My first workshop of the day was with Efrem Smith, who planted Sanctuary Covenant Church, a multi-ethnic church plant in Minneapolis. He started with a core group of 22, that grew to 80 before launch day.
- A core team is vital to multi-ethnic planting.
- It should equip and empower people serving with you around something that’s very important.
- Can’t separate being a multi-ethnic church from being compassionate.
- His dream was, God willing, a multi-ethnic church of 1000+ impacting the city. Someone said, if you see 1000, you’d better get out of the city, because suburban middle class people will not go into the city. Efrem’s church proves otherwise, that it is possible to be Christ centered, multiethnic, in the heart of the city with all its challenges, and see the Kingdom of God advance.
- Pour some principles and practical theology into core team.
- Kingdom labourers
- Three texts:
- Acts 2
- Matt 9
- 1 Cor 12
- Their core group’s worship = potluck meal, one or two songs, low key, sat on stool with music stand as people sat around tables taking notes, bible studies.
- Pour in the core values
- Evangelism & Outreach
- Experience of Worship
- If I say my church is multi-ethnic, it can’t be all black
- Develop a group embodying these values
- How do you create an ethos, values, culture amongst your core team, so they practice amongst each other, what you want them to carry to the surrounding community?
- Recent college grads are looking for a post-black, post-white, post-brown church.
- They’re confused if we’re preaching making disciples of all nations but the church doesn’t live that.
- As we digest one another’s foods, we must be willing to digest one another’s stories.
- You want to weed out the people who are just there for the next cool church
- We weren’t going to try and do all kinds of music to reach all cultures.
- The core group was moving from being multi-ethnic to reconciled when they:
- Started forming their own small groups
- Started having dinner together
- Moved beyond hyper-sensitivity to racial issues
- It’s best when people serve not where they want to serve but where they’re wired to serve
- We are all here to serve.
