I spent Tuesday in a room in San Diego with 400 pastors, academics and ministry practitioners. There's no shortage of Christian conferences these days, but there seems to be something exceptional represented by these folks. You might get a sense of what I mean should you look closely at the diversity of the participants of the first Multi-ethnic Church Conference. But beyond the racial and ethnic makeup of the participants, it is the shared theological and practical interest in the non-homogeneous church that makes this conference unique.

Why did 400 people from around the country come to learn about a topic that is barely on the radar for much of American Christianity? I think the conference's first three speakers each answered this question in their own way. I wonder, do any of these resonate with you?

Mark DeYmaz, pastor of Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas and author Ethnic Blends, gave a brief theological overview of the multi-ethnic church from Ephesians. In 2:11 Paul points out the ...