Book Review - "Church: What to Do When Everyone is Like You" (Daynette Snead Perez)

 

Daynette Snead Perez asks a question every church should ask itself.  “Can there be unity and diversity here?”  In her latest book ‘Church: What to do When Everyone is Like You,’ she answers ‘yes,’ and ‘yes.’ There can be unity in your church.  In fact, there must be.  And there can be diversity, no matter where your church is.

Snead Perez doesn’t make the assertion.  She charts the course.  Blending Biblical principles, bible stories, and her own story, the author introduces the reader to her Stranger to Neighbor ministry.  This approach to unity/diversity is going to catch on and alter the way churches see the people who walk through their doors as well as the people in the community who walk past their doors.

 Two particular strengths that stand out are the weighted phrases Snead Perez pastorally invites the reader to carry.  For instances, she likens ministry to standing.  Wouldn’t we all like to stand on firm ground? Doesn’t Jesus instruct us to build our faith on the rock of his word, that we might withstand the storm (Matthew 7:24-27)?  Of course he does.  But our foundation is him.  He does not tell us to avoid the storm!  Thus, Snead Perez writes, “adjust your comfort to stand in a canoe, rather than on firm ground” (p.52).  Have you ever toppled into the water trying to stand in a canoe?  Yes, ministry can get wet and messy, but when we develop the agility to navigate the roiling changes in the cultural climate around us, we are ready to grow united, diverse congregations.

 Another example of her powerful wording comes when she a process for stepping onto new ground in ministry.  She writes, “Blind spots are removed through education, listening, and engaging with people willing to provide and share first hand knowledge of lived experiences.” Having practiced this approach of humble listening to people willing to share their stories with me, especially across racial and ethnic lines, I can attest to the efficacy of the approach she prescribes.

 These are but two examples from a book chalk full of compelling wording and phrasing.  The reader will be challenged to examine his or her own life is he or she has the temerity to follow the course the author is plotting.  Yet the challenges Snead Perez presents come as an invitation, and this is the other particular strength to be mentioned here. 

 Her style is direct, but gentle.  She tells her own story truthfully and vulnerably, but not in a way the condemns any particular racial or ethnic group.  As a white male, I don’t read this and think, “Gosh, I am awful. I need to change.”  It’s a conviction of guilt heaped upon me.  Rather, I come away from reading ‘What to Do When Everyone Like You’ thinking, “I might need to change, and I know can!  I can play role and unleashing a more diverse, unified, loving church upon the world.” Daynette has invited me to be part of the beloved community.

 

Pick up a copy of this book for your pastor, you church elders and deacons, the Sunday school teachers, and yourself.  You’ll come away ready for a more colorful, blessed future for your church.