Is Your Church As Diverse As You Would Like It To Be?

I was asked recently how things are going with leading a cross-cultural church. My answer was that the church that I lead in a diverse, urban environment in Pittsburgh has made tremendous progress toward becoming a church community that is reflective of the communities around us. We also have a long way to go in order to become a more diverse group of followers of Jesus Christ.

Our leadership at North Way East End is committed to developing and leading a diverse church. On any given Sunday morning, you will find people from all different walks of life. We have business leaders, homeless men and women, entrepreneurs, single moms, doctors, lawyers, contractors, university students, young families and young professionals, empty nesters, high school drop outs, PhDs, small business owners, people getting by on public aid, and many other types of people. We have members from all over the world, such as Haiti, England, Switzerland, Africa, Korea, and China. We are becoming more diverse racially, as our African-America, Asian-American, and Caucasian members continue to attend our church in search of a truly cross-cultural community that is committed to living out the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In spite of our progress, we still have much room to grow. We have intentionally established diverse leadership at the church, and we explore many different expressions of worshiping God together. Still, relationships are what are most important when it comes to church diversity. Real, authentic relationships that transcend our differences are the key to long term success when it comes to reflecting the beloved, diverse community that we read about in the Scriptures. These types of authentic relationships take time and trust in order to be build effectively.

Planning and implementation only go so far when it comes to cross-cultural ministry. The biggest foundation that we must continue to build at North Way East End is prayer. God leads all of us into diverse community through the reconciling power of the Holy Spirit which unites us to one another. I am thankful for the increasingly diverse urban church community at North Way East End, and I am encouraged that God is going to continue to do a mighty, reconciling work in our midst.

Embracing Diversity

Christians in America struggle with the issue of church diversity. Less than 7% of churches in the United States are multiracial as defined by at least one ethnic minority group making up at least 20% of the church's attendance. I am very passionate about seeing Christians leading the way in embracing people across cultures, so we're building relationships with many different kinds of people at North Way East End. Our goal is to be a church that fully embraces and reflects the diversity that is all around us in the city of Pittsburgh.

This weekend is just one example of how we are following the Holy Spirit's leading in the area of diversity. On Friday evening, our city Christmas concerts at the Kelly Strayhorn theater incorporated many different types of music genres including rock, gospel, country, hip hop, and soul. The stage was filled with people of various racial backgrounds, including African-American, Asian-American, and Caucasian. I'm looking forward to today's worship service at North Way East End where the worship experience will be led by two African-American singers, and the live preaching will be coming from my friend in leadership at the East End, Freedom Blackwell. Freedom is a strong African-American leader in the city of Pittsburgh, and he and I have a lot in common in leading a diverse church together. We both live in Homewood, a mostly African-American neighborhood in the East End of the city. We both have a passion for reaching people across socioeconomic barriers, not just racial barriers. And, we are both missional pastors who have a desire to mobilize the church to reach people who are marginalized in our city.

North Way East End has not "arrived" by any stretch of the imagination in terms of being a multiracial church, but we are well on our way in our first year because we are intentionally planning everything we do with the lens of diversity. God is bringing many different kinds of people to our church, racially, culturally, and socioeconomically. It's a beautiful thing to be a part of. I can't wait to see how God grows us in relationship with one another in the coming months and years.

North Way City Christmas Concerts

It's so amazing when God puts a vision on your heart, combines that vision with a passionate calling, and then orchestrates other followers of Jesus to bring it all together into reality. Last night was a dream come true for me because of the opening night of the North Way city campus Christmas concert. God has given us a clear calling to reach the East End of the city with all of it's diverse people. God gave us a strategy that was missional, cross-cultural, and contextualized to the urban environment. The city Christmas concerned most importantly gave glory to God, and it did so through musicians and artists from the North Way Oakland and East End churches combining to create a powerful worship experience. The music mixed in rock, gospel, hip hop, and classical arrangements. The experience also incorporated video, spoken word, and creative lighting. The performing artists on stage represented the diversity that is located throughout the city.

We still have two more nights of Christmas concerts at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater on Penn Avenue in East Liberty. I can't wait to see how God is going to work as we continue to advance his mission to reach the city in the name of Jesus Christ.

Church Diversity

I've had the opportunity to spend time with Scott Williams this weekend. He is an author and a leader who consults with churches all over the world. He is a big advocate for diversity within the church, and his visit to North Way is timely considering that we have been really leaning into becoming a more diverse community over the past couple of years. As Williams points out in his book, Church Diversity, Sunday morning tends to be the most segregated time of the week for most Americans because churches are often divided along racial lines. Only 7% of American churches are considered to be racially diverse, as evidenced by at least 20% of a congregation being represented by a minority group. Many churches, however, are really starting to wake up to the reality that we need to engage people across racial, cultural, and socioeconomic boundaries in order to remain relevant. That is our goal at North Way East End. We seek to align our hearts with God in terms of bringing the transformational gospel message to all people in our diverse part of the city of Pittsburgh. We have intentionally established leadership teams and worship styles to engage the diverse groups of people in the urban neighborhoods in and around East Liberty. Our church is definitely still a work in progress, but we are making great strides. The vision of a diverse church is becoming a reality thanks to our following the lead of the Holy Spirit. I am excited to see what God is going to do across all North Way campuses as we continue to reach out to the many different kinds of people in Pittsburgh.

Celebrating Reconciliation

I had a good conversation this week with a fellow pastor in the city who is also leading a cross-cultural church. We discussed the challenges of being reconcilers across cultures (racially, socioeconomically, etc.), and we also celebrated the break throughs that God has been able to accomplish. The Harvest Party and House of Manna last night definitely represent reasons to celebrate how God's profound reconciling love is bringing people in Pittsburgh together. People from many different neighborhoods converged in Homewood to spend time together at multiple events. It was incredible because Christians were leading the way in organizing these environments. Often, Christians drag our feet when it comes to reconciling across cultures. Instead, we should be leading the way in engaging people from all different walks of life. We should be excellent relationship builders across cultural boundaries because that is what God requires of us. It's as simple as that, yet it is a challenging process. I am encouraged to see what God is going to do in Pittsburgh over the months and years to come as we continue to build on the solid foundation that is being built.