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How to Become a Multicultural Church
Many churches aspire to be more culturally diverse-but they find that they have no idea how to approach that goal practically. This book addresses that problem with ten ways churches can truly engage and welcome other cultures.
In 2014 Douglas Brouwer, a seasoned American pastor, took on the unique challenge of serving a multiethnic, multiracial, multicultural church in one of Europe's largest cities. In this book Brouwer distills the lessons he has learned from that experience into timely wisdom on issues every multicultural church faces, including language barriers, theological differences, and cultural stereotypes. Honestly recounting his own questions and challenges in multicultural ministry, Brouwer shows how churches everywhere can adjust their attitudes and practices to embrace racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity.
In 2014 Douglas Brouwer, a seasoned American pastor, took on the unique challenge of serving a multiethnic, multiracial, multicultural church in one of Europe's largest cities. In this book Brouwer distills the lessons he has learned from that experience into timely wisdom on issues every multicultural church faces, including language barriers, theological differences, and cultural stereotypes. Honestly recounting his own questions and challenges in multicultural ministry, Brouwer shows how churches everywhere can adjust their attitudes and practices to embrace racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity.
189 pages, Paperback
Published July 7, 2017
6 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Douglas J. Brouwer
9 books11 followersFor 45 years Douglas Brouwer has been a Presbyterian pastor. He served churches in Wheaton, Illinois, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Before his retirement, he served as pastor of an international congregation in Zürich, Switzerland.
Doug is also the author of seven books, including his most recent book, The Traveler's Path, a reflection on travel and the ways travel sometimes changes us.
Beginning with childhood road trips with his family, Doug has traveled throughout his life. He has led mission trips, pilgrimages, and study tours to countries around the world, and in recent years he has discovered the joys and challenges of walking solo along the various Camino paths in Spain and Portugal. He has returned twice to Europe to serve as an interim pastor to international congregations, once in Lucerne, Switzerland, and most recently in The Hague, the Netherlands.
A couple of his previous books include his memoir Chasing After Wind: A Pastor’s Life and Remembering the Faith: What Christians Believe. He is a frequent contributor to publications such the Reformed Journal and Englewood Review of Books.
Doug received his undergraduate degree from Calvin University (formerly Calvin College) and his Master's of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Doug is also the author of seven books, including his most recent book, The Traveler's Path, a reflection on travel and the ways travel sometimes changes us.
Beginning with childhood road trips with his family, Doug has traveled throughout his life. He has led mission trips, pilgrimages, and study tours to countries around the world, and in recent years he has discovered the joys and challenges of walking solo along the various Camino paths in Spain and Portugal. He has returned twice to Europe to serve as an interim pastor to international congregations, once in Lucerne, Switzerland, and most recently in The Hague, the Netherlands.
A couple of his previous books include his memoir Chasing After Wind: A Pastor’s Life and Remembering the Faith: What Christians Believe. He is a frequent contributor to publications such the Reformed Journal and Englewood Review of Books.
Doug received his undergraduate degree from Calvin University (formerly Calvin College) and his Master's of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 28, 2017
If I have a dream for the church it is that it will reflect the diversity of cultures that make up the world and our communities. Our churches, for the most part, remain as segregated today as they were when Martin Luther King opined about the most segregated hour of the week. To be honest, I'm not sure how we move toward that vision. But, I will continue to dream that dream.
Douglas Brouer is a Presbyterian pastor serving an international church in Zurich Switzerland. This book is a reflection on his experience as pastor of a multicultural church. He shares his own journey and insights he's gained as a result. The book offers some important words of wisdom. I didn't give it as high a recommendation as I might have, largely because I found his style a bit chatty. In other words he spent a bit more time talking about himself in ways that distracted from the core message. You, as the reader of the book, might have a different impression. So, on that score, it's a personal thing.
As for the wisdom shared, one of the key insights is that there is a difference between multi-racial and multi-cultural. One can have a diverse church that remains monocultural. That it is, it completely reflects the vision of the dominant culture (and to be sure, most congregations will have a dominant culture). It is rare that a congregation will be equally divided among several cultural components.
Brouwer's congregation may have an advantage over most American churches. Even though it was planted as a congregation to serve American expats, it has advertised itself as an English speaking international church. It is that emphasis on being international that is key. People came to engage each other across cultural lines. As to why churches can't become what his Zurich church has become? Perhaps we have little interest in diversity.
With these questions about purpose stated, we begin the conversation, beginning with name. In his case, the word international is important. What are we calling ourselves, and does name communicate multi-cultural welcome? He invites us to consider how we lead, and whether it allows for cultural diversity. He admits that he came from a highly structured Presbyterian church, where he served as chair of the session. The church in Zurich is congregational and he can't set the agenda. Being that I serve in a tradition where the pastor isn't the chair, I had to learn that lesson at the beginning. But the key here is that efficiency may not be the best goal for the church decision making process. He writes of being theologically generous. Success will require freedom (again a value of my own tradition).
