A critique of polycentric churches that are racially homogeneous

Sanjay L Purushotham

Etd

A critique of polycentric churches that are racially homogeneous

Public Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Sanjay L Purushotham. A Critique of Polycentric Churches That Are Racially Homogeneous. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/9a89a4d1-fd65-46eb-8770-e4bd72544cb5?locale=en.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

S. L. Purushotham. A critique of polycentric churches that are racially homogeneous. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/9a89a4d1-fd65-46eb-8770-e4bd72544cb5?locale=en

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Sanjay L Purushotham. A Critique of Polycentric Churches That Are Racially Homogeneous. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/9a89a4d1-fd65-46eb-8770-e4bd72544cb5?locale=en.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

Sanjay L Purushotham

Keyword

Relation (Theology)

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Abstract

In the North American context, the Homogeneous Unit Principle (HUP), an organized consumer-driven ethos, and the tendency to be driven by individualistic cultural preferences are recognized as the three major influences that have led many churches to continue to operate in an exclusivist or parochial model, and a few to operate under a racially homogeneous polycentric model. The polycentric model is where the 'mother' church and a cluster of one or more 'ethnic' churches operate separately on the same campus. Very few of these churches have transitioned to become truly multiracial and continue to either decline or plateau. This dissertation examines the history, underlying assumptions, possible influence, and effectiveness of polycentric churches, and provides a critique of such churches against a theological backdrop. The dissertation's goal is to educate and persuade racially homogeneous churches, in general, and polycentric churches, in particular, to consider transitioning toward multiracial congregations in order to achieve real church health and growth.

Publisher