I Want a Racially Diverse Church

When I really began dreaming about this ministry God has called me to, there were a number of things that I envisioned to be a part of it. Among those was racial diversity.

Martin Luther King, Jr., is credited for noting that 11 a.m. on Sunday was the most segregated hour of the week. The truth of that statement is unsettling in light of the ways the early church took shape. Sadly, King's observation is true.

Let's take care of the excuses first and get them out of the way. I realize that the racial breakdown of a community has a large impact upon the diversity of a church congregation. For instance, here in Springfield, the vast majority of the population (92%) is white. In the ten county region surrounding Springfield, 95% of the population is white. So, in an area that is dominated by one race of people, it's difficult to build racial diversity in a church.

However, that isn't any excuse for not at least trying to build diversity. The biblical example of the church that was established in Acts 2 shows us that the early church in Jerusalem consisted of people from many different racial backgrounds. People who had a lot uncommon came together believing in one commonality -- that Jesus was Lord.

One of the coolest things about Christ is that He breaks down barriers that the world puts up. Through the New Testament we find examples of social and cultural walls coming down through the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. John 4 shows Jesus breaking down both. First, there's the Samaritan woman (racial, lower class) at the well, and later the official (upper class).

The book of Acts lists several, like Peter going to the Gentiles, Paul reaching out to Timothy (who was bi-racial), and probably one of the most striking examples comes when the poor Gentiles sent money to Jerusalem to help out the poor there.

Unfortunately, the church in America barely resembles this today. We work, play and shop with people from different races and cultures, but when it comes to church, each goes their separate ways. Friends, that's plain unbiblical.

Here's some quick ideas to combat this division:

• Become pro-active and either invite people of other races to attend your church.
• Or, better yet, switch churches to one of an opposite race...and take some friends with you.
• Have your church work with a church dominated by another race. Do community and social events together. Maybe even share members or start a church plant together.
• Hire staff members of different races. It helps break down those barriers when people see folks like them as part of the face of the church.
• Be intentional about showing kindness to people when they visit your church. Make them feel at home.

Now, that last one should be a no-brainer, but I think it's the one we fail at the most. At one time I attended a church that completely shunned an interracial couple. It was quite embarrassing, and very unbiblical. The husband and wife endured it for a while, but eventually left.

Knock down those walls in your community. The Christian church is no place for racial segregation.

Taking a Risk for Jesus

Anyone who has ever studied or actually been in leadership knows that risk is something that joins leaders at the hip. Every decision, every new product or venture carries with it the risk of failure. The higher up in the leadership chain, the greater the risk. The fallout for failure is also increased.

Jesus detailed this when he told the story of the ten leaders who's ruler gave each the same amount of money to conduct business while he went away. When he returned to see how the men had used the money, he found the first had increased his ten-fold and the second had made a five-fold increase, but the third man on the list had hidden his share and made no profit or loss.

This is essentially a leadership lesson on risk. The third servant was deemed worthy enough to be entrusted with a portion of the ruler's money, but he became scared of the risk and chose to play it safe, hiding the money. It's no surprise that the ruler became angry and pointed out that the money could've been put into a bank and returned with interest.

Meanwhile, the other two were given a greater share of the money and responsibility. But, consider for a moment the risk these two men put their ruler's possessions in. The bank is a relatively safe risk, but these men greatly increased their owner's money with their investment. Consider that even in good years, today's stock market typically takes about a decade of good times to double, and that's with a decent amount of risk. We're not told how long the ruler would've been away or what his money was invested in, but one thing is clear, it was surely risky.

The difference between the three servants was that two of them took the risk to succeed or fail. The other was scared.

This same scenerio plays itself out today just like Jesus told it some 2,000 years ago. Especially in these difficult economic times, we are all very familiar with risk.

Let's take risk and kick it up a notch by factoring in the risk people take for the cause of Christ. It's bad enough when just market fluctuations are working on you, but when you turn your life over to Jesus and allow Him to guide you, that risk gets amplified. Here's a couple of reasons why.

First, and probably the most prominent is that when we become fully, devoted followers of Jesus, walking in His steps and into His ministry work, we are guaranteed to have Satan come at us with guns blazing. In much the same way that responsibilities grow as leaders move up the chain of leadership, the risk and strength of Satan's attacks grows greater as Christians accept more responsibility for passing on the message of Christ. Anyone who wants to be a part of spreading the Gospel should automatically anticipate the war Satan will unleash.

Second, the risk of failure in the Christian ministry is greater than just about any other endeavour. In the business world, there are tried and true formulas to reduce risk and maximize success. However, Christian ministry is full of the random ups and downs associated with the numerous free-will personalities we come into contact with each day. Unlike rules of business, there aren't too many rules of ministry that can be relied on time and again. What works to bring one person to Christ may not persuade anyone else.

Top that off with the fact that most people employed in ministry rely solely on Christians to donate their time and money to continue the work of the ministry and to pay the bills, and the risks mount.

