By Jin H. Cho, Leader of the Revelation 7:9 Task Force for Racial Diversity and Inclusion
There once lived a well-respected giraffe living in the beautiful suburb of Giraffetown. This giraffe built a beautiful, aesthetically balanced house that won many awards. It had tall windows and long narrow hallways that accentuated all the right giraffe-y things; it was, he would beam, the “perfect home.”
One day, an elephant family moved into the neighborhood. The giraffe, being the neighborly sort, invited the elephant for tea: “Please make yourself at home!” he exhorted warmly.
But the elephant found this not so easy to do—the proportions of the giraffe house were all wrong for him. He clumsily damaged the thoughtfully architected walls, tipped over vases, and crushed the furniture as he attempted to “make himself at home.” Horrified, the giraffe muttered that the elephant may need to be more mindful perhaps—that maybe he should lose some weight, or take a dance class, so that he could be nimble like the other giraffes in the community.
The elephant, however, wasn’t so convinced. He replied on his way out, “I’m not so sure… that a house built for giraffes is good for an elephant” (Building a House for Diversity; special thanks to my friend Alex Jun).
For years, I have witnessed churches inviting diversity, being [extra] attentive in their welcome and friendly to those of different racial and cultural backgrounds who would enter into their community—but wondering why “they never seem to stick around.” Many businesses nowadays face similar problems. My wife’s law firm has been grappling with the issue of diversity. One issue for them, she explained, is that while they are relatively successful in recruiting, they struggle in their retention of diverse associates. Good at recruiting, but struggling with retention—that sounds familiar, I thought.
For all our neighborly intentions, the Church has little to show for our efforts; our attempts at hospitality have borne little fruit. Sometimes, the lack of success will even have some wonder about the merits of pursuing diversity in our spaces—maybe everyone prefers to worship with like people? Pastors and search committees would share with me how hard they tried to hire diverse candidates to no avail—what gives?
The parable of the elephant and the giraffe helps us see that perhaps there are other issues at hand. The act of inviting diversity into our community in itself is easy, but without the commitment to enter into the difficult conversations about our assumptions and values that are embedded in our systems—the way we “normally” do things—the experiment is bound to run into all sorts of trouble. (When do you start and end your meetings? How do you deal with food in your social gatherings? What goes up for a vote?) Dealing with someone else’s norms makes us feel awkward, and places us at a disadvantage; having someone enter into our norms makes us anxious. Yet, our commitment to a racially diverse future must include the inward reflection to see how we may have unintentionally sent a message of un-welcome to those not like us.
This is the reason why our Revelation 7:9 Task Force supports “simultaneous work” in all spheres of our diocesan existence—culture, clergy, congregations. We need lots and lots of these hard conversations by not just diverse clergy, nor only at the leadership level, but with all who call this space “home.” We must all be willing to discuss our assumptions about what is “normal,” separating the kernel from the chaff, so that we can become clear about what is truly important to us and what is not. This is part of the earnest work of others-centered hospitality. It is difficult but worthy work, as the beauty of God’s vision for diversity compels us onward.
If I may share a bit more personally, as a person of color, I have sometimes felt like an elephant trying to shape myself into a giraffe. And I know that I am not alone in feeling this way in our beloved tribe. The fact of the matter is, most people of color working in predominantly white spaces are already committed to doing this culture-bridging work. Will you let the beautiful vision of God’s multicultural kingdom compel you to join us as we imagine together? Will you gather your leadership team or community to ask this question: How might we be [unintentionally] inhospitable to diversity?
This fall, The Rev. 7:9 Task Force for Racial Diversity and Inclusion will be facilitating small group conversations on “Race, Justice, and the Church.” If you are interested in participating, please contact Jin.
The Rev. Dr. Jin Cho serves at Holy Trinity Church in Costa Mesa, California as a priest. He received his doctorate of ministry from Fuller Seminary, writing on “Race, Evangelicalism, and the Local Church.” He has 20-plus years experience as a pastor and a church planter, but in recent years consults with churches and non-profits to have courageous conversations around various justice issues. He and his far more interesting wife Esther will celebrate their 25th anniversary next year, and they have two extremely extroverted middle-schoolers.