What is Multiethnicity?

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is committed to pursuing multiethnicity. But what is “multiethnicity”? What does it look like? Why does it matter? 

The Vision

Multiethnicity is that dream, that ideal put in practice, that all of God’s people - of every tribe, tongue, and nation - are welcome and cherished in God’s kingdom. It is the hope and vision of a community of Christ followers that represent the diversity of God’s creation. It is the belief that, indeed, all men and women, are created equal and have value before God and value to the rest of the Body of Christ. It is understanding that all of who we are - our ethnicity and culture - matters to God as valuable parts of our identity. It is the vision that here, in our diverse context, we can honor, celebrate, and utilize the diversity God has given us for the sake of His Kingdom, reaching people of every ethnicity and culture.

The Task

Multiethnicity is the task of learning about ourselves and learning about others. It is the hard work of understanding what makes us tick and what makes others do the same - or different. It is the work of loving each other and working together despite our differences. It is creating safe places within the Body of Christ where people of all ethnicities can feel at home and worship God in a way that feels both natural yet stretches us to know more about a God who is Lord of all peoples. It is the work of contextualizing ministry and approach in order to reach people of all types. This includes thinking hard about how we do “fellowship”, how we evangelize, how we lead, how we care for one another. It is the task of fostering open and honest communities that can talk about race and ethnicity in a way that leads to wholeness and reconciliation.

It is our hope that as we pursue this vision and this task, that InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA would be a strong voice and example of a diverse and reconciled community which demonstrates the love of Christ - that all may see the power of Christ and His Gospel alive in us.