Kevin pastors a white church in the Louisville area and took a lot of heat from other black friends both when he became a Southern Baptist and when he went to a white church.
He was driven by his grandmother’s bad hermeneutics. “At least make sure you know the red letters.”
Reading red letters, he saw Jesus’ prayer in John 17 “that they be one – so that the world may know that you have sent me.”
The lack of oneness in the Body in America undercuts our missiological thrusts. Our racial divisions ruin our ministry and evangelism.
He realizes this is who he is and doesn’t believe his path is for everyone. Went to a white Catholic high school (Dematha in DC area). He’s comfortable in different cultures. He believes in sovereignty. “I am made for this.” By God’s grace he was funded by the Tennessee Convention at a Chattanooga church planter where interracial partnerships. Built friendships. Actually fellowshipped between churches. Black guys going out in the woods with white guys at night to go camping!
Youth groups went to camps together. Black parents and white parents sending their kids on a bus together to Florida! Real unity was being built.
The denominational level matters. The church level matters. But it is the personal relational level that matters. (This is true in blogging. The most obnoxious bloggers are often NICE people in person.)
We need to realize this is a work of God. But we must be of one accord. When we pray from discord it doesn’t work.
He simply wanted to build a model that worked.
He also thought it would be a great model to see white people submitting to the leadership of a black man (can you imagine that 50 years ago?)
Issue. In Black churches, the pastor is “the man.” Roots in the post slavery reality of culture. So, putting a black preacher in a white church has been a challenge and blessing.
Challenges:
Leadership perception.
Businesses executives and politically powerful feel they know more than the pastor.
Heart language of worship. Not just music, but how people listen to the sermon. (He did a hilarious section on the differences between the way black and white churches listen to sermons).
Great joy – having some old white lady say I grew up in a racist church but hearing you preach I realize the gospel is the same!
Fantastic message!
My apologies to the earlier speakers. I was exhausted from my trip and slept in. Then I had a little issue to deal with. Then I got lost on the way in. Then I couldn’t find a place to park. Then I got in several conversations on the way in.
The long and the short is I didn’t get in for any of the earlier messages.
Jim Richards of Texas.
Trilia Newbill
Others.
Sorry.
Everyone understands. Nobody would judge you about this. Nobody would throw you under the bus for catching a few more winks of sleep overnight.
Dave,
Thanks. For those of us who could not be there, yet interested in this discussion, you have/are providing an invaluable service. We can’t thank you enough. And at your old age, you needed a morning to rest-:).
Yes! At my advancing age….
Newbill’s book on the topic is excellent
Race classification and racism is an invention of, and a problem for the secular world (unfortunately). As the body of Christ, we shouldn’t look at race through a secular social lens. Sure, we all come from different backgrounds, but when we put on Christ we should count all of that as loss and find our common ground in Christ, for we are all one in Christ. If a Bible believing Christian is still seeing race and identifying with their own race then they have a problem. White, Black… who cares. Christ certainly doesn’t. The truth of the gospel transcends race… Read more »
My Japanese college buddy ministers to the Asian community. He has never spoken to me about desiring to pastor a “white” church. Maybe he does and just never said. We have spoken to each the others congregations before. Several of my Hispanic pastor friends… This has me wondering if we are busy trying to prove something to a busybody world–that we really are interested in their version of a prejudice free society complete with statistics, documentations, ratios and the like. Their version is foreign to that of Christ and His church. Pastoral leadership and belief aside, I tend to think… Read more »