You’ve probably heard the phrases “the browning of the church” or “the browning of America.” The first refers to the fact that Christianity is growing faster in Latin America, Africa and Asia than in North America or Europe. The second describes demographic changes in the United States.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that between 2000 and 2003, Hispanic and Asian populations in the United States each grew about four times faster (13 percent) than the nation’s population overall. Meanwhile, the nation’s black population rose almost 4 percent, compared with a white population increase of 1 percent.

The world at your doorstep
In 2001 the Southern Baptists’ North American Mission Board reported that 58 percent of its new church starts were classified as language or ethnic congregations. Catholic dioceses and Protestant denominations in Australia, New Zealand and Canada report similar growth from churches made up of refugees, immigrants and international students.

Misión Rey de Reyes Christian Reformed Church

Likewise, the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in North America has increased its membership through new ethnic congregations.

Anne Zaki discovered this while seeking out ethnic congregations in Grand Rapids and Holland, Mich., two communities that form the historic cradle of the CRC. In 1991 this area had five ethnic CRCs. Now it has 10 such congregations.

As the resource development specialist for global focus at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Zaki is responsible for helping North American Christians learn about worship and ministry from Christians in all places, deepening awareness of the breadth of the body of Christ and promoting the unity of the Church worldwide.

“Soon after I started this position, I realized that the Global Church is not ‘overseas’ anymore; rather, it is in our own backyard,” said Zaki. “How could we be interested in learning about and from far-away strangers, if we are hardly aware of our neighbors? So I started researching the diversity of the CRC in West Michigan. I was happily surprised to find out that there are 10 healthy immigrant churches in West Michigan that meet regularly, provide multiple ministries throughout the week to their specific immigrant groups (including some current Calvin students and seminarians) and have much to teach us about community-building and worshiping God in a strange land — a concept that Dutch CRC immigrants of 100 years ago could relate to much better than we can today.

Expect variety
Once she started looking for immigrant community churches within a 45-minute drive of her Grand Rapids home, Zaki found African, Hispanic, Korean, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Laotian CRCs.

“Depending on how big they are, some of the CRCs I visited have English translations. Still, there’s something really profound to me to be in a place where I don’t know the words that are spoken — but I know God understands exactly what they are saying and what I am singing,” Zaki said.

Look for things in common
Zaki found “a definite similarity of liturgical order” in the churches she visited, though worship styles varied. For example, if you attend a traditional church, you might feel right at home at Comunidad Cristiana, which sometimes has rather sedate services accompanied only by piano.

Korean Grace Christian Reformed Church

And if you’re used to a more high-decibel experience, you’ll find it at Peace and Hope or at Misión Rey de Reyes, where a soloist with a portable microphone sometimes circulates throughout the sanctuary.

Moon Bae Kim, pastor of Grace Korean Church, says most Korean churches use or modify a liturgy common to many Korean denominations. “We also use a unified Korean hymnal. That way any Korean feels at home here,” he said.

The church united
Through continued research like Zaki’s, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship is learning about worship from Christians in every place and time. This learning deepens awareness of the breadth of the body of Christ, enables Christians to pray more concretely for the needs of the worldwide church, provides resources that can enhance music and prayers in worship, provides a wide perspective for evaluating our practice of worship and informs our own thinking about the relationship of worship and culture. For more on the global efforts of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, visit www.calvin.edu/worship/globalres.