White Evangelicals on Grappling With Racial Issues

At Koinonia Church in Nashville, Tennessee, Alan and Penny Godwin watch as Pastor Mika Edmondson preaches about racism that existed in some Christian communities for centuries. The Godwins, who belonged to a predominantly White evangelical church for 30 years, joined Koinonia Church in November 2020, the first week that Edmondson launched it with the aim of building a more diverse congregation. Koinonia reflects the growing diversity of American Christianity, which has seen the share of Protestants of color nearly double between 1991 and 2016.