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Unity in Diversity1
In my previous article, I wrote about the unity of the church, its definition, purpose, and importance. Referring to Ephesians, I noted that the origin and sustainer of unity is Jesus and his gospel. The Word of God gathers people with different backgrounds to be one people, one family, one body. They are known to be disciples of Jesus because of their love for each other (John 13:35). But does not the world also think they know how to express mutual love? What is so special about mutual love within the church?
Age, profession, life circumstances, and interests are uniting factors, but such “unity” fails to reveal God’s manifold wisdom (Eph. 3:10). One needs not be a Christian to belong to such a community. But Jesus unites people who, from a human perspective, would have nothing in common. He brings together people who would otherwise not get along with each other (cf. the Jews and the Gentiles, Eph. 2:11–3:13). These people are united by the same love and the same commission. What makes the mutual love of the church amazing are the relationships between its different members, its unity in diversity. In what ways can this diversity appear in the life of a local church?
Diversity manifested
Diversity can be ethnic. Just like in the early days of the New Testament, the gospel brought together Jews and Gentiles; today the same gospel keeps putting together people with different backgrounds. This diversity can be distorted, with the outcome being racism, which forsakes diversity completely and places one ethnicity above another. Another distortion is pluralism, which has diversity as its goal and leads to the scenario where one’s national identity has no real significance or value. It is a blessing to learn to respect different cultures and, at the same time, grow in respecting one’s own background (Acts 17:26; Rev. 7:9–10).
There is diversity in different age groups. It can be seen, for instance, in after-service coffee time, organizing different projects, or going on trips. Connections between generations can be decreased and distorted if the forms of activity in a local church are planned to serve only certain age groups. Age-specific activities have their place, but the congregation must make sure that members of all ages gather above all to worship God (Neh. 8:2–3; Ps. 148:12).
Diversity can be socio-economic or political. In the first case, the local church consists of people with varying educational backgrounds and levels of income. In the latter case, differences are evident in political backgrounds. Warping of the socio-economic differences can lead to favoring of wealthy members, which feeds the envy and bitterness of the poorer congregants (Jm. 2:1–4; 3:14–16). Political deformity of diversity may lead the church to be the voice of a certain party, or conversely, to isolate themselves completely from social outreach or societal influence. One must bear in mind that the church community represents neither the left wing nor the right wing. The gospel is not socialism or capitalism. And after all, we have a God-given mandate to influence our society by creating a culture according to God’s will (Gen. 1:26–28) and by making the citizens subordinates to the kingship of Jesus (Matt. 28:18–20).
The diversity of the church is seen in differing personalities, of which a local church should be aware and attentive. As an example, consider extroverts and introverts. For some, meeting new people is natural, while for others, social interaction is draining. However, God has given his gifts to the whole congregation, so that everyone would have something to give in building up the church body and to make the nations disciples of Jesus (1 Cor. 12:7; 14:26).
There can be cultural differences as well. These are due to family background, environment (city vs. countryside), or the story of how a person has come to faith (whether born in a Christian family or having had a Pauline-like experience), to name but a few. Cultural background can also leave its mark on the worship meetings. Some may have gotten used to a high church liturgy and order, while others may think that the most natural way to do church is spontaneous and spiced up with a charismatic flavour. How should a local church function in this sort of diversity? Can the appreciation of diversity be promoted somehow?
Growing in diversity
The unity of the church is the work of God. It is something we as humans cannot create. Paraphrasing Ephesians, Jesus has made people with differing backgrounds one (Eph. 2:14). In himself, he has made us one new man (Eph. 2:15). On the cross, in one body, he has reconciled us all to God (Eph. 2:16). Through him we all now have access to the Father, in the one and same Spirit.
This truth should not make us passive because the sin that still dwells in us resists this work of God. For this reason, Paul exhorts us to live in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Eph. 4:1), with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love (Eph. 4:2) and making an effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). To keep the unity, we must appreciate diversity more. How can this be achieved?
Growing in diversity is ultimately about sacrificing oneself. It is about sacrificing our own preferences for the benefit of others.
First of all, we must pray for unity regularly in a local church. Since we understand that the unity of a church comes from the Lord of the Church, due to our sinful inclinations we cannot always maintain the unity as he intended it to be. We need his help. For this reason, we ought to pray that with all the saints… we would know the love of Christ (Eph. 3:16–19).
Secondly, we should be aware of diversity. During the days of the early Church, cases of discrimination towards the Greek-speaking Jewish widows came up, and the community chose some deacons who would take care of the widows (Acts 6:1–3). How about your local church? What sort of people does it consist of? Are there people who don’t understand Finnish well enough? Perhaps they are in need of translation. What about the families in your church—are they being taken care of? Is it possible to attend the meetings with young children? How does your church serve those who are single? Are the youth encouraged to use their God-given creativity? Is the experience of the elderly heard and appreciated?
Thirdly, one can grow in appreciation of diversity by getting to know different people. While it is important for parents of young children to share stories about sleepless nights with each other and for the youth to share videos and game invitations through social media, this is not exactly what the unity of the church is. We grow best in diversity when we meet people who do not have the same generational experiences, family background or, even the same musical taste as we do.
For this reason, growing in diversity is ultimately about sacrificing oneself. It is about sacrificing our own preferences for the benefit of others. It is about respecting each other by participating in a Sunday family service organized by people of varying age groups. It is about singing century-old hymns, which may not be our first choice. Growing in diversity takes time and effort. It requires boldness to open our homes to each other and invite people for dinner. It will mean gas consumption when we offer a ride to church members who cannot afford their own car. It demands a flexible approach when we help families in organizing childcare. It takes courage to speak in a language that is not your native tongue when meeting people from other cultures.
Diversity is important
Diversity in church is not a goal in and of itself, but it does play an important role for the unity of the church. Namely, it is through the church that God makes his manifold wisdom known (Eph. 3:10). And this community is made up of different people whom God has made one, to be members of the same body, partakers of the one Lord through the gospel (Eph. 3:6). The mutual love displayed in churches is a testimony to the world because this love is between people who would not get along with each other were it not for Jesus. Only Jesus can bring about something like this!