Samuel Rodriguez: The Message and the March

Let’s say a local church pastor of an Anglo congregation becomes concerned that his church no longer reflects the growing diversity in his community. Our history points to a tendency to continue on a course of homogeneity, which doesn’t seem viable long term. But creating a blended church out of an established traditional church is tough. What should a pastor do?

Number one, be proactive by institutionalizing your commitment to change. If you want to make significant progress in this area, you have to have a Hispanic person on your leadership board. Same with your praise and worship team: you can’t attract what you don’t reflect. If I’m a Hispanic and I go to a church and I don’t see one person who looks like me on that stage, I’m not going to attend that church. The change should be reflected in the worship, and among the individuals who are part of your teaching and preaching team.

Now some hear this and view it as affirmative action in the church. It’s not. It is a matter of kingdom culture outreach. And notice I don’t even say multicultural—I say kingdom culture. The number one culture we should pursue is the culture of the kingdom of God. But that culture is made manifest through a mosaic, through a tapestry. That is the way the Lord made us. As a church we need to be intentional in reflecting that tapestry.

Can you break this down a bit more?

Yes. As you seek to institutionalize a commitment to Hispanic ministry, begin by identifying the key Latino gatekeepers in your community—businesspeople, educators and so forth. Sit down with them and say, Im Pastor So-in-So and I want to reach out to the community. Speak to me. What are your priorities? What do you want to see in the church? So you engage, not in a tokenistic manner, not in a patronizing manner, but as shareholders building relationships.

As Latinos, we are about the heart. We are very passionate people. You can hear that in the way we speak, see it in the way we dance, the way we celebrate. So when an Anglo pastor wants to reach Latinos for the first time, you go through relationships. Sending them a 3×5 glossy postcard is one thing. Sitting down and having dinner is another. The moment you have dinner, it’s just different. It’s not, Oh, they like to eat. No, to us, dinner is relationship. To us, dinner is family. To us, dinner means you care.

We’re very emotional people—relational. It’s looking into someone’s eyes, appreciating their heart. So as a Latino I would not have trouble saying to someone who is a dear friend, “I love you much.” For an Anglo to hear another man say I love you, it’s very awkward. To a Latino, no, that’s just who we are. And the embrace: When we say goodbye, we say un abrazo, which means “a hug.” It’s a figure of speech for us, but it reflects what we value.

Don’t miss that foundational point. And then there are some additional practical steps the church can take.

Begin with headphones, an inexpensive first step. You provide headphones for Sunday worship and have a great translator. Make sure it’s a Latino. Someone who understands the language very, very well.

The second thing, after you have enough individuals, is to start a Spanish ministry. Yes, you can do that. (And remember, you’re institutionalizing change by including Latinos in visible leadership roles.)

In the third step, your Spanish ministry morphs into more of a strong leadership motif. Here’s the part where I worry. When the Spanish ministry starts to feel viable, some of my Anglo friends look at it and say, We dont want to be cumbersome, we dont want to impede them, so were going to let them go. Well let them start their own church.

That approach leads back to the 20th century modus operandi of segregation. Even well intentioned separation takes away the bridge between your children and your children’s children who will be American, where English will be the dominant language for connecting and integrating in the church.

So my advice is, Hispanic ministry shouldn’t be something you release. It should be something that continues to be part of your DNA going forward. There are 60 million Latinos in America. Make the Spanish ministry a lifelong commitment and reach them. Build a bridge for assimilation and integration.

When the children no longer speak Spanish, your English service is their service. And make sure the leadership reflects that and the praise and worship team reflects that, and it’s a completely multiethnic, integrated congregation.

To the glory of God.

James P. Long
James P. Longhttp://JamesPLong.com

James P. Long is the editor of Outreach magazine and is the author of a number of books, including Why Is God Silent When We Need Him the Most?

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