Right or Wrong? Subsurface racism

The racial composition of the population in our area is changing, and subsurface racism is rising. Our pastor tells us this shift presents a wonderful opportunity for outreach, but many members think it's the death knell for our church. How do we address this transition from a New Testament perspective?

Most congregations in communities of racial transition wait until it is too late to do those things that lead to a healthy congregation. By the time they decide to do anything, "too late" has arrived. In its infancy, a church must decide whether it will seek to understand the New Testament images and models or just be a gathering for cultural conformity.

Churches at beginning or in developing stages would do well to study the book of Acts. In one church I started, I preached from Acts for a full year. The Sunday morning Bible study followed the preaching content. At the end of the year, we had elevated the attitudes, disciplines, actions and practices that made New Testament churches effective. We then were capable of addressing the communities that surrounded us and strategized more than 52 programs that enabled us to reach and claim people from the various racial, ethnic, economic and religious identities.

A church's attitude is very important to its missional health. An attitude of faithfulness to the mission purposes of Christ establishes a firm foundation. Developing a missional focus requires applying the study to the congregation's immediate life and environment. "What does the word mean to me, to us?" ought to be the objective of each study. The application of the word must be personalized. It always must apply to us, not "them."

A church committed to reaching the people in their community must be willing to "learn" the people. Each generation of people brings its own identities. If you want to learn the people, create opportunities to talk with them, be with them. Such opportunities may come easily through work, school, politics, medical situations and so forth. And we should make new acquaintances with a sense of paying attention to the other and not filter the new friends through old preconceptions, even prejudices.

Our appeals to new people must not be limited to proximity of the church facility. Our concept of community must now include other factors. People drive to places of worship that may be distant to where they live. "Community" now may mean "shared values." People identify with lifestyles, intrinsic worth and common interests. While congregations of earlier years were based on nearness, contemporary congregations are and should be based on "need fulfillment." People willingly drive long distances to satisfy their needs and desires. What we have to offer is more important than how close and how much alike we may be to one another.

Emmanuel McCall, adjunct professor

McAfee School of Theology, Atlanta, Ga.

?Right or Wrong? is sponsored by the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to [email protected].