Multi-Ethnic Churches

Is your multi-ethnic church "rooftop" or "rain barrel"? Or a combination?

There are many ways that a Multi-ethnic congregation can be organized. Some churches see themselves as "rooftop" organizations. Under the same protective covering, different cultural groups are housed. This kind of church might have separate worship services according to language or ethnicity. The Community United Methodist Church in Jackson Heights, Queens (New York City) holds four different language-based worship services each Sunday: English, Chinese, Spanish and Korean. One church houses four separate worshiping units under one administrative structure.

Another way to organize Multi-ethnic ministry is more akin to a rain barrel than a rooftop. Rather than hold different units under one roof, it catches everyone together. Many of the United Methodist Churches in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference fall into this category. One church becomes home to persons from many different nationalities.

Between the rooftop and rain barrel forms of organization are many other models and combinations. We do not consider a church to be Multi-ethnic simply because it shares facilities with another congregation of a different culture. Multi-ethnic ministry infers intentionality at being one body, whether that body is divided into multiple cells or is one unit.

Rooftop or rain barrel? What type of multi-ethnic congregation is your church?

Got an idea to share for the Multi-ethnic Ministry Page?

Send it along to editor(at)yourchurchcangrow.org

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