The Challenge of Diversity in Inner City Churches in London – Part 1

The greatest challenge an inner city church faces in London is how to be a socially diverse, yet integrated, community. We are in an area with multitudes of the old working class families living in council and housing association flats, the gentry who comprise young and mobile middle class living alongside in the same flats and newer purpose-built gated communities, and the wealthy upper class in the few houses and penthouses around. Add to that the cultural mix with large proportions of Asian, African and Caribbean groups as well as the growing Eastern European and Middle Eastern communities and hey presto – you have inner city London.

Nowadays you can be socially homogenous but culturally diverse. Postgraduate Nigerians will have more in common with other university types of whatever nationality than a white English bricklayer has with a white English doctor or schoolteacher. There are massive differences between social groups in terms of attitudes to education, raising children, attitudes in marriage, working and careers, spending, saving and handling money, housing, church life – the list could go on! And then you’ve got huge cultural differences too in all these areas. The challenges are such that a clear decision has to be taken that this is the direction in which the church intends to move – a truly diverse church of ‘Jew and gentile, slave and free, male and female’ – Galatians 3:28. Of course a church can be called to reach just one group – this may reflect the gifting and calling of the leader – but scripture does set out a challenging mandate for diversity.

Major adjustments in style will be the order of the day for many churches who intend to work towards this goal. We are so used in this country to a Church led and attended by the middle class educated majority. The call to focus on university students, to harness the gap year group, the emphasis on a book culture and costly short term mission trips for youth – all these are not wrong in themselves but they do undergird and make patent the focus of the 21^st century UK church scene: middle class.

To build a diverse church we need a social and cultural diversity of leadership, a programme to serve non-student youth and a culture that encourages all to seek God that does not require a university-educated mindset to progress. Are we up for the challenge?

If not then let’s forget about national revival because if God moves on our nation over half the youth will not find a home in our churches and neither will their families.

In the next post I want to explore some key things that are required of us. Surely such diversity is the heart of God, and surely the Holy Spirit will help us. But – do we want this change?  Are we ready for the pain? It will make for very different churches where I no longer go to meet with my sort of people but rather to face the challenge of sharing life with others not like me! Up for it? Keep reading – and make your comments!