Rethinking Diversity

High School Prom 2007

Diversity is not an ancient wooden ship. In the 21st Century Church, neither is it about quotas or representation either.   But it is still about culture and context.

One of the issues that I’m sometimes asked about when congregations are seeking a new pastor involves race.  “Would your (African American) congregation be interested in interviewing white candidates?”  “Could you help us (a predominantly white congregation)  interview some young Latino pastors?

Tim Cargal – PCUSA teaching elder and preparation for professional ministry expert – spoke to a group of us today about the trends in calling new pastors to serve our congregations.  One of the factors he discussed was race and ethnicity.

It used to be true that Asian pastors primarily served Asian congregations.  It used to be true that predominantly white congregations only called white pastors.  It used to be true that African American pastors only served predominantly African American churches.

Our children do not live in this world and increasingly neither do we. My kids notice (not positively) when everyone in a worship service/restaurant/grocery store is as white as they are.  It strikes  them as abnormal.   They’ve grown up in a world in which inter-racial dating and marriage are barely noticed.  They have gone to public schools with people from all over the world.  I have wondered about whether or not this has been their experience because they grew up in an urban setting.  But now that my job involves visiting the burbs and small towns around Chicago, I’ve noticed that they are many suburban areas with large populations of immigrants living side-by-side with Whites and Blacks who have lived in those neighborhoods for generations.  I live in a town of 9000 and I see people of every color standing side by side waiting for the  morning train.

This is not to say that racial tensions are gone and racism is no longer an issue.  But Martin Luther King Jr’s assertion that 11 am on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America is no longer true for many of our congregations.

Nevertheless, while our Gen X and Y seminary graduates might be willing to serve congregations which are predominantly a different race from their own, the congregations – which are filled with Baby Boomers and older generations -may not be as open to this.  Or maybe they are.

I believe the Spirit always moves when congregations call new pastors.  When I witness a predominantly White congregation call a Black pastor, the presence of the Spirit feels especially strong.

As Fred Willard’s character in Anchorman said, “Diversity means that times are changing.”  My hope is that our congregations will be as willing as our pastors to recognize that “a good match” has more to do with the gifts of a pastor and the context of a congregation than race.  This is the future of the church.