Question of the Week: How Important is a Diversified Church?

“Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians 3:11 ESV)

I always laugh a bit when people use the early church as an example of what a perfect church might look like. I think we look at those times through the lens of a Renaissance painting. Peter, Paul, and Mary (pun intended) were all getting along perfectly and Christians were huddled together in perfect circles making fish symbols with their feet.

Don't get me wrong, there were examples of this in the early church, but for the most part, it was a mess. Jewish Christians bullied Greek Christians. Rich Christians held out on the poor and Paul even had to plea for mercy on behalf of a runaway slave to his Christian owners. The early church was a divided mess.

Paul wrote about this a lot because it was so prevalent. In multiple letters, Paul is reminding the church that Christ is our identity not our race or socioeconomic standing. All that matters is Christ.

Fast forward to the American Church in 1960's. The same divisions that drove apart the early church, drove apart Americans. It was during that time that men like Martin Luther King Jr. stood up and reminded the church that we have a new identity. We are Christ's.

Even now, we are wrestling with the same problems. Although there have been some improvements, segregation within the church still exists. The difference is the reasoning. Most Christians in America would say they are not racist and most churches would happily welcome people different than their normal congregant into their midst. But still, most churches in America struggle with being diversified.

So here's my question:

How important is a diversified church and what needs to change to get us there?

This week I want to look at Paul's call for us to see our identity in Christ and what that means for the way our church looks. Do we force diversity if it doesn't happen naturally? Is diversity really a big deal? What are our thoughts?