On Diversity

Lowell TenClay December 2014

Some time ago, I was asked about my thoughts on diversity in our churches. Our denomination has begun are push to encourage diversity in all congregations. The target is really racial diversity.

Having worked with people of different races in several churches over the last couple of decades, and currently pastoring what some would consider a minority congregation, perhaps my thoughts have some value.

I have never been able to find any Biblical reference that encourages diversity for its own sake. I do find excellent examples to encourage inclusion and unity. I find words that encourage us to look past our differences and enjoin us to build on our similarities. The idea of being brothers and sisters to one another and with Jesus is a major theme in the New Testament teachings. If we see each other in this way, racial divisions never enter the picture.

The only diversity that carries any advantage is the diversity of gifts with which God endows us. We need that kind of diversity. Jesus used the example of a human body. Each part is different, yet each part contributes to the whole in its own important way, without which, the body would be incomplete. As we seek to grow the church, perhaps we might justify searching out and bringing in those diverse gifts that it appears our body is missing. But I’m really not sure that selective evangelism is really what God has called us to. We’re sent to reach people, not gifts.

Allow me also, to define racism so that you understand what I am considering when I use the word. Racism is any division that defines people as different only because of their race. It always focuses on differences and it usually has negative connotations.

Along with that, please understand that I do not consider differences that we find in people of different races to be racist statements. For example, it is a scientific fact that black people have a greater tendency for cycle-cell anemia than people from other genetic histories. It is a scientific fact that people of Native American ancestry have a greater tendency toward diabetes and that their bodies respond differently to the various remedies that have been developed, than people of other descents. These are not racist statements. They are simple scientific observations.

In our community, we have programs to aid diabetics. If we invite all diabetics or pre-diabetics to participate, we have addressed a problem and made an effort to help those in need. If we were to enroll or deny participation because of one’s heritage, that would become a racist statement. And, just because we have more Native Americans than Caucasians with diabetes, it does not mean we are racist when we acknowledge the need.

Back to the church discussion… Those who bemoan the fact that Sunday mornings are possibly the most (racially) segregated time period in our week forget the fact that most people gather voluntarily with people they are most comfortable with. As we examine personal relationships, we find that the group we are most comfortable with becomes smaller as we examine more intimate exchanges. And, the smaller and more intimate the group, the less diverse it is.

A ball game is not a place of intimate relationships, a bedroom is. Your church, book club, family reunion, work place, or school room all fall in different places between those extremes. We don’t expect that the intimate exchange between a husband and wife should be broadcast over the public address system at the Packer’s football game. Likewise, in our church family, we relate to one another and discuss subjects between ourselves only as we become comfortable with those around us. In some ways, this shared intimacy is what makes our church experience valuable but it also excludes those who don’t fit into the intimate relationship.

What is it that keeps people from building close relationships? Why are church populations not growing as we would like? It’s because we focus on things like diversity instead of things like support and acceptance and inclusive security.

I suggest that the problem is not a racial one. The problem is that we look for barriers rather than bridges. We see obstacles rather than pathways, and race is only one of very many excuses for division.

In my mind, I see racism as the epitome of ignorance. Let me illustrate…

If we see a person in silhouette on a dark night against a streetlight, very often their race is evident by their body shape, hair profile, or wardrobe, and we instantly fill in a lot of blanks in our immediate response plan. That plan will also consider the neighborhood, who is with us or how many are in the silhouetted group, and personal experience or knowledge of people with similar body shapes or wardrobes. (often identified with a racial group) In our ignorance of other details, our response may be based on what we perceive to be the race of that person. Whether that response is good or bad is only determined with more information.

If you move closer to the silhouetted person, you gain more information… your ignorance decreases. The information you gather becomes more intimate over time and less distance. If you hear their voice, it may confirm their race, but it will also, possibly identify their intent or other affiliation or even personal recognition. As you gather more information, one’s race becomes less and less important, and their personality and evidence of their intentions becomes a greater part of your decision-making process. If you recognize the person, their race disappears, and their personality and your prior interrelationship becomes the foundation of further actions. If your previous relationship with that person tells you to flee, you flee. Not because of their race, but because of their history. If your previous relationship is one of love, perhaps a warm embrace is the next action. Either way, when ignorance disappears, so does the racial division.

In our churches, when the only thing we know about a person is that their race is different from our own, (often evident from the other side of the room) if we allow that to become the deciding factor in our future relationship, we have doomed ourselves to an impoverished, ignorant existence.

I can just hear the conversation going on in someone’s head… Oh, there’s a diverse person. I guess we need more of them. Should I go over and invite them in? I wonder if I can overcome our differences. Maybe someone else would be better at this than I. I wonder if they can fit in here… probably not, but here goes…

The same thing is true anywhere, but in our churches, a place where we hope to develop intimate, spiritual, eternal relationships, the consequences are huge.

As you can see, racial diversity is really a very shallow goal. It only deals with first impressions. It requires no more than a passing acknowledgement of another person, and once accomplished, will still leave our churches cold and divided.

Our goal, not just in our churches, should be a neighborly relationship with our neighbors. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor.” In the original Greek, we find that he meant that we must care for and care about those around us. That’s a much more intimate relationship than a mere recognition of one’s race.

Can you hear this conversation in someone’s head… Oh, there’s someone I don’t know. I wonder if I can help them feel welcome here. They’re probably looking for a friend right now… maybe it could be me.

Let’s talk about reality. Whenever we recognize a person’s race, we force ourselves to consider if that means anything. So, if our goal is racial diversity, we must seek out people who are different. We must make their race our initial and perhaps primary reason for contact. It means that we must overcome any racial bias before we can proceed. We always measure our success in numbers and colors.

On the other hand, if our goal is inclusion… the building up of a brotherhood in the neighborhood… then our immediate response to anyone is one of invitation and an offer of acceptance and inclusion. There is no need to consider any cause for division unless is presents itself as our relationship grows. By that time, we will probably be dealing with things that are much deeper and more important that the color of one’s skin.

I spoke with someone who was interested in visiting our congregation in the interest of developing more diverse relationships. He was quite surprised when I pointed out that our “minority” congregation is not diverse. With the exception of three or four people, everyone here is of the same race. Our entire community has very little racial diversity. We happen to be Indian. We’re on the reservation. I grew up in a Dutch community. We have friends in a German community. Down the road, we have a Swedish community. In these communities, racial diversity is not even a consideration.

But, Inclusion is a HUGE consideration! As is UNITY! Let me remind you that unity is not ‘sameness’. It is diversity joining together. (and I don’t mean just racial diversity)

We strive to grow an inclusive church… one that welcomes the middle class as well as the impoverished and the rich… one that doesn’t notice if you’re Hispanic or Asian or Indian or Northern European, or Haitian, or Columbian, or whatever your appearance. We try to include the educated and the not-so-educated. We try to bring in those with physical impediments or impairments. And, if you’re a teacher or a musician or a mechanic or a carpenter or a doctor or a trucker or a forklift driver, if you belong to Jesus or you want to, we want you to be part of us.

Our greatest challenge is to make welcome those who dislike or even hate others who are here… whatever their reason. People who don’t want to be part of the family of God will always find reasons to stay away. Our prayer is that we don’t give them good reasons, and if they come near our doorway, that we will welcome them and invite them in.

When we welcome new people into our fellowship, we don’t know the diversity they bring… usually, it’s much more than what we can see from across the room. God has already planned how to use each one of us to bless and develop every one of us.