The majority of church leaders influencing other Church leaders (particularly in the Western hemisphere) through writing books, speaking at conferences, and doing the whole digital media thing are white men. Statistically, I expect this to change by the end of this century because of the demographic shift of Hispanics in the Western hemisphere and the growth of Christianity in the Eastern hemisphere.

But for now, it is the white man’s world… so to speak. And unfortunately, unanticipated collateral damage can happen because of it.

UPDATE: To clarify, I am not saying that whites make up the majority of ministers globally. I am saying that whites make up the majority of church influencers with global platforms.

The problem with the majority of Church influencers being white men is that there is too much majority and not enough diversity. We need more diverse influential thought leaders in order to truly cater to the unique church methodology needs of each culture. Although white men can study other cultures, it is very, very difficult for a white man to understand as well as a woman what it is like to be a woman. It is difficult to understand perfectly what it is like to be Asian unless you are an Asian. And the same is true for blacks, Hispanics, Latinos, and all other races. In fact, many white men may not even realize there is a difference between Hispanics and Latinos.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLES OF WHITE MAN COLLATERAL DAMAGE

#1 :: Deadly Viper
Mike Foster of Ethur and Jud Wilhite of Central Christian Church (Las Vegas, NV) put together an incredible resource called Deadly Viper that discusses the subtle yet deadly leadership pitfalls that can ruin one’s ministry. Its presentation was a mashup of Asian cultures, Kung Fu movie humor, and gorgeous aesthetic design skills. As a white man artist and marketer, I fell in love with the outstanding creativity of its delivery, and its content challenged me to grow as a leader.

However, in my ignorance of knowing what it is like for some to be an Asian, I and many others did not see how this “fun” and creative presentation could be offensive, shameful, or hurtful to some Asians. NOW before you take sides and jump to conclusions, realize that the nature of Asian culture is typically one of high reverence for its ancestors, culture, and heritage. Also, realize that many Asians and Asian-Americans have had to live their lives with stereotypes and jokes (like chinky eyes) that get old and hurtful over time and can put them in a “box” professionally and socially. And for Asian Americans, some have grown up noticing how anti-Asian hostilities during and after WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam War have affected their fathers and grandfathers.

Growing up as an Ohio-born white boy, I didn’t have to experience that, but I did go to summer camp in Oklahoma where my perceived “New Yorker” accent was severely made fun of. I was fine with the teasing for the first hours, but it hurt after several days. I can’t imagine experiencing such “harmless” teasing my whole life.

With Deadly Viper, much of the objections have been over there not being enough care, tact, and reverence in the use of Asian cultures. Astonishingly, Zondervan, Mike, and Jud decided to pull the plug on the whole thing out of respect.  DJ Chuang has a great debriefing on the whole Deadly Viper situation. And Eugene Cho speaks responsibly and passionately on the subject here, here, and here.

#2 Training for the Wrong Culture

What works for an upper middle class white man’s church that reaches upper middle class white people may very likely not work for a Hispanic church in the heart of Los Angeles. At a recent conference, a team member from a Hispanic church asked me how they should implement the techniques taught at that conference into a Hispanic culture that didn’t seem like a good fit. My answer was that they shouldn’t use those techniques. It wasn’t a good fit. Collateral damage occurs when you try to solve one culture’s problem by copying another culture’s solutions. It is like trying to fix a Lexus with BMW parts. Not everything will fit. We need platforms for more diverse church methodology training.

#3  The Bad Side of Short Term Missions
On a previous post discussing the effects of short term missions, a long term missionary shared the following comment:

At a large convention in 1989, I was introduced as a speaker and the leader said, ‘David has lived with us for nearly ten years now. Hhe speaks our language. He understands and respects our culture. We have been sick, and he has cared for us. He has been sick, and we have cared for him. He has now earned the right to be listened to by us with attentiveness.’

When called by three paramount chiefs to a special meeting (the subject of the meeting was not communicated in advance). One chief after another asked the same question. ‘What is wrong with the Churches overseas when they send young people to Africa for two weeks? They arrive here and cannot communicate with us. They take photographs of our abject poverty. They eat the food of hungry people. They form friendships with a few people often of questionable character but who do speak English and translate for them, and then they leave with waves, smiles and promises, and we never hear from them again! What has happened to our Churches back in the West who once sacrificed and sent us their sons and daughters who came on a one way ticket, learned our language, identified with us in our lives and through perseverance, prayer, preaching and example taught us a better way to live!’

