Unity, Diversity and the Body of Christ

I recently went to a highly celebrated Italian restaurant in Atlanta.  It had a huge opening and much publicized debut on the trendy north side of Atlanta.  This restaurant is owed by a family group in Atlanta that manages some of the most unique eating places in the city.  This place sought to bring authentic pizza from Naples to the south complete with the finest ground flour and freshest ingredients that can be placed on a pie.  The setting was impressive and the two large 800 degree cooking ovens for which the restaurant was named clearly evident when one walks through the door.  I was shocked when I got to the menu however and found printed across the bottom something like…our pizzas are perfect like they are and we do not add or subtract toppings.  I tried one of the most popular but ended up picked the arugula off myself.

I realized a couple of things that night.  I don’t have a sophisticated enough palate to appreciate double zero ground flour and the finest ingredients and secondly, being forced into conformity with others made me feel like I lost my identity and uniqueness in favor of the more thoughtful and sophisticated connoisseurs who had planned the menu.  It made me wonder about the church and the terrible loss of creativity, energy and passion when people are made to practice their faith in small unoriginal boxes.  I wonder how many people have felt the call to change the world for the good and have gotten swept away on some useless committee in the church or told that they could only exercise their faith according to the traditions of their denomination.

I have seen people almost come to tears because others would not be as passionate about a particular ministry in the church as they are.  Why will everyone in the church not sign up to volunteer in the  nursery some have asked me?  Then who would work in the youth department?  Why does everyone not fight for the same cause that I fight for?  Because that is your cause…and they have another cause.

Do you care about the environment?  Great…be the best environmentalist that you can.  Do you care about animals?  Then your interest in caring for animals may mean God has given you that passion to fight for animal rights in the world.  Your passion for that topic is your calling.  Your passion for an issue is your indicator that you are called to raise concern and fight for your passion.  Our goal is to fulfill our role without forcing others to think or believe the way we do and without becoming disillusioned because we cant win the world to thinking that our cause is the most important in the world.

Unity in the body of Christ does not mean conformity.  Conformity is when all people act, think, look and live out the same values.  Diversity makes this very complicated in the church.  The drastically different life experiences, personality traits, family values and cultural experiences mean that we all come into the church with very different passions, interests, approaches, and ideas.  Our goal is not to have a group of people who all think the same or even who care about the same things.  Success in the body of Christ is not gathering a group of people together and convincing them to care about our passions.  My passions are mine and I am here to make sure they receive attention.  You are here to make sure your passions get the attention they need.

Unity means that we all work together, fulfilling our role, doing our part, fighting for our passions and making a difference however we can and when we all work together for the kingdom of God, then all our passions receive attention.  Check the bottom of your bulletins this Sunday and make sure you don’t ever think that your church, like the restaurant I mentioned earlier, is perfect just the way it is and has no room for customization or creativity.  Allow everyone who comes with a skill, passion, talent, gift, or even curiosity to offer their loaves and fish.

With all my heart, soul, mind and strength

Brian