More Than Tolerance
date posted: May 11, 2007
About a year ago, I sketched a draft for a second church plant in Jackson, a multi-ethnic, English speaking church. The multi-ethnic idea was almost an afterthought. Little did I know how that aspect of a new church would capture the imagination of those who came to form the core group, nor did I know how challenging it would be.
Many have quoted somebody who said that 11:00 Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week. Our new church, Living Water Community, worships on Saturday evenings, but that’s beside the point. I think I know why the peculiar community of the church is the most difficult community to integrate – more than a workplace, school, the athletic field, etc.
The church is a community of faith. It is a community of a shared “story”.
Now, certainly the primary story of the church is the story of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. More specifically, however, that “story” is filtered and expressed in the experiences, memories, and longings of the specific people who gather there. The church plumbs the depths of the human experience more than any other context. It is a sanctuary, a place where people can find solace and safety apart from a brutal world. It is the place where memories are cherished and each generation acts as a steward of those memories and stories for each succeeding generation. Black and white communities experience and see life differently. They experience and interpret the Kingdom of God differently. For this reason, the chasm between races and ethnic groups, particularly between black and white in America, is at its widest in the church.
A year ago I would have nodded my head at this notion, but I did not fully appreciate it until now. I am thankful for the people who God has brought to Living Water who are a different skin color than the likes of me. As I have spent time with the core group as they have begun to explore the implications of what it means to be a multi-cultural community, I have already learned much. Early on, I believe the Holy Spirit helped us articulate our aim in being multi-ethnic. We discovered it is certainly more than achieving “tolerance” (the best, it seems that the world can do). It is more than making room for those who are different, and even giving “them” a voice. More than a church that is composed of “folks like us”, a multi-ethnic church like Living Water requires the group to practice humility before the Lord and before each other – a beautiful thing as it turns out. It then calls them to take time to listen hard, to put themselves in the place where they can experience life together, learn from each other, and come to actually value each other. It does not mean that anyone should lose their ethnicity at the door. One of the group said it is more like a “salad”, with all the flavors maintaining their identity and uniqueness, yet adding immensely to the total flavor. I like that. The end result is that God and His Kingdom – actually grace and love – looms larger and richer – a very good thing!
