The multi-ethnic church, like a good cup of coffee, produces an aroma that is refreshingly attractive – especially to those without Christ in an increasingly diverse and cynical society, according to Mark DeYmaz and Harry Li in their book Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church. The book is written to inspire, guide and encourage ministry leaders who want to see local churches reflect the unity and diversity of the kingdom of God.
The book combines the authors’ personal stories with biblical insights and numerous short contributions from other multi-ethnic church leaders. There are plenty of obstacles in the way of achieving a true biblical unity in diversity, and seven of the eight chapters in the book relate to overcoming obstacles: personal obstacles, theological obstacles, philosophical obstacles, practical obstacles, cross-cultural obstacles, relational obstacles, and spiritual obstacles.
That may seem like an over-emphasis on the obstacles, but anyone who has had experience in leadership of a multiethnic church will confirm that misunderstandings inevitably occur, and you need to be broader minded and more accepting and forgiving than might be the case in a mono-cultural church. Nonetheless, the multiethnic church journey is one filled with amazing blessings.
For any church leaders seeking to join the journey towards ethnic diversity, this book provides a very handy summary of the types of pitfalls that might be encountered along the way. For those who are already some way along the path, there are plenty of new insights to gain.