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Church of All Nations, Minneapolis, MN by Jin S. Kim (D.Min.’05) Three and a half years ago, a group of second-generation Korean-Americans of a historically Korean immigrant church in Today, our adult membership is over 160, but our attendance is consistently over 200 (we have a stringent, rigorous membership requirement). We are now 40 percent Asian, 36 percent white, 22 percent black, and 2 percent other, and we are one of a handful of congregations in the
Our central mission is to do the ministry of reconciliation, and it is happening in all kinds of wonderful ways here. One little story: In January of 2006, we moved from our “mother church” to a declining white PCUSA congregation (Grace Church) who had plenty of space. We rented for a few months, but then Grace Church asked if they might merge with us. At the end of July they had a congregational dissolution, after being founded in 1884, and all of their members became members of
These days, we break attendance and offering records on a regular basis. Far more importantly, people are filled with joy, hope, and genuine love for each other across all kinds of lines, crossing barriers erected by both church and society, history and culture. This is the most exciting church I have ever been a part of, and one thing I know for sure is that what is happening here is far beyond my leadership capacity. So I have no choice but to conclude that this is the work of the Holy Spirit (in fact, the church grew during my recent six-month sabbatical).
In May we launched our building renovation campaign on the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the current building. For decades now, Grace Church members have prayed that their sanctuary would be full again, and that the building would be restored to its original condition. Who knew that God would answer the prayers of this typical, small white church through a young, multicultural church? Who knew that a new church would own a beautiful, sizable building overlooking a gorgeous lake debt-free within three years of its existence?
We live in the time between the “already” and “not yet.” Our church also sees itself between Pentecost in Acts 2 and the coming kingdom in Revelation 7, when all nations, tribes, and tongues will glorify God together in one voice. We feel called to be a church that embodies the major spiritual roots of the early church – to be simultaneously Rational, Sacramental and Pentecostal. We are also convinced that only intentional movement away from rigid denominationalism toward visible unity will lead the global church to recover its identity as one—holy, catholic, and apostolic. We are a high-risk, low-anxiety church where anything is possible, including the possibility of failure. The only poverty we fear is the poverty of imagination. We feel so blessed with God’s abundance and grace. With humans, this is impossible. Thanks be to God who makes all things possible!
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