Planting Churches among the City's Poor - Volume 1

42 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 1

services are often less formal and include the cultural forms of the groups represented in the church. This model could include assimilated and marginal ethnics. 55 2. Multilanguage classes church . Here the English-speaking church begins Bible-study classes in different languages to reach various language groups in the community. These classes could meet in homes as cell groups or in the church facility as Sunday School classes. This model could be used to reach unassimilated ethnic groups where language barriers must be crossed. 3. Multiworship church . Here more than one worship service is held in the same facility as part of one church organization. The difference in the services may be cultural but is usually language based. This model could accommodate all the ethnic groupings (assimilated, marginal, fellow-traveler and nuclear) provided bi-cultural leaders are present. 4. Multiethnic-mutually-autonomous churches . In this model separate ethnic congregations with their own leadership and organization share a facility and cooperate in ministry. This is sometimes called the `umbrella’ model. This model could conceivably include all the ethnic subgroups. Obviously, many variations and combinations of these models can be used to meet the specific needs of an individual neighborhood. Which strategy of multicultural church ministry is suitable in a given situation depends upon the nature of the people group we are seeking to include in the church. Note that language functions as a good guide to the degree of assimilation present. When dealing with multilanguage congregations, church planters should choose models that allow separate congregational life for each language group. Generally, worship, communion, baptism and fellowship can be seen as multicultural, large congregation activities. Preaching, teaching, evangelism, discipleship, service and nurture should often be done within the con text of the specific cultural group, especially if language barriers are involved. The general principle of respecting diversity while maintaining unity should continue to function as the church’s overall guideline.

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55 If the Multi-worship model or the Multi-ethnic-mutually-autonomous-churches model is used, this Single-language-multicultural-church model may be used as one of the separate congregations inside the larger structure.