this world, something that intentionally incarnates the faith, hope and love of the Christ to all.”

       Church members, pastors, lay leaders, representatives of middle governing bodies and others from around the denomination networked, listened to sermons and speeches and panel discussions. They chose from a lineup of more than 40 workshops, and celebrated the Eucharist together.

       During a festive “multicultural extravaganza,” conference-goers in native garb, danced, clapped their hands and moved to music from around the world. A group from the African Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Dallas banged out African tunes; an orchestra from Nor’kirk Presbyterian Church in Carrollton, TX, performed pieces by Strauss and Wagner; the Choctaw Dancers from Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery performed traditional dances; the El Divino Salvador Presbyterian Praise Team from Dallas belted out contemporary praise songs; and a choir from Dallas’s Oak Cliff Voices of Praise sang such classics as “Down by the Riverside.” There also were a singing dance group and a youth bell choir — even a magic show by Nor’kirk Presbyterian member David Woolcock.

       Conference speakers and workshop leaders explored such topics as creating effective multicultural worship; leadership development in multicultural congregations; how changing demographics affect multicultural ministries; and the unique challenges faced by multicultural new-church developments. A youth track was added to this year’s conference for participants between the ages of 12 and 18.

       Conference leaders said Presbyterians must be open to change.

       “This ‘browning’ of America will offer tremendous opportunities as well as alter everything in society, from politics and education, to industry, values and culture,” said Locklear, a Native American who works with Asian, black, Hispanic, Korean, Middle Eastern, Native American and immigrant congregations and in the PC(USA)’s anti-racism program.

       Girgis said: “You have come to celebrate and proclaim the good news of tomorrow's church. A church that is vital, colorful and energetic.”

       He said some churches have responded to change by retrenching and going into “survival mode,” but many others are trying to learn to attract these members.

       “Those who don’t see the mounting diversity taking place in this nation as a blessing the Lord is sending to our doorsteps are giving in to wrong perspectives and thus giving up faith in the future,” Girgis said. “Their wrong perspective is imprisonment to their souls, but the right perspective is empowerment.”

       Moon said his church provides space for a Sudanese congregation, and members of both churches worship together at least once a month. He said his congregation also holds joint services with Haitian and older Italian immigrant flocks. 

        “It's a real challenge for our congregation to be in partnership with them,” he said. “Not only to share with them, but then to learn from them about their culture and background. They’ve taught us a great deal. Their understanding of the Bible and their testimonies about living their faith through persecution.”  

        Meanwhile, members of Moon’s church are learning Spanish as a second language and have teamed up with a community agency to offer English-language courses to Spanish-speakers, “so we can communicate with these folks who are just coming in.”

The Rev. Salatiel Palomino López

       “This interaction demands a lot of patience from one another,” said the Rev. Salatiel Polomino López, who directs the Hispanic Theological Union, a collaborative of three theological schools in Austin, TX. “That patience is just the reflection of something much more important ... which goes into the heart of what the multicultural church is.”

       “The church, essentially understood as multicultural in nature is ... the antidote for racism,” López said, bringing shouts of “Amen” from some in his audience. “It helps us overcome our distinctive fears by providing us with a safely warm, loving and inviting, but powerful opportunity to grow our cultural maturity through the dynamic resources of Christian faith, in accordance with God’s will.”

       The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the stated clerk of the PC(USA)’s General Assembly, called on the denomination to become a Pentecost church, bringing together people from all around the world and demonstrating the transforming power of the gospel. 

Many of the 500 participants dressed in native garb had a rousing good time during the “Multicultural Extravaganza.”

       “God is calling us to have the same zeal that those disciples had in the Book of Acts,” Kirkpatrick said. “To be a church of all nations, to turn the world upside down to the gospel, right here in the United States. Friends, we've got a Pentecost world. God is calling us to be a Pentecost church.”

      Kirkpatrick echoed the sentiments of others present, who said they felt as if they were attending a ‘‘movement,” rather than a conference, and viewing the church of the future.

     “I’ve been in three (conferences) this week,” said Kirkpatrick, who led worship on the event’s final day, “but I decided here yesterday that I had been in two national conferences and one movement of the Holy Spirit.”

       Dorothy Peay, a Presbyterian elder from Colorado, agreed that the event felt like a burgeoning movement.

       “It was a wonderful feeling,” said Peay, a member of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Denver. “I’m invigorated and inspired to do my part, whatever it is, in helping the church become multicultural. And also in helping us to reach for a higher level in working with any and everybody that we see.”

       Turnout for the conference was nearly 500 people, a record. About 270 attended last year’s event in Seattle, WA. Next year’s program will be held in New York City in connection with the PC(USA)’s National Transformation Conference.

       A new Presbyterian Multicultural Network (PMN) was created during the conference as a vehicle for lifting up multicultural ministry in the denomination.