This week as I went about my usual routine of not really following a routine. I fell into a few encounters that kept posing questions that left a tickling in my brain, a groaning in my heart and a churning in my gut. The question that kept arising was 'How do we build/ create a multicultural church?'. Now of course my immediate reactions where of wonder, wonder in the sense of: "I wonder why people ask me that? Is it because I am Asian?, is it because I come off too strong as the culture guy? Maybe they really value my opinion? Or maybe its just cause the conversation came up naturally?"
Either way it has stimulated me to think, to ponder, to wonder and now to share with you what has been birthing in my consciousness. So as I share these thoughts with you may you wonder a little more and discover a little deeper what might be birthing inside of you.
How do we build/create a multicultural church?
This may be the wrong question.
Often the way we answer this question, is to immediately bring in a token multicultural person into the discussion. This person has often worked their way to hold some sort of title or position that is affirmed by the current leadership structures, they are most likely trained or have had some sort of western education. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it is good to have diversity in teams. However, what this form of tokenism does not address, is the power dynamics and cultural differences at play (the person coming in will in part have already put on their western hat when entering the room). If we are to be a Church that really values other cultures we must first view our own structures as systematically western in nature. This means an invitation to our space is not an act of multiculturalism but an act of assimilation.
What if?
What if the church adopted a model that involved key leaders to first immerse themselves in the context of non-western communities. This act I believe will alert these leaders to the similarities as well as nuances facing different non-western communities. It is only after this experience should we begin to even approach the conversation of building a multicultural church. When we listen first, in a context that is not our own, we might discover a whole new way of thinking.
What might the church discover?
The church might discover that we have much more to learn from these communities than we have to offer. That we might need to humble ourselves and ask to be a part of their communities, submit to their leadership and participate in what God is doing in these spaces rather than needing to have them "come on board" with us.
Doesn't the pre-amble To The constitution of the Uniting Church say something like this?
What is our role?
Our role as the church is to discern where the spirit is already at work. We are not called to create or build a multicultural church. The Church is multicultural, its just that we, in the modern west, continue to fail when it comes to looking, listening and acknowledging that the Church has been this way for a very long time (we know this from the beginning of acts).
We as the western church are too distracted by the need to be the ones that are going to create/build multiculturalism.
We in Australia are yet to fully give notice to the various expressions of Christian community given to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. If we are to ask our local community to describe a Christian person or ask them to picture one in their head, who might they be picturing? What does this person look like? How do they behave? What holidays do they observe? How and when do they worship? How long have there community been meeting together? The answers to these questions should be varied and diverse, and they are! But only if we look at the whole church and the people of God.
However it is all too familiar for us to only view and value those whom share the same answers to these questions as ourselves. When do we as the church in Australia begin to look beyond our closed knitted communities and see the blessings of diversity that has been present here all along. How can we more conscious of our being as the church was when they gathered early in acts. The Church Who was struck by the Holy Spirit and embraced the difference that was present.
What does Paul say?
In Galatians we see a passionate Paul pleading with the people to not be distracted by a gospel that was different to the Gospel they had received. This reading of scripture has too often been skewed to serve the needs of a dominant culture. This passage should not be used to coerce others into taking on the gospel that they believe. It should be about reminding the people of God to the remember the good news of Jesus whom we all find hope in.
Galatians 4, tip toes around the need to not be trapped by the one who forces us to slavery in law but be like he one is liberated us to freedom by grace! Our initiation to be the heirs of God is a result of faith, that is the same faith that Abraham drew from and was given his promises. This faith preceded the law that was only in place until the offspring of Abraham had come. This offspring is Jesus and our faith in him is the same as Abraham, he was that accredited righteousness through this same faith. This means that we too need to hold on to the faith we have in Christ and not be so fooled to think that the law can save us. This same rebuke Paul gives to the Galatians may be the same rebuke the church today needs to hear. As we seek to place our trust in the meaningless token policies and programs that seem to so closely resemble the legalism we read in Galatians. Rather we need to seek to put our faith in developing real relationships with our neighbouring communities that also share the same faith we have in Jesus.
What do we do, if we have no program?
Setting a policy and creating more programs is not the solution to building a multicultural church. Our role is not to build a multicultural church but seek the Spirit and the work it is doing in the world. It is here we will find the communities that God himself is gathering and drawing together. This is the church, the church that is and has been since the Spirit began its work.
How might we respond?
May we pray that God helps us to see this church and that God might rid us of the need to build and create this thing for ourselves. May we not be as the people were in the time of babel.
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