Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) [Paperback]

Mark DeYmaz (Author), Harry Li (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 2010 | Series: Leadership Network Innovation Series

Increasingly, church leaders are recognizing the intrinsic power and beauty of the multi-ethnic church. Yet, more than a good idea, it's a biblical, first-century standard with far-reaching evangelistic potential. How can your church overcome the obstacles in order to become a healthy, fruitful multi-ethnic church of faith? And why should you even try? In Ethnic Blends, multi-ethnic church pioneer Mark DeYmaz provides an up-close and personal look at seven common challenges to mixing diversity into your local church. Through real-life stories and practical illustrations, DeYmaz shows how to overcome the obstacles in order to build a healthy multi-ethnic church. He also includes the insights of other effective, multi-ethnic local church leaders from the United States and Australia. Ethnic Blends describes what effective local churches in the 21st century will look like and shows us how to create them, together as one, beyond race and class distinctions. --Miles McPherson, Senior Pastor, The Rock Church, San Diego, CA Mark DeYmaz, perhaps more than any pastor in America, has his pulse on what it will take for the Church to find real reconciliation in our generation. --Matt Carter, Lead Pastor, Austin Stone Community Church, Austin, TX

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Mark DeYmaz is the founding pastor of the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas (www.mosaicchurch.net), a multi-ethnic and economically diverse church where significant percentages of Black and White Americans, together with men and women from more than 30 nations, walk, work and worship God together as one. A recognized leader in the emerging Multi-ethnic Church Movement, Mark's book, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network, 2007), provides the biblical mandate for the multi-ethnic church and outlines seven core commitments required to bring it about. He posts weekly on his blog, Glue, at www.markdeymaz.com. Mark is currently a contributing editor for Leadership Journal and a former member of Little Rock's Racial and Cultural Diversity Commission. He is a graduate of Liberty University, Western Seminary in Portland, OR, and has a DMin from Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, AZ. In addition, he is a co-founder of the Mosaix Global Network (www.mosaix.info)?

Harry Li is the Campus Pastor of Mosaic and came on staff in 2002, when the church was six months old. Prior to that, he was an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho where he taught for 10 years. Harry and his wife, Melanie, reside in Little Rock and have three daughters, Anna, Katie and Meredith.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (March 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310321239
• ISBN-13: 978-0310321231
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a needed 'how to' book for multi-ethnic churches, March 13, 2010

By 

James F. Strasma "strasma" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) (Paperback)

(What's this?)

My how we could have used this book ten years ago when our church (Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL) first decided to cross the racial divide in hopes of becoming multi-ethnic! Our results were recently described in a January, 2010 Time Magazine article that shows both how far Willow has come, and how far it still has to go.

It's interesting that both these authors and our pastor (Bill Hybels) were inspired by Michael Emerson's depressing book "Divided by Faith." For those who haven't read it yet, it describes lasting multi-ethnic churches as sociologically impossible. Yet, as I once responded to Dr. Emerson in a meeting, it HAS to be possible for Christians, because the Bible commands it. This book is the story of HOW it has been possible with God's help, not only for Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, but also for several other cited examples to become truly multi-ethnic (defined as no more than 80% from any one ethnicity.)

A key insight of this book is: however well the homogeneous unit principle of church growth worked in the twentieth century, only multi-ethnic churches can achieve lasting growth in the twenty-first. One reason is that the U.S. is becoming more diverse. Twenty-five percent of the people living near Willow's suburban campuses no longer look like the people who founded Willow. Any church that today only appeals to only one ethnicity, thereby shrinks its market, especially as the U.S. moves toward becoming majority-minority by 2042. Second, and more importantly, people who are considering the message of the church today can't avoid wondering why it can't be at least as diverse as their workplace. As this book put it "For in an increasingly diverse and cynical society, people will no longer find credible the message of God's love for all people when it's preached by segregated churches."

Another key insight: "it is the [multi-ethnic] church at Antioch, and not the [homogeneous] church in Jerusalem, that is the most influential church of the entire New Testament." and "it wasn't until the church at Jerusalem was persecuted that individuals were forced to carry the message of Christ to other lands and people."

The book lists seven core commitments of a multi-ethnic church: embrace dependence, intentional steps, diverse leaders, cross-cultural relationships and competence, inclusion and mobilizing for impact.

Thankfully, this book then gets into actual cases, such as tongues, women in ministry, politics, the undocumented, worship music, wine versus grape juice, choosing leaders, and resolving conflicts. It also presents various models of how multi-ethnic churches function, listing strengths and weaknesses of each approach. For instance, Willow now has a popular weekly service in Spanish, good for attracting Hispanics. However, the resulting challenge is how to ensure Willow remains united, not two congregations sharing a building.

I found the transitions between the two authors a bit hard to track, and still wonder about the ethnicity of Deymaz. Those primarily concerned about bridging the specific divide between black and white may want an additional book, such as the book "Letters Across the Divide" that helped Willow start its "Justice Journey."

Overall, for churches interested in actually becoming multi-ethnic, this is your "how to" guide.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stained Glass Leads the Way, February 25, 2010

By 

Shannon Freeman "discerning spirit" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) (Paperback)

(What's this?)

Stained glass, with all of its multiple brilliant colors, provides a unique style of rainbow for church families, allowing nature's light to shine through a prism of various shades of peace and comfort. Mark Deymaz and Harry Li attempt to introduce the stained glass concept into the church body with their new book, "Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church". As Deymaz and Li explore the possibilities associated with bringing different ethnicities together under one Godly roof, it's impossible to ignore the analogy of the stained glass, the elegant, beautiful art work that stands as a testament to the value of strength derived from the sum of disparate parts.

Deymaz and Li don't deny the fact that there are obstacles to creating such a spiritual utopia; in fact, they recognize this sad fact in every chapter. However, not ones to be dissuaded, they acknowledge the difficulties, and in the same breath they offer solutions for eradicating these barriers. Multiple races worshiping together requires overcoming challenges that range from the personal to the practical. Ironically, there is a chapter devoted to debunking the myths created by theological sources, making one want to throw up her hands and give up. Yet, the authors do such an amazing job of convincing the reader it is possible, racial harmony in God's House is within our grasp, it renews hope and faith that the promise of knowing we are "Christians by our love, by our love" will be a song that literally comes to fruition.

Excellent read for anyone interested in justice, spirituality, or the how the two might blend.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An authoritative church reference, July 11, 2010

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) (Paperback)

Churches struggling with issues of diversity and ethnic representation will welcome Mark Deymaz and Harry Li's ETHNIC BLENDS: MIXING DIVERSITY INTO YOUR LOCAL CHURCH. It covers common obstacles churches face in trying to blend in different ethnicities, and provides paths for a church to become a healthy, multi-ethnic representation of faith. The authors are multi-ethnic church pioneers with a track record in addressing and successfully handling barriers to church growth, making this an authoritative church reference.