Establishing a multicultural church to reach the next generation
The FBC-Framingham Baptist Church is a multi-ethnic church merge with River of Life Worship Center & Igreja Batista Brasileira de Framingham located in the MetroWest region of Boston, Massachusetts. The church’s congregation is mainly composed of Brazilian immigrants. We started the planting process in 2014. The River Of Life Worship Center has gone through several transitions over the seven years since its inception, in terms of location and target groups. When the church reached 4 years of existence, we noted the need for a further transition from a predominantly Portuguese-speaking congregation to a truly multi-ethnic church that uses English as its primary language of worship - an ongoing process we are in to this day.
The exodus problem
The dilemma facing the FBC-Framingham Baptist Church is not unique and is something that many ethnic churches in America also experience. The growth of immigration to the United States has brought with it a proliferation of ethnic churches that can span districts and regions. However, as these immigrants settle down and establish families, it is inevitable that the second and third generations will adopt the English language and the prevailing culture. Their own new culture is different from their parents'. The result is that these new generations will leave the church of their parents where they grew up or abandon Christianity altogether, since it is difficult for them to locate a church that understands and reflects their reality. For example, Korean-American churches face what is called the "second exodus" of the second generation leaving their parents' church when they go to college.
An article published in Christianity Today reported that the cause of the exodus is that members of the second generation do not master the native language of their parents and that there is no effort on the part of the leaders to present alternatives for this group. Many of the first generation speak with a heavy accent and have little or no awareness of the American language and culture.
Becoming a multicultural church
The risk of this is that twenty to thirty years from now - when the original members age, die, or return to their home country - a once vibrant ethnic church finds itself in the precarious position of being reduced to a handful of members or closing its doors. The church survives if the majority ethnic group maintains its presence through immigration, as is the case with many Korean and Hispanic churches. When this is not the case, the churches that have been successful at becoming a multicultural church have transitioned to English congregations; however, they have not been able to resolve the ensuing identity crisis due to a lack of cultural adaptation. This was a warning sign for our FBC-Framingham Baptist Church, because as we complete 7 years of ministry, we find ourselves at this exact crossroads.
Learning to adapt
The time for the church to adapt culturally is when the church is vibrant and resources are available to transition to a multi-ethnic congregation, such as the primary language used in the main services. Church transition is necessary to ensure continued growth and future survival. Additionally, one major fact to consider is that the children of current members of the congregation are often born in the United States or arrived so young that they spent their formative years in the United States. These children are mostly bilingual and operate primarily in English. Teens represent an influential demographic that I refer to as the "New Generation" and they need to be reached in a different way than their parents, which offers a challenge and an opportunity for the future viability of the church.
Lierte Soares is a Brazilian American church planter missionary and has been in New England since March 2014. He pastors a church in Vermont and is planting a multicultural church in MetroWest Boston.
