Are mainline, predominantly white church partnerships with the newer churches, who are mainly "people-of-color", about good neighborliness or about kinship?

With changing demographics in many US cities and first ring suburbs/cities, more and more churches are experiencing declining numbers.  Many longtime residents of the main cities are moving further and further away to smaller cities.  Newer residents are moving into main cities, either from out-of-state or international locations.  Churches are often in a quandary about our own resources, programs and usual growth-projections.  Now city and first ring churches are doing “decline-projections” and are having to make plans to downsize.  Others are trying to do outreach in the hope of drawing neighborhood residents to their churches, but this has seldom proved successful.  One of the most important factors in this lack of success has been our churches’ inability to attract and retain so-called “people-of-color” and/or people who do not go to the traditional mainline churches.

Most churches have identified this reality.  Some churches have chosen to tailor their outreach to meet the socio-economic needs of low-income residents, but this does not often lead to more people coming to church.  Some churches have accepted that this IS the new reality and that our numbers will not go up because of the new demographics.  However, many of these churches still desire to connect with the neighborhood, so they continue to offer some social services or partner with other neighbor churches or institutions to engage the neighborhood. 

While our established churches are responding to these changing demographics, there are many newer and smaller Christian churches being formed by the newer residents.  These newer, churches are often non-denominational or not part of mainline denominations.  They are often knocking on the doors of established churches looking for worship space.  These are faithful Christians, who want to preserve and practice their faith in their new cities.  Most often these new churches do not share a liturgical style or doctrines that the established churches adhere to, but they ARE Christians.

To our credit, many mainline/traditional churches have opened our doors to house the newer congregations.  Some Lutheran churches share their space with up to three other worshipping communities.  Hope Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis, has graciously opened its doors to a Latino congregation, Gethsemani Iglesia Cristiana, led by Pastor Pedro Martinez.  Since February this year, they have been housed at Hope on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  Hope has embraced this new congregation as a partner, rather than simply as a tenant.  They are exploring ways to engage each other.  This summer some of Gethsemani’s children joined Hope's VBS program.  A few of Hope's members have attended parts of Gethsemani’s worship services.  Getsemani will worship with Hope on two Sundays this Fall.  Both congregations are exploring ways to do joint outreach in the neighborhood. 

There remains one question, however, for all of us mainline churches who are engaging the newer churches.  Are we reaching out as good neighbors or are we reaching out as brothers and sisters?  Is it an effort at good neighborliness or kinship?  The Christian position is one of kinship.  All Christians, who confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and identify with the Triune God of the Bible, are our brothers and sisters.  When we begin to approach our new partners as such, the dynamics change.  There is no longer “us and them”, no longer suspicion and mistrust, no longer treating our new partners as “those people”.  I long for the day when all God’s people would refer to each other as “our people”.  Will it be in our lifetime?  The answer lies with us in the Church today!