They requested that I communicate this strong feeling to the overseas Church. This is a growing feeling across the world that short term missions teams are now walking well worn paths of other short term missions teams in many countries, but that they never stop in the area long enough to make a difference.

THE SOLUTION?

If you want to reduce you ministry’s collateral damage, you need to understand culture, meaning all cultures and not just the ones you are trying to reach. Ministry in a wired world has an added level of responsibility to be mindful of potential collateral damage. And if you do cause some damage, it is well worth looking at the gutsy and admirable way that Zondervan, Mike Foster, and Jud Wilhite handled Deadly Viper.

This is true regardless of what race, gender, social class, subculture, or generation you are. White men aren’t the only ones causing collateral damage. We’re just an easy target.

Mark R. Rank of the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis co-authored a study analyzing the financial circumstances of U.S. kids (ages 1-20) over a period of 30 years. Key findings include:

• 49% of all U.S. kids will be in a household that uses food stamps at some point during their childhood.
  >> 90% of black kids
  >> 37% of white kids
  >> 91% of kids in single-parent homes
  >> 37% of kids in married homes
• Nearly 25% of all U.S. kids will be in households that use food stamps for 5+ years during childhood.
• 97% of U.S. kids by age 10 who are black and whose head of household is not married with less than 12 years of education reside in a food stamp household.

Even limited exposure to poverty can have detrimental effects upon a child’s overall quality of health and well-being.
- Mark R. Rank :: George Warren Brown School of Social Work

While these findings encompass decades of ups and downs, do not forget that current food stamp usage is at record levels (10%+ of the total U.S. population). Simultaneously, 80% of food banks can not meet demand (based on May ‘09 research).

Churches can help fight this hunger.

(via USA Today)

Alan Hirsch discussed fear of failure at Catalyst’s second lab. Here is what he said:

Victor Turner is a cultural anthropologist that studied the rituals and rites of passage for young African boys into manhood. The ordeal the boys would endure through their rite of passage created a bond deeper that community. It created communitas (takes community to the next level and allows the whole of the community to share a common experience, usually through a rite of passage).

Journeys of adventure can change you significantly.

One of the most profound sense of communitas in the US was 9/11.

In the Bible, when David was in the cave with his band of warriors, communitas was created. When Moses and the Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years, communitas was created. The exile formed communitas. Jesus and the 12 disciples were a journey of communitas, so was the group of 70.

The Church in the west is in big, big trouble. The Church is fine in the east. The early church and the Chinese church grew exponentially (BOOM!) despite their persecution. Mission is risky. If you create a community that avoids all risk, the people are stifled.

In trying to reach men particularly, we can learn from this. We can journey together. C.S. Lewis says, “Women are face-to-face creatures, and men are side-by-side creatures.” There is something about a bonding experience that we can learn from, experiences like Habitat for Humanity.

Creating artificial environments at church do not prepare people to cope with the rest of the week. Middle class has an obsession with safety and security. The problem is that we undermine our ability to engage the real world. No wonder we form religious enclaves. We easily forget the good things that God has done for us when we are in a safe zone.

Take some journeys. You can change the world.

The Barna Group released an interesting study this morning exploring how faith varies by church size. Surprisingly, there is a significant difference between the average faith of big churches versus small churches. The only factor that did not vary by church size was whether a church attendee had prayed during the past week.

The tipping point for religious differences seems to be at a church size of 200 adult attendees. However, house churches (roughly 20 adults) have religious beliefs and behaviors more similar to those of large conventional churches of 500 rather than conventional churches of less than 50.

Big Church (1000+) vs. Small Church (1-100) Faith

• The Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches.
  75% big church
  60% small church
• I have personal responsibility to tell others my beliefs.
  61% big church
  41% small church
• My religious faith is very important in my life.
  90% big church
  82% small church
• Satan/devil is a living being not just a symbol of evil.
  51% big church
  30% small church
• A good person cannot earn a place in Heaven.
  55% big church
  33% small church
• On earth Jesus Christ did not commit sins, like other people.
  74% big church
  49% small church
• God is the omnipotent, omniscient creator who rules all.
  90% big church
  81% small church

In addition the study discovered that adult attendees of large churches are more likely than adult attendees of small churches to read the Bible, volunteer at church, be a college graduate, be affluent, and have kids. For more statistics, read The Barna Group’s article.

