Evidence abounds that the Multi-ethnic Church Movement has crested the half-way point of its Pioneer Stage (launched by the publication of Michael Emerson and Christian Smith's book, Divided By Faith in 2000). The
next stage, and Early-Adopter Stage, will begin when approximately 20% of
churches throughout the United States become approximately 20% diverse – which
many are striving for by the year 2020.
What are seven signs that the
Early-Adopter Stage of the Multi-ethnic Church Movement is nearing?
Consider the following ...
1. By 2007, Protestant churches were 3x more likely to have 20% diversity within their attending membership as they were in 1998; and large Protestant churches of 1,000 or more attenders were 5x more likely in this regard;
2. In August 2010, Moody published, Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church by Soong-Chan Rah, and IVP published Multicultural Ministry Handbook by David Anderson;
3. In November 2010, the Mosaix Global Network hosted the first truly National Multi-ethnic Church Conference in San Diego, CA. 400 individuals from thirty-one states and three foreign countries (Australia, Canada and Sweden) attended this historic event, which was broadcast live over the internet to an additional 471 unique viewers in ten countries outside the U.S. (Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom). In my opinion, this event marks the mid-way point of the Pioneer Stage.
3. In December 2011, Leadership Network launched its first Leadership Community focused on Multi-ethnic Churches with 12 churches (including one from Canada) participating in the two-year project;
4. In August 2012, Jossey-Bass published its second book on the subject: Efrem Smith's The Post-Black and Post-White Church;
5. In April 2013, Zondervan will re-release the book Ethnic Blends under a new title, Leading a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church, with a foreword by Matt Chandler and afterword by Dr. John M. Perkins.
6. And in November 2013, Mosaix Global Network will host the 2nd National Multi-ethnic Church Conference in Long Beach, CA. To date, more than 100 tickets have already been sold, 20 sponsors lined up, and over 40 speakers signed on for the event ... all such things well outpacing where things stood at this time in 2010!
But wait, there's more ...
2013 and 2014 will also mark the years in which seminaries began offering specific D. Min. cohorts and/or courses focused on developing leaders for multi-ethnic local church ministry in the 21st century. Below I've listed six seminaries and six courses of which I am currently aware that are now scheduled for launch this year and next.
2013
May - Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, VA (contact Dr. Charlie Davidson)
Jun - Talbot School of Theology, CA (contact Dr. Gary McIntosh)
Nov - Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, IL (contact Dr. Martin Crain)
2014 (months beginning TBA)
Dallas Theological Seminary, TX (contact Dr. Ray Chang)
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, NC (contact Dr. Rod Cooper)
Western Seminary, OR (contact Dr. John Johnson)
If you are interested in registering for one of these classes, please use the appropriate links above.
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