Also see the larger topic here in the 'Wiki Encyclopedia of City Reaching'... "Multicultural Church'.

 

'Race, Culture & The Church'

[Be careful to distinguish the names of these two courses.... Read on, below...]

 

...has been the 'signature course' at Crossroads Bible College and distinguishes its uniqueness... not only by teaching, but also by living it out as the dna of the college.  Why is it so important?  For the same reasons John 17 is important -- our unity/harmony as the multiracial Church is a witness to our witness.  And it's greatly winked-at by the American Church today.  Recent research shows that only 5% of Christian churches are multiracial.  [And some might draw a correlation to the American Church's effectiveness of only 4%.]   Crossroads attempts to live it out as a multicultural model as they teach the more biblical approach to the local Church.

 

Borrowing from the "United By Faith" concluding chapter...

"Congregations, when possible, should journey toward becoming integrated multiracial congregations.  If they are willing to sacrifice and persevere, uniracial congregations, assimilated multiracial congregations, pluralist multiracial congregations, and new church startups can arrive at this destination.  Creating authentic, reconciled, multiracial communities in the midst of divisions is hard, complex work.  The barriers in a racialized society are many, and the degree of their entrenchment should never be underestimated.  Courageous and visionary leadership among both clergy and laity is essential and a necessary ingredient for success.  The journey requires a respect and appreciation for the cultures represented inthe congregation in tandem with the willingness to travel into the unexplored territory of creating a new congregational culture.  Multiracial congregations require time, energy, and focus that coud be used elsewhere.  But neither the ease or difficulty of the task nor its simplicity or complexity are the issues on which to focus.  We are called as Christians to live, work, serve, and be together, forging community that can occur only with God's help.  Just imagine for a moment what would happen in communities across the United States -- and in the nation as a whole -- if multiracial congregations began emerging in cities, suburbs, and small towns.  It is a compelling thought, a journey worth taking.  Humbly doing so is our witness to the world."

 

 

 

 

[Or watch this compelling YouTube video]

 

 

 

Now imagine the SUMMARY of this course, as adapted for ONE night of our "New Media for Urban Change" course.

 

Let's call it...

"Race, Culture, MEDIA & The Church"

• Consider the Digital Divide disproportionately impacting the inner-city churches.  The rich get richer, the techs get techier, and the new-paradigm cyclist now speeds completely out of sight.  Think of the global competitors now, even... India, etc. competing for low-paying jobs our inner-city residents MIGHT have had a chance at.
• Suburban techie churches continue to prove Emerson's point.  Innovation to them means more gadgets to use in their mega-churches to out-do their nearest suburban competitor.
• Alternatively, LOW-COST MEDIA in the hands of the USERS... might help bridge divides.
• Cell phones leap-frogging laptops?
• Media camp in the summer, Pastor Hudson?  Rudy?
• If media spreads knowledge faster... and if the knowledge of the Bible is the truest/bestest... won't MEDIA be the best friend of the Church as we enter the new paradigm?  And won't 'the least of these' benefit the most, as a result?
• We're going to cover RESEARCH method in future classes, but it'll be good to know where our RESEARCH wiki-page of links is... and how they relate to discussing Race, Culture, Media and The Church. 
• Community-mapping?  [Shall we teach some MAPPING skills now?]
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•  [just thoughts.  Anyone else?]
•  Note:  This might be a great night to use the 'wiki' skills... to start collaborating re the Model Church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*************** PREVIOUS COURSE NOTES **** DISREGARD FOR NOW*******

 

How can we do this even better, faster and among more academic constituents?  The 'Center For Urban Innovation' will be reviewing and piloting some efforts to accomplish this.  [Stay tuned. Ideas anyone?  write them here]

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• Suggestion:   Let's intentionally start classes off-campus... at participating churches in the area.
• Suggestion:   Let's consider compiling our own textbook, if existing textbooks do not excel up to the level we seek.  And we could start by building-out a wiki-textbook.

 

 

 

 

 

******************************************

Below, I've just saved my clickable notes for one segment (5/24/2007) of...

'Race, Culture & The Church'

 

 

Neil Cox, co-presenter...  My theme tonight... "It all depends on your assumptions."

 

Quick illustration...  "Evolution... It all depends on your assumptions."  

 

 

My background as a white evangelical...

