The Most Segregated Day of the Week

There's a fascinating article on CNN.com on "Why many Americans prefer their Sundays segregated," which is an issue which I have wrestled and lived through during much of my life as a Christian.

When I was a university student at the University of Pennsylvania, I largely chose InterVarsity over Living Water, the college fellowship associated with Chinese Christian Church & Center because I wanted to attend a multi-ethnic fellowship.  In high school, my friends were almost exclusively Asian and I anticipated that I would marry someone who was Asian and likely go to an Asian church post-college, so why not take these four years to experience the fullness of the diversity of the Body of Christ?

I had a blast during my four years at InterVarsity, where I experienced some of my deepest growth.  I was discipled by Lee Huang (who was Taiwanese) and had rich friendships with people whose last names included Yu, Lu, Park, Lai, Tan, Ng, Shih, Tsai, Tong, Chen, Hsu and Cho.  I was very proud of myself for extending myself out of my comfort zone to reach out to strange and interesting Asian-Americans who were not from Tappan, NY.

But seriously though, I did forge friendships with non-Asians who certainly broadened by view of not just race, but how different people experienced sonship with Christ.  I hung out with people like Lisa Stellino (caucasian), Ian Sneed (caucasian), and Steve Russell (Jamaican).  After college I went on missions with another InterVarsity friend, Eric Dicus (caucasian).  My theology and study of Scripture were led by staff workers such as Dave & Shannon Lamb (caucasian) and Hamlet Vasquez (Hispanic).  Were the bulk of my deeper friendships Asian?  Sure they were - but my experience wouldn't have been as rich if I didn't have the chance to grow in Christ with those who were not.

After graduation, I ended up in Chinese Christian Church of NJ (CCCNJ), largely because my father was friends with an Elder there, and I was looking to join any decent evangelical church in a location which, at the time, to me seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.  I think the "ethnic" composition of the church was less of a driving force than the fact that I had a personal introduction into the church.  If my father's friend were an elder of a multi-ethnic church, would I have gone and stayed?  I think I probably would have.

That's not to say that being part of a Chinese church didn't have it's share of, let's say, comforts.  Going to lunch at a place like Hunan Noodle House was never a bone of contention, and with a shared heritage, background, and in some cases, second language, there was a degree of familiarity that made relationships easy.  Cultural misunderstandings never got in the way of making decisions or making observations that might otherwise offend.  There was a tacit chain of command and respect for elders that was inherent of the DNA of the church.  Young adults would listen to the older folks, and teens would obey the commands of the young adults without question, or else parents would be informed and would act accordingly lest the family lose face by harboring a "bad kid".

I've heard on more than one occasion that there have been studies done that have shown that "uni-ethnic" churches (I'm including an overwhelmingly "white" church in the category) tend to grow faster (numerically) than churches which have a significant diversity in the pews.  The reasons that are given make sense to me.  People find familiarity and "comfort" being with people with whom they share a lot in common, and the this lends itself to deeper friendships, and even marriage for single Christians who hold the value of wanting to marry someone within either own ethnicity.  Members bring visitors of the same ethnic group, and the cycle simply perpetuates itself.

Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, where I serve as an Elder, has around a 50% Asian, 40% Caucasian, and 10% other composition.  I think it's also fair to say that the Asian population as a percentage has increased over the past couple of years.  When I mentioned this to in passing to an Asian member, she hypothesized that the increase in Asians and corresponding decrease in Caucasian phenomena would continue because "Caucasian Americans can't deal with being the minority.  Most Asians have dealt with being the only Asian kid in class, but Caucasians aren't used to that, and they don't like it."  A fellow Elder, on the other hand, speculated that one of the driving forces might be "how we do service", most notably the way we do praise.  Perhaps too much Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Matt Redman, and Parachute Band?  Maybe, though the last time I checked, those musicians are all white, or play for predominantly white congregations.

At the end of the day, I don't think we can bind the consciences of people who opt to worship in congregations where they feel they can enjoy greater depths of relationships with fellow Christians of the same ethnicity, as long as by doing so, they neither devalue nor marginalize other Christians of other backgrounds.  Does it take an effort to relate to people who haven't been raised with parents with similar idiosyncrasies, having battled the same spiritual idols, or having eaten the same strange foods?  Sure it is.  I will say that I am spiritually richer having served, worshipped, and lived in communities with non-Asians friends.  Others eschew this opportunity at their own cost. 

Frankly, I think the even bigger dividing wall in churches is socioeconomic, not racial.  But that's for another day.