Nearly 50 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must face the sad fact that at the 11 o’clock hour on Sunday Morning, when we stand to sing, we stand in the most segregated hour in America.” Unfortunately, Dr. King’s quote still rings true today.
One of the many efforts to elevate the conversation of the lack of ethnic diversity in the church and to promote a more unified Body Of Christ is “Church Diversity Week.” Again, as we seek to continue this conversation and begin to truly see the sign on the doors of our churches read, “Everyone Welcome,” we wanted to provide a platform for churches to become a part of the movement. Church Diversity Week is a globally recognized week to encourage and promote unity within the local church.
This week happens to fall on the calendar beginning the Friday prior to Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day) and lasts the entire week. There are many different ways to celebrate Church Diversity Week; however, at its core it’s about encouraging and promoting unity and diversity in the church. You can go to ChurchDiversity.com and check out some of the ides or you can grab a copy of my book, “Church Diversity – Sunday The Most Segregated Say Of The Week” which outlines various strategies including Church Diversity Week.
Without any promotion and simply word of mouth, we have well over 100 churches representing half of the U.S. States, in addition to Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Peru, Australia and the Czech Republic who have identified themselves as participants. You can add your church here:
I am happy to announce that last week the Governor of Oklahoma, Mary Fallin signed a proclamation which officially recognizes January 13 – January 20 as “Church Diversity Week” in the State Of Oklahoma. I’m proud of our State leadership and I’m looking forward to continued momentum around the country. At it’s core Church Diversity is about reaching more people for Christ.
It’s important that our churches have a genuine heart to do as Jesus calls us to in the Great Commission and that’s to make disciples of “all nations.” It’s also important in the U.S. to be aware of the fact that minorities make up nearly half the children born in the U.S., part of a historic trend in which minorities are expected to become the U.S. majority over the next 40 years. A great reminder of Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
The “tipping point” is imminent when the number of babies born to minorities outnumbers that of babies born to whites. ”Census projections suggest America may become a minority-majority country by the middle of the century. For America’s children, the future is now,” said Kenneth Johnson, a sociology professor at the University of New Hampshire who researched many of the racial trends. These trends are representative of our zip codes, our communities, our city, our nation, the world and the church.
There are already plans in the works for next year to possibly implement an entire Church Diversity Month, with a month long small group/Bible study curriculum for the entire church. Some of these materials are available this year, with more to come (click here). Check out ChurchDiversity.com for more info. or follow @ChurchDiversity on Twitter.
Again, I want to thank Governor Fallin for her leadership and signing the “Church Diversity Week” proclamation. If you or your church is not involved, jump in and be a part of changing the future of the church.
