Ken Davis - page 2

North America is populated by a wondrous variety of people, nearly all of whom are immigrants. And in recent decades more and diverse kinds of immigrants have arrived on our shores. The notion that America is a melting pot for all the world‘s ethnic groups has been revealed to be a myth. A better analogy is to see our nation as a giant salad bowl or stew pot in which each cultural component retains its own integrity and identity, yet contributes to the overall national flavor.

Immigration and rising birth rates have brought tremendous change to American society. America‘s total ethnic population now numbers over 100 million.1 The nation‘s streets teem with over 500 ethnic groups speaking more than 630 languages and dialects (Romo 1993, 44). Multiculturalism in America is now an established fact.2 Over the next fifty years, the white population is projected to decrease by 30 percent, while other ethnic groups will increase 92 percent. By the year 2056 ethnic ―people of color‖ will collectively be in a majority in our land No one ethnic group will be in a majority; whites will be the largest minority in a nation of minorities. By mid-century the number of blacks will have increased by 69%, Native Americans by 79%, Asians by 195% and Hispanics (of numerous nationalities) will increase in population by 199% (U.S. Bureau of Census Web site—www.census.gov). By 2050, 21% of Americans will be claiming mixed ancestry, according to some projections (Kasindorf and El Nasser 2001). We are a nation that is ―browning.

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Why did Paul write his epistle to the Romans? What was the Apostle’s original purpose? New Testament scholars have intensely debated this question in recent years. So much so that some have even despaired of ever identifying a single convincing reason or set of purposes for Romans. Traditionally, Paul’s epistle to Rome has been considered a theological masterpiece, a “compendium of Christian doctrine” (Luther and Melanchton). The view that Romans is to be understood as an exposition and summary of Paul’s fundamental theology has been common in the history of interpretation. It is the premise of this paper that Paul’s basic intent was more missiological than theological, that even the doctrinal teachings of Romans carry a missionary thrust.

It is true that Romans gives a more comprehensive treatment of doctrinal themes than any of Paul’s other letters. In logical and somewhat chronological order, the inspired Apostle lays out a number of great doctrines of the Christian faith: man’s sinful depravity, the gospel of God, justification by faith, righteousness with God, sanctification, predestination, glorification, and so on. But it does not follow that Romans is thus designed and primarily intended to be a teaching summary of Paul’s timeless theology. Thomas Schreiner demonstrates convincingly, I believe, that in Romans a number of “central Pauline teachings are missing or only spoken of in a glacing way” (1998, 15-16; see also Leon Morris 1995, 8). Thus Romans is not to be seen as merely an abstract theological treatise.

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It is popular, because of accessible global travel and instant world news, to refer to our modern world as a “global village.” It would seem to be more correct, however, to speak of the world as a “global city.”

The Urban Challenge

Today more than half the world population lives in cities. In 1900 only 8 percent did. The spectacular growth of large cities on our planet creates an awesome challenge to the Christian Church on all six continents. There are presently 300 cities of over a million people and within 20 years there will be 570. It is projected that by the end of the next century, two-thirds of the world will live in one of 1,660 mega cities of over a million residents each. That is phenomenal growth from only one mega city in the 19th century (Barrett 1986). Clearly a Sovereign God is urbanizing the world.

Much of this exploding urban growth has been in giant cities located in the Two-thirds world. Of the seven cities in 1950 with over 5 million residents, only two were in Asia, Africa, or Latin America. By 1985, 22 of the 34 giant cities were in the developing world. By 2020 it is estimated that the Two-thirds world will be home to 80 of our globe’s 93 giant cities (Fox 1984, 179-85). Towns are becoming cities, cities are becoming metropolises, and metropolises are becoming megapolises. Everywhere we look there are people, people, people – lost people who need to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. What will be the Church’s response?

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North America is populated by a wondrous variety of people, nearly all of whom are immigrants. And in recent decades more and diverse kinds of immigrants have arrived on our shores. The notion that America is a melting pot for all the world’s ethnic groups has been revealed to be a myth. A better analogy is to see our nation as a giant salad bowl or stew pot in which each cultural component retains its own integrity and identity, yet contributes to the overall national flavor.