Then there is the matter of communication, and the need to listen. This is especially important in a multicultural setting where you as leader will need good listening skills. Here is where that issue of dominant and secondary cultures comes into play. He notes that the dominant culture may not be "aware of or sensitive to the control they exert, but their control is nevertheless pervasive, extending to every area of life" (p. 85). He also notes a number of models for multi-cultural churches ranging from bi-cultural to nesting churches to new churches with intentionality. In the chapter that follows he recommends learning the language, though he admits the church is completely English speaking. He is, however, learning German. But its not just spoken language that needs to be learned, there is also the matter of the spiritual language of the church and its people. He invites us to move beyond cultural stereotypes, even though we may find them helpful. He suggests that we not try to treat others as we want to be treated, but to treat them as they want to be treated!
One of the chapters that caught my attention has to do with the flag. He notes that they're pervasive in American churches, but not in Swiss churches, even though most of the churches are state-churches. The Swiss love their flag, which features a cross, but would never think of having it in their church. It's a good reminder to consider the message flags send, especially when you want to be multi-cultural.
Another thing I found helpful and interesting is that when it comes to multicultural churches music and worship style seems to have nothing to do with success. It's not the music, it's the food and the fellowship that is the glue!!
Like I said, there are certain elements that I found distracting, but the book has a lot of good words of advice. Some of his struggles have less to do with culture and more to do with his Presbyterian foundations. But, I expect that my own denominational context would present a different set of issues. The most important thing here is the vision, and the call to consider what that involves.
Douglas Brouer is a Presbyterian pastor serving an international church in Zurich Switzerland. This book is a reflection on his experience as pastor of a multicultural church. He shares his own journey and insights he's gained as a result. The book offers some important words of wisdom. I didn't give it as high a recommendation as I might have, largely because I found his style a bit chatty. In other words he spent a bit more time talking about himself in ways that distracted from the core message. You, as the reader of the book, might have a different impression. So, on that score, it's a personal thing.
As for the wisdom shared, one of the key insights is that there is a difference between multi-racial and multi-cultural. One can have a diverse church that remains monocultural. That it is, it completely reflects the vision of the dominant culture (and to be sure, most congregations will have a dominant culture). It is rare that a congregation will be equally divided among several cultural components.
Brouwer's congregation may have an advantage over most American churches. Even though it was planted as a congregation to serve American expats, it has advertised itself as an English speaking international church. It is that emphasis on being international that is key. People came to engage each other across cultural lines. As to why churches can't become what his Zurich church has become? Perhaps we have little interest in diversity.
With these questions about purpose stated, we begin the conversation, beginning with name. In his case, the word international is important. What are we calling ourselves, and does name communicate multi-cultural welcome? He invites us to consider how we lead, and whether it allows for cultural diversity. He admits that he came from a highly structured Presbyterian church, where he served as chair of the session. The church in Zurich is congregational and he can't set the agenda. Being that I serve in a tradition where the pastor isn't the chair, I had to learn that lesson at the beginning. But the key here is that efficiency may not be the best goal for the church decision making process. He writes of being theologically generous. Success will require freedom (again a value of my own tradition).
Then there is the matter of communication, and the need to listen. This is especially important in a multicultural setting where you as leader will need good listening skills. Here is where that issue of dominant and secondary cultures comes into play. He notes that the dominant culture may not be "aware of or sensitive to the control they exert, but their control is nevertheless pervasive, extending to every area of life" (p. 85). He also notes a number of models for multi-cultural churches ranging from bi-cultural to nesting churches to new churches with intentionality. In the chapter that follows he recommends learning the language, though he admits the church is completely English speaking. He is, however, learning German. But its not just spoken language that needs to be learned, there is also the matter of the spiritual language of the church and its people. He invites us to move beyond cultural stereotypes, even though we may find them helpful. He suggests that we not try to treat others as we want to be treated, but to treat them as they want to be treated!
One of the chapters that caught my attention has to do with the flag. He notes that they're pervasive in American churches, but not in Swiss churches, even though most of the churches are state-churches. The Swiss love their flag, which features a cross, but would never think of having it in their church. It's a good reminder to consider the message flags send, especially when you want to be multi-cultural.
Another thing I found helpful and interesting is that when it comes to multicultural churches music and worship style seems to have nothing to do with success. It's not the music, it's the food and the fellowship that is the glue!!
Like I said, there are certain elements that I found distracting, but the book has a lot of good words of advice. Some of his struggles have less to do with culture and more to do with his Presbyterian foundations. But, I expect that my own denominational context would present a different set of issues. The most important thing here is the vision, and the call to consider what that involves.
August 9, 2022
This was a decent book about the author's experiences pastoring a multicultural church in Zurich, Switzerland and his insights about how to create a multicultural church. I appreciated some of the insights and points made in here, but ultimately, it did not dive deeply into the issues I wanted him to address--namely, the issues of social inequality, including systemic racism, that often make it difficult to build truly multicultural churches. I also thought that his refusal to outright say his stance on certain issues, like LGBTQ+ inclusion, was a bit off-putting. There were also times when he seemed a tad judgmental, particularly in the introduction to his chapter about languages. I don't regret reading this, but I will be searching for other resources on this same topic for sure.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews