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Are Ethnic Ministries Right for You?

Are Ethnic Ministries Right for You?

Shining the Gospel to Those Who Do Not Speak English

Profile picture for user Dr. Dwight Tomlinson
By Dr. Dwight Tomlinson, Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A little over four years ago a dear Korean lady, Mrs. Lee, visited our church for the first time. She knew the Lord, but her husband did not. Soon, her husband began attending with her, and Mrs. Lee interpreted my messages over head phones so that her husband could understand the Gospel. A short time later he was saved and followed the Lord in baptism. For the past three years, Mrs. Lee has been an attorney during the week and a Korean translator on Sunday to a small but growing group of Korean people. On Sunday, May 16, 2010 a multi-year dream came true. A segment of our church heard the Word of God in their native tongue without needing to listen to an interpreter. God brought a Korean pastor to our church, and on May 16, he conducted our first Korean preaching service.

As a patriotic American, I believe that people who live in America should learn English and assimilate to our culture and way of life. As a Christian, I believe that no one should die and go to Hell because they cannot understand the Word of God. Liberty Baptist Church offers services in Spanish, Chinese, and now Korean so that people will be able to hear the Gospel while they are learning English. I believe multiculturalism is hurting our country, but I want to do more than just curse the darkness. That is why we are shining the light here at Liberty.

Pastor, this might be an area where God wants to use your church. The fact is that our cities have immigrants; why not reach them with the Gospel and help them become God-fearing Americans? I make no apology for our love of God and country at Liberty Baptist Church. We are in the process of organizing free English classes on Sunday afternoon, and we encourage people who are learning English to attend the regular evening service as a part of their growth and assimilation. I preach against being a “hyphenated” American such as Mexican-American or Chinese-American, etc. I am sure that kind of preaching offends some, but we have decided to move forward with shining the light and not worry about those who are content to sit in darkness.

Our ethnic ministries are not large, but they are definitely productive. We regularly baptize adults who are saved through our Spanish and Chinese ministries. I believe the same will be true of our newly added Korean service.

Many say that God is bringing the mission field to America. If that is the case, maybe we should think about reaching the different language groups in our own cities. My approach is a little different in that I believe we should teach them not only how to be citizens of Heaven, but we should also teach them what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America.

Category
Pastoral Leadership
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Mentoring
Pastoral Leadership
Soulwinning
Teaching
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Dr. Dwight Tomlinson

Director, Barnabas1040.com

 

West Coast Baptist College

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