Christmas

Despite all the hustle and bustle around us, even in the church, may everyone experience the full meaning and joy found in the coming of our Savior.

Merry Christmas!

Lloyd

Regional diversity

Continuing on a discussion on diversity in the Church of God ...

Talking about ethnic and racial diversity was fairly straightforward and obvious. For the most part we accept that reality, although I still remain convinced that we don't know how to deal with it appropriately. But, there are other aspects of our diversity that we may be less willing to admit, at least as far as their significance is concerned. Our regional diversity is one such dimension.

I know that some of my comments could be easily misunderstood, but stick with me through this.

For the most part, the Church of God in North America is a Midwestern U.S. phenomenon, with our origins steeped in the socio-religious climate of the region. Not only is this the geographical birthplace of our movement, but the Midwest culture continues to influence and direct us. Our values, worldview, religious perspectives, politics, and socio-economic structures represent this cultural milieu. (There are indications, however, that this trend is gradually shifting).

Let me be clear: I have nothing against the Midwest or its inhabitants. The cultural and ideological framework of this region is not necessarily wrong or bad. But, the reality is that the Church of God is not just limited to that section of the continent. As one who has always lived at the geographic fringes of our movement, I have been long aware of the disconnect that exists with our center. Some of the discontent with “Anderson”, as our headquarters and symbolic center, is really an outgrowth of this reality.

In recent years I have ministered on the West Coast, in wacky California and now in highly secular Washington state, although over the years I have frequently spent time in the Midwest visiting family and attending numerous church-related events. To me, it is more apparent than ever that the differences between these two regions are more than just surface distinctions.

Yet, it is amusing, if not tragic, to watch Church of God congregations and ministers on the West Coast attempt to copy Midwestern styles and programs. It is not uncommon out here to visit a congregation and feel like you've just stepped into rural Ohio, etc. This type of emulation happens because of pastors who have moved here, or because of mimicking the peculiar Church of God style (i.e. language, organization, worship, even architecture) that is common in the Midwest. In most cases, this insensitivity to the local culture has caused numerous problems, mostly in that we have congregations unable to find culturally appropriate ways to minister within their contexts.

For years it has been apparent that copying the programs and styles from other locations is fraught with many problems, if not futile and dangerous. For example, we have seen hundreds of churches copy the success of mega churches like Willow Creek, only to find that what works in upper middle-class, suburban Chicago doesn't necessarily work in rural Nebraska, etc.. Or, similarly the southern California culture behind Saddleback is not easily transferred to Kentucky. Sure, there are basic principles that can be applied elsewhere, but they need to be translated accordingly.

Contextualization of the gospel is hard work. We expect foreign missionaries to find ways to make the gospel relevant, but are oblivious and sometimes resistant to the same need within our society. Yes, at the core people are similar in many ways and share a common need for God, but beyond this there are significant differences that must be taken seriously.

What does all this mean to the Church of God? First, we must put aside any mistaken dreams of a consistent, “cookie-cutter” identity across the Church of God. While there are common elements uniting us (i.e. our heritage, doctrine, cooperative ministries), how we express ourselves will vary according the region in which particular congregations find themselves.

Second, we need to find ways to decentralize our movement's resources and leadership. This is already beginning to happen, as Ron Duncan is leading us to shift greater emphasis to our state/district organizations. Moving around the North American Convention would also contribute to this objective.

Third, we should celebrate the unique aspects of church life that have evolved across the Church of God, both in North America and around the world. As missional people we should see our diversity as a natural consequence of being faithful to spreading the gospel to all creation.

Ethnic diversity

On the subject of "Church of God and Diversity" ...

The Church of God began with a strong, inclusive message. As we called people out of the confusion of denominational Babel, people of all backgrounds were welcomed to join our reformation movement. We valued and started to live out a new Christian unity. With the door open, people of many ethnic and racial groups joined us, and foreign missions were quickly initiated.

But, as we lost our “evening light” vision and we began to institutionalize, our differences became more pronounced. The most obvious division occurred in relation to our African American constituency. There are many reasons for this, mostly sociological and political. While the Church of God has been miles of ahead of many denominations in terms of inclusion of African Americans, all is not well. There continues to be a cry for reconciliation because of some historical and structural matters that have fractured the relationship. Strides are being made, but more work is yet to be done to overcome the misunderstandings of the past.

