Lutherans Gather To Celebrate, Discuss Multicultural Ministries

ORLANDO, Fla. (ELCA) – More than 600 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) celebrated their diversity "in praise, song and dance," and held a series of conversations on the future of multicultural ministries in the church at the 2004 ELCA Multicultural Gathering July 9-11 at the Sheraton World Resort here.
Under the theme "Lift Every Voice: A Multicultural Gathering in Praise, Song and Dance" Lutherans from across the church shared a variety of ways congregations worship within a multicultural context; received a retrospective on the 17-year work of the ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries (CMM); and discussed future directions for multicultural ministry in light of the ELCA's current process to restructure its churchwide organization, budget and staff. CMM hosted the gathering.
Each day of the gathering featured worship led by African American and Black, American Indian and Alaska Native, Arab and Middle Eastern, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Latino/Latina members of the church.
Through workshops, an interactive exhibit area, an ecumenical multicultural revival, a youth track and family night on July 10, the gathering provided the ELCA "an opportunity to hear all of the unique and special ethnic and cultural voices of its members," said Rosemary Dyson, associate executive director, CMM.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, preached at the gathering's opening worship. In his sermon, Hanson reflected on when the church is "called to be a sent church and when we are called to be a planted church, setting our feet on the ground."
"I hear more and more voices, many of them yours, looking back to the ELCA of 17 years ... saying we will become a church body increasingly multicultural, we will be a church body intentionally anti-racist, [and] we will be a church body clear in our resolve to work for racial justice in the society and this church," he said. "We planted ourselves in those commitments in our constitution, in our churchwide organizational structure and in our representational principles. Now the question being asked is, 'Have we as a church body shaken the dust off from our feet, leaving those commitments behind, or, at best, words on page rather than actions of a people?'"
"Sisters and brothers in Christ, without in any way diminishing the reality of the struggles you have endured or the challenges we face, my prayer -- even my plea -- is that you continue to plant your feet in this church and, with evangelical persistence and endurance and even evangelical defiance, lead us. Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to us, transform us by the power of the Holy Spirit through your presence, so that together we might shake off from our feet the dust of racism, injustice and indifference," Hanson said.
Hanson asked participants "to continue to walk" with him as ideas about future directions of multicultural ministries are put into "concrete form for a proposal" to redesign the ELCA churchwide organization. In November Hanson will present the proposal to the ELCA Church Council, the ELCA's board of directors and legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies.
"The commitments of the ELCA upon its founding -- to become increasingly a multicultural church and intentionally a church that works for racial justice -- need to be foundational commitments that continue to shape the life and ministry of this church. There's ample evidence in the last 17 years that this church has not lived out those commitments beyond writing them in documents," Hanson said in an interview.
One of Hanson's "messages" over the course of the gathering was that the commitments of the church to become increasingly multicultural "must be foundational. How we live them out in terms of the structure of the church and the way we organize the life and work of the church are always open to creative ideas and the engagement of people from communities of color. I have come [to the gathering] principally to listen to that wonderful spirit working with creative ideas."

Leaders of Associations and Churchwide Office Meet
Throughout the gathering Hanson and participants, particularly members and leaders of five ELCA associations -- African American Lutheran Association, Association of Hispanic/Latino Ministries, Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage, Association of Asians and Pacific Islanders, and American Indian and Alaska Native Lutheran Association -- held conversations about the ELCA's redesign and how the church plans to organize its multicultural ministries.
Along with the Rev. Charles S. Miller, executive for administration and assistant to the ELCA Presiding Bishop, and the Rev. Frederick E.N. Rajan, CMM executive director, Hanson met with members of each association individually for about one hour for personal introductions, to talk about the work of associations and hear about the various ethnic-specific ministries taking place across the church, and to exchange ideas and field questions about the ELCA's redesign.
Five members from each ethnic association and community and others met with Hanson July 10 for a special three-hour meeting. Miller, the Rev. Richard A. Magnus, executive director, ELCA Division for Outreach, and Janet Thompson, Eagan, Minn., a member of the Church Council, also attended the meeting. "Ground rules" were set at the beginning of the meeting, which included "respect for confidentiality."
"We want to share our vision for a multicultural church," said Stacy Kitahata, Seattle, who moderated the group's discussion. "We are committed to all voices, and all voices have respect," she told the group.
The Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, executive director, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries, delivered a three-part report about the meeting to the overall gathering on July 11. She shared some "common understandings" in developing a vision for a multicultural church, identified "areas of input" for the church's redesign, and articulated a process for follow-up.
"No consensus was necessary in presenting a vision for a multicultural church," Bullock told the gathering. "In fact, a consensus was not found. There are differences between our communities, and we decided that was all right," she said.
The church must "embrace unity in the midst of our diversity," said Bullock. "We were not looking for a one-size-fits-all model" for a specific churchwide unit. "We value the voices of all people," she said. "We're interested in justice, not just diversity," and "mutual accountability in the church and among ourselves."
Many values, or principles, such as the concept of accountability and advocacy, hospitality and wellness, and functions -- areas of ministry or activities -- were also identified by the group, Bullock said. Some functions include the need for racial justice, anti-racism training, ethnic-specific ministries, attention to youth and young adults, and the need for developing and sustaining effective communication in the church, she said.
Bullock also cited the need for "relational understanding," which involves identifying how decision-making entities in the church relate to one another and the need to facilitate "compliance" among all members of the church as necessary functions in the new church structure. "Signs and symbols, indicators that illustrate how we are living out our commitment to be a multicultural church," are also vital, she said.
As conversation and input continue on the restructuring process, Bullock added, that information "will be made available to all associations and participants of the gathering." A conference call between Hanson and representatives -- five from each ethnic association and communities -- will take place in the coming weeks, she said.

A Retrospective on the ELCA Commission for Multicultural Min