Immigration and rising birth rates have brought tremendous change to American society. America’s total ethnic population now numbers over 100 million.1 The nation’s streets teem with over 500 ethnic groups speaking more than 630 languages and dialects (Romo 1993, 44). Multiculturalism in America is now an established fact.2 Over the next fifty years, the white population is projected to decrease by 30 percent, while other ethnic groups will increase 92 percent. By the year 2056 ethnic “people of color” will collectively be in a majority in our land No one ethnic group will be in a majority; whites will be the largest minority in a nation of minorities. By mid-century the number of blacks will have increased by 69%, Native Americans by 79%, Asians by 195% and Hispanics (of numerous nationalities) will increase in population by 199% (U.S. Bureau of Census Web site—www.census.gov). By 2050, 21% of Americans will be claiming mixed ancestry, according to some projections (Kasindorf and El Nasser 2001). We are a nation that is “browning.”3

developing-a-multiethnic-church-planting-ministry-for-new-york-city-final

In American historical studies the black church has traditionally been recognized as the leading black social, political, economic, and spiritual force. With the exception of the black church, however, the contributions that black Americans have made in our land have often been overlooked and ignored. Particularly unrecognized and often little investigated is the story of the many unsung black American heroes who risked their lives to take the Gospel across cultural barriers in obedience to Christ’s Great Commission. These men and women who dared to step out by faith onto foreign mission fields have written their pages into the annals of world history. Yet sadly few American Christians – white or black – have read and appreciated their remarkable stories. This amazing reservoir of achievements in missionary endeavor, usually under harsh and unfavorable circumstances, should become a rich heritage of courage, faith, and self-sacrifice valued by every member of the body of Christ today. It is a lasting testimony that, by the sovereign grace of God, the missionary cause of Christ can be advanced in any generation under any condition.

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Church planting seems to be in vogue today, attracting hundreds of young seminarians and Bible College men. This resurgence has resulted in an estimated 4,000 new churches being planted in North America every year. That is a trend for which all Bible-believers should be grateful.

Yet research also indicates that about 3,800 churches dissolve and die every year in America. Many others struggle with declining attendance and inadequate leadership. Some Christian leaders thus argue that revitalizing unhealthy churches is as vital for Gospel advance as starting new ones.

Having been a church planter for over 35 years, I admit I’m a little biased. For years I have advocated conventional church-growth wisdom: “It is easier to have babies than raise the dead.” Yet in recent years I’ve become convinced that we often quit too soon in our attempts to revive and turn around churches in decline. It may be more strategic, in some cases, for healthy existing churches and church planters to invest their time, energy and resources in revitalizing struggling congregations.

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America has an estimated 200 million lost and unchurched people, more than the entire populations of all but four other nations.1 Yet today there are far fewer churches per capita than a hundred years ago.2 Many missiologists of our day contend that the best way to evangelize and fulfill the Great Commission is by means of church planting.3 Because church planting is “the most effective evangelistic methodolgy under heaven,”4 intentionally parenting a daughter church is one of the best ways to reach the unchurched. Furthermore, it is often far easier to plant a new church than to revitalize a dying one.

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In this paper, I will focus my discussion on the biblical rationale for a mentoring internship in the training of future pastors and church planters. The development of a sound biblical basis for mentoring pastors and church planters is vital if churches and educational institutions are to profitably partner together in the grand task of fully equipping future Christian ministers of the Gospel. It is insufficient to ground mentoring in a pragmatic judgment that mentoring is being popularly utilized in the business and educational worlds of our day.

