Church Planting in an Ethnically Diverse Neighborhood
Continuing the same theme of racial reconciliation that Zach Nielsen explored in his sermon this week, what is it like to be a part of a church in a multi-ethnic neighborhood? The above clip shows a glimpse of a new church plant in Seattle's Rainier Valley, one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the country, but also a neighborhood stricken with poverty, crime, and other social problems.
Deacon Danny Chi remarks about the church's diversity:
We’re not here to be diversified just to be diversified. That’s what the world wants. But the difference between the world and us is that we want to be multi-ethnic and multi-cultural because Jesus has a heart for that.
Indeed, there is a great temptation within us to keep our churches "safe", which often leads intentionally or unintentionally to monoculture. Much like the ancient city of Babel, we can fail by creating an atmosphere of exclusion beyond our four walls, erecting within our hearts a tower to the testament of our own superiority.
Jesus' heart for the church is the exact opposite—welcoming in "aliens and strangers" and "breaking down the dividing wall of hostility" (Ephesians 2)—so that all peoples of all colors and tongues might be welcomed in to celebrate God come down to be with his people.
