This post is part of a weekly series based on Patrick Nachtigall's new book, Mosaic: A Journey Across the Church of God. You are invited to read the book along with me and contribute to the discussion in the comments.
Mosaic is a book about the diversity within the Church of God, and Nachtigall has worked hard to find every nuance of it that he could find. There are similarities in chapter six with the previous one (i.e. global diversity), but here the emphasis is on examples of where Church of God congregations are adapting and responding to the multicultural challenges around them. The reality is that "globalization is bringing the world to our doorsteps" (211) with the result that "trying to preserve a particular 'Church of God identity' in the midst of such challenges is not easy" (212).
This chapter's journey includes visits to a powerful Hispanic ministry in Albuquerque, New Mexico; inner city ministry in Corpus Christi, Texas; immigrant churches in the highly secular European cities of London and Paris; a true multi-cultural church in the Los Angeles area, and an Arabic ministry near San Diego. If you weren't convinced yet of diversity challenges in the Church of God, these examples should have changed your perspective.
Again, even though diversity is the major them in Mosaic, this chapter clearly confirms the case that it is much greater in our movement than we often recognize or acknowledge. One cannot read all of this without being rocked out of the comfort zone that most of us experience in our relatively homogenous church settings. On the one hand, to see the Church of God in so many different settings and ministries is exciting. But, on the other hand, it is scary as it reveals that the quest for a simple, uniform Church of God identity might be beyond our reach. Perhaps it will force us to find new and better ways to express our unity and united mission. And, I am convinced that this would not only be good for our movement but also fulfills God's big vision for the Kingdom and the church.
Mosaic is a book about the diversity within the Church of God, and Nachtigall has worked hard to find every nuance of it that he could find. There are similarities in chapter six with the previous one (i.e. global diversity), but here the emphasis is on examples of where Church of God congregations are adapting and responding to the multicultural challenges around them. The reality is that "globalization is bringing the world to our doorsteps" (211) with the result that "trying to preserve a particular 'Church of God identity' in the midst of such challenges is not easy" (212).
This chapter's journey includes visits to a powerful Hispanic ministry in Albuquerque, New Mexico; inner city ministry in Corpus Christi, Texas; immigrant churches in the highly secular European cities of London and Paris; a true multi-cultural church in the Los Angeles area, and an Arabic ministry near San Diego. If you weren't convinced yet of diversity challenges in the Church of God, these examples should have changed your perspective.
Again, even though diversity is the major them in Mosaic, this chapter clearly confirms the case that it is much greater in our movement than we often recognize or acknowledge. One cannot read all of this without being rocked out of the comfort zone that most of us experience in our relatively homogenous church settings. On the one hand, to see the Church of God in so many different settings and ministries is exciting. But, on the other hand, it is scary as it reveals that the quest for a simple, uniform Church of God identity might be beyond our reach. Perhaps it will force us to find new and better ways to express our unity and united mission. And, I am convinced that this would not only be good for our movement but also fulfills God's big vision for the Kingdom and the church.
2 comments:
I was inspired by the stories in this chapter. I would love to be a part of any of these stories. I hope that some of us, especially in the Midwest can recapture some of this fervor to serve and reach the world around us.
I think unity comes from shared mission and experiences. I've more often seen people being ignited and inspire after doing mission than talking about it. I think when possible we can build unity by partnering together. In the Midwest you see some unity services. [I imagine that they still happen other places too.] Many people have grown tired of gathering for worship one more time, they want to go and do. So if we see commUNITY built through those types of settings, lets do those things! When we're working literally on the same task, even if you don't see eye to eye, you remember that you're on the same team. That would help us a great deal.
This of course gets more complicated with more remote congregation, but making sure they're connected locally and with at least one other congregation that should help a great deal. What do I know, maybe I'm the kid in the class that just suggested something that was talked about when I skipped school.
So what next Lloyd?
I don't know you Randy, but I like your comments.I came out of the midwest but graduated college on West Coast. I entered chog min in 1951 immediately confronted with certain diversity, which thank God is more acknowledged and appreciated today. But I have to tell you that it has been a long uphill battle that in a sense kept me out of that "inner circle of midwest control" although I tried to keep abreast. Patrick has done us a favor but there are many who don't yet get it and are, in fact, rebelling against it. We become the political Obama's being put in our place by the religious Tea Partiers. Okay ...hope that makes sense to you' if not I was up too late this morning ... :-)
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