Community Conversations
Becoming a Multiethnic Church Community
mul·ti·eth·nic: /ˌməltēˈeTHnik,ˌməltīˈeTHnik/
adjective: relating to or constituting several ethnic groups.
Welcome to Trinity! It is our prayer and desire that the next few weeks will continue to be a time of both formation and exploration. As we continue to grow into our calling and shape our culture to embody that calling, I want us to work and go together. A part of that is in giving us all the opportunity to have input. To that end I have invited Fatu Kanu and Jennifer Keifer, who will be leading us in our Community Conversations in June specifically on the topic of what it would mean to be a multi-ethnic
church.
Peace and blessings,
Tim+
Additional Resources
Below are additional resources that may be helpful as we journey together from week to week during the month of June.
Please Note: Inclusion of a book, video, or podcast on this list does not mean endorsement of all of the author’s or producer’s views contained therein. These resources present us opportunities to learn from people with various points of view, with intentional emphasis on amplifying the voices of authors of color.
Week 1: Reckoning with our Past
The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
“Seeing White” (Season 2 of the podcast series “Scene On Radio”)
Week 2: Repenting and Lamenting
Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times by Soong-Chan Rah
A Long Repentance (blog series) by Sangwon Yang and Mako Nagasawa
Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation by Latasha Morrison
Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience by Sheila Wise Rowe
“Be the Bridge” (Facebook Group with helpful educational guides to complete prior to commenting)
“Lament Songs” album by The Porter’s Gate Worship Project (Spotify)
Black Liturgies by Cole Arthur Riley (Instagram)
Week 3: Rebuilding Corporately
Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley
The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity by Soong-Chan Rah
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? by Martin Luther King, Jr
Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace by Osheta Moore
Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity by David W. Swanson
Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to Be White by Daniel Hill
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr
Audio version in MLK’s own voice on YouTube
Video version with period imagery on YouTube
“Truth’s Table” (podcast)
“Pass the Mic” (podcast)
“Diversity in the Church” Lecture by Dr. Christena Cleveland (YouTube)
Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity by Robert Chao Romero
Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision by Randy S. Woodley
Asian American Christian Collaborative (articles, podcast, etc)
Week 4: Responding Individually
Becoming All Things: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Connections Across Cultures by Michelle Ami Reyes
How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice by Jemar Tisby
When We Stand: The Power of Seeking Justice Together by Terence Lester
Who Will Be a Witness: Igniting Activism for God's Justice, Love, and Deliverance by Drew G. I. Hart
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
“Evicted: Faith-Based Reading Group Guide” by Matthew Desmond
“Be the Bridge Podcast: Be the Bridge to Racial Unity”
Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now by Brenda Salter McNeil
The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus by Rich Villodas