Jesus’ kingdom is a welcoming kingdom; however, there are many ways that churches can unintentionally exclude people.
If the church’s message regarding political involvement is simply centered on two issues—preventing abortion and homosexual marriages—then that church may exclude from participation others who believe that in addition, we have an obligation to provide healthcare for the uninsured, we desperately need serious immigration reform, and we need to care for our environment. Exclusion happens when we assume that everyone thinks just like us and especially when we caricature people whose political perspectives are different than ours. Erecting straw men from the pulpit and them knocking them down will turn off people who feel differently than the preacher does.
Exclusion can also happen when the majority race fails to pursue with intentionality a plan to racially diversify the church. Minorities need to see people like themselves on stage, in videos, and in leadership positions. And minorities need to hear their own sound in worship. But first, churches must become biblically convinced that the church is to be a foretaste of the kingdom of God as represented in Revelation 7:9: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”
Certainly, becoming an inclusive church also involves issues of gender equity. Are all roles in the local church open to people based upon spiritual gifting and calling, or are there roles that are off-limits to women? Intentionality regarding pay, promotion, recruitment, etc. is needed to have gender equity in our churches.
And, when I think of inclusion, I think of Jesus’ statement in Luke 14 where he said, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” Our church has been particularly concerned about including people with disabilities. Many people who have children with severe learning disabilities cannot attend church because their children can’t be accommodated in ordinary children’s ministry classes. We have created a “buddy system” at Vineyard Columbus. Every child with severe learning disabilities is paired with an adult buddy who assists that child in their Sunday School classes.
Inclusion is rooted in a church’s conviction that we are to express the huge heart of Jesus toward the whole world.
Rich wrote Who is My Enemy? Welcoming People the Church Rejects (Zondervan, 2002) and co-authored the book, Empowered Evangelicals (Servant Press, 1995) with Ken Wilson. Rich, a native of New York City, and his wife, Marlene, have been married for more than 30 years and live in Westerville, Ohio. They have a son and daughter-in-law, Daniel and Melissa; a daughter and son-in-law, Sharon and Noah Pederson; two grandsons; and a granddaughter.
