At the beginning of the century, the “melting pot” metaphor was still operational as a method of assimilating persons from other cultures into that of the U.S. As long as others became “like us” (those of European descent), they were welcome on these shores. This did not work, however, because no matter how skilled persons became in the English language and the customs and values of a Euro-American culture, if their skin color or facial features identified them as “other,” they would remain “other” throughout many generations. As the twentieth century closes, the philosophy has shifted to a “salad bowl” metaphor. It is understood that persons will maintain much of their culture and native language as U. S. citizens, but the diversity will enrich the “salad” that is (at least to some degree) “home” to us all. The racial and cultural diversity of the people who make up the U.S. today has changed radically from that of the beginning or even the middle of this century. Based on birth, death, and immigration rates, it is predicted that, in the next forty years, there will be no increase in the Euro-American population. The number of deaths and births will virtually even themselves out. African-Americans will double in population. Hispanic births will quadruple, and the number of Asian citizens will increase by five. These new demographics are affecting the make-up of the church at large and of individual congregations. In the new millennium, many major U. S. cities will not be predominantly populated by people of European descent. And while we may think that the growing number of persons from a wide variety of cultures is only a phenomenon in the big cities, there are many Vietnamese in Houston, TX; Laotians in Tecumseh, NE; Hmong in Minneapolis, MN; Haitians in Pompano Beach, FL; and Fijians in Seattle, WA. Many communities are experiencing a multitude of persons from a wide variety of cultures. While the majority of persons from these diverse cultures are worshiping in more or less homogenous congregations that offer worship and ministry in their native cultural milieu as well as their native language(s) when appropriate, others choose to attend their neighborhood church which is often comprised of a majority of Euro-American parishioners. This creates multicultural congregations that pose possibilities and challenges for the new millennium. This change has generated enthusiasm and excitement in some circles and fear and trepidation in others as we face the new millennium. This is not only true in society as a whole but in churches across this country as well. It is true that in the waning years of the twentieth century, membership among Euro-American United Methodist congregations has declined for various reasons. This causes concern among some persons and panic among others who feel that the very existence of the church is at stake. Yet a declining membership is not the case in many congregations whose membership includes primarily persons from Central or South America and various parts of Asia or Africa. Korean, Hispanic, and Tongan churches are increasing in membership as evangelism and mission efforts are expanded. Some of these countries are beginning to send missionaries to the U.S. to start new churches and to increase the membership of existing congregations. In addition, new missions and churches are being established for more recent immigrants: Cambodians, Laotians, Hmong, Vietnamese, Filipinos. The United Methodist Church also has congregations whose members come from Ghana, Liberia, India, Pakistan, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. These all exist within our denomination along with those churches that have a long history on this soil: African Americans, Native Americans, Japanese, and Chinese. It is among many cultures not of European descent that much excitement comes as we consider a millennial change. Rather than declining in membership, these churches are growing and will continue to grow if the population statistics predicted for the future become a reality. This is not to say that there are not some concerns facing these congregations as we cross over into a new millennium. As more and more generations are born in this country, issues between the generations emerge which must be addressed. Some churches already offer English-language ministries for their children and their children’s children. Because of marriages that occur across Asian cultures, some churches offer pan-Asian services that may be predominantly Japanese or Korean but that include a diversity of persons who have become connected to that culture through marriage. And newer immigrants to the U.S. are just beginning to deal with the question of what kinds of ministries will best serve their children and those generations born in the U.S. and educated in the American school system. The predicted population demographics for the future cause fear in some people and excitement in others. The fear tends to stem from the unknown. Because Euro-Americans control most institutions of power in the U.S., and because English is still the dominant language, most Euro-Americans don’t have to get to know or understand persons from other cultures. But neither do most Koreans understand African-Americans or Pakistanis understand Mexicans. The white wrap-around skirts worn by the male clergy from Tonga on communion Sundays and the long, colorful tunics worn over pants by some men from Ghana are strange to the eyes of those unfamiliar with those cultures. The smells of the foods cooked by those from Vietnam fill the air with odors unfamiliar to those unaccustomed to foods from Southeast Asia. The funeral practices of those from Ghana may seem strange unless one understand why burial happens so long after one’s death. The Tong Song Kido prayer form of some Korean churches, where individual prayers are offered aloud simultaneously creates a cacophony of voices that seems in contrast to the unison prayers or silent prayers of many congregations. And yet, the richness and uniqueness that each of these cultures brings to the church at large allows us to fully participate in the total Body of Christ, giving us a glimpse of the kingdom of God, the eschatological banquet. For those who participate in multicultural churches, it is a tremendous challenge but a wonderful context to find ways to live out God’s kingdom (or in the words of Ada Maria Isasi-Díaz, “God’s kin-dom” 13) here on earth. The new millennium offers us a tremendous opportunity to practice being the “family of God,” enriching one another with our various spiritualities and ways of praising God as we learn how to live together as brothers and sisters in Christ.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION & DISCUSSION
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-- The Rev. Kathy Black, Ph.D., holds the Gerald Kennedy Chair of Homiletics and Liturgics at Claremont School of Theology, Claremond, California. She is the author of Worship Across Cultures: A Handbook (Nashville: Abingdon, 1998).
Other Millennial Perspective Articles: | The Centrality of Christian Worship | Worship Forming Faith | Hope | The Changing Cultural Look of Worship | Visual Arts | | Advent: Between the Times | Worshiping with Jubilation | Children and 21st Century Worship |
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| Introduction | Preface | Contents | Copyright | | Millennial Perspectives | Worship and Study Resources | | Seven Days of Praise and Prayer |Prayer and Worship for a Jubilee Week | The Last Letter: Revelation’s News | Repairing the World: God's Gift of Jubilee | Hymns | Additional Liturgical Resources | Appendix |
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s we enter a new millennium, we look back over the last century and realize how much change has taken place. One important change in the U.S. has been the issue of race relations and equal rights. The 21st century has seen a shift in philosophy regarding persons of races and cultures not of European descent.