
Ethnic diversity in the church is not the goal, holiness is. Although it shouldn’t be, this is a terribly controversial statement in 2020 amid all the racial tensions, but that is precisely why I have decided to write about it. Whether or not I ever publish this article remains to be seen, but like the grey-bearded wizard, Dumbledore, I am anxious to deposit into the pensive, the thoughts swirling around in my head.
So, as we begin, let’s remind ourselves of some fundamentals.
Firstly, what is the mission of the Church?
Jesus answers this question in Matthew 28:19-20:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
There it is, Anton, “all nations”. Good observation. Hold that thought and we’ll come back to it soon.
What is the goal of the church?
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27
By now, many are wondering why I am writing this self-defeating article. I’ve said that we are to disciple “all nations”, which speaks of wonderful diversity to look forward to in heaven, and I’ve quoted a passage which speaks about the church being made holy, i.e. set-apart unto God, pure and free from sin, sin such as pride, partiality (racism) and the like.
Well let me first explain what I am not saying. I am not saying that racial diversity in the church is a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact. My own church is more diverse than many, and I can personally attest to the richness, and the beauty that comes from seeing “Jew and Gentile” united in love and worship of Jesus Christ. I, myself have a diverse family, made up of four black members, and two white members. I love having godly black brothers and sisters, along with many other races in my local assembly, for my children to look up to and emulate. One day heaven will be filled with “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes” Revelation 7:9
This will be glorious, as the multitude of heaven stands witness to the power of the gospel to reconcile the irreconcilable, and unite hearts in adoration and worship of our one Creator-King.
So I am not against diversity, in fact, just the opposite. I think ethnic diversity in the local church is a wonderful thing, as is every other type of diversity (1 Corinthians 12:14)
I am also not saying that we should not do our utmost to ensure that the church is a warm, welcoming place for repentant sinners of every ethnicity.
Scripture is clear that we are not to judge with partiality, and although James 2 is addressing socio-economic partiality, the principle can be extrapolated to include racial prejudice too.
Indeed, the very thing which marks us as being a supernatural community is that our unity is founded in Christ and nothing else. In the church, rival ex-gang leaders can break bread together. Murderers, can find forgiveness from the families of their victims and minister the gospel together, Jews can eat and fellowship with ‘unclean’ gentiles, and white and black can certainly be united, singing praises to our God. Our unity cannot, and should not be explainable solely or primarily through natural means.
But, and you knew there was a ‘but’ coming, didn’t you? In an effort to right past wrongs, and in an effort to love our neighbour, and (sometimes) in an effort to appear to be doing so in the eyes of the world and other churches, we take a wonderful by-product of the gospel, and make it the main focus.
How so? Well, we take racial diversity and try to force it. Instead of focusing on corporate holiness, Christlikeness, and unity in the gospel, we try to force diversity and get our quotas right. And if our quotas aren’t quite reflective of the national population demographics there are those with tender consciences and good intentions who get their insides all in a knot about implicit bias, and systemic racism.
Now of course, as sinners, there is always room for us to examine ourselves to see whether there is any sin which has lingered, hidden away in the recesses of our hearts, to which we continue to stubbornly hold. Is there anything in our control which is hindering diversity? That is a fair question and is worth asking and answering honestly. In so doing, we should take the counsel, experiences and suggestions of others (especially those in the minority of that particular congregation) into account. I am not discouraging such reflection and introspection.
Some would have us believe that in a country like South Africa, if our churches are not exactly representative of the population demographics, then there must be something wrong with us. I have seen it tweeted that if the leadership of a church is all white, people should leave that church. It is interesting how this sort of logic always flows in one direction only: If predominantly “white” churches don’t have enough black elders, then it is due to the racism of the “white” church, but if “black” churches don’t have a white elder, or even a white church member, then this is still due to white racism. 1
This sort of foregone conclusion is a classic case of cum hoc ergo propter hoc (correlation being confused with causation). The fact is that although the church is primarily united around the gospel, this is not the only variable at play.
Factors like language, location, doctrine, appearance and a whole host of other factors come into the picture, including the desires, biases and prejudices of those looking for a church. It doesn’t all come back to the local church itself.
The leadership of the church ought to be made up of biblically-qualified men, be they white, black, Asian, or any other ethnicity. We cannot set aside what God has said is important in the name of inclusivity. If there is a qualified, willing black man who is not invested in by the leadership as an elder, this should be a cause for great concern, but if such a man does not exist, then there is simply no issue. God in his Providence has not blessed the congregation with such a leader. Now if there is a growing population of black church members, then most certainly, it would be hugely advantageous to have a black elder, and we should pray earnestly for God to provide such a man. God in his wisdom may well answer such a prayer, or he may not. Who knows what God is doing in the lives of church members in the process?
Many would point to Acts 6 and the appointing of Hellenistic deacons as a pattern, but the text is clear that they chose men “of good repute, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom”, meaning the qualified men had been provided by the Holy Spirit, they were not forced into the diaconate simply in the name of racial inclusivity.
In other words, diversity comes from God – it is not something that we can drum up or manufacture. We see incredible diversity in Creation. Diversity glorifies God, because salvation of sinners glorifies God. Saved sinners from every tribe, tongue and language together display the richness of God’s grace to humanity. But just as we cannot do the saving, but only ensure we are obeying God in the preaching of the gospel and removing hindrances to faith, so we cannot create diversity, only do what we can to remove obstacles to supernatural diversity.
To paraphrase and contextualize 1 Corinthians 3:7 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the diversity. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
So let’s not be sidetracked by the things which the world tells us are important, but lets rather remain steadfast in our pursuit of the goal God has given us. Growth in holiness and love for one another and the Great Commission is the aim, and the natural fruit of such obedience will be a kingdom made up of people from every tribe, tongue and nation whether that be within our own local congregation, or in the church universal.
1. I am loath to use terms such as “black” and “white” churches. According to Galatians 3:28 such distinctions have no place in the New Covenant regardless of how many members of a particular ethnicity make up a congregation – hence the scare quotes