A recent article in Time Magazine (The Color of Faith" - 1/11/10) reports about the changing landscape in the racial composition of large evangelical churches. The article highlights the following:
In 1988 the percentage of large evangelical churches that were racially diverse was 6%; in 2007 the percentage was 25%.
For the last nine years the percentage of churches with 20% or more minority participation has languished to about 7.5%. But, among evangelical churches with 1,000 or more members the number has quadruple to 25%. Some are calling this the desegregation of the mega churches and probably a turning point for Christianity in America.
David Campbell, a political scientist in Notra Dame studying this trend says that "if tens of millions of Americans start sharing faith across racial boundaries, it could be one of the final steps transcending race as our great divider".
These numbers should encourage our ecumenical efforts to increase our engagement with Evangelicals. We should not be naive of persistent attitudes among many, but cannot miss the opportunities that this trend and changing attitudes present. One important question is how much these people interact in their daily lives. Nevertheless these are interesting and to some extent hopeful trends. We can choose the option of "wait and see", in the mean time children of all races that live their lives together in regular and Sunday school will do what we are so scare and resistant to do break down the barriers that divide us.
Carlos M