Comments on: Red or Yellow, Black, and White… Is Your Team’s Color Just Right?

By: Mikeraburn

Mikeraburn — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:24:36 +0000

p.s. All this applies to me too. My comfort is sometimes so comfy it’s like an electric blanket on a cold night.

By: Mikeraburn

Mikeraburn — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:23:02 +0000

I keep seeing variations of, “Everyone goes where they feel comfortable.” That’s a big part of the problem. Church should not make you feel comfortable. It should do just the opposite. Your comfort is a warm blanket that covers up the sin and unrighteousness in your life. Including your inability to really keep Jesus’ second commandment towards people of other ethnicities or the opposite gender (or dare we add orientation?) as you. Get off your comfy couch Christians, Jesus didn’t call you to comfort, he called you follow Him.

By: Jennifer C

Jennifer C — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:57:16 +0000

I grew up Penecostal, too. Went to a Baptist church for a bit. Now, I’m at an Acts29 church and have never felt more at home. They force me out of my comfort zone, and that makes me feel at home.

I, too, have a hard time going to Penecostal churches. I really really think it’s just tied to some weird memories and not the denomination itself.

(Sorry. That wasn’t really a response to the main post. Just this reply.)

By: Whit

Whit — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:01:58 +0000

I used to go to a “mixed” church (I live in the South but am originally from Cali). There was a deacon (white) there whom I kept hearing was racist. He would smile in everybody’s face but I would see him do things like make sure he never held a black person’s hands. The youth ministers were a mixed couple and he called the mom of what of one of the teenagers to warn her that her daughter was “hanging out” with these people. It still lingers with me to this day that this man was (possible is) in such a position in a church. I don’t understand how someone can be a “Christian” and take a position like that knowing how they truly feel and then, even worse, acting on those feelings. No one is perfect, I know this; however, he should have never taken that position and should definitely not been allowed to keep it. So many people go to church and look for guidance there, maybe if there was more acceptance there it would flow into everyday life????

By: JRJones

JRJones — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:02:42 +0000

I may get flamed for this and I don’t really care because political correctness is a big irk of mine. What does it freakin matter if a staff is all white, black, Mexican, Chinese, etc. In my area most of the black people go to the “black churches” in the area. At the church I’m at now we have a few black people, and an all white staff. If you’re tagging on a staff because of the color and shouting racism, you’re the one with the racism problem (that was a general comment, not aimed at anyone specific)! People are going to go to church where they want to, and people in America (again, large scale speaking) have trouble looking past skin color and in my area, the “minority groups” are the worst because they’re too worried about being black, yellow, orange, etc so they go to an all whatever church because that’s where they’re comfortable and such. White people aren’t very welcome in those environments. I also realize that I live in the buttcrack of America with the worst possible demographics though…Personally, I don’t give a rip what color anyone is, and of the guy is the right guy for the job what does it matter if it’s another white guy on staff or a black guy?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:49:12 +0000

The “safe” position for a female staff member: Children’ s ministry.

What if God has given me a heart for people older than the age of 12? Just a thought.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:45:52 +0000

Tribes based on cultural themes and preferences is common throughout our global society. We infer racism into that because in America we are still insecure about our history. I think church people worry more about “diversity” than the people we are supposedly trying to reach. No white, black, brown, red, or yellow person makes a decision to visit or stay at your church because of the ethnicities you displayed on stage or in your advertising. They don’t pay attention long enough to notice unless the contrast between who they are and what they see is blatant. The quality of the work, the colors, the “language”, and the channel of distribution speaks much louder than the people in the pictures or on the stage.

Take this argument to an area like Clarkston, GA where there are large pockets of Philipinos and Sudanese. Try to plant a “diverse” church there that mixes those cultures and see how successful you are. I’ve been told by people who tried that successful ministry in the area will have to target either culture individually. Our tribal tendencies are not just white and American, but human and global.

My opinion for staffing a ministry is the same as my opinion for staffing the business I own: Develop a clear vision (as far out as you can see) of what God wants you to do and hire the people best equipped to help you make that vision a reality regardless of race, gender, denomination, or (for my business) even faith.

My argument is probably week, but its truly how I feel. Most of all I am thankful that the story God has written, Jesus is producing, and the Holy Spirit is directing plays out perfectly with me, for me, and totally in spite of me.

By: Caleb Gordon

Caleb Gordon — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:03:07 +0000

@Tymm

ME THINKS it has. a little spooky…but i think i like it. ok that sounds a little (OK ALOT) creepy.

let’s see
CHRIS might dig us, not sure though…if you find out before i do please let me know!

By: ida

ida — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:47:51 +0000

maybe i’m naive, or perhaps my thoughts conflict, but — i think that the more the church’s teaching and practice reflect grace and truth, then the more likely you’ll have a diverse congregation — provided it’s located in an area that has a diverse population. and diversity isn’t just about color. it’s about age, wealth, marital status, education, and probably a few other things too. one of the first things i heard at my church was ‘in things essential, unity. in things nonessential, liberty. in all things, charity.’ I think that such an attitude makes for a resilient and gracious church, attractive to a wide variety of people.

By: justdari633

justdari633 — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:53:02 +0000

yea, i love our leaders at our church. mainly black. but our worship leader is a white man (who’s married to a black woman), & our drummer is latino LOL. We have many female leaders, and our pastor’s wife plays a big part in EVERYTHING.

IT’S GREAT WHEN THINGS ARE ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD & NOT ABOUT COLOR, CLASS, STYLE OR ANY OF THAT OTHER STUFF THAT DOESN’T MATTER.