The Questions of One High-Definition Leader

Derwin Gray grew up in San Antonio in a family far from the Christian church and far from historic orthodoxy; he ended up at Brigham Young University on a football scholarship, married and a Christian — then in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and the Carolina Panthers, and then with a summons from God — to a stutterer of all things — to become a preacher of God’s manifold grace, including a high definition God with a high definition mission for a high definition church (The High Definition Leader).

Christians of all sorts have all sorts of excuses and justifications for not building high definition churches. Some resist the vision of the NT, but Derwin is one who has not and his story is worth telling.

Here is Derwin’s encounter with his earliest realization of God’s vision for high definition, or multiracial, churches:

I began to ask pastors and seminary professors why the church was the most ethnically segregated institution in America. The answers I received were ridiculous, unbiblical, racist, and cowardly.

A black pastor said, “I don’t like white people! You can’t trust them! The only time we can be black in a white-dominated culture is in church on Sunday. This is our time. Plus, white people will never submit to the leadership of a black man.”

A white suburban megachurch pastor explained, “If my church became diverse, many of the white fathers would be afraid that their daughters would date and marry black men. I can’t risk that Happening.”

A Latino pastor warned me that if I planted a multiethnic church, I would “steal his people.” I thought all people belong to Jesus.

An Asian pastor told me, “Our culture and language are more important than reaching the non-Asians in our community.”

As a young follower of Jesus, I was dazed and confused by the nonsense I was hearing. High-definition leaders live a multiethnic life before they try to plant a multiethnic church. If the apostle Paul were alive today, I think he would be greatly disappointed. He would rebuke the American church for its segregation and lack of gospel understanding. It is an irrefutable fact that Paul and Barnabas planted multiethnic churches. They didn’t plant a church for Jews, another for Greeks, another for Arabs, and another for Syrians.

By 2004 I became angry by what I saw as an offense to King Jesus and his beautiful community-forming gospel. I sensed God saying to me, “Derwin, don’t criticize. Create.” I hadn’t wanted to be a pastor because my life experience taught me that if people got close to me, they would hurt me. However, God had other plans that he needed to awaken inside of me (36-37).

Google Transformation Church in Charlotte if you want to see what has happened.