My objective is to demonstrate that the concept of mentoring Christian workers through a well-conceived internship is not a novel idea. The Scriptures, in both testaments, provide many examples of relationships that reveal mentoring dynamics. Each biblical example can be profitably studied to discover principles for the mentoring of modern day pastors and church developers. Though the words “mentoring” and “mentor” do not occur in the inspired text, the concept is found abundantly throughout the pages of Scripture, both in pattern and precept. The primary examples of field-based mentoring of ministers of the gospel are seen in the New Testament (NT) records, in the ministry models of Christ and his apostles. Yet the Old Testament (OT) also gives us rich insights of mentoring relationships. If we define mentoring as “a relational experience in which one person empowers another person by the sharing of God given resources”1 then wonderful illustrations of mentoring can be seen in the older testament.

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What does it mean for the church of Jesus Christ to live and do mission in a multicultural and multiethnic world? As we proceed into the twenty-first century, that is a question which evangelicals must increasingly face. Modern means of communication and the emerging world economy have transformed our world from a set of self-contained tribes and nations into a global city. Our world, our nation, and our communities are rapidly changing around us. Globalization means that immigrants and refugees are bringing their customs and traditions right to our Western doorsteps. More than ever before, the nations are a mosaic of different ethnicities. They are nations within nations.

This is most evident in America. We are now the most ethnically diverse nation in the world with an extraordinary variety of colors, classes, and national origins. The number of immigrants plus their children has risen from 34 million in 1970 to 56 million in 2000, roughly one-fifth of U.S. population. Immigrants are arriving on our shores faster than at any time since 1850 (Jenkins 2002, 25-28). Many of those flooding into our country are Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus.1 A sovereign God has literally brought the mission fields of the world to our urban centers. By 2056 the majority of Americans will be non-European, non-white. Yet the increasing diversity of our society seems threatening to many.2 Similar data could be given for Canada and most of Western Europe.

Two-Thirds World nations are experiencing a similar diversity challenge. Refugees flee to neighboring nations because of civil war, famine and political oppression. Rural tribes relocate to the cities in search of jobs and a better way of life. As people of different ethnic origins, speaking different languages and professing different religions, settle in the same geographic locality and live under the same political sovereignty, the reaction is often xenophobic. Ethnic ―cleansing,‖ tribalism—and even ―retribalization‖—can raise their ugly head. Witness the violence of Bosnia, Liberia, Chechnya and Rwanda. Arthur Schlesinger (1992, 10) has thoughtfully concluded, ―Ethnic and racial conflict, it seems evident, will now replace the conflict of ideologies as the explosive issue of our times.

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North America is populated by a wondrous variety of people, nearly all of whom are immigrants. And in recent decades more and diverse kinds of immigrants have arrived on our shores. The notion that America is a melting pot for all the world‘s ethnic groups has been revealed to be a myth. A better analogy is to see our nation as a giant salad bowl or stew pot in which each cultural component retains its own integrity and identity, yet contributes to the overall national flavor.

Immigration and rising birth rates have brought tremendous change to American society. America‘s total ethnic population now numbers over 110 million.1 The nation‘s streets teem with over 500 ethnic groups speaking more than 630 languages and dialects.2 Multiculturalism in America is now an established fact.3 Over the next fifty years, the white population is projected to decrease by 30 percent, while other ethnic groups will increase 92 percent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by the year 2042 ethnic ―people of color‖ will collectively be in a majority in our land. With no one ethnic group in a majority, whites will be the largest minority in a nation of minorities. By mid-century our minority population–everyone except for non-Hispanic, single-race whites–is projected to be 235.7 million out of a total U.S. population of 439 million. By 2050, the Hispanic population is projected to nearly triple to 132.8 million (from 15% to 30% of our population). Our black population will have increased to 65.7 million (from 14% to 15% of our people); Asian-American population to 40.6 million (from 5.1% to 9.2%); Native Americans and Alaska Natives to 8.6 million (from 1.6% to 2%); and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders more than doubled to 2.6 million. By 2050, the number of people who identify themselves as being of two or more ―races‖ is projected to more than triple, from 5.2 million to 16.2 million.4 According to some projections, 21% of Americans will be claiming mixed ancestry by midcentury.5 Truly, we are a nation that is ―browning.‖6

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