Mainline Groups Join to Celebrate Diversity, Dismantle Racism

By Audrey Barrick, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, July 12, 2007

Three major denominations are coming together to celebrate multiculturalism at a four-day event this week.

Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Reformed Church in America will focus on education, justice and inclusiveness in multicultural settings and gain tools to dismantle racism at "Spirit of Wholeness in Christ: A Racial Ethnic Multicultural Event" in Los Angeles, July 12-15.

"People of all ethnicities and races will have the opportunity to learn, value and appreciate racial and cultural differences," said Rosemary Dyson, associate executive director, ELCA Multicultural Ministries.

The event is a result of a partnership of ethnic specific/racial ethnic, racial justice, and multicultural staff in the CARE (Communion Agreement Racial Ethnic) group. Partners in CARE make a pledge to live "together under the Gospel in such a way that the principle of mutual affirmation and admonition becomes the basis of a trusting relationship in which respect and love for the other will have a chance to grow."

The multicultural gathering comes as more mainline denominations make greater efforts to diversify their churches.

ELCA, with over 4.85 million members, estimates that just 1.12 percent of its congregants were African American as of 2005. According to ELCA presiding bishop the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, the denomination is 97 percent white.

With membership declining, Hanson has called member churches nationwide to break cultural barriers and end racism, which he believes remains a problem in the predominantly white church. Hanson has stressed multicultural and multi-lingual churches and has begun meeting with African Americans for consultation to find ways to draw more people of color. Some Lutheran churches also began changing their culture to attract other ethnicities.

Evangelical Lutherans are aiming for at least 10 percent of its membership to be people or color and/or those whose primary language is other than English.

ELCA isn't alone in its membership struggle and diversity emphasis. The PC(USA), which has seen a continual drop in membership and is now at 2.3 million, has distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to church projects of growth, the majority of which are racial-ethnic projects.

"When the GAC (General Assembly Council), presbyteries and synods collaborate on these types of evangelism projects, we are sharing the gospel in ways that meet the needs of a diverse and changing culture," said the Rev. Eric Hoey, director of the GAC's new Evangelism and Church Growth program area.

This week's multiculturalism event includes 46 workshops on such topics as Katrina, keynote presentations and worships services.