Driving Diversity
  • Home
  • Equipping
    • Diversity Rubric
    • Resources
    • Unity & Diversity class
  • Mobilization
    • All In
    • I AM SENT
    • AALF
  • HBCUs
  • BHM 2021
  • Belkis Lehmann
    • Blog
    • Prayer
    • Get Involved
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Equipping
    • Diversity Rubric
    • Resources
    • Unity & Diversity class
  • Mobilization
    • All In
    • I AM SENT
    • AALF
  • HBCUs
  • BHM 2021
  • Belkis Lehmann
    • Blog
    • Prayer
    • Get Involved
  • Contact

Listen, learn, lead.

Ephesian Model - by Chris Beard

12/17/2018

4 Comments

 
Picture
We sat silently at a downtown coffee shop, swirling the Rwandan brew in our cups, the Cincinnati skyscape towering over our sidewalk table — two Ohio Assemblies of God pastors sharing hearts and vision.

He asked, “How would you counsel me to lead my (midsize, suburban) congregation into a multiethnic future? I feel a profound burden to do this. We can’t stay where we are. Our city needs this. Our church needs this. But I don’t know what I don’t know.”

This wasn’t the first time I’ve heard this. It seems God is burdening many hearts these days for church reflecting heaven on earth.

Our own story as Peoples Church Cincinnati involves a 20-year transition from a 98 percent homogeneous white commuter church to a 50 percent nonwhite congregation comprising 30-plus nations. And despite the racially charged times in which we live, we are 25 percent African-American. The Lord has done this.

As I contemplated my friend’s earnest question, I felt stirred to reply, “Start with theology. Whatever you do, root it in Scripture. Hell will fight you on this, and when it does, you want this vision anchored in God’s Word.”

I shared from Ephesians 2 and 3 about a biblical model of a multiethnic church. The intensity of God’s mind on this matter captivates my heart and astounds me.

The Ephesian Model
New Testament Ephesus compares to today’s American society. With a mix of Gentile God-fearers, conservative zealots, marketplace liberals, idol worshipers, indigenous people, and internationals, the city was ethnically, economically, religiously diverse. This port population center on the western edge of what is now Turkey flourished as a cosmopolitan melting pot, the Roman Empire’s third most influential city.

The Ephesian church was also a collective — united in Christ, Spirit-filled and gospel-rooted. This diverse congregation was making known the “manifold wisdom of God” — in the city and “in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 3:10). Did you catch that? Not only was the church influencing society and spreading the gospel, but its Christ-centered existence in diverse unity was capturing attention in the spiritual realm.

Paul calls this diverse unity of formerly disparate and hostile Jews, Greeks and Romans the “mystery of Christ,” which the Holy Spirit revealed (Ephesians 3:4-6). As this church came together, the mystery of Christ, hidden for ages, became apparent. Let that sink in.

Our fractious United States could benefit from the same prophetic, reconciling Kingdom congregations. Such a movement would shake the gates of hell.

In Ephesians 2, Paul provides a compelling vision and model for diversely united churches in our day. After unpacking the gospel, he links it to the idea of a diversely united local church. This message is applicable to your church setting — whether rural, suburban or urban.

Continue reading here
​

(Used with permission)

4 Comments
https://bestwritingservicesreviews.com/review-rushessay-com/ link
4/22/2019 05:39:56 pm

Diversity means that there are many who do not have the same beliefs. I do not believe that diversity is a bad thing per se. In this world that we live in, people should be free to believe in what they want to believe. We should not condemn or persuade them into an opinion that they do not wholeheartedly agree with. Let us allow others to explore the world and let them find the thing that they want most in the world.

Reply
Belkis Lehmann link
4/26/2019 12:21:55 pm

Thank you for your respectful comment. Yes, there are many believes in this world. We at drivingdiversity.org appreciate the ability to share our ethic for kingdom diversity through this website. I personally agree that we should be able to explore the world and find things that are valuable. We believe that the most valuable person in the world is Jesus Christ. We do not condemn anyone for different believes, but do try to persuade anyone who visits our site to what we believe is a better way. Thanks again for taking the time to post your comment.

Reply
coffee grinders link
4/10/2020 04:20:03 am

great

Reply
HBCU Grad link
5/5/2020 04:46:40 am

you have done a great job i hope you will do much batter in the future

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Current Events
    Diversity Whys
    Multiethnic Ministry
    Our Experiences
    Reaching HBCUs

    Contributing Authors


    Belkis Lehmann
    National Diversity Specialist 
    Chi Alpha Campus Ministries 
    Greensboro, NC


    Bethany Baldwin
    Missionary, Chi Alpha Campus Ministries,
    Flagstaff, AZ

    Brandon Wilkes

    Pastor, One Church,
    St. Louis, MO

    Chris Beard
    Pastor, Peoples Church, Cincinnati, OH

    Marcus Floyd
    Missionary, Chi Alpha Campus Ministries,
    Richmond, VA

    Mike Godzwa
    Missionary, Chi Alpha Campus Ministries,
    Richmond, VA

    Raydon and Kim Haskins
    Missionaries, Chi Alpha Campus Ministries,
    Terre Haute, IN

    Rigo Herrera
    Missionary, Chi Alpha Campus Ministries,
    Charlottesville, VA

    Sadell Bradley
    Pastor, New Life Covenant Church,
    Cincinnati, OH




    Our purpose is to help the church be an accurate representation of Christ's people to the campus in its: sacred creation (Acts17:26),
    diverse ethnic makeup (Rev. 7:9), supernatural oneness (Gal. 3:28), Jesus-centered unity(John 17:21), kingdom-ethic witness (Mt. 5:1-15, Luke 4:18-19) and reconciliation ministry(2 Cor. 5: 16-21, Eph. 2:14-22).

    We do this through: 
    1. Mobilizing the unsent* 
    2. Equipping through training and resourcing 
    3. Helping plant campus ministries at HBCU's** 
    4. Building cross-cultural bridges between believers & congregations 


    *Unsent refers to ethnic minorities traditionally under-represented in missions
    **Historically Black College and Universities


Proudly powered by Weebly