Bridgeway Works to Craft a Diverse Community

Thursday, March 1, 2007

(The Business Monthly) -- By the time you read this article, the National Football League will have crowned its 2007 Super Bowl champion. The coronation was historic because it was the first time an African-American coach has won the coveted Lombardi Trophy. While many correctly point out that this accomplishment is overdue, it is still celebrated because a man of color in such a highly visible position has demonstrated his ability to lead.

There are still many areas of American life where racial division can be seen. One area where there seems to have been little progress made is church attendance. In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. emphasized the problem of racial segregation in our churches by saying that 11 a.m. on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America. Sociologists Michael Emerson and Christian Smith, in their landmark book, Divided by Faith, relied on credible research to show that King’s observation was still true in 2001. Little has changed since the publication of their book.

Diversity Congregates

There is a church in Columbia, however, that is set on bucking this trend. Launched in 1992 by Dr. David Anderson, Bridgeway Community Church is a congregation of more than 2,000 people who demonstrate to the world that people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds can come together for a common cause.

“Bridgeway is Columbia’s best kept secret,” noted Anderson. “Not many people know that our 90-minute service is the best 90 minutes you’ll spend anywhere all week long.”

Bridgeway, which recently moved to its Red Branch Road location, will be celebrating its 15th anniversary this year on Easter. Anderson felt called to start a church that was multicultural — and that was so appealing parishioners would hate to have to wait seven days to return to it. Laura Pietzka, a German national working in the U.S. as an au pair, said, “The church is special because there is such a sense of community. It is beautiful seeing so many people of diverse backgrounds worshiping together.”

Bridgeway’s talent for developing effective diversity is so recognized that, in 2000, it launched a consulting firm to handle all the requests it was receiving for advice. The BridgeLeader Network consults with churches, colleges and business corporations to help them develop environments where effective diversity can be created and maintained.

Gracism by Example

Anderson has also published two books that have been used by companies and organizations to spark constructive discussions on diversity issues. He has coined a word — “gracism” — that captures the idea of inclusion and how organizations can positively embrace diversity. This word and the concepts it represents will be captured in his third book, Gracism: The Art of Inclusion. The book is due to be released this June.

During its almost 15 years of existence, Bridgeway has been a good citizen in Columbia. Thousands of families have been fed through Community Cupboard, Bridgeway’s ministry to feed the hungry, and the church has actively supported Columbia through blood drives, the donation of school supplies and many other programs. But on the issue of diversity, Bridgeway is seeking to be a light to the entire world.

Through its consulting and publishing, Bridgeway’s international reputation shines as an example of how embracing diversity daily can personally enrich lives and positively change the world. Anderson hopes that one day, just as America finally got its first African-American Super Bowl champion coach, churches like Bridgeway will be normative and cease being a unique multicultural phenomenon.