Hearing in Technicolor: Mindset Shifts within a Multicultural Congregation

In a 2011 State of the City Address, the mayor of pastor and author Mark Hearn's city said there were fifty-seven languages spoken at the local high school.

Hearn left asking himself, How should our church respond?

This question led to a movement that brought First Baptist Duluth to reflecting its surrounding community. This journey was captured in Pastor Hearn’s first book, Technicolor: Inspiring Your Church to Embrace Multicultural Ministry.

Now, nearly five years after Technicolor, members of his congregation discuss the joys, struggles, and triumphs of being a part of a multi-ethnic church- providing a glimpse of the nature of a church that reflects its community.

Mark Hearn has been a pastor for more than forty years. Since 2010, he has served as the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Duluth, Georgia, one of the most diverse counties in America. During his tenure, the church has transformed from a monolithic Anglo-American congregation to a cross-cultural community of faith with members from forty-seven different countries. He also serves as the coaching director of Homogeneous Church Transitions for the Mosaix Global Network. Pastor Mark holds degrees from Carson Newman College, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Luther Rice Seminary. Mark and his wife Glenda are the parents of four grown daughters and are proud grandparents.