Immigration and integration: The challenge of building a healthy multi-ethnic church culture in New England

A half century after Martin Luther King Jr called 11 a.m. on Sunday morning the most segregated hour in America, things are changing and we are helping to build a new mindset of the new portrait of our country by building a culture of healthy churches in New England. The increased cross-border movement of millions of people, which is a common feature of globalization and the diaspora movement, changes many Western societies and the church in these countries.  

Since the mid-eighties the United States has seen a considerable number of both forced and voluntary immigrants entering the country. Immigrants have been both Christian and non-Christian. Some immigrants were Christians before they came to the U.S., others embraced Christianity following their arrival. They face two immediate challenges: integration into American society and establishment in the Christian community. 

One of the key questions I have serving churches in New England is: Should churches plant mono-ethnic or multiethnic churches? For some churches and mission agencies the answer to that question is a straightforward one. In their report “Mission-shaped Church” from the Church of England, for example, it encourages its members to plant churches for specific cultural groups, and the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention argues that the planting of ethnic churches is not only an important strategy for today’s church but that it is also an approach that was used by the early church.  

The North American Mission Board believes that the planting of mono-ethnic churches was at the heart of the apostle Paul’s mission strategy. However, the picture presented by Luke in the Book of Acts of both the first Christian churches and Paul’s missionary activities seems to suggest that it was the formation of multi-cultural and multi-ethnic churches which dominated the mission of the early church.  

To summarize, one can say that Luke presents the early Christian church in Jerusalem as a diverse mono-ethnic community. The church consisted of an Aramaic-speaking majority and a Greek-speaking minority. These two groups had their own meetings, but they accepted the overall leadership of the apostles. Luke stresses that the church leaders showed sincere concern for the minority group's needs and the church's unity. He also emphasizes that they were flexible enough to restructure the community and to give leadership responsibilities to members of the minority group when it became necessary.  

“The overall picture of the early Jerusalem church, presented by the author of Acts, is that of a caring community united by faith.”

Luke’s account of the beginning of the Jerusalem church suggests that the Greek-speaking minority were fully integrated into the church: they had a voice in the assembly and Luke does not mention any attempts made by the Aramaic-speaking majority to demand cultural or linguistic assimilation. The overall picture of the early Jerusalem church, presented by the author of Acts, is that of a caring community united by faith. This fits well with the main theological purposes of Luke, to strengthen the faith of his Christian readership and to encourage them to get on with their mission, which is to all people whatever social or ethnic background they might have. 

Conclusion: Integration principles  

The results of the above analysis of various New Testament churches and Paul’s missionary activities as they are portrayed by Luke in the Book of Acts clearly contradict the view that the early church had a strategy of planting ethnic churches. On the contrary, they provide us with guidelines or principles that can help us to develop strategies for the integration of immigrants into local indigenous churches. 

The principle of equality  

Luke proves that there is no place for racial discrimination within the Christian church. In Christ, all believers are spiritually equal, whatever their ethnic background (Acts 15:8-11). Such an understanding of equality has implications for the treatment of migrants. While forced migrants, for example, are denied certain rights by society because of their legal status, churches must not do the same to Christian refugees and asylum seekers if they are to replicate the early church. Luke reminds his readers of the key role that refugees played in the mission of the first century church (Acts 8:4-5; 11:19-20; 18:8).  

In other words, churches that minister to Christian migrants today should not treat them differently from any other church members, they should not be discriminated against because of their legal status or ethno-cultural background. Instead, they need to give them the opportunity to serve in the church and to use their God-given gifts. 

The principles of non-assimilation and mutuality  

Luke points out that at the Council of Jerusalem, the early church decided to have a non-assimilation policy. It was decided that to become a Christian, non-Jews did not have to become Jewish first (Acts 15:19). The church knew that such an obligation would have been an obstacle for its mission and the integration of non-Jewish believers.  

For a church involved with immigrants this means that it must not expect them to abandon their language and all their traditions and customs and adopt the dominant culture. In parallel, the Council of Jerusalem made clear that while there was no need for non-Jewish believers to give up their cultural heritage it required them to respect certain Jewish customs (Acts 15:20).  

It defined integration as a mutual process. Immigrants who want to join a local church are not entitled to demand radical change. They too must respect the cultural norms of the dominant group. What is needed is an attitude of mutual submission, prioritizing mutual accountability and fellowship over personal rights and freedoms. 

The principle of mixed-leadership  

Luke stresses that New Testament churches, like those in Antioch, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth were multi-ethnic communities (Acts 11:19-20; 16:13-34; 17:4,12; 18:2, 7-10). It is significant that the leadership of these churches reflected not only the diverse local church membership but also the diversity of the whole body of Christ.  

The fact that the role was not based on the politics of ethnicity but upon the giftings of the Holy Spirit showed a protocol for unity which has relevance today. It follows that it is mandatory for multi-ethnic churches to select their leaders on this basis and to avoid mono-ethnic leadership. A church that has an ethno-cultural diversity in its membership should foster and call leaders from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  

One thing about multi-ethnic church leadership: Cross-cultural fellowship is not easy. We naturally tend towards our own kind. But to mix with those from other nations, other cultural backgrounds, should be a particular characteristic and glory of the Christian church.  

The same applies to local churches involved with Christian immigrants. Such churches need to find spiritual leaders from among them and call them the church's overall leadership. Doing so shows that the local church takes the spiritual status of immigrants seriously and confirms the fact that they are brothers and sisters in Christ. Further, it shows a willingness to listen to them and to learn from them. 

The principle of mixed-ministry teams  

Finally, Luke puts stress on the fact that Paul’s missionary teams were culturally and ethnically diverse, too. People of diverse cultures and social rank worked together for the sake of the Gospel (Acts 4:36; 16:1; 18:1-4). For the New Testament church, the God-given gifts and talents of people assumed greater importance than their sociocultural background. In addition, the cultural insights which they brought to mission enabled the church to be more effective in its outreach. The Antioch model of every-member ministries, a local church which wants to integrate Christian migrants should replicate this model. A crucial step to integrate immigrants into the local church is to help them to find opportunities for service according to their abilities and gifts. Serving others is an important dimension of Christian life. The status of immigrants should not reduce people to the passive receipt of service from other church members.  

Immigrants need an equal chance to serve side by side with indigenous Christians in roles of mutual reciprocity. Where equal opportunities exist their contribution towards God’s mission can be recognized by the whole church and in the process their participation enables them to get to know other members of the church better and to form friendships. 

Lierte Soares is the vice-president of the Baptist Churches of New England, local pastor, educator, and church planter missionary with a passion for evangelism & discipleship. He has been married for 19 years and the father of 2 children. A graduate in Theology and Law, he also holds a master's degree with a concentration in Cross-Cultural Missions from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, and is currently working on his doctorate in evangelism and missions at the same seminary.