Four Levels of Commitment Within Churches To Serve Immigrants

Charles Foster, author of Leadership in Multicultural Churches: Embracing Diversity, has observed different levels of commitment within churches to serve immigrants. The first is simply a matter of church survival. Space is rented out to immigrant groups, or services such as day-care are offered with the intention of bringing new families into the church. Foster does not criticize this approach. He sees it as a step above the church moving to an entirely new community to avoid the encroaching growth of immigrant populations. However, most have noted that relations based on pure economics are not generally good ones.

The second level of commitment is a missionary approach that strives to be obedient to the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations. Actions are taken by the church to reach out to their ethnic neighbors. Some churches have been able to bring members of different ethnic groups into their congregations by being obedient to the gospel. However, it is often noted that these churches, while appearing diverse, may feel white. Usually, this is a result of the church not striving to make additional changes to bring people of diverse cultures into the main life of the church by including them in leadership, worship, or church educational programming [Foster, 1997:8–10].

Foster calls the third level of commitment to multicultural ministry the catalyst/hospitality approach. These churches strive to welcome the stranger within their midst and believe the words of Christ: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. … I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35,40).

These congregations believe strongly that the strangers who come into their midst often are God’s special envoys to bless or challenge them, like the three strangers who visited Abraham.

Congregations that fit into the category of hospitality/catalyst commitment to multicultural ministry are often impacted by the stranger who enters their midst. Yet similar to churches that are obedient to the Great Commission, they may fail to make institutional changes that will allow for foreigners to be incorporated fully into the different areas of leadership within the church.

The fourth level of commitment to multicultural ministry is one that has a theological vision. Churches in this category are intentionally multicultural and generally their mission statement will reflect this. For example, there are multicultural churches that base their ministry on Revelation 7, in which people of every nation, tribe, and language are worshiping at the feet of the Lamb of God.

Kathryn Antil. Excerpted from Kathryn Antil, “Multicultural Ministry and Missions in the 21st century,” in Becoming an Intentionally Intercultural Church: A Manual To Facilitate Transition, 2d ed. Rob Brynjolfson and Jonathan Lewis, eds. (Ontario: World Evangelical Alliance, 2006), 61,62.