Church & Society - Racial Justice & Multicultural Ministry

Mission Council Resolution on Asylum & Immigration
Reports from Meetings Held
Useful Websites
Racial Justice & Multicultural Ministry
Persecution of Christians
Migrant Workers
Joint Public Issues Team

In July, 2005, the United Reformed Church declared itself to be a Multicultural Church welcoming all cultures and ethnicities in worship, witness and service, and celebrating the diverse gifts of the whole people of God for the mission and ministry to which God calls us.

 

In a real sense, this declaration is an affirmation of what the URC already is – a gathered together body made up of all kinds of people. We have congregations with members from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds; congregations with less diverse backgrounds who host migrant minority ethnic churches; and a range of other kinds of ministry activity that engages the whole people of God in one way or another.

 

We are multicultural. Yet we are also aware that we can be better at it. We are aware that we are a majority white church, and that the way we work in the world reflects that. We want to be more open to the gifts that other cultures bring and more receptive to the new thing that God is doing in creating multicultural bodies. The declaration is a way to begin thinking about how to be intentionally multicultural - welcoming and using the gifts of all sorts of people for the glory of God.

 

To help congregations think about their multicultural welcome, we’ve developed a Multicultural Ministry Toolkit. The toolkit can help a church think about and create opportunities to improve their ministry. The areas covered in the toolkit include welcome and hospitality; overcoming barriers; leadership; intergenerational concerns; mission planning; theology, spirituality and the Bible; meetings; and rites of passage.

 

There is a racial justice advocate in your Synod who would be happy to introduce the Toolkit to you, and to accompany your church as it looks at its multicultural ministry. contact your Synod Office for the name and contact details of an advocate.

 

From the time of Pentecost on, Jesus has called followers together from the ends of the earth and given us the ministry of reconciliation. In these times, when difference is more likely to result in division or destruction, our work at building bridges between people of different cultures is more important than ever. Your congregation may have a part to play. Please consider using the Multicultural Ministry Toolkit to equip you to welcome, celebrate and use the gifts of the whole people of God.

 

Katalina Tahaafe-Williams,
Secretary for Racial Justice and Multicultural Ministry