Preaching in a Multicultural World

An illustration I have used in a church with a sizeable Caribbean membership is the movie Cool Runnings about the Jamaican Bobsled team in Canada. For a Chinese congregation, I queried about the first question your parents ask when you bring home a 90% on a test. It is “Where is the other 10%?”  

I have conveyed my own experience as an immigrant. I received a shout through an open window of a car saying, “Welcome to Canada!”  I instinctively started running after the car, to explain to the driver that my relatives have been in North America for more than 100 years. I am the same as him except I am a visible minority and perceived a certain way. Such illustrations draw resonance from the ethnic groups in the congregation and for anyone who has had a minority experience.

Use of illustrations and application require a lot of sensitivity. Missionaries are adept at using appropriate ones the longer they spend time with the people and live in the cultural context.

Preaching Style

We all have a default speaking style for preaching. For most of us it is conversational, reflecting our common speech. Have you analyzed this for preaching amidst ethnic diversity? We re-examine our use of slang, buzz words, acronyms, and humor. Missionaries do this when speaking in their native language or in the language of the host country.

For example, while English is the communication medium of my preaching class, it makes a difference when more than half of my class have English as their second or third language. I opt to use more PowerPoint to display words. This is helpful for those whose first language is not English. They can read better than listen or speak in English.

The sermon doesn’t need to be dumbed down but it does need to be accessible. Some churches are “seeker sensitive” – I advocate being “ethnic sensitive.” In many congregations there is not only the presence of “unchurched Harry and Mary” but also “Mohammed” or “Singh” from a different religious background rather than Christian or having no religious background.

Today’s preaching emphasizes metaphors and images. These are good for the visual component. Care must be taken to be sure the metaphors are culturally transferable and relatable. Some patriotic symbols may not be as familiar for those who recently came from another country.

We can include terms that draw connection with parts of the congregation. For example, Koreans use “1.5 generation” to speak of those who came to North America when they were young and yet are bilingual and bicultural.

Verbal style with word choice is an important growth area when preaching in our multicultural world. Like a missionary, through experience we use our growing vocabulary in apt ways and connect with the people.