Multicultural Ministry: A Journey

A Message from Dr. Mark Smutny:

Dear Friends,

If I could persuade you to read one book on multicultural ministry to help you gain a deeper understanding of how to build a more inclusive, multicultural community, it would be The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb: A Spirituality for Leadership in a Multicultural Community by Eric Law. The book is a treasure trove of insights and practical tools for building a multicultural church.

No one ever said building an inclusive, multicultural church is easy. It's hard work that takes mutual forbearance, tolerance for ambiguity, prayer and empathy. Most of all it takes love. Some say the church would be best if it would retreat into an enclave of mono-cultural exclusivity where everything is safe and predictable. I say that's boring. For those who still prefer vanilla ice cream with no sprinkles, I say such a world has passed you by. It no longer exists, certainly not in Pasadena nor in Los Angeles, two of the greatest global cities in our diverse, multicultural world. The choice is between denial and embracing the future. Treading water is no choice, the same as denial.

With greatest conviction, I believe PPC is the wave of the future. That makes us pioneers, adventurers in faith. We are entrepreneurs, experimenters, apostles -- all words that suggest we are willing to embrace a new world of God's design.

Yes, building an inclusive, multicultural church is hard work. It's crazy making, foolish, wild, love poured out, a Spirit-filled way of doing church. It's not boring. It changes our lives in ways that stretch you and I beyond what we ever expected or sometimes wanted.

To do church in this inclusive, multicultural way means we need to grow and deepen in our understanding of how to build a more inclusive, multicultural church community. The best book I know for equipping us to do that is The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb. You may pick up a copy at the Information Table on Sunday mornings, download a copy onto your favorite E-Book reader, or order a copy from the Episcopal Center Bookstore by calling 1-800-366-1536 ext. 228. I promise you, it will be a good read that you will keep going back to over and over again.

Faithfully yours,

Dr. Mark Smutny