7 principles for churches to be multiracial

Posted: 2/17/06

7 principles for churches to be multiracial

WACO—Seven principles characterize successful multiracial congregations, according to studies conducted by sociologist and author George Yancey.

Yancey, who has written a book titled One Body, One Spirit: Seven Principles of Successful Multiracial Churches, described those principles during the “Becoming a Racially Reconciled Church & Community” conference sponsored by Mission Waco.

Those principles are:

1. Inclusive worship.

“We identify ourselves racially by the way we worship,” Yancey said, noting racially distinctive elements of worship transcend music to include preaching style, the way the worship service is organized and interior décor of church buildings.

Successful multiracial churches typically adopt one of three worship practices—a “totally new worship style,” alternating styles from Sunday to Sunday, and “blend it all together,” with multiple racial elements in each service.

2. Diverse leadership.

These churches have “clergy and/or laity leadership that reflect the makeup or desired makeup of the congregation,” he said.

“This communicates acceptance of the numerical minority groups,” he said. “It also allows the head pastor to learn about other racial groups.”

3. An overarching goal.

This is “a nonracial goal, which is easier to meet if the congregation becomes multiracial,” Yancey explained.

Potential goals include desired results in evangelism, community service and translating the gospel into meeting societal needs, he said, noting multiracial churches can meet these goals in many communities far better than single-race congregations.

4. Intentionality.

“You have to think about it,” he said of racial integration in churches.

Churches that are expressly intentional about racial diversity communicate their willingness to go out of their way to become multiracial, think about what will be necessary to achieve that goal and find the motivation to reach out to various races.

5. Personal skills.

These include sensitivity to different needs of different races, patience to deal with transitions, willingness to empower people of other races, and the ability to relate well to people of different races.

6. Location.

“The vast majority of multiracial churches are located in the inner city or in racially diverse areas,” he said. “Suburban churches (often) are seen as rejection of minorities” since many suburbs developed because of “white flight” from racially diverse urban neighborhoods.

“Suburban multiracial churches are almost all led by nonwhite pastors,” he reported.

7. Adaptability.

Successful multiracial churches can “anticipate new challenges and/or adapt to unanticipated issues as they come up,” he said. These include difficulties of assimilating people who speak different languages; dealing with “interracial romance,” especially among the church’s teenagers; and processing secular political and social issues without splintering the congregation.