• LovingChange.com
• Farm, white, Christian, MAJORITY, comfy... and unknowingly... ________.
• Basketball... a LEFTY.  Competition was where???
• Army drugged dragged me to Viet Nam.   Helpful to getting job... and assurance of God's promises.
• Pastor drugged dragged me to Ft. Laud.   Definitely outside an accountant's box.
• 10 years in S. Florida... excellent... mentor took me under his wing.
• And later... terrible... and cynical.... and change-thirsty.  
• "Change me or kill me."
• Studying the scriptures intensely... Christian Scorecard?
• Indy friend... Fortune500 internet project.  Learned.  And once again found myself out of my comfort zone.
• IndyChristian.com -- networking, networking, networking... especially among the Innovative (Hey help us DEFINE this!)
• Met a wide sector of pastors & innovators.  Connected on the ground too, as a result.  Click & Mortar.
• TabPres.org... innovative webmaster (and media guru) with a VRML file of the 100-year-old gymnasium.
• Hybels' interview guest.... the TWO life-events which hyperspace our Christian maturity... Adversity & Diversity.
• James:  "poor of this world... are rich in faith."  And conversely... "It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven."  So if we need faith 'resources', let's go to the inner-city and get 'em.
• Crossroads Bible College -- Training Christian Leaders to Reach a MultiEthnic Urban World for Christ.
• Ian.  "Get out."  ...TechMission.... CCDA (the webmaster, not the founder)...
• More connections --> Transform Indiana.  Vision... 5,000 neighborhood-level connections throughout Indiana.
• Secret:   "You are not unaware of the devil's schemes." (unless... )
• It's easier to join up with others, than to start from scratch.  UBcafe.com, for instance.  The power of partnering.
• Blog:  UrbanOnramps.com... Scott... CCDA Indy 2005.  And FHL.   "Power of Connecting".
• Big difference though, between Networking.... and actually Partnering... for action.  We need to get to a new level of being the Church.

 

 

 

One of Your Texts...  

• "Divided By Faith" (Michael O. Emerson) ... CHALLENGED MY WHITE, EVANGELICAL ASSUMPTIONS.  I was offended.  And learned.
  • Also read "United By Faith"... the sequel, summarizing a Lilly-funded study re the multicultural church.  Here's the resulting cover-article from Christianity Today:  "All Churches Should Be Multiracial"  [Yet only 5% of Christian churches are].
    • Ever walked in someone else's shoes?  If not, you have little or no idea what it's like.  Assuming is presumptuous.
    • 'Individualism'... isn't as biblical as I thought.  'Church' = Oneness in Christ... and the Godhead.
    • My cynicism paid off... The Church was never intended to be consumerist.  Missions and church-planting was never meant to be done the 'EASY' way.  Cost of discipleship.
    • Intentionality... for me meant doing something to break the sinful strongholds... ie, structures that militate against the poor, the oppressed.
      • Internet was creating a paradigm-shift.... a great opportunity to jump in and help recreate a better structure... an online model of our goal to better 'be the Church'. 
      • Educate the Church afresh.   Train upcoming Church leaders.
      • Get involved at the ground level... in the best possible urban ministry.  Model loving change, if possible.  UBcafe.

 

 

 

Discussion Point:   "Humbly challenge our own false assumptions."   (Radical change comes when major assumptions are renegotiated... using a more-biblical filter.)

 

• 'Majority Rules'?  "When in Rome..."  ?
• Individual Christianity only?  Jesus only as Savior?
• "Worship is such an intensely personal experience... that I... need to be in an optimal personally-comfortable setting." (???)
• Does our people-group's 'culture'... and 'heritage'... ever become an 'idol'?
• How about our theological 'position'?  Example:  "Who moved my left foot?"
• "Thy Kingdom come... someday." ?
• Democrats started 'Affirmative Action'?
• Gentrification?
• Mega beats mina?
• Neighborhood Church?
• My neighbors think...
• Geo-Church?  The Church At Indianapolis?
• Model Church? 
• Blogging.  Oh bother.
• 'Rights'?   Our country?   Immigration issues?
• Revisit the 7 churches?   Was 'change' needed?
• Revisit Humility & Repentance, and Learning afresh?
• Change ourselves?  Our churches?  Our communities?

 

What assumptions will YOU challenge?

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Main Ingredients for... How Do We Change?

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What might I do to leverage power of connecting for change?

• Challenge your own church's multiracial composition.  Restudy John 17.  Ask them to restudy the Trinity... and Christ's Church.  Revisit the 7 churches -- do any apply to the American Church?  Your church?
• Reread Ephesians afresh.  Consider The Church at Ephesus.
• Re-read the Bible this year... rechecking many of these assumptions.  Encourage others to reread the Word this year, and recheck their assumptions.
• CityReaching.org.... rebuilding the city Church... online via wiki'ing together.
• Connect with your geo-team (FHL?).
• Break up the self-serving thinking of the me-church.
• Reconsider the mission of The Church.  And the 'Indy 400'.  Expedite teamwork.  Team action.
• Come connect... hands-on... at the UBcafe... and help with "Ask Anything Saturday". 
• Consider the case for the "Center For Urban Innovation".  Pray for us.  Enlist students.