#diversity

We Are All Cultists On the Inside

There are different ways to distinguish a church from a cult. Churches hold to a broad consensus of orthodox beliefs while cults invariably elevate a small number of uniquely unorthodox beliefs. Churches tend to foster a context in which leaders are accountable to their congregations while cults tend to foster a context in which leaders demand mindless obedience. Churches expect loyalty to the word of God while cults expect loyalty to the words of a charismatic leader. And then there …

Learning To Thrive as a Diverse Church

Toronto is the most diverse city in the world which means that Toronto churches are among the most diverse churches in the world. If over fifty percent of the people who live in the city were born in a country other than Canada, which is exactly the case, then in all probability over fifty percent of the people who attend church in the city were born in a country other than Canada. It is rare that a church here does …

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Reader Feedback: Should We Make a Priority of Diversity in Church Leadership?

About a week ago I wrote an article titled “Should We Make a Priority of Diversity in Church Leadership?.” In it I asked for feedback from readers before I set out to write the second part of the series. I received some interesting and thoughtful letters to the editor and wanted to share some of them with you today. Hi Tim, I enjoyed your article, “Should We Make a Priority of Diversity in Church Leadership?”, and generally agree with your assessment. Local …

Seven Key Lessons in Diversity from Grace Fellowship Church

My challenge at a recent conference was to prepare a message that described our church’s experience of finding true Christian unity in a context of wide ethnic diversity. To ensure I was speaking on more than my own behalf, I invited my church to join together for a roundtable discussion. Over a few hours (and some pretty tasty soup and sandwiches) we discussed diversity and arrived at a number of keys to our experience. Here, from Grace Fellowship Church, are …

Three Vivid Images of Unity in Diversity

There are many benefits to living in Toronto, but perhaps none so exciting and fascinating as living in the world’s most diverse city. Over the past few decades the world has come to Toronto so that today more than half of its residents were born in a different country and those who identify as Caucasian compose a minority. This has given Toronto’s churches new opportunities to learn to pursue Christian unity in a context of great diversity. This was my …

Letters to the Editor #19 (Diversity and Furtick)

There were quite a number of letters to the editor this week, and they were mostly related to two articles. Once again, my gratitude goes to all those who took the time to write. Comments on Did God Break the Law for Love? To add to your excellent refutation of Furtick, whom I confess I had never heard of until I read your article, there’s a bit of apples-and-oranges confusion with his example of the parent breaking speed laws to …

The Most Happily Multi-Ethnic Church I Know

I love America and I love Americans. Some would say it is my duty, as a Canadian, to hold a grudge against America and its people. But I can’t help myself. I have traveled to most of the states, I have visited most of the key cities, and I have spent time in many of the small towns. I just plain love America. Over the years I have often looked with sorrow at America’s enduring struggle with issues related to …

What Diversity Matters?

In their book Compelling Community, Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop write about the importance of diversity within each local church. While the word diversity tends to draw our minds immediately to racial diversity, they believe the Bible points to a wider kind of diversity. Here is what they say: Many reading this book live in places where churches share guilt for the moral scourge of racism. As a result, we care deeply about the presence of ