Why are churches so segregated?

[Rachel]

Reading that other thread about Christian education made me think again of churches and how most are segregated. Does anyone else think about how strange that is?

Why do you think churches are so segregated every week? Is it a culture thing, wanting to be around people that look most like us or what?

Do we make people that look different than us feel uncomfortable when they visit, or do we welcome them with open arms?

Heaven is going to have every type of person, so why do we not look like that here, in our churches?

Thanks,
Rachel

 

[Roy]

Originally posted by Rachel:

Why do you think churches are so segregated every week? Is it a culture thing, wanting to be around people that look most like us or what?

Yes, I think it is a culture thing. People tend to feel more comfortable when they are with members of their own peer group. Music and the message presentation is also different in churches of different cultures also.

I don't think that most congregations are actively trying to keep out people of other cultures. Folks just generally tend to gravitate toward other folks of like culture.

BTW, my church is racially mixed, but I don't think ill of any church that isn't. I don't think we should sweat the small stuff.

Roy

 

[RightFromWrong]

I don't think that was true in our case. My first real church we had ever nationality you could think of. Of course in was in a upperclase area of the Bay Area. Lots of people who transferred from different states and countries I believe because of Cheveron ?

Now we live in another nice area above Sacramento
that is mostly all white and mostly elderly people. So I do miss all the different races and getting to know people from different countires like Africa. We had made some good friends from Nigeria in the other church.

We have attended a few black churches and had lots of fun but I have to admit we felt more comfortable in a predomantly white church which was usually closer to home.

 

[buckster75]

The message, style of delivery, style of music, have a lot to do with it. But it is not only race. Many people won't come to our church because we sing only the old hymns. Some want the chants and jumpy music and maybe a message with no blood or no hint of telling a person they can not live the way they want.

 

[webdog]

I don't think segregation is intentional, it's a matter of music, demographics, age, culture, worship style, etc.

 

[USN2Pulpit]

I agree...in most cases, it's about culture, not race. That's not to say there are no racists in churches though.

 

[guitarpreacher]

Race is the easiest to see, but we are segregated in many ways. One of the things they told us at Church Planters Basic Training was that the 1st 20 members of your church will determine what the next 200 members of your church will look like. There are always exceptions, but for the most part, white collar (doctors, lawyers, engineers) won't go to church with blue collar(plumbers, electricians, mechanics) People with college degrees won't go to church with high school drop-outs. At CPBT we talked a lot about defining your target and making sure that your launch team looks like your target, because if they don't, you're less likely to reach your target group.

 

[Johnv]

Originally posted by Rachel:
Reading that other thread about Christian education made me think again of churches and how most are segregated. Does anyone else think about how strange that is?

I live in Southern California. There is no majority race or ethnicity here. My church is BY NO MEANS segregated. Most churches here are well-mixed. Sure, there might be churches that have more of one ethnicity than another, but even they could hardly be seen as segregated.

I personally find the ethnic diversity here very refreshing. I actually have felt uncomfortable visiting churches that are all- or mostly- monoethnic.

 

[Rachel]

Y'all made some good points, thanks.

 

[Thankful]

Our church isn't segregated.

 

[Ps104_33]

I know of a church in South Carolina that when a black person comes and gets saved they encourage them to go and serve in a "black" church. Now this was as recent as 10 years ago or so so I dont know if this policy has changed since. Most Fundamental Baptist preachers will castigate the likes of MLK and Jesse Jackson and the Democratic party platform these days and this seems to turnmost blacks off.

 

[Bro. James Reed]

Originally posted by Ps104_33:
I know of a church in South Carolina that when a black person comes and gets saved they encourage them to go and serve in a "black" church. Now this was as recent as 10 years ago or so so I dont know if this policy has changed since. Most Fundamental Baptist preachers will castigate the likes of MLK and Jesse Jackson and the Democratic party platform these days and this seems to turnmost blacks off.

They also castigate the likes of Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton, but that hasn't turned off most fat, old, white men.

 

[Ps104_33]

But it will turn off fat old white democrats.

 

[Pipedude]

For that matter, why do 99% of people marry someone of their own race?

There's nothing sinister in it. Roy's right: "Don't sweat the small stuff."

 

[Craigbythesea]

My church is mostly white and it is in a mostly white neighborhood and the entire pastoral staff is white and the hymns that we sing were written by whites and style of the music is white and the style of the preaching is white and I have not heard any complaints from either the white folks or the other folks. Race, today, is not nearly as much of an issue as is culture—we have made a huge amount of progress but there is still progress to be made. Everyone is welcome at my church if they will simply behave themselves during the services like civilized human Baptists.

 

[guitarpreacher]

Originally posted by Craigbythesea:
Everyone is welcome at my church if they will simply behave themselves during the services like civilized human Baptists.

So you guys don't have business meetings either, huh?

 

[Ps104_33]

So you guys don't have business meetings either, huh?

Boy, you got that right. Nothing will bring out the demons more than a business meeting.

 

[Rachel]

Originally posted by Ps104_33:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />So you guys don't have business meetings either, huh?

Boy, you got that right. Nothing will bring out the demons more than a business meeting. </font>[/QUOTE]

Sad but true! Wonder why that is?

 

[Craigbythesea]

I faint at the sight of blood, so I can't go to the business meetings (

) at my church!

 

[following-Him]

ROFL