Pastor Kevin Haah states, “People are more multiethnic in friendships and the workplace than we think they are.” He specifically points to how we can learn from the multiethnic friendships on Skid Row. Homelessness, a narrative more pervasive than ethnic differences, binds these friendships together. Downtown LA, like numerous other contexts, displays ethnic and economic diversity. Haah gives witness to the power of gospel and church to bring people together. → Groups can gain understanding by discussing why diversity is often more difficult in churches than it is in other relationships. The Homogeneous Unit Principle, which Haah cites as an approach that counters their church’s convictions and experiences, receives attention on p 17. New City Church began as a multiethnic/multisocio-economic church, but many US churches are currently homogeneous even though their contexts are diverse. On p 41, Branson and Martínez explain that shaping congregational praxis comes through a rhythm of doing, reflecting, and doing. Beginning on p 48 they illustrate how the practical theology cycle can guide a church toward intercultural life. A discussion about the five steps of practical theology can increase understanding about this process; exercises throughout the book and the practices of chapters 10 and 11 provide more specific steps. This is the 4th clip from my interview with Kevin.
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Mark Lau Branson, Ed.D.
Mark is the Homer L. Goddard Associate Professor of the Ministry of the Laity at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where he teaches courses in congregational leadership and community engagement.
Juan F. Martínez, Ph.D.
Juan is Associate Dean in charge of the Center for the Study of Hispanic Church and Community and Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Pastoral Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
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That is the purpose of our writing: to help men and women in our churches to see differently and to gain the skills and competencies needed for multicultural contexts. We want to encourage church leaders to create environments that make God’s reconciling initiatives apparent in church life and in our missional engagement with neighborhoods and cities.
Mark Lau Branson, Ed.D. &
Juan F. Martínez, Ph.D.