Church Planting for an Emerging Culture, Part 2

Canute R. Birch I, Ph.D.

• Suggestions for church planting in a multicultural environment

Doing it the Old Way

• Forced worship: state church• Anything goes

Just Doing it the Old Way

HOMOGENEOUS UNIT PRINCIPLE

What is this?

The Homogeneous Unit Principle is the method of doing church planting which seeks to establish congregations only among people of the same race/ethnic group.

Each with his/her own race only

Whites with Whites• White church: usually

80% or more White members. In the majority of cases they are closer to 100% White.

Hispanics with Hispanics

• Hispanic church: usually 80% or more Hispanic. In the majority of cases they are 100% Hispanic.

Each to his/her own

• Racial/ethnic isolation which results in--

• Absence of fellowship

• Lack of understanding

• Entrenchment• Inability to

optimize use of resources

DisadvantagesDisadvantages

Who uses the HUP?

Evangelicals

Who are the evangelicals?

• Southern Baptists• Episcopalians• Presbyterians• Methodists• Seventh-day Adventists

Why do they use it?

• It works.• It panders to the racist nature of its

adherents.• It fits snugly into the racist ideology on

which this nation was founded.• It justifies the warped theology of

constructionists.• It keeps the “haves” isolated from the

“have-nots.”• It keeps everybody in their comfort zone.

HUP IS UNBIBLICALOld TestamentTo: Jews

• Exod. 19:5, 6• But you are a

chosen generation…

New TestamentTo: Christians

• 1 Pet. 2:9, 10• “But you are a chosen

generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light …”

Who developed the HUP?

An American Missionary to India—Donald McGravan

Its precursor was the indigenous church principle which he observed being used by the other missionaries in Kerala, India in the pre-1950s. Because of the endogamous restrictions of the complex caste system of India, missionaries sought to convert whole tribes instead of individuals so that they would not be outcasted once they were converted.

McGravan established an institute at Fuller Theological Seminary in California in the 1960s to trained church planter from the evangelical movement in this method (Rosenberg, 1989).

The SBC’s use of the HUP is factual, but not biblical.

• “Southern Baptists, and other Southerners, are thus using the HUD to rationalize the maintenance of Black-White segregation because they feel that these two groups, in a very powerful and special way because of the long weight of Southern history, should be endogamous castes, just as if they lived in Kerala, India” (Ellen M. The Southern Baptists—

Subculture, Rosenberg, 1989).

A Better Strategy

The Heterogeneous Unit Principle

It is the biblical missionary method.

Matthew 28: 19--“…all the nations…”

But what is it?

• The heterogeneous unit principle seeks to bring people together from all different racial/ethnic backgrounds and establish congregations that are fully integrated without regard to race, caste, tribe, and so on.

What else?

Advantages• It brings believers together.• It fosters fellowship (Gr.

Koinonia; 1 Jn. 1:6-7).• It exemplifies the power

of God at work, uniting people of different races and ethnicities.

• It brings the “haves” and “have-nots” together as one, sharing and caring for each others needs (Acts 2).

• It works best.

Disadvantages• It is costly• It is unpopular

What else?

THE HETEROGENEOUS UNIT PRINCIPLE

Which method is the All Nations Church?

ALL NATIONS SDA CHURCH, BERRIEN SPRINGSALL NATIONS SDA CHURCH, CHICAGOALL NATIONS SDA CHURCH, TEXASMOSAIC, SBC, L.A., CALIFORNIA

Exemplars

All Nations SDA Church, Berrien SpringsAll Nations SDA Church, Chicago

All Nations SDA Church, TexasMosaic, SBC, L.A., California