RESOURCING THE CHURCH FOR ECUMENICAL MINISTRy A ...

To help stimulate discussion of these questions, I will present a case study of how we have addressed
these issues in a church that has always included both African Americans and Anglo Americans.
Like the Apostle Paul, Taylor understood that
differences such as Jew and Greek do not trump the
unity that we have in Jesus Christ. Through faith in
Jesus Christ we are united with God and one another.
Hence, Taylor’s recognition that any religious theory
or practice that denies the full humanity of others is
nothing short of a denial of the gospel of Jesus
Christ—“the heresy of all heresies.”
African American Disciples continued to recognize
the theological foundation of a multicultural and
inclusive church, affirming in 1959:
Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)
have always held the firm conviction that the
church is one as Christ prayed, “That they all
may be one.” While this has been commonly
applied to denominational divisions, our
basic philosophy also affirms that there can
be no wholeness if any segment is excluded
because of culture, race, or national origin.
The church is the creation of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ, composed of all those
who profess His name . . .
How Can We Be a Multicultural
and Inclusive Church?
African American and Anglo Disciples have
developed three models of how to be a multicultural
and inclusive church. Each of these models developed
in relation to a specific social and church
context.
1917-1944: The Development of an African
American Organization in a Segregated Society
to Share with Anglos in the Oversight of Services
to African Americans in a Segregated Church.
Leaders of the National Convention did not see the
National Convention as duplicating program
services which could be secured through existing
agencies and staffs. In 1914 the Christian Woman’s
Board of Missions (a predecessor of Home Missions)
had employed African Americans Rosa
Brown Bracy as Women’s Worker and P.H. Moss as
Church School and Young People’s Worker. With
the formation in 1920 of the United Christian
Missionary Society (through the merger of the
Christian Woman’s Board of Missions and other
19
agencies), a Joint Executive Committee with an
equal number of members from the National
Convention and the UCMS was given oversight of
national program services to African American
congregations. In turn, the National Convention
was asked to cover half of the cost of black church
services provided by the UCMS. Under these
arrangements, R.H. Peoples was hired by the
UCMS as national secretary of Negro evangelism
and religious education in 1935 and served in that
position until 1943.
1944-1969: The Development of an African
American Organization in a Segregated Society
to Deliver Services to African Americans in a
Segregated Church.
In 1944 the National Convention accepted a
proposal for restructuring the delivery of services to
black churches. This proposal had been developed
by the long range planning committee of the
National Convention in consultation with the
leadership of the UCMS. Introducing their report,
the Committee stated that they had sought to
preserve the National Convention’s relationship
with the UCMS while at the same time giving the
National Convention a larger part in determining
policies and directing work among African
Americans. The proposal called for the National
Board of the National Convention to assume
functions of the African American work previously
administered by the UCMS and other agencies. The
Board was to establish its own headquarters in
Indianapolis and employ its own staff. The constitution
of the National Convention was to be
amended to allow representation from the UCMS
and other agencies on the National Board. In turn,
each of these agencies would provide a share of
financial support to the Convention. Under the
new structure, Emmett J. Dickson became the
Executive Secretary of the National Convention in
1945 and assembled a staff of program officers.
1969-Present: The Development of an African
American Organization in a Desegregating
Society to Foster Fellowship, Inspiration and
Education of African Americans and to Exert
Influence in a Desegregating Church.
Williams • What it Means to be a “Multicultural and Inclusive Church”