LUCKY SEVERSON: If something seems odd or unusual about these worshippers, maybe it\u2019s the diversity, all the different colors and nationalities of their faces. This is the Wilcrest Baptist Church in Houston, and Pastor Rodney Woo couldn\u2019t be more proud of the cultural and racial mix of his congregation.<\/p>\n
Pastor RODNEY WOO (Wilcrest Baptist Church, Houston, TX): I think my main passion is to get people ready for heaven. I think a lot of our people are going to go into culture shock when they get to heaven, and they get to sit next to somebody that they didn\u2019t maybe sit with while they were here on earth. So we\u2019re trying to get them acclimated a little bit.<\/p>\n
SEVERSON: Assuming Pastor Woo is right, there are a lot of congregations that need to get acclimated. A recent study found that only 7 percent of churches in the US are integrated. This comes as no surprise to Ohio State sociology professor Korie Edwards, author of the book \u201cThe Elusive Dream\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n
Professor KORIE EDWARDS (Sociology Department, Ohio State University and Author, \u201cThe Elusive Dream\u201d\u009d): We\u2019re segregated in housing. Even the job market is segregated, and we end up going to churches with people who look like us.<\/p>\n