Unity vs. Diversity

***Special entry courtesy of Jason Vance***

As a church we always strive for unity. This is no simple task when the Kingdom of God is made up of an extremely diverse people (ideally). However, when something is difficult to attain, we are often tempted with simplified alternatives. Sometimes we even convince ourselves they are the same thing. Then we start striving for this substitute rather than the original goal. If you simplify unity it can sometimes look very similar to a homogeneous group. The logic goes something like this:

1) Unity is the goal.
2) It is much easier to be unified with people who are exactly the same.
3) Let’s make everyone in the church exactly the same.

When you do this, you lose another very important aspect of the Kingdom. Diversity cannot be sacrificed for unity. The very fact that we can have unity amidst diversity is what makes the church’s unity unique. When you lose the diversity, you have gained a type of unity, but at a cost that makes it blend in with the world. Ironically enough, I found the type of unity I think the church should strive for in a secular organization.

I have the privilege of working with AmeriCorps members all over the state of Michigan that serve Habitat for Humanity. (AmeriCorps is similar to the Peace Corps, but it is in America. Basically, people sign up for a year and serve their communities in various non-profit organizations.) In my time spent with them (less than a year), I have gained a clearer picture of unity, than I have from a lifetime of being in the church. In this group, there are people anywhere from 18 years of age to my grandfathers age; African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Caucasians; people right out of college, just retired, and some who can’t find a job; staunch democrats, die hard republicans, and even politically apathetic. And in all of these categories, there are also many different personalities and walks of life each of these people have been through. To put it simply, this group of people has diversity that the church could learn from!

A few weeks ago Habitat for Humanity of Michigan’s AmeriCorps group went on a retreat to reflect on the year and discuss things that went well and what could be changed to improve the program. As we were canoeing down the Ausable river, we would occasionally stop and discuss different aspects of the program. That is when it hit me. Someone made the comment that, “This is what I imagine Heaven will be like; a group of people with abundant differences, but all working together.” It truly surprised me when I realized a government funded program may be a better witness to certain aspects of God’s Kingdom than His own church. We had this incredibly diverse group and yet we were all doing the same thing (at Habitat, not the canoeing). There is a problem in every community that every person in this group recognized and decided to do something about. We had some extreme differences that came out in conversations (especially religious and political), but we put all of those differences aside to come together for a common goal. Some of those differences even affected how we did our common goal (especially the political opinions that affected how this program is funded). But we just focused on the task and let side issues stay on the side.

In the church there are numerous things people disagree about. We often let those things sneak onto center stage and blur our vision about our real task. These “side issues” are usually the ones we try to get everyone to have identical opinions about. I know there will always be arguments about what is essential and what is non-essential, and we will probably always have groups of people doing things for God’s Kingdom in different ways they think are better. But if we can remain unified despite all of our differences, we will be a much better foretaste of the Kingdom to come. The church should be the shining light of committed people with a likeminded goal. We should not be afraid to have different opinions and different ways of doing things. I am not talking about universalism, but I am talking about the type of freedom and love that allows for differences while striving toward a common goal.