We all assume that we perceive the world around us properly. We gather information, process that information and draw conclusions.
The problem is that no one is a ‘blank slate’, a clean piece of paper. Each one of us has a history of what we have seen and of ways of processing what we have seen. This history cannot but influence what we see and how we see things today. We take notice of things we have been taught to take notice of and ignore things we have never been urged to observe. We draw conclusions today based on models of the way we drew conclusions in the past.
That we do this is normal. In fact there is a whole new discipline with numerous books available that explore ‘cultural intelligence’. While normal it does have implications. Let’s look at an example of how it operates.
The cultural example
It is common knowledge that Sydney is and is becoming ever increasingly multi-ethnic. Migration patterns tell us that Anglo culture will be a minority group by the middle of this century. Even though this happening all around us we don’t often see it.
We don’t see it because our churches do not usually reflect the ethnic diversity of our suburb, and it is normal to think our suburb is like what we see represented in our churches. All ethnic groups tend to huddle together, and unless you are explicitly looking for them they are often missed. And so we can so easily neglect the gospel opportunities in our areas. Again, let’s look at some of the implications.
Recruiting ministry teams
In recent years I have been involved in consulting with churches seeking a new minister, or desiring to expand their ministry team.
I find it interesting that churches with predominantly Anglo congregations cannot imagine having a non Anglo pastor. When I ask why? I’m told that Anglos will not a join a congregation with a pastor originating from another culture. Racism runs deep in all cultures, and so there is truth to this sentiment. But I wonder if the automatic selection of an Anglo pastor has a similar effect in alienating non Anglos from church? My view has always been that the majority culture has a responsibility to care for minority cultures. For the majority culture to put itself out for minority cultures (and minority cultures that are currently part of church life) is very costly and a great demonstration of the work of the Spirit in church life.
A wonderful example of this is that a century ago the Central Baptist Church, which was Anglo, recognized that their area was becoming more Chinese, so they appointed a Chinese pastor. For many years now, Central Baptist has been a powerhouse in ministry to Chinese people, but it took the willingness of the Anglo congregation to give up their privileged position to make it so.
It is also an issue for non Anglo clergy seeking positions. I was chatting with my friend Alex Purnomo this week who told a story I have heard so often before. Alex has an Indonesian background, and so churches seeking a minister too quickly dismiss him as a possible minister in their church as they think Alex would minister best in an Indonesian ministry.
It may well be the case that ethnic background gives a person an advantage in ministering to their own culture of origin, but why does this exclude them from serving in a normal parish setting? I have noticed over the years that rectors in our Sydney churches from a non Anglo background often minister well to the existing congregation members and also expose the opportunity to draw in others from minority cultures. But to appoint such a person takes a willingness on the part of the existing congregation to move out of their comfort zone. But then, isn’t that what the gospel of Jesus calls us to?
