Rise of the Reconcilers: Developing a Multiethnic and Reconciling Church Through the Equipping of Cross Cultural and Justice-oriented Disciple Makers

Abstract

The city of Sacramento is one of the most multicultural and multiethnic cities in the United States, and yet within the last year has been facing deep racial tensions. These tensions have risen in the aftermath of the shooting death of unarmed African American Stephon Clark, at the hands of two Sacramento police officers. What is taking place in Sacramento is just part of the broader divisiveness, polarization, and dehumanization plaguing the entire United States. Demonizing rhetoric targeted towards Black and brown people connected to the social issues of immigration, racial profiling, and religion dominates social media. Women within the arts, the marketplace, and politics are coming forward to tell their stories of sexual harassment and abuse. With the nation being deeply polarized and socially suffocating from injustice, it is important to ask what evangelistic, disciple-making, and mission credibility the Church has, even a diverse church. The development of the multiethnic Church alone is not enough to bring transformation to a diverse, divided, and polarizing mission field. Therefore, this project seeks to answer the question, "Will the development of cross-cultural and justice-oriented disciple makers in a multiethnic congregation increase the credibility and relevancy of a church located in an urban and multicultural context to advance reconciliation?" The multiethnic and reconciling church must equip and release cross-cultural and justice-oriented disciple-makers who forge unity, transformation, and social justice in their local communities and who innovate new paths of evangelism and missions. This doctoral project connects reconciliation theology, Black liberation theology, and urban apologetics in order to present a more robust ecclesiology that leads to a reconciling church. It also utilizes a sermon series, the development of a four-week class on reconciliation theology and the development of staff values for moving a diverse congregation to a multiethnic and reconciling church.