So, what is a person to do in light of the great risks associated with spreading the Gospel? I think we need to remember these things:

• Our risks and inconveniences pale in comparison to what Christ went through to provide salvation to those who would believe in Him.
• Jesus never said spreading the Gospel would be easy. In fact, He said it would be hard, so expect opposition and challenges.
• The parable of the sower details that it is our responsibility as Christians to tell people about Jesus. Their response to the message is in their own hands.
• Sometimes when the risk is high, so is the discouragement. We feel alone in ministry. But, just as Elijah thought he was alone only to learn there were 700 other prophets God was protecting, you aren't alone. There are many others around you who stand in the ministry with you.
• In Acts 1:8, Jesus not only gave us our ministry instructions, but he also told us we wouldn't be out there on our own. The Holy Spirit has our back. Even when things seem desperate, He is there waging war against Satan, and preparing the way for us to spread the Gospel.

Doors of Opportunity

Sorry for the delay in blogging. I've been sorting through a number of things at work and home that have gotten in the way of posting. But, I'm back today with a thought on doors of opportunity.

For some reason, we view opportunities in life as a series of doors, like those you would find along a long hallway. Each door leads to an opportunity and eventually another series of doors. The analogy is that as some opportunities move by us, we relate that these doors have closed. When an opportunity doesn't come our way, those doors never opened. And, of course, the open doors are the things in life that occur that lead us to better things.

I hear a lot about this in ministry circles. I have used the terms myself. In fact, my life can be summed up in a series of open and closed doors. In light of ministry calling, my biggest door opened up when I accepted Christ as my savior when I was five. Next on that list was when God gave me a vision for ministry a couple of years ago. Today, I am viewing a small number of opportunities, and am working through the process of turning those "door knobs."

I won't reveal what they are, but a couple of them could provide some good ministry experience as my family and I work toward God's greater calling.

How about you? Are there any doors you are finding open?

Dreaming UP

Last week, my wife, oldest son and I went to see the Disney movie UP (in 3-D, no less). Not to necessarily promote the movie, but it was one of the best stories I have ever seen in an animated film.

Most adults I know who have seen it admit to getting misty eyed as the movie deals with the life of one boy full of dreams who grows into an old man that never fulfilled many of those dreams. One day, he when it appears he's headed to the retirement home, the hobbled widower begins the wild quest to fulfill his late-wife's greatest dream...to visit a giant waterfall in South America. I'll save the rest of the details, and you'll have to watch the movie to see how it ends.

While I watched the film, one of the elements that struck me was the contrast between the child and elderly versions of this individual. The younger's mind was filled with great adventures and the desire for exploration. The older had settled for the heartbreaks of life, the squashed dreams and the lost love of his life. As it turned out, the older man had never really forgotten those dreams of his youth. He still had them, but didn't think he could ever fulfill them -- until he tried.

All of this made me think of a couple of things. The first was the realization that even though they may not appear to, many elderly folks around us may still have life dreams they would like to accomplish before their time is up. That's a facinating concept, and it would be neat to see more of the elderly attempt to fulfill those dreams.

The second thing I thought about is more spiritual, and comes out of Joel 2:28 where the prophet writes about old men dreaming dreams. The passage in Joel is a reference to God pouring out His Spirit on believers, and this is one of the effects. It's a beautiful and wonderous image, mainly because the portrayal of the elderly we see around us is that of hobbled and slowed individuals who don't seem to have any dreams left to accomplish or the desire to complete what they dream.

The picture Joel talks about leads me to believe that we have a lot more Abraham's and Moses' around us than we realize. Today, we live post-Christ, in a time where the Holy Spirit has been poured out on Christians. So, we should be seeing the fulfillment of Joel 2:28, where the sons and daughters prophesy, young men see visions, and old folks dream dreams. But, do we actually see this stuff happening in America?

I believe it's happening, but only in limited circles. We don't see Joel 2:28 taking place in much of American Christianity, and I believe it's partially due to the complacency that is rampent among the entire society. Complacency chokes out dreams; squeezes away the desires to fulfill them. Another piece of this puzzle can also be attributed to fear. We fear what we cannot see or do not know. The Joel 2:28 work of the Holy Spirit is the kind of thing that might create fear in people, even believers, who aren't used to experiencing them.

But, according to scripture, Joel 2:28 and the events we see in the book of Acts should be commonplace in Christianity today. It's time to wipe the cobwebbs out of our aging minds (even mine of 35 years), begin to accept the dreams the Holy Spirit brings to us, and then follow through on those visions God gives us.

Don't grow old gracefully. Grow old active for Jesus.

Memorable Day

I'm back from vacation. Today, instead of posting my usual thoughts, I want to redirect you to my wife's blog. Yesterday (June 7) was a very important day for our family. It was one year ago on June 7, 2008, that our world was changed forever. My wife and two youngest boys were in a terrible rollover crash on their way home from visiting her folks. The boys came out okay, but my wife had serious damage to her right hand that she will be dealing with for the rest of her life.

I am thankful to God for his protection on my family that night. If you've ever doubted God's protection, I have three family members who serve as living proof of His care.

Check out my wife's blog post, and the video at the end.

Vacation

Hey all, I'm on vacation this week, and will resume posting next Monday.