truth quest
Is Segregation Acceptable in the Church?
(The Indigenous Principles and Other Things that Divide)
On the Cheyenne River reservation in one of it's mixed communities there's a little storefront church that's turning heads. Not because of how they worship, and not because of how many people attend, but because the fellowship looks like the community that it resides in... it's mixed. Native and non-Native Christians are gathering together as brothers and sisters in Christ for all the town to see. What an amazing testimony that is to those who live there!
Sadly, that's not the way it is in most churches. In fact, Sunday morning has been called the most segregated hour in North America. We recognize that there are legitimate reasons why a church may not be culturally diverse. For example, a church can't be multicultural if there's only one culture present... like the Inuit in the Arctic. Language barriers can be another reason that keeps different people apart. Yet today, more than ever before, people from different cultures, traditions, and nationalities are living in the same neighborhoods and speaking the same language. If they visit our church on Sunday morning, they may receive a warm welcome, yet some of us are asking ourselves; “You don't look like us, so why are you here?” We might be glad they've come to visit, but we hope they don't stay. Why is that? Why do we have a tendency to divide along ethnic lines?
In our last Truth Quest we looked at racism, prejudice, and pride in the Church. Sadly, there are Christians who will not welcome or embrace believers from other clans, tribes, or nations... even though they are brothers and sisters in Christ. These are real problems... but they're not the only ones.
The “Indigenous Church Principles” (also known as “The 3-Selfs”) have long been used as a model in missions for what a successful church should look like. But misapplied, they've also supported division in the body of Christ. Maybe you've never heard of them. These principles are: 1. Self-Governing: Church leadership comes from within. 2. Self-Supporting: The church is responsible for meeting its own needs. 3. Self-Propagating: The church is actively sharing the Gospel and making disciples. By themselves these are good principles. The problem comes when we add “Indigenous”. If by Indigenous we mean a specific ethnic group, these principles then form a framework for an exclusive church in a local setting - one that requires a person to be both Christian and indigenous (the right race) in order to be fully accepted in the local church. Is this God's design? The application of “Indigenous Church Principles” in some places has created unintended consequences that are just as damaging as the problems they were meant to avoid. Mix in some ill feelings toward people from other tribes or nations, and they can be used to justify isolation and segregation in the local church... a place where people should be known for their love of one another. (John 13:35)
Another misconception that feeds segregation on Sunday is the “This is our church” mentality. We have our ways and we don't want anyone to change them. We can view outsiders as a threat rather than as brothers and sisters in Christ. There's a natural tendency to protect what we think is ours. But the truth is, this is God's church... not ours. By His great mercy we are members of His church. He's the One who paid for it. It's His. We have no authority to exclude others or minimize their belonging simply because their color or clan is different than ours. On the contrary, we have the privilege and responsibility to welcome everyone whom God welcomes. So who does He welcome? But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. (John 1:12)
Does God teach us that His church should be divided? No, but He does have some things to say about our unity in Christ.
John 10:14-16
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
Ephesians 4:1-6
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Galatians 3:26-28
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:9-10
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1 Peter 3:8-9
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
What is the testimony of the Early Church? At Antioch, where the believers were first called Christians, the church and it's leadership were made up of a diverse group of people... reflecting the multicultural nature of the city (Acts 13). The letters to the churches in the New Testament (1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians) were written to assemblies of believers identified by their location, not by their ethnicity. Yet, there is no question that these places were ethnically diverse. It's important to note that in coming together as a local body Christians were embracing their shared identity in Christ over their own national and cultural identities. Certainly there were challenges, but they knew that God was calling them to be united in the Spirit.
By God's grace, all who trust in Jesus are one people, one family, one clan. Our common purpose is to honor God and share with those around us the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our local church gatherings should reflect these truths publicly. But first they must be embraced in our hearts. Segregation has no place in the family of God. Rather, God calls His church to unity. When the world observes those who formally opposed one another coming together in love and humility for a greater cause, then they will see the witness Jesus spoke of in John 17:21-22: I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. That's what your Savior wants. What about you?
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.