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The task of making Southern Baptists and others aware of the Bible’s position on racial reconciliation and ethnic identity has received significant attention from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the SBC entity assigned responsibility for addressing moral issues.
Bulletin inserts, articles, sermons and an analysis of issues and answers related to racial reconciliation and ethnic relations are available at erlc.com/race.
“In focusing on the human rights and immigration issues, racial and ethnic peoples are most often at the center of that debate,” the ERLC reported.
Ethnic leaders have been among the recipients of the ERLC’s annual awards with China Aid director Bob Fu, a leading advocate for the persecuted church in his native Asia, receiving the John Leland Religious Liberty Award in 2007. Last year, New Orleans pastor Fred Luter received the ERLC’s Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his work in spreading the gospel and meeting the needs of New Orleans residents following Hurricane Katrina.
As part of the annual “data call” requested by the Executive Committee of the SBC, the ERLC and other Southern Baptist entities provided descriptive reports of participation of ethnic churches and church leaders in the life and ministry of the respective SBC entity. (See related articles on information provided by mission boards and seminaries.)
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
As part of the Executive Committee staff, Baptist Press was asked to continue to provide news coverage to individuals of all ethnic groups and to carry stories that demonstrate “the wonderful works the Lord is accomplishing through the vital ministries of Baptists of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
According to the EC report, the convention news service extended the reach of Baptist Press en Español (BPEE), expanding the number of news stories translated from the daily BP lineup and increasing the number of Hispanic columnists that contribute to the weekly posting of BPEE, including the SBTC’s Mike Gonzales and Rudy González of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
BP also expanded the number of freelance journalists who write regularly for the news service, reflecting broader ethnic perspectives. Baptist Press has sought to carry regular news stories and features on a variety of churches and church initiatives that reflect the ethnic diversity found within convention work.
In late summer 2011, the office of convention communications and relations commissioned a series of 1,000-word essays on the various ministries of the SBC with a goal of translating them into the more dominant languages of first-generation immigrant churches that cooperate with the SBC.
People with a proficiency in English and the host language as well as conversancy with Southern Baptist doctrine, polity and perspectives are being enlisted to translate the brochures “Meet Southern Baptists” and “The Southern Baptist Convention: A Closer Look” into other languages. The Baptist Faith & Message confessional statement and an earlier version of “The SBC: A Closer Look” are available at sbc.net in Arabic, Chinese, French, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.
The communications office also seeks to represent visually the many faces of Southern Baptists in its photographic postings in the print resources it produces. Also, the SBC helps churches and church leaders seeking information about how to complete immigration forms for legal immigrants who serve as pastors and church staff for language churches, in a manner that reflects and preserves Baptist polity.
The Committee on Nominations now provides a way for nominees to indicate their ethnic identity, thanks to the work of EC staff. They also encouraged the SBC president to select qualified candidates for the Committee on Committees that represent the SBC’s ethnic mix, and asked the Committee on Order of Business to be as inclusive as possible in choosing platform guests at the SBC annual meeting.
GUIDESTONE FINANCIAL RESOURCES
GuideStone Financial Resources is actively working to promote and encourage ethnic churches and ethic church leaders to be participants and ministry partners with the programs and services offered.
Websites and printed resources are available from GuideStone in Spanish and Korean. The call center employs multiple Spanish-speaking representatives, as well as offering an Akorbi language line to assist callers in any of over 100 other languages. Retirement plan and mission/church assistance information is also available in Chinese, Vietnamese, and French Haitian.
Shawn Dorrough of Guidestone’s new business development office meets several times each year with the National African American Fellowship to promote products and services and assist those who are current participants. He also represents GuideStone at the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference held annually at Ridgecrest, attends and teaches sessions at state convention fellowships for African Americans, and participated in last year’s Ethnic Summit in Denver.
GuideStone’s Miguel Perez works with Confraternidad Nacional de Iglesias Hispanas Bautistas de Sur, a multinational fellowship of Hispanic Southern Baptists, through an annual pastors’ conference and meeting to promote GuideStone products and services. He is a member of the SBC’s Hispanic Consortium and represents GuideStone at the pre-convention Hispanic Celebration, various state convention meetings and regional conferences for Spanish-speaking participants.
While Perez attends the annual fellowship of the Council of Korean Southern Baptist Churches and SBTC’s Asian Pastors’ Conference, GuideStone is adding a Korean employee to work to enhance participation of individuals and churches in the Korean community.
LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN RESOURCES
“LifeWay Christian Resources is constantly alert to opportunities that present ways to help spiritually transform all peoples from all cultures and backgrounds by offering biblical solutions for life,” according to their report to the Executive Committee this year.
The church resources division provides material in 20 languages with two basic evangelism and discipleship resources, “Share Jesus without Fear” and “The Call to Follow Christ,” offered in 50 languages. CRD employees work specifically with African American and Hispanic churches, with several events designed primarily for African American churches, as well as an urban Sunday School curriculum. Age-graded Spanish resources, conferences and webinars for Sunday School, discipleship, VBS and leadership help equip Hispanic congregations.
Nearly 5,000 Spanish language products are available in LifeWay Christian Stores with nearly 1,700 Spanish products at LifeWay.com/Espanol. Depending on the cultural make-up of a community, stores have sections for Spanish language products and materials of particular interest to African American churches and members, as well as in-store clinics and events featuring Spanish and African American authors.
Products in over 27 languages are offered by B&H Publishing Group, which is also the largest commercial publisher of Spanish Bibles in the world. MyStudyBible.com offers online Bibles in Spanish and Chinese through the Technology Division.
The Transformational Discipleship project by LifeWay Research was offered in English, Spanish and French. Current projects relate to African American church planting, cultural and religious research in Brazil and exploration of projects in South Africa, Philippines and Australia.
LifeWay Christian Resources employs hundreds of ethnic minorities, regularly attends minority job/career fairs, and advertises for particular ethnic minorities.
