Posted by Hemant Mehta on: 02.27.2006 /
Jessica wrote: I know it has been mentioned before that Sunday morning at 10 is the most segregated hour in America, but could you share how this impacts your experience when you visit a church? So far in your church-going experience, have you seen any one else that is not Caucasian? I’m interested in hearing why you think this is and if it bothers you. Thanks.
I can’t say that it really *impacts* me so much. However, I do notice it. And at the churches I’ve been to, while they have been predominantly white, I have seen other ethnicities there. Just not many. I have yet to see another Indian person. But then again, I would think most minorities (Asian, Hispanic, etc.) either have a different faith or go to their own church. (Where I went to college, there was a church nearby that was attended by pretty much all Latino people.)
I don’t know if I stand out at these all-white churches… I haven’t felt like I was ever being stared at. But I’m not sure what is going through peoples’ heads when they notice someone of color at their church.
Comment by: Ir
1Hemant, based on your experience, are there many other people from India in the Chicago area? My experience is that there aren’t.
I know that there many ethnic churches in the area and it makes sense to me that people of a particular ethnicity might choose to attend an ethnic church for reasons such as a) it’s in their neighborhood and so their friends/family go there b) the service is in their first language c) the style of the service is what they are familiar with and so it feels comfortable.
If these were the only reasons why people tend to go to church with people most like them I wouldn’t have a problem with that. But if there is also the reason that when people of one ethnicity visit a church whose members are predominantly of another, they feel unwelcome or discriminated against, then I would say that is antithetical to what Jesus taught [according to the Bible] and I would hope that church communities are making every effort to be equally welcoming to visitors of every ethnicity.
I like people; I think they are fascinating. If I meet someone from a different ethnicity or ethnic background from me I find that exciting and interesting.
Comment by: Peter in Pennsylvania
2Ir writes “I like people; I think they are fascinating. If I meet someone from a different ethnicity or ethnic background from me I find that exciting and interesting.” I wholeheartedly agree. Our community is 98% caucasian, so when I see someone who is not, I generally might even seek them out, especially if they are immigrants as many are, because I find people more interesting when they are very different from me. At a certain point, you stop learning from all those people who look just like you!
I used to live in an area (DC metro area) where there was extreme ethnic diversity. You know what I’m talking about, the kind of place where you order by number at McDonalds because the brand new cashier doesn’t really speak english yet. I miss that.
I hope that when someone of color walks into my church they feel welcome… period… not in spite of the fact that they are different, and not even because of it… because under the skin… we ARE all the same.
Comment by: Tom in Sacramento
3Suggestion for Jim and Hemant: I would encourage you to seek out, say, a Black Baptist church or something like that. I have found my limited experiences in those kinds of churches very refreshing because the “style” is different.
(Aside: When I find churches with similar professions and different styles it emphasizes, for me, those things we share, while giving me a new appreciation for the richness of God’s creations.)
I would also suggest a visit or more to ethnic churches. I spent a month in India and visited a number of churches. And I learned more about American Christianity — good and bad — than in years in America.
God’s kingdom is a wonderfully rich and diverse place and it would be good for all of us to have the opportunity for this clear-eyed perspective that Hemant is providing us.
Tom in Sacramento
Comment by: brian
4Hemant, do us a favor in the Christian community. When this is all over, write a book. I want to do church right: to please God, grow the Christians, and engage the non-christians. Your insights will help on all three fronts. Thanks for your willingness to observe and comment on what we are doing.
Comment by: Lucas
5Fundamentally the church is comprised of the people from the community around it, so if you’re in a predominantly white community then I would imagine that the congregation would be predominantly white.
Where I am right now (Kingston), the majority of the people here - about 95% I think - are white, so my church is about 95% white. Back in my home in Ottawa, because of the city’s demographics as well as the location of my church, about 10% of the congregation is Chinese, and I would guess that another 10% is comprised of other non-white ethnicities.
Comment by: Jim Henderson
6Is this everyone elses experience - that the church is comprised primarily of the community where it is situated?
Comment by: WarePhreak
7While being caucasian myself, I do have a co-worker who is from India and is a practicing Catholic. As this is a new job I started this year, I have not discussed our religious differences yet. I also do not know how his church compares to any of the Catholic churches I attended while growing up, but it might be an interesting stop for Hemant. I know that they have a new website that is not completed.
Comment by: luiza
8Christians from India tend to be from the southern states of Kerala and Goa. They have various indigenous denominations: in Kerala there is the Syrian Orthodox church, the Jacobite church, the Mar Thoma church, the Catholic church (of different ‘rites’ like the Latin rite and the Malankara rite) and the Indian Pentecostal church (IPC). In Goa, Christians are usually Catholic. When Indian Christians go to America they attend churches of their own denominations and have services in English, Malayalam/Konkani and Syriac - depending on the type of church. The home church in India sends priests and bishops to America and they are under the authority of the Indian Metropolitan/Archbishop/relevant authority. The only exception to this may be Christians from the Church of South/ North India (CSI and CNI) who will probably attend local Episcopalian churches.
A google search for the chicago Mar Thoma church gives you this web site: http://www.chicagomarthoma.org/ Apologies, not sure how to use the tags!
It would be extrememly interesting if Hemant were to attend a service there!
Comment by: Tom in Sacramento
9Further to Luiza’s comment; when I was in India several years ago (in the south in Tamil Nadu, mostly Chennai/Madras, Coimbatore, and BangaloreI I attended several different kinds of churches. They ranged from a rather formal CSI church (formerly a Church of Scotland church) where services were in English, to some very small local congregations where services were in Tamil and were far less formal.
Tom in Sacramento
Comment by: Ron G
10I wanted to answer Jim’s question in number six. I am from the central-east coast of Florida. In our area churches are not very integrated at all. It is common for there to be black churches, hispanic churches, and white churches.
With the hispanic churches, I find that it mostly has to do with the language barrier (we have a lot of migrant workers in our area) - also they tend to be Catholic.
As for the black and white churches, the divide is very much cultural. Music, speaking styles, length of service, show of emotion, are all very different.
I’m sure that a lot of it has to do with the fact that I am in the south and not in a major metro area. I imagine (but am not certain) that it may be even more segrated in other southern state, as Florida tends to be very ethnically diverse.
Personally, it bothers me and is something I’m working on changing in our church.