Diverse Forms of Diversity

My brother, a pastor in Colorado, wrote me recently to report the best bumper sticker he's seen lately: "Honk if you love peace and quiet."

"Seems to describe my life," David wrote. "I've been swamped lately—nearly all good things, but so many of them I can't seem to keep pace."

I had to chuckle at the paradoxical image of people honking for peace and quiet.

A few months ago I had a similarly paradoxical experience when I went to the West Coast to visit a church that I'd heard was a great example of diversity. That Saturday night I had dinner with a friend who knew that church well. And I mentioned I was eager to worship the next day at this church and to see how they had developed such a diverse congregation.

"Oh, it's diverse all right," he said. "They have Korean twenty-somethings that graduated from UCLA; they have Hispanic twenty-somethings that graduated from UCLA; they have black twenty-somethings that graduated from UCLA; and they have white twenty-somethings that graduated from UCLA."

He went on to say that the church was indeed multi-ethnic, but it was not multi-generational. It did not span much of the socio-economic spectrum. And while it appealed to artists and writers, it had very few engineers, tradesmen, or anyone from the military—even though a naval base was not far away.

"So," my friend asked, "is that a good example of a diverse congregation?"

I thanked him for complicating my life. And thought about honking for some peace and quiet.

Diversity is one of those words, like authenticity and community, that's often used in vision statements and core values of today's congregations. Everyone wants to reflect diversity, but what kinds of diversity count?

Recently I worshiped in a church in rural Kansas that was mostly white (with the notable exception of several children adopted from other countries), but the congregation included four generations or more. I met farmers and lawyers and mechanics and college professors. In the same congregation were people who lived in fine houses, others in apartments, and some who lived in trailers.

After my experience in California, I wondered, Which of these churches is more diverse?

Part of the ministry of the church is reconciliation, demonstrating that koinonia is more than "birds of a feather flocking together." But there are several ways of demonstrating that gospel based unity amid diversity. The diversity can be ethnic or economic or generational or cultural.

None of those is an easy gap to overcome, but in overcoming any, ANY, of those barriers, we show the supernatural power of the gospel.

Transcending the categories

Pastor and salon.com blogger Gordon Atkinson of Covenant Baptist Church in San Antonio plays a riff on this theme in his book RealLivePreacher.com:

"I keep getting e-mails from people who say, 'Your church sounds nice. I wish I could find one like that.'

Gordon responds, "Let me guess. You're looking for a cool church, filled with authentic Christians who aren't judgmental but also have convictions, hip and classic in just the right mixture. A church where people forgive each other, love children, and worship in meaningful ways. A church that isn't liberal or conservative, but seems to transcend … categories like those. A church where the hunger for truth is honored, and people can disagree but still love each other and share a plate of tacos. Where people are committed to 'The Christ Life'—and it shows in the fabulous and creative ways they love the world.

"That what you're looking for? I got ya. I understand. Here are some tips to help you in your search:

"You won't find that church …

"Go ahead and grieve. You'll have to make do with a silly bunch of dreamers and children, prone to mistakes, blunders, and misjudgments."

Maybe that's the place to start.

Marshall Shelley is editor of Leadership.

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