One of the signs that the multi-ethnic church movement is picking up steam is the steady stream of books being published that either directly or indirectly raise the visibility of these churches.  Increasingly these books are addressing not only the theological rationale for multi-ethnic (or, for some, multicultural) churches but are also looking at best practices and necessary competencies.  I believe the latest books from Soong-Chan Rah, Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church, and Mark De Ymaz and Harry Li, Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church, are good examples of these more practical approaches.  The recently published Multicultural Ministry Handbook also belongs on this list.

Edited by David Anderson and Margarita Cabellon, this book provides ministry snapshots from Bridgeway Community Church, an intentionally multicultural church in Maryland founded by Pastor Anderson.  Each chapter was written by a different Bridgeway staff person and focuses on distinct areas of ministry: relationships, pastoral care, the arts, prayer, worship and a few others.  This is a helpful approach and makes the book highly usable in a ministry context; I can easily imagine handing the book to a ministry leader with a chapter or two highlighted.

At first glance the book seems most suitable for those in the trenches of multi-ethnic ministry.  In reality though, Bridgeway’s philosophy of ministry and the many examples in the book may be most helpful to those at the beginning stages of ministry.  Given that this book is an overview of one specific church’s approach to complex ministry questions and strategies, it is a given that other churches will take different approaches.  That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to learn from in these pages by those already involved in multi-ethnic ministry, only that the book’s strengths lie with its many examples and stories, something surely appreciated by those still considering this type of ministry.