"We must face the fact that in America, the church is still the most segregated major institution in America. At 11:00 on Sunday morning when we stand and sing and Christ has no east or west, we stand at the most segregated hour in this nation. This is tragic. Nobody of honesty can overlook this. Now, I'm sure that if the church had taken a stronger stand all along, we wouldn't have many of the problems that we have. The first way that the church can repent, the first way that it can move out into the arena of social reform is to remove the yoke of segregation from its own body."--Martin Luther King Jr.

Those are strong words yet still timely as we settle into the twenty-first century. Look around this Sunday when you attend church services. Does everyone look like you? Has your church always looked the same? Have you ever attended a worship service where the congregation was more or less diverse than your own? What differences or similarities did you notice?

In this study, participants will discover the origins of racial ideology and its role in the establishment of racially segregated churches. Using this knowledge, participants will consider if it is segregated worship or fully integrated worship that most accurately reflects the call for the body of Christ. Participants will explore the pros and cons of segregated worship, look at Scripture, and develop a worship service, among other activities.