For much of my life, I’ve been involved in ethnic-specific churches. Each community was far from perfect, but we did our best to be faithful. In a previous article, I addressed common myths and misunderstandings about ethnic-specific churches. As we continue the discussion, here’s more of what I wish many churchgoers understood about us.
Diversity Goes beyond Optics.
Conversations about church diversity often center around optics, as people inevitably comment on how a church looks. Church diversity, then, is usually evaluated by phenotype: skin color, hair color, and other aspects of physical appearance. Because of the focus on physical appearance, outsiders tend to comment about an ethnic-specific church that we “all look the same.” We are judged by our appearance.
However, a church often has profound diversity that goes beyond optics. In A Letter to the Asian American Church, Enoch Y. Liao describes seven different types of diversity, some of which I’ll discuss here. First, our ethnic-specific ministry communities are multinational. Diasporic communities include people who were born and raised in different nations and cultures. In my Chinese heritage church experience, I’ve been in communities with people from Brazil, Australia, Vietnam, Norway, Malaysia, and the Netherlands, just to name a few. Second, our communities are multilingual. On a given Sunday, one usually hears two, three, or even more languages. We often hold translated worship services and other gatherings because we are multilingual.
Third, we are multicultural. While some commonalities bring us together, we all come with different heritages and upbringings. For example, ethnic churches span different socioeconomic groups and social classes. Furthermore, ethnic churches often have folks who span the entire spectrum of political views. I find it almost a miracle that people with opposing political views are worshipping together. In my experience, ethnic-specific churches are less likely to divide over secondary theological issues like church leadership structure or the nature of the end times. Another way ethnic-specific churches are multicultural is in being multigenerational. Remarkably, in the ethnic-specific church, we often have folks in the same church community as their grandparents. Families with migration histories experience stark cultural differences between their generations, expressed in our churches too. In my church community, we are constantly engaging in cross-cultural relationships.
We Experience Life from the Margins.
In North America, the majority of media messages, from advertisements to magazine covers, serve the majority culture. In the same way, church and conference content, sermon recordings, Bible study material, and Sunday School curricula are largely prepared to reach the majority culture. With all these resources, we minorities may find ourselves at the margins.
For example, minority Americans do not have as much material contextualized for our experiences. For this reason, I am grateful for efforts like the Korean American Leadership Initiative and Bamboo Pastors Podcast, and publications like The Jesus I Wish I Knew in High School: Asian American Edition. I hope to see more of these kinds of spaces become available and known in our communities.
Furthermore, ethnic-specific churches often desire opportunities to partner with other churches for ministry efforts, but can find them inaccessible. Perhaps we aren’t in the right social circles, or we’re considered too different from the organizers to be invited. Even if we hear about such partnership efforts, getting a seat at the table for decision-making is rare. Our lack of access to local church partnerships contributes to the perception that we (1) do not care about collaboration and (2) are exclusive.
Most large church conference speakers and published authors are not from ethnic-specific churches. The few ethnic minority conference speakers are usually in ministry circles that reach the majority culture. This sends a message that, in order to have a wider-reaching ministry (publication, speaking engagements), we will have to abandon the ethnic church. Even when we do, as Owen Lee pointed out at the 2022 Asian American Leadership Conference, among the majority culture, our leadership gifts may not be recognized, and influential roles are more difficult to come by.
Ethnic specific churches have much to offer, even from the margins of ministry content. While our ministries and leaders aren’t well known outside our circles, we are faithfully serving the Lord.
We are Close-Knit, and We Minister to Those Outside Our Communities.
Ethnic-specific churches may be accused of being insular or inward-thinking. Outsiders might perceive our tightness as exclusivity, but being close-knit outside our immediate families is common in non-Western cultures. Many of us value faithfulness and loyalty, and we consider our church to be a family. Some folks stick with the family―the church community―for decades, even when they change jobs and move further away from the church building. They want to serve, be loyal, and give back. Many have long Sunday morning commutes because of their commitments to the church community.
And yet, despite the closeness of the church community, outreach is always a central focus. With every ethnic-specific church of which I’ve been a part, we work to fulfill the Great Commission. We’ve had local outreach efforts for our immediate neighborhood and our city. We have given our time, energy, and financial resources to bless those around us in the name of Christ. Our ethnic-specific churches raise up, send out, and sacrificially support missionaries in every corner of the world. We see and respond to opportunities to further the gospel.
In fact, the very existence of ethnic-specific local churches is built on the command to make disciples of all nations. Like ministries that reach the artist community, the inner-city poor, or professional athletes, we make our messages contextualized to a particular demographic. We know that our ministry approach, which is modeled by the risen Christ and his apostles, doesn’t reach everyone with the same effectiveness. But we also embrace the idea that we are merely a part of the wider, global body of Christ. We can be faithful to our task, knowing that other demographics are reached with greater effectiveness by other ministries. When we consider the strengths of each particular local church, we see the body of Christ’s diversity. The entire task of the Great Commission doesn’t fall on one local church.
Let Us Have Unity.
I sometimes hear that ethnic-specific churches are “unbiblical” or “opposed to the gospel.” I have heard church leaders say that we in the ethnic-specific church are selfish and sinful. I’ve even heard some ministry leaders refuse to partner with ethnic-specific ministries because of these beliefs. This grieves me.
I am grieved because there is no command in Scripture being disobeyed by ethnic churches. Jesus warned against those who were adding to the Scriptures and laying human requirements on people’s shoulders (Mark 7:7, Matthew 23:4).
I am grieved, not just because the sentiments are false, but because they achieve what the Enemy wants: we are divided amongst ourselves. He wants us to disparage our fellow brothers and sisters. He wants us to keep ourselves from unity.
Ultimately, every follower of Jesus is on the same team. But when we disparage brothers and sisters in another church community, we are practicing what the military calls friendly fire–we are firing on our allies. Jesus called for his followers to be one, and thus bring others to follow him (John 17:20-21). Therefore, we hurt our own cause when we put down brothers and sisters.
Brothers and sisters, my prayer is that Christ’s church would be unified. For those of us outside the ethnic-specific church, I invite you to understand, appreciate, and partner with our ministries. We have a distinct role in the body of Christ and in fulfilling the Great Commission together with God’s universal Church.
Photo Credit: Zulian Firmansyah