Building Community God’s Way: Unity Without Uniformity

On any given Sunday, I look around my church and see a number of differences in the people that surround me. I see women, men, girls, and boys. I see couples with children, couples without children, and single adults. I see people from the United States, a man from the United Kingdom, and a woman from Ghana. I see women wearing dresses, men in suits, women in jeans and men in gym shorts. I see engineers, doctors, teachers, and entrepreneurs. But in spite of all these differences, we are all under the same roof, reading the same Scriptures, and worshiping the same God. The beauty of the gospel is that it takes all of these people with all of these differences and more, and unites them in Him.

Unity in Christ

The gospel highlights our commonality. It teaches us that we were all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27); that we were all born into sin, and continuously sin against God (Romans 3:23); that our sin will lead us all to death (Romans 6:23), and that we are in need of a Deliverer, who will save us from our sin and bring us back to God.

But Christ’s coming to earth does even more than just highlight the things about all humans that are the same. He truly unites all people who place their trust in Him. Being brought into the family of God is an essential part of our salvation. We are not merely saved from the deadly fate of our sin, we are given new life and a new identity—we are made a part of the Church, the body of Christ. As Ephesians 4:4–6 tells us, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope, at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” We have been made one through Christ and His Spirit.

As a one body, we have the same Spirit—the Spirit of God—within us. We have the same purpose: to glorify God and serve His kingdom. We have the same Lord—Christ, who rules over us and guides us in all we do. This means that in spite of the differences between us, we have all things in common (Acts 4:32).

Diversity in the Church

Being a part of Christ’s unified Church, however, does not mean that all our differences and diversity is removed. Paul’s description of the Church as Christ’s body helps us see how our diversity actually contributes to our unity. In 1 Corinthians 12:12, he says, “For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.” Then he goes on to say,

If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body (1 Corinthians 12:17–20).

By comparing the body of Christ with the human body, Paul is showing just how important our differences are. We do not want a global church where everyone looks the same, speaks the same language, dresses the same, has the same interests, the same personality, same ideas, and is passionate about the same things. God has made all people—from all nations, with all interests, personalities, and all other differences in His image. Through our differences, then, we reflect the multifaceted, unique, and diverse beauty of God’s nature. Only an infinitely beautiful God could create such a diverse people, and when we all come together to worship Him—in local churches, and around the globe—we proclaim His diverse greatness.

How to foster diverse unity in your community

So how do we work toward building this diverse but unified community? The first thing we can do is walk in humility. It is easy to think that the way we do things or think about things is the best way or the right way, but this is not always true. When we follow Christ’s example and humble ourselves, we open ourselves up to learning from others, gaining perspective, and seeing the beauty in the differences between us and other Christians.

Second, we can encourage charitable disagreement in our church communities. This requires the humility mentioned above, but also intentional conversation. We need to listen to others, ask good questions, and try to see their point of view. Then, even if we disagree, we can see them as another human being who is loved by God and saved by Christ.

Third, we can show a genuine interest in others. If we are interested in learning about others' experiences, backgrounds, hobbies, careers, and personalities, we will better appreciate their differences and better celebrate the diversity within our churches.

Then finally, above all, we need love. Love can be hard to define in today’s culture. However, Scripture tells us, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This great love was demonstrated by Christ, who gave His life for His church. We can follow His example and show love to those around us by giving of ourselves. Paul says it clearly in Philippians 2:3–4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.”

It is through this loving and humble sacrificial living that we are able to foster unity in our diverse church communities.