Leroy Barber's Blog
Thoughts on Diversity / 08.03.09, 10:47 AM
I woke up this morning and I was overwhelmed with sadness, as I thought about how many people I love who don’t go to church with me, and most of us go to churches where we are comfortable. I know people want a break on Sunday and don’t want to talk about race, culture and such, nor do we want to feel awkward when we are trying to worship God, but that sounds so crazy. I also know that my relationships are not confined to church and that’s cool as well, but it sure would be nice to see it all come together somewhere and I have always though church would be the place. It seems like church is the most unlikely place for diversity to happen.
It all saddens me to know how monocultural many churches are, I feel even sadder when I realize how few diverse churches are led by African Americans. I have been a dreamer thinking that perhaps diversity could work out, and me as a black man could do something different. Today I found myself only sad.
You may say that I’m a dreamer, I am not the only one, I hope some day you’ll join me and live as one.
I think we need to have conversation on this. What frustrates you about Diversity?
What would be your ideal Church?
How do you try to create diversity in your life?
Where have you seen diversity played out well over time?
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1) There is no ideal church, so I dont think any come to mind…
2) I am going to try my damndest to create diversity in my life. I get emotional thinking about it. I dont know how, I think people have to want this…to be involved….to be pro-active in getting the issue out. It has to be a ongoing discussion of being uncomfortable in order to change how things are and to get where we want to go, what we want to be in being diverse….
3)Played out well? I think in areas where…its hard and it takes time. Any program that has the same people in this for diversity, from time to time again…thats where it plays out well. There is no mathmetical equation…no magic number of years….but with time and trust…and honesty.
By april / Aug 3, 12:35 PM / #
Lee, this is wild. A friend and I was talking about this todat at the gym. I join you in this sadness, but now we must come up with actions that will draw our brothers and sisters who are not like us.
By keith / Aug 4, 01:57 PM / #
Diversity – Church. Your sadness if felt. It seems to me that my definition of church is changing. It’s who I meet and what I do outside the 4 walls of the building. The body may support me to do the work of when I’m int he world with diverse people. But often times the work of the church happens outside the 4 walls. If that work progresses, then we may see diversity developing over time within the 4 walls.
By Joy H. / Aug 4, 09:37 PM / #
I’m one of those people that you know and that live in your neighborhood but I dont go to your church, but I do attend a diverse church with a diverse staff and a congregation of people who are involved in the community and the neighborhood and who embrace diversity and race. I’m not going there because I want a day off from talking about race or culture, I attend there because it embraces issues like race, culture, diversity and love. I agree with what you are saying, I just don’t think you should assume that people that you know and love are attending other churches because they want to be comfortable.
By Becky / Aug 5, 12:14 PM / #
I also join you daily with deep sadness as I yearn for the wholeness that comes with genuine variety.
I find myself most often frustrated with the facade of diversity. I tire of politically correct semantics, in lieu of an experience that is more organic and life-giving. I fear that a false sense of “diversity” will continue to be paraded around with little evidence of substantial change.
I still have yet to discover the ideal church, but apparently The Perfect Church exists somewhere near Mechanicsville in Atlanta.
By Stephen J / Aug 6, 02:47 PM / #
http://blip.tv/play/g4sD+MA6j8Aw
I think this video pretty accurately show what exactly what we are hoping we as a church can become. As far as a church becoming a diverse community, I have seen that the diversity of a church is restricted by or relative to the actual diversity within the immediate community it is a part of. For instance I live in a place where I am a minority as a white person, not an especially small minority, but one none the less. The greater part of my community is Hispanic, Our church has been steadily growing and in that growth coming closer to the ethnicity represented by our community. Where i used to be a majority as a white child now am starting to see my church reach out to the greater part of the community.
By Joshua Macha / Aug 10, 10:31 PM / #
i think first we have to ask ‘what exactly IS diversity?’ do we have to have an equal number of each race represented in a given group? does one person of each count? i think we have to consider what we mean when we say we want a ‘diverse’ church. i personally get frustrated when my pastor boasts of us having a diverse congregation because i look around and although there are a few latinos and asians (in a predominantly black church) there are just that, A FEW!! i know them all and can count them on my hands…would we be okay with the pastor boasting of ‘diversity’ if there were only 5 black folks in the pews? i think not.
i also think that another reason why the church has lagged behind in the push for ‘diversity’ is because there is still this dominant (yet subtle) belief that there is only one right way to serve/worship God and to teach His Word. for more affluent and white churches, the style preferred is often Protestant. within the black church, there has been a movement to counter this. although the effort and intent is noble, this too has hijacked church culture in that many blacks feel that “Christianity is ours because it came from Africa.” though i understand this thinking, i would argue that many fail to realize that while it creates cultural and religious pride in the black community, it can also be exclusive for non-blacks.
the sooner we Christians let go of our expectations and judgements and MAN MADE definitions of what it means to serve/love/worship God, the sooner and better we will be able to address issues of diversity.
By Corrinn Cobb / Aug 14, 04:06 PM / #
Diversity comes when the flesh is denied and people pick up their crosses daily. Nationalism and racism are some of the most appealing and pride inspiring aspects of the human nature and one has to be broken and humbled to abandon the hatred and prejudice found within us.
By Shaun / Aug 15, 04:22 PM / #
That’s interesting, Leroy. I go to a church that talks about wanting diversity but can’t seem to create it. There are a lot of internationals but not a lot of American diversity. It seems like it’s because our church is too “monocultural,” as you say, to attract any diversity.
On a note of personal experience, my wife and I just moved from Edgewood to the west side, Washington Park area. I have noticed myself feeling a little less comfortable here than I was there. Of course, some of that is just getting comfortable with a new neighborhood, but I think I also feel the comparative lack of diversity. I feel like I get more stares and less openness because people aren’t used to seeing a white person around there. It’s as if the diversity of Edgewood makes people open to diversity. Right now, I feel like if people just see me and we interact, then we’ll get used to each other and open up to each other.
(I should also say that our immediate neighbors have been friendly and open with us. I don’t want to lump everyone together as standoffish.)
By John / Sep 1, 12:56 PM / #
i agree with the statements above about getting out of our boxes of what worship/praise/service of our Jesus looks like. as long as its biblical lets do it!! i think a truly diverse church would have several styles of worship, either giving different music styles their weekend to lead worship, or even mixign it up during a single service. I honestly dont know what a church would be like if we tried to really throw everything in the mix together. could we do a gospel, pentecostal, hymn with an electric guitar? or maybe a contemporary song rewritten to something that could have bongos and a lyrical dance with it? to be diverse we have to embrace the differences and try worship and service styles that are not “our own.” i passes by a really loud spanish worship service tonight. i smiled and prayed for God to bless them, and thanked Him for His amazing creativity. Mesi Jezi!
By Alicia / Sep 1, 11:43 PM / #
It’s not just about race. We plant churches that are aimed at a certain age group, or we leave churches that have too many old people and start new ones; or within the same church our activities are segregated by age ad marital status. I think this is absolutely contrary to the revolutionary message of the New Testament.
By Christine / Sep 26, 07:35 PM / #