At Willow, we have been honored to know and occasionally collaborate with Chris Brooks. He is a redemptive force in a world where bridges fail. He is passionate about connecting, training, and developing emerging Christian leaders. He has the national coordinator of UrbNet for the National Network of Youth Ministries and has worked with youth and families in an inner-city context for more than 10 years.

Go to the Summit Next Steps website and click on Session 4 to find photos, videos, relevant links, session Q&A, and many more resources.

Session 4 with Efrem Smith:

Efrem Smith is a visionary: a pioneer like those in the days of the early American frontier. His message: "The times have changed and continue to change, and leaders must engage the growing edge of these cultural and demographic changes to be effective."

The focus of Efrem's session, "Leading in New Cultural Realities," was on the changing face of America. In this session, Efrem brought to our attention that in the year 2000, 1 in 19 children in the U.S. was of a mixed (bi-racial or multi-racial) heritage. This percentage is steadily increasing, and there are no signs that would indicate that this trend will reverse. Our American "melting pot" is doing what it was originally intended to do. We are becoming more racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse as a nation. This is good news in many ways. Businesses are able to get new insights and innovations from minds that think outside of the traditional American box. Churches are often able to execute a "global outreach" by serving the local metropolitan area's immigrant communities. Rich cultural assets like West Indian cuisine and a deeply embedded Asian respect for the elders of the community are penetrating our society-for
the better.

The word "diversity" has become a common theme of corporate strategic planning and nonprofit programmatic focus. Efrem delivered a compelling argument that diversity has become the norm. He even went so far as to say, "If you can't lead across race, you can't lead today." That's a powerful challenge for those who want to lead well in the new America; the America that is steadily becoming the melting pot.

Efrem's challenge to the Church was a strong one: "Nobody is exempt from engaging the emerging diversity." The American Church, as Efrem explained, is notorious for its segregated congregations, and its divisions along racial and cultural lines. As America is changing, many would contend that the American church is not. Ouch. As a ministry leader, that stings. Yet the sting should and must be followed by reflection and a study of God's opinion on how the Church (His Bride) should look and operate, which will hopefully lead to some tweaks in our beliefs about race, our values as churches, and our behaviors. Efrem's counsel on how church leaders should get started was two fold:

* Engage in "organic community building." Pray for God to establish relationships with others in your geographic area that you can build a relationship with. If there is nobody close to you that is of a different race or ethnicity, look to your organization, ministry, or denomination for suggestions on how to engage in building these types of relationships.

* Create programs to engage the culture. There should be a budget line in each church's or ministry's budget that allocates resources to better understand and serve the surrounding world from a culturally-informed and culturally-relevant perspective. Provide a luncheon in your community for indigenous leaders, and listen to their stories. Develop a strategy to engage and empower a diversity of Christian leaders in your area. Offer training or other resources that will support and build the capacity of those working in diverse communities. Pray. Listen. Learn.

The challenges before us are daunting, but Efrem was clear that the Church has a tremendous opportunity to heal old wounds, advocate for justice, and become what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called "the Beloved Community." The Church can lead and be prophetic as America faces these changes. The Church must lead in this area.

Question: What one thing can you lead your church, ministry, business, or organization to do to engage this reality? What budget line needs to be added to your budget? Where are the "pockets of diversity" in your geographic area? Will you engage?