Boys are different than girls. As previously discussed, boys prefer a dramatically different learning environment and style than how girls prefer to learn.

The social preferences of boys and girls are also sharply contrasted according to new brain scan research from the National Institute of Mental Health. TIME summarizes the research nicely. Essentially, girls want one-on-one close friendships, and boys prefer to interact in groups.

As girls progress from early puberty to late adolescence, certain regions of their brains become more active when they face a potential social interaction. Specifically, when an older girl anticipates meeting someone new — someone she believes will be interested in her — her nucleus accumbens (which is associated with reward and motivation), hypothalamus (associated with hormone secretion), hippocampus (associated with social learning) and insula (associated with subjective feelings) all become more active. By contrast, boys in the same situation show no such increase in activity in these areas. In fact, the activity in their insula actually declines.

This research combined with our knowledge of gender learning preferences, gives insight into how we can create youth ministries that maximize both a teen’s learning and social enjoyment.

For Boys:

So when teaching boys, keep the group large but controllable (i.e., 12-24 boys) and in even numbers for team competition. Stand and move around while speaking forcefully and realistically. Allow the boys to occasionally move and keep the room at 69 degrees Fahrenheit. Use cooler colors in your environment and teaching. Play sports and competitive games, so the boys can naturally bond via social competition.

For Girls:

So when teaching girls, keep the group very small and intimate and allow for one-on-one interaction or even mentoring. Sit in a circle with the girls and speak descriptively and in a nurturing tone. Keep the room at 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Use lots of colors, particularly warmer colors, and use visual and/or tactile textures. Create a secure yet stimulating environment where they can feel comfortable in taking risks that you encourage them to take.

For Discussion:
- If you teach kids and youth, what has your experience taught you about their preferences?

The New York Times recently reported on the growing trend of parents in prison and how it is affecting their children. In the United States, roughly 1.5 million children have a parent in prison.

How it affects poor urban children…

• 6% chance of becoming homeless
  (versus 3% without a parent in prison)
• More aggressive behavior like hitting others and destroying objects
  (49% of 5-year-old boys versus 38% without a parent in prison)
• More likely to experience feelings of depression, isolation, or anxiety
  (35% versus 28% without a parent in prison)

Prison statistics claim that 1 in 99 Americans are in prison. We cannot forget that prison ministry is not simply about reaching those in prison but reaching their families, particularly their children, as well. Angel Tree is an example of one ministry that is serving these kids.

For Discussion:
- What are some other effective ministries or methods that you have seen reach prisoners’ families?

Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis commissioned America’s Research Group to investigate why young people leave the church. The findings are published in Ken Ham’s new book Already Gone. Some insights include:

Among 20- to 29-year-old evangelicals

• 95% attended church regularly during elementary school
• 95% attended church regularly during middle school
  >> 40% first had doubts about the Bible in middle school
• 55% attended church regularly during high school
  >> 43.7% first had doubts about the Bible in high school
• 11% attended church regularly during college
  >> 10% first had doubts about the Bible in college

Oddly, the study discovered that those who attended Sunday school (61%) are actually more likely than non-attendees (39%):

• to not believe that all the accounts and stories in the Bible are true
• to doubt the Bible because it was written by men
• to defend keeping abortion legal
• to accept the legalization of gay marriage
• to believe in evolution
• to believe that good people don’t need to go to church

Clearly, most children’s ministries are failing at producing long-term disciples. So what will it take to change this?

On the one hand, I believe that every children’s ministry can absolutely improve what they do. There is always room for improvement, but I also think these failed children’s ministries are the byproduct of failed churches.

If you want to reach and disciple children, you must reach and disciple their parents. Church going kids spend only 1% of their time at church, 20% at school, 30% sleeping, and much of the rest watching TV and playing. Children’s ministers can determine the 1%, but it is the parents who have the power to decide what reaches their kids during the other 99%. If you disciple the parents, you disciple the kids.

For Discussion:
- How can children’s ministries better disciple kids in the Sunday school classroom?
- How can churches better train parents to disciple their kids during the rest of the week?

(via)

According to U.N. food officials, the global financial meltdown has pushed the ranks of the world’s hungry to a record 1 billion people.

Now is a good time to build a well, give some food, or support a child.