Many churches claim to want an ethnically diverse congregation. Such talk can seem like lip service, though, if the church’s leadership teams are mono-ethnic. The decisions a church makes when it comes to power and authority say far more than any mission statement could about the value a congregation puts on ethnic diversity.
In this roundtable video, TGC Council members Darryl Williamson, Kevin DeYoung, and Danny Akin discuss why and how churches should actively pursue ethnic diversity in their elder board or leadership teams. Pastors may say “anyone can be an elder here” and sincerely mean it, yet be unaware of invisible barriers keeping ethnic minorities out of church leadership. Akin, DeYoung, and Williamson also talk about ways for churches in mono-ethnic areas to pursue a kingdom vision of ethnic diversity through missions and church planting.
Related:
- How the Country’s Largest White Presbyterian Church Became Multiethnic (Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra)
- Why Asian Americans Struggle to Feel at Home in White-Majority Churches (Steve S. Chang)
- The Blessings and Challenges of Multicultural Churches (Joel Kurtz)
