Who Said It
David A. Anderson

David A. Anderson founded Bridgeway Community Church, a multicultural congregation in Columbia, Maryland. He teaches cultural diversity at the University of Phoenix, and hosts Reconciliation Live!—a Washington, DC, radio talk show on race relations.

What He Said
"What Are They Up To?"

The pastor of a black church in a low-income Illinois community called me. "White people are coming to my church," he said, "and I don't know what to do!"

He feared that these doctors, dentists, and business people would "bring their white, conservative, right-wing evangelicalism" into his church, give their money, and grab control. Overnight his church had grown from 25 to 50—half black and half white. He'd prayed for church growth for years, but this wasn't what he had in mind! When the whites came, he'd preach more afrocentrically and with more fire, hoping they'd move on.

Actually, these good-hearted white believers, convicted by a message delivered at their suburban Chicago church, were crossing racial, cultural, and economic boundaries to build a bridge. I invited the pastor to meet with a few of his white visitors and me to sort this all out. The black pastor submitted to God's will for reconciliation; my white brothers and sisters submitted to his leadership. The large white church from which they came partnered with this now biracial church, enabling it to serve its under-resourced community by providing free dental screenings and opening a medical clinic.

Adapted from Multicultural Ministry (Zondervan, 2004) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Make me willing, Lord, to move out of my comfort zone in order to grow your kingdom.

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