Certainly there are other examples of ethnic diversity in our history. There has always been a strong German contingent in our movement. Several of our earliest pioneers were of German descent, and some of the earliest foreign work was done in German speaking areas of Europe. During the extensive periods of immigration last century, a number of strong Church of God congregations in the U.S. and Canada were established by Germans who brought their reformation movement faith with them. But, during the political tensions with Germany our relationship with these churches was strained as well. Over time many of these churches become increasingly isolated from their English counterparts, with many of them completely separating from “Anderson” (a reality that is still in effect today).

I suspect that our next biggest challenge will be with the increasing number of Hispanic churches that are cropping up across the U.S. The unique culture of these people and churches are a dramatic contrast to the more typical North American church. As their influence grows we will continue to face many challenges as to how to best integrate them into our larger movement.

So what do we do with all this ethnic diversity?

The idealists among us are tempted to assert that these differences shouldn't really matter as far the church is concerned. We worship the same Lord and find our unity in Him, and therefore we should be able to work through any challenges that all this diversity brings.

But, is this realistic?

I take the position that it is not wrong to acknowledge, respect, and even encourage our ethnic diversities within the Church of God. In fact, we should celebrate the ways God has worked within each ethnic community. And, it is unrealistic to assume that we can all meld together into one big, relatively uniform movement. Our ethnic groups find it natural to be together because they share a common cultural heritage and ethos, and will not integrate easily. Yet, we tend to desire a more homogenous movement - which is not necessarily the right goal.

We will continue to struggle with our ethnic diversity as long as we expect everyone to join together in the same style of worship services, the same congregations, and/or under the same national governance. Striving for these goals will only lead to frustration.

We must work to find our unity beyond common worship, congregations, or organizational structures. Probably the best path forward is to find our unity through our common mission. In this way we demonstrate our unity in Christ. It is through cooperation for the sake of mission that we can build bridges between our various segments, while still encouraging unique cultural expressions.

As our society becomes more pluralistic the challenges of ethnic diversity will only increase. We must, therefore, find new ways to practice unity in the midst of this diversity.

Church of God and diversity

Over the next week or so I will post several messages probing into a topic that's been hot on my radar in recent weeks. For several months now I have participated in numerous discussions that have included probing examinations into the diversity within our movement, and the challenges we face in practicing our unity in the midst of it.

More and more I am convinced that the Church of God is actually quite diverse in its composition, in fact, to a greater extent than we often acknowledge or admit. We have a good deal of ethnic and racial diversity, and theologically we cover a much wider spectrum than perhaps we are even comfortable with.

Yet, we struggle with our diversity because we are faced with two opposing pressures. First, is our firm conviction of Christian unity and its importance for the church. But, on the other hand, there are powerful forces at work among us trying to bring about homogeneity and conformity in both our theology and our culture. The resulting tension of all this has caused us some discomfort, and it is imperative that we work to resolve it.

Maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew, but I hope you stick with me through this discussion and provide feedback and your own comments.

ONEvoice! at the Tipping Point

Recently a news story at chog.org highlighted the current state of affairs at ONEvoice!

Joseph Allison, Coordinator of Communications and Publications (and CHOG Blog reader!), has bluntly stated, "ONEvoice! magazine is at a tipping point ... The campaign will likely determine whether the magazine succeeds.”

The campaign Allison refers to is the recent subscription blitz that is underway across Church of God congregations (on which I have previously posted). Their goal is to obtain 3000 new subscriptions, the largest ever for the publication.

The same story revealed that the current subscription rate is around 2100. On average, that's less than one copy per congregation! I am astounded that our churches and pastors have not been more supportive, especially with all the whining that occurred during the years we were without a national magazine. I know there are some historical factors that come into play, relative cost may be another issue, and the supposed lack of explicit doctrinal teaching bothers some (I will have more to say on this one in the near future); but, certainly the number of subscriptions should be higher.

I remain convinced that the current campaign is an excellent one, and I sincerely hope the larger church responds to it. We need ONEvoice! I say this not only because I am a contributor, but because I believe that it is an important tool for our ongoing communication and identity.