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By AnaelysTrochez<\/em><\/p>\n Americans tend to be homogeneous beings, clustered in like-communities within the broader culture. However, some experts argue that diverse congregations can benefit their communities.<\/p>\n The issue of church diversity is of particular concern to pastors in areas where the demographics are changing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about half of the children under 10 in the United States are ethnic minorities, which raises challenges for churches in the future.<\/p>\n Some Protestant pastors are being intentional about multicultural pursuits, but the results have been mixed. <\/p>\n In the fall of 2018, LifeWay Research \u2014 a Nashville-based organization \u2014 surveyed 1,000 Protestant pastors about racial diversity in their congregations. Researchers then compared the results to a similar survey in 2013.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what they discovered.<\/p>\n A whopping 93 percent of the pastors s \u2014 80 percent who strongly agreed \u2013said they believed every church should strive to achieve racial diversity. Yet, 81 percent of pastors reported that their churches consisted predominantly of one racial or ethnic group. <\/p>\n The 81 percent was down from 86 percent reported four years ago, according to information available on the Lifeway Research website. <\/p>\n \u201cProtestant churches are still mostly divided by race, but they\u2019re heading in the right direction,\u201d said the organization\u2019s executive director, Scott McConnell, in an article posted on the web site. <\/p>\n Here are some more interesting statistics reported by Lifeway: <\/p>\n Pastors in the South (96 percent) were more likely than pastors inother regions to say churches should strive for diversity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n White pastors (94 percent) were more likely to agree with the statement than pastors from other ethnic backgrounds (86 percent).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n African-American (88 percent) were less likely than their white counterparts to say that congregations should strive for diversity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Similarly, many church members appear to be uncomfortable with the push for diversity. In the Lifeway Research survey, 53 percent of churchgoers disagreed with the statement: \u201cMy church needs to become more ethnically diverse.\u201d <\/p>\n Evangelical churchgoers (71 percent) were most likely to say their church is diverse enough. White churchgoers (37 percent) were least likely to say their church should become more diverse. African-Americans (51 percent) and Hispanic-Americans (47 percent) were more likely to say their church needs to be more diverse.<\/p>\n \u201cPastors want their congregations to be more diverse\u2014because their communities are more diverse,\u201d said McConnell, according to an article on the Lifeway website. \u201cBut people in the pews aren\u2019t there yet. There are hard cultural divides to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By AnaelysTrochez Americans tend to be homogeneous beings, clustered in like-communities within the broader culture. However, some experts argue that diverse congregations can benefit their communities. The issue of church diversity is of particular concern to pastors in areas where the demographics are changing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about half of the children … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/investigating-diversity.jour342.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Lifeway-Graphic-II-238x300.jpg\")
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