19 Feb Redemption

Being a part of a multicultural church can many times be simultaneously the most exciting and daunting challenge any person can ever be a part of (and certainly leading one is as well!).

Almost every pastor friend I talk to has heard about us, what God is doing among us, and is supportive of our vision, to see a Christ-centered multicultural and multigenerational church flourish and impact the Austin, Texas area.

And, in addition, almost every guest I speak with remarks about the beauty of it as well.

They’ll always say something to the effect of, “Man, it sure is great what you guys are doing!”

And I always say in return, “It is nice, but it’s a lot of work! And if you’re up for the work, you’re up for the journey with us.”

And when they inevitably ask what I mean by “the work”, I usually respond along the following lines, which I am humbly offering to you today as three ways (among many others, I’m sure) to graciously handle life in a multicultural context.

Successfully navigating being a part of a multicultural church requires me to:

1. Be patiently aggressive

Hebrews 6:12 tells us through “faith and patience” we inherit anything God has ever promised us—too much “faith”, that is, energy, vision, activity—and not enough patience—and you’ll burn out, which is a common thing for those of us who are activists for any cause. Yet on the other hand, if we have too much patience, and not enough faith—we’ll become complacent and satisfied with the status quo. But, and only when I combine the two, I can consistently press for change in people’s hearts, without growing discouraged at or complaining about an apparent lack of progress.

2. Be quickly slow

What I mean by this is what the book of James tells us—when it comes to navigating difficult conversations, what is wise is to be quick to listen and slow to speak.

Many, if not most times, in our culture, this makes for poor news cycles, doesn’t it? It’s when someone is fast to speak and slow to listen that something makes the news rounds, and provides fuel for the worst parts of the sinfulness of our hearts. But what if? What if we sought first to understand another’s perspective, and then just listened and said, “thank you”?

It’s hard beyond bearing, at moments, and yet to be wise Christians, we must. And by the way, that Scripture from James is actually in the context of bringing about change—he’s telling us what will bring about God’s righteousness on the earth is not to shoot from the hip and apologize later, but to listen with the heart and lean into love now.

3. Be flexibly firm

2 Timothy 2 was a letter written from Paul to a young pastor named, of course, Timothy, and while the letter primarily allows the reader to eavesdrop into Paul’s advice on how to lead a church (and Timothy’s church in Ephesus would have been, without question, multicultural), there is this fascinating little bit at the end of chapter 2:

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome
but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
Opponents must be gently instructed…”

Did you catch what Paul said? Not that Timothy should just roll over and “take it” from people whose arguments were opposing the Gospel of grace and its implications, but that he was to be “flexibly firm” about his convictions—not arguing, not resentful when he didn’t feel heard (always a struggle, isn’t it), but gentle when correcting others.

Now—back to my conversations.

Whenever I share something along those lines, there’s always a pause, and then a “I see what you mean. That does sound like a lot of work!”

But, the last thing I always say is that in the end, it’s worth it.

And I hope you would agree.

It’s what God has called us to do and be, among other things—so let’s do it well.

With love,
Morgan

P.S. I’ll be teaching out of Proverbs on the topics of marriage and singleness this weekend. If you know someone who could use some encouragement in their marriage or being single, this is the weekend to invite them (as is every Sunday!).