Building a Healthy Multi–Ethnic Church – Mandate, Commitments and Practices of a Diverse Congregation: Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series

For more than one hundred years, eleven o'clock on Sunday morning has been called the most segregated hour in the land. Despite the integration of -public schools, the workplace, and neighborhoods, the local church -stubbornly clings to homogeneity. As America grows more and more diverse, the local church will be forced to adapt in order to remain relevant and effective. Good intentions, however, are not enough to inspire systemic change.

Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church explains why the growing -fascination with multi-ethnic churches must not be focused on racial reconciliation but on reconciling individuals to Jesus Christ and on reconciling local congregations of faith with the inclusive nature of the New Testament Church. Through personal stories and a thorough analysis of the biblical text, Mark DeYmaz, pastor of one of the most proven multi-ethnic churches in the country, provides the theological mandate for the multi-ethnic church and outlines seven core commitments required to bring it about. Writing from his comprehensive experience in planting, growing, and encouraging more -ethnically diverse communities of faith, he demonstrates why the most -effective way to advance the Gospel in the twenty-first century will be through strong and vital multi-ethnic churches.

Mark DeYmaz challenges pastors and lay people alike who believe that the kingdom of heaven is not segregated to create local churches on earth that will not be either. Through such efforts, the Gospel will be newly proclaimed in power and the church restored to a place of prominent influence in an increasingly multi-ethnic, multi-racial nation.