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Time for Repentance and Change
Posted by
Bob Fetherlin
,
23 October 2007
·
712 views
Recently a friend doing some research in the US C&MA archives called to my attention a disturbing reality. Back in 1952, the C&MA made a decision to no longer send "colored" missionaries. I read the documentation related to this decision in disbelief.
Five years later a decision was made to rescind the 1952 action. There was an expressed willingness to send "colored" missionaries on a limited basis, with certain restrictions in place. While this was an improvement over the 1952 action, it still was marginalizing.
While several African-American personnel have been sent in the decades of the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and since 2000, I am troubled by the 1950's action. That's why this week at the meeting of the C&MA's Board, I'm recommending that in a spirit of repentance, we commit as a US family of churches to sending personnel of all ethnicities.
My dream is for our force of overseas workers to reflect increasingly our US family of churches . . . which is one third non-Caucasian. We have a ways to go for our overseas force to reflect this. To see it happen, we'll need to make some changes, including having more and more non-Caucasians in key leadership roles.
When the Apostle Paul said, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news" (Romans 10:15), I'm convinced he envisioned multi-colored feet. May this increasingly be true in the C&MA!
Five years later a decision was made to rescind the 1952 action. There was an expressed willingness to send "colored" missionaries on a limited basis, with certain restrictions in place. While this was an improvement over the 1952 action, it still was marginalizing.
While several African-American personnel have been sent in the decades of the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and since 2000, I am troubled by the 1950's action. That's why this week at the meeting of the C&MA's Board, I'm recommending that in a spirit of repentance, we commit as a US family of churches to sending personnel of all ethnicities.
My dream is for our force of overseas workers to reflect increasingly our US family of churches . . . which is one third non-Caucasian. We have a ways to go for our overseas force to reflect this. To see it happen, we'll need to make some changes, including having more and more non-Caucasians in key leadership roles.
When the Apostle Paul said, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news" (Romans 10:15), I'm convinced he envisioned multi-colored feet. May this increasingly be true in the C&MA!
