Tag Archives: bilingual ministry

Bilingual ministry in Abilene

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DSCN6505I realize that my last couple of posts could leave people a bad impression of our church and our bilingual ministry. So let me try and point out some good things.

Abilene is a city of about 120,000 people. (According to Wikipedia, Abilene “metro” is about 165,000) The ethnic makeup of the city includes about 25% that identify themselves as Hispanic.

There are over 30 churches of Christ in the city and immediate area. As far as I know, there are only two which offer a service in Spanish. Only one of those functions within a larger, predominantly Anglo church: the bilingual service at University.

This work has been functioning for over 25 years. It has had its ups and downs but has always counted on the full support of the congregation. The elders have made it clear that the bilingual ministry is an important part of the University family.

The average age of UCC members trends toward the upper end of Abilene’s population. The bilingual group trends much younger. A large percentage of UCC members are longtime members of the Church of Christ; the bilingual group includes many who have been converted to Christ within the last 5 years or so.

It’s only fair that I point out some of these good things even as I’ve mentioned a few negative ones. To refer again to Jason’s analogy from Sunday, our church is working hard to look like a Cliff Huxtable sweater.

5 Reasons People Avoid Visiting A Bilingual Service

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Jason preachingYesterday I mentioned Jason Craddock’s sermon from this past Sunday, talking about the church being like a Cliff Huxtable sweater. In the sermon, he encouraged the members of the main assembly at UCC (University Church of Christ) to not sit and wait for the members of the bilingual group to come on Unity Sunday. He encouraged people to cross the hall and visit the bilingual service.

I went and gave Jason a hug for that one. It’s something I’ve repeated for at least five years now, with little success. I still have people tell me: “I would visit the bilingual service, but I’m not bilingual.” Explanations about how one only needs to know either one of the two languages used seem to fall on deaf ears. (Actually, you don’t even have to know one of the two; we had a Japanese visitor a few weeks ago who only spoke Japanese)

So why don’t people want to visit a bilingual assembly in their own congregation? I have some guesses:

  • Habit. People who have been attending one congregation for decades walk from their classroom to their usual seat without even thinking about it. If they didn’t, those who sit around them would be concerned.
  • Loyalty. Before we hired our current preacher, one elder was participating in the bilingual service almost weekly. When we made the hire, he felt the need to support the new preacher; he was afraid that people would infer something negative if he weren’t in the main auditorium.
    I think many people feel something of the same. I mentioned to one elder an idea about encouraging Bible classes to visit the bilingual service as a group; he said that he couldn’t feel good about encouraging that many people to miss the main assembly.
  • Familiarity. This goes with the previous two. In the main auditorium, people are hearing a preacher that they enjoy listening to. They are singing songs that they know. The Lord’s Supper and offering are done in a way that they are used to. Going to another assembly, even in their own congregation, means giving up those things.
  • Fear. There is a fear of having to interact with people that you can’t communicate with. I think that fear is overblown, as every one of our Hispanic members is making some effort to learn English and can carry on a cordial conversation. But that fear exists.
    There is also a fear of not knowing what’s going on; 95% of what we do is translated, yet that 5% can make people uncomfortable. It can be awkward to hear people speaking a language you don’t understand.
  • Cultural differences. One member, who visits the bilingual service fairly often, confessed that his wife goes even though she doesn’t like “all that hugging.” Latinos tend to be much more effusive with greetings than are many others in our culture. And that’s just one notable difference.

Those are some thoughts. It takes some effort to cross out of our comfort zones and reach out to people who aren’t like us. But, in the church at least, it’s definitely worth the effort.

Can you think of other barriers? More importantly, can you offer suggestions as to how we overcome those barriers?

What Latinos can learn from Anglos

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One and TwoThis week I’ve been discussing some of what I’ll be sharing at the Summer Celebration at David Lipscomb University in Nashville. I’ll be speaking on the Spanish track on July 1 and 2, talking about “One Body, Two Languages.” Specifically, I’ll be talking about what Latinos and Anglos can learn from one another. (Be sure and read this post to know how I’m using those terms)

In the second class, I’m going to talk about what Latinos can learn from Anglos. There will be some of the obvious things, like punctuality. I’ll also talk about involvement in church and participation in church leadership. Most Latin countries have a strong influence from the Catholic church. Historically, they have not focused on participative church structures. In other words, you mainly go and watch. You aren’t even typically expected to give; these churches receive money from taxes and other sources. The idea of stepping up and being an integral part of a congregation is new to many Hispanics.

The other big point will be about language. It can be a delicate topic, but I’m going to remind them that the future of the church in the States will be written in English. The future of the Hispanic churches in the States will be written in English. Some research suggests that 96% of Hispanics born in the U.S. are functional in English. A large percentage use in English in the home. Many don’t speak Spanish. Some 2nd and 3rd generation Hispanics don’t even understand Spanish.

With continued immigration, there will be a need for churches to provide services in Spanish. But the future of the church in the States will be in English. It’s not the job of the church to preserve a heritage, to help keep a language alive. The job of the church is to reach out, reach up and reach in, in whatever language that needs to be done.

One body, two languages

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bilingualIn a couple of weeks, I’ll be teaching two classes in the Spanish track at David Lipscomb University’s Summer Celebration. I decided to expand on some material that I presented at a church in El Paso, talking about the different contributions that Anglos and Latinos bring to the church. (Anglo is a misnomer, I know. But it’s the most commonly used term)

The title is a phrase that’s a favorite of mine: “One Body, Two Languages.” The topic is a bit awkward in many ways; done poorly, it can misuse stereotypes and border on racism. In some places, especially in places like Florida, Texas or California, the mixing of the two groups has occurred to an extent that such discussions seem out of date. But in many parts of the country, it’s still relevant to talk about these things.

In many of our churches, the Hispanic groups find themselves in a dependent position. They often lack the resources to “pay their way” at church. (At that El Paso church I mentioned, the preacher spoke to me about the costs of maintaining the Hispanic outreach at their congregation, the “economic drag” on the church) In many cases, the leadership of the church is almost exclusively Anglo, with few Hispanic elders and deacons. The Hispanics often meet in a room that is inferior to the main auditorium where the Anglos meet. I’m generalizing, but in many churches, this is the case.

That’s why I want to talk to the Hispanics about what they have to offer. In the second session, I want to talk about what the Anglo church has to offer, besides the things mentioned above. There can be times when Hispanic groups can feel superior to the Anglo part of the congregation. The Hispanic groups may be growing more. They may have more intimate fellowship or a more active group. In places where the Anglo church is aging, Hispanic groups may be younger.

There is a need for both groups to recognize what the other has to offer.

What sort of things come to your mind? What can you see that one cultural group has to offer the other? Or do you think this discussion is completely out of place?

photo from MorgueFile.com

Bilingual ministry: How do we begin?

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spanishJosh asked a good question this weekend about how to begin an outreach with Latinos when the church has little to no interaction with the Latino community. I offered some suggestions, but would like to spend some more time this week exploring that question.

I will say that a monolingual church reaching out to a community that speaks little to no English would be next to impossible. I can’t envision such a scenario, especially given the number of Latinos in the U.S. that are functional in English, but if that scenario existed, I don’t see any immediate solution.

So let’s address a much-more-likely scenario: a church that has few if any Spanish speakers and a community with a growing Latino community. How do we begin to reach out?

I’ve asked that question before and even offered some answers, but would like to hear your ideas again before we proceed.

How does an Anglo church begin a ministry to Latinos?