Diversity — All Are One In Christ

Diversity became the rule in the early Christian Church. That does not mean that every group was represented in every church. There were no American Indians or Orientals in the first churches of Asia and Europe, of course. However, if a group was in the neighborhood, they were welcomed. We know this both because of many examples cited in the Bible — like the presence of women in leadership roles throughout the first century church — and also because of Bible stories of how the church struggled to learn to be open to diversity — for example, the diversity of Jews and Gentiles and the diversity of the rich and the poor. This was and always will be a major Christian theme.

Jesus, the New Testamet teaches, and all His followers, are to strive with all their spiritual might to break down all "dividing walls of hostility". Christians, with all their love, are to break through barriers that separate people. In the coming Kingdom of God announced by Jesus all walls will crumble and peace and justice will unite all peoples and nations. We believe that this kingdom is coming and that our church must be a reflection of God's rule "on Earth as it is in Heaven".

We have learned at First Baptist that some of the most rigid walls that divide God's children are economic. It is rare for a church to crash that barrier and reflect the economic diversity of the surrounding communities. In fact, it is sadly not uncommon for Christians and churches to flee such diversity.

Our repeated decisions to remain near the center of Springfield in a racially and economic diverse neighborhood — and to invest in transforming that neighborhood — that still seems to frighten many in our city, does not proven that we have fully learned how to respect and include all people and groups in our neighborhood and city. But it does mean that we are seeking to live in unity with all of God's children and are committed to excluding no one. For example, every Saturday we visit our neighbors in a program called Adopt-A-Block and once a month we invite all these neighbors to dinner with our members. We are trying to build friendships that can lead to brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ's Church and God's kingdom. We further believe that people in Springfield and Clark County who believe in the importance of unity amidst diversity in our communities might very well be interested in learning more about our church. We certainly would like to learn more about you.