The multicultural, multiethnic, multilingual vision of the church

We are in a period of the year that the liturgical calendar identifies as Eastertide, or more commonly known as Easter season. It consists of the 50 days between Resurrection Sunday and Pentecost Sunday.

As we continue to rejoice in the hope of the resurrection, we anticipate the celebration of Pentecost. We remember the coming of the Holy Spirit on the gathered disciples in the upper room and the launching of the global Christian movement.

The miracle of Pentecost was the gospel proclaimed in the heart language of all the people that had come from “every nation under heaven” to Jerusalem for the feast (Acts 2:5-6). The birth of the church consisted of a multilingual worship service. In fact, the culmination of redemptive history will also be a similar worship service (Revelation 7:9-10).

Texas Baptists have the opportunity to step into this multicultural, multiethnic, multilingual vision of the church that flows from God’s heart. In addition to our approximately 1200 Hispanic congregations and 1100 African American churches, there are about 350 Texas Baptists churches that worship in 80 different languages!

This week, I had the opportunity of speaking at the Chinese Baptist Fellowship of Texas leadership retreat. This fellowship is affiliated with Texas Baptists and relates to our staff through the office of Intercultural Ministry. Monica and I had the opportunity of visiting with several pastors, spouses and church starters of various ages and regions.

Pastor Jason Lee serves as the president of the fellowship. He and the other pastors with whom we spoke expressed how happy they are to be part of the Texas Baptists family. They are excited about our GC2 initiative plans that I shared with them. They want to be Great Commandment, Great Commission churches.

Among the approximately 80 ethnic and language groups in our convention, several of them are organized into formal fellowships. The presidents of these fellowships and the Hispanic Convención are ex-officio members of our executive board.

Our intercultural churches, like those who heard the gospel on the day of Pentecost, advance God’s mission both locally and globally.

In their own communities around Texas, they reach people whose heart language might be Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese, Korean, Swahili, Arabic, Portuguese, Somali, Japanese, Russian and many others. Most of them are also involved globally in reaching their people groups back in their countries of origin.

As we encourage and resource these churches, we are investing in God’s mission and advancing his vision at Pentecost and in Revelation. We have a part in that as we pray for them and give through the Cooperative Program.

For those churches that want to collaborate beyond giving through the Cooperative Program, there are at least three ways to do so:

1. Provide space in your facilities for an ethnic or language group to meet. Many of them have a difficult time finding a place to hold worship services.
2. Send people on a local “mission assignment” to help smaller congregations or church starts in an area of ministry for a semester or a year, or even two, training leaders to carry out those ministries.
3. Consult or collaborate with these churches when going to do international mission work. They can be a great resource helping with cross-cultural training, in-country logistics, language, identifying needs, etc.

For more information about this, contact our Intercultural Ministry Office: Mark Heavener, Director (281) 728-8585; mark.heavener@texasbaptists.org; or Linda Howell, Specialist (214) 828-5154; linda.howell@texasbaptists.org.

Thanks for your support!