Minority in Ministry

As a Puerto Rican-American from the Bronx (NYC) who attended a differently diverse university in an urban New Jersey community and joined staff with a majority Caucasian organization, I can assure you that it is not easy to become part of a community where you are a minority and still hold true to your individuality and culture.

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As a child, I had always seen multiple ethnic backgrounds and diverse cultures represented in nearly every area of my life.

When I moved to New Jersey for college, I witnessed a shift in the cultural population and slightly felt the need to adjust. Stepping into the classroom was noticeably and often uncomfortably different in its ethnic demographic.

As a Deaf education major, I became well acquainted with the feeling of being uncomfortable in a community of people who are all of a different culture. (Most Deaf adults asso ciate with their deafness before they do with their ethnicity. In their world, you are either hearing or Deaf.)

Even later in life, as an interned with a national organization where I worked with a  majority Suburban American team, I would occasionally feel uncomfortable and alone. Sometimes I felt misunderstood and often pride led me to believe I deserved special attention because "they needed to learn about my differences".

Being a minority, ethnically, spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally is never easy and rarely, if ever, comfortable.  This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t purposefully place ourselves in places where we are the minority.

Look at Peter, a friend and disciple of Jesus Christ. Acts 10 and 11 record:

·         Peter’s fear to enter into a different culture - Peter originally didn't want to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. They were completely different than he was in culture, spirituality, ethnicity and more.

·         God's calling for him to stay uncomfortable - The Holy Spirit led Peter to bring the truth of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Later in chapter eleven, he is even able to be a bridge-builder between the circumcised Jews and the Gentiles.

·         The fruit of his obedience to the Holy Spirit – Despite Peter's obvious discomfort and fear, his obedience finally led him to the opportunity to be a bridge-builder between the Gentiles and God and into the whole body of Christ (The Church).

It wasn't easy for Peter to be the only Jew amongst Gentiles, nor was it easy for him to be one of the few Jews within his community who believed Gentiles could know and experience the Holy Spirit. He probably often felt scared and alone like I did entering the deaf community and like I'm sure you have at some point as well. He may have even though it to be an impossible task (outside of God) to merge the two different cultures together. However, as believers, God calls us to be part of the impossible. He doesn’t just call us to Himself, but He calls us to community so that we may be a brighter example of what love looks like to this dark world.

For those of you who may consider yourself to be a minority and have been challenged to enter a field or an environment where you may be alone, I commend you and encourage you - it is possible. Not many are willing to stand in the gap between two different cultures, but you may have the opportunity to be a bridge-builder, like Peter was. If you come across this opportunity in your life, I would encourage you to respond similarly to Peter:

1.       Identify your fears and recognize the stereotypes and misconceptions of the group.

2.       Listen to the Holy Spirit as He guides you in your words/actions. (listening is key)

3.       Pray that He will give you a love for the people He has called you to.

4.       Obey God and follow Him into the uncomfortable places He’s called you to.

5.       After learning about, caring for, and staying with this group of people (in which you are the minority), try to build bridges with them, connecting them to God and to others.

For a clearer picture of what this looks like, visit my blog, email me. Dina and I, pictured below, are both trying to be bridge builders within our ministries across America.

Dina & I at IBS in Orlando

As I took classes in Orlando, there are many people joining staff with Cru and some even with CCCi overseas. Within the U.S. we have a few specific ministries that focus their attention on pockets of people who are easier reached within their unique context. One of those ministries is called "Destino", who is raising up a generation of Latino & Hispanic leaders to help change the world for Christ. I've had the privilege of meeting one of these students turned leaders, who came from the movement at her school, University of Santa Barbara, Dina Martinez (pictured right). Please pray for us as we and an Argentinian woman are the only Latinos on staff at IBS/New Staff Training. We desire to build bridges with the majority community so that more Hispanics and Latinos are reached with the Gospel everyday.

As Christians, we recognize that scripture emphasizes the importance of community and of "loving others" (See Matthew 22:37-40, 1Thessalonians 5:14, and Galatians 6:2). However, community is not just for the sake of edification and accountability but for the purpose of growing up in our knowledge of God. We were each individually created to display the glory of God in a unique way that will open the eyes of the Church & the world to who God is. (John 13:35, Eph. 4:1-6, Hebrews 10:19-25) When we keep these unique character traits and differences to ourselves, we not only have a dimmer view of who God is, but we do a disadvantage to the Church universal (our brothers and sisters) & not-yet believers in helping them see God more clearly. God is the great I AM. There is no explaining Yahweh to a point where we feel satisfied, but I would have to argue that by keeping to our own cultural comforts, we are weakening our vision of God and His universal plan of redemption.   

 community is not just for the sake of edification and accountability but for the purpose of growing up in our knowledge of God.

Peter couldn't know God as He related to the Gentiles and revealed Himself to them if He didn't take a step of faith to be uncomfortable for God's glory and His kingdom. As a NuYoRican from the Bronx who was born and later healed from epilepsy, I can see that God is a a real, just, and honest (faithful to keep His promises) healer. And that is a true view of God but it isn't as wide as it could be if I would allow myself to take an uncomfortable step of faith to be in biblically based diverse community with people from different backgrounds and different "God" experiences/knowledge. The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone, and I think we can all agree with that. Yet somehow we can often think that by keeping with a group of believers who have had similar backgrounds and experiences, we are in community. I would argue to say that this is not all God has in store for us, but rather we can know Him more fully and more truly if we allow ourselves to be uncomfortable in every place His presences lays.