now get this. the pastor of a large black church (Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church) in louisiana is paying white members of the community to attend the church in an attempt at integration.
“Our churches are too segregated, and the Lord never intended for that to happen. It’s time for something radical,” he said.
To get their money, white visitors will have to register when they attend. Caldwell will pay them from his pocket and enlist the help of the congregation if needed.
“I just want the kingdom of God to look like it’s supposed to,” he said. “There ain’t going to be ghettos in heaven.”
now i’m all for diversity and racial reconciliation his statements are true. but this seems so much like a gimmick. like some of the outreach/evangelism efforts of churches this probably looks so phony to the spiritually searching person white or black.
God can use anything we do for God and may well use this pastor’s effort, but diversity won’t come to the church through promotional gimmicks but through bona fide relationships. real people making real connections with God and each other
Tags: black god, churches, diversity, evangelism efforts, full gospel baptist, full gospel baptist church, full_gospel_baptist_church, gospel baptist church, greenwood acres, in the news, kingdom of God, outreach evangelism, outreach_evangelism, promotional gimmicks, racial reconciliation, segregation
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The problem, as I see it, is that he’s only going to attract whites who are already going to church somewhere. Stealing sheep isn’t the same thing as growth.
But! It takes people to get people. Maybe it takes a multi-ethnic group to reach people of multiple-ethnicities. Get a good bunch of whites coming and maybe the outreach they are already doing will now be able to attract people of both ethnicities.
Paid invitations
Jesus told a parable about a fellow inviting the folk of the town to come to a wedding feast and they made excuses as to why they couldn’t come…
I read this yesterday and was just rereading it. I have to admit my intitial thought was that it is quite distasteful but I can’t say that I am in the place to condemn him for it. It would seem to me rather odd and that you won’t get people who are sincerely interested in seeking a relationship with God and seeking a church home, but if it reaches one with the Gospel, who am I to criticize? Thinking about it, I can’t agree with Kevin that it is necessarily proselytizing/stealing sheep. It may just attract people who are poor and need the cash. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got college and high school students, in which case, these are the folks who tend to be more opened minded and he may truly effect them even if they were just coming for beer money.
Luke 14 “Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here [the] poor and [the] maimed and [the] lame and [the] blind.’ 22 “And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 “Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled.”
Although I am not thrilled with the idea of a church paying people to attend I find it a refreshing change from all the churches and ministries whose major focus seems to be begging for money from those who do attend. I will say a prayer for them, that God uses it even if it isn’t His idea.
take care and God bless!
PJ
Paid to Play
I remember one time sitting down with Dr. John Perkins for a meaningful conversation about Racial Reconciliation and Christian Community Development. Dr. PErkins told me that CCDA’s need to develop opportunities for Blacks and Whites to work together side by side. He then stated that many times when he has an all white work group from a suburban church come in to work in his all black community he actuallt pays the black kids in the neighborhood to work side by side with the white folks in order to get them to work together. My immediate thought on this suggestion was that it may give the blacks and whites opportunities to work side by side, but the minute the “event” is done they go to their own silo (or ghetto). I see this as being the same situation. It may have a temoporary effect, but I doubt much long lasting will come of it. Then again, with God all things are possible.
show me the money
not sure what to think about paying people to come to church. i live in cincinnati a place of severe segregtion and in need of healing. changing the basic assumptions/attitudes of people no matter what race will take a long time. unless we are willing to change no one else will. we live in neighborhoods that are filled with people just like us, same race, same econimic level etc. we just moved from the suburbs into an urban area. it was a deliberate move to get into a neighborhood where our kids were around people who looked like them. i have 12 kids my wife and are white and our four oldest are white then we have 6 from africa and two who are biracial. we are having a series of cookouts this summer and fall to bring our new neighbors together with old ones. the first one went well. i would love to start a new “church” from the diversity in our neighborhood and hope these gatherings will help people be with others differetn from themselves. anyway thanks for posting this littel tidbit.
well it didn’t work. people took the bucks and then went back to where they were. here’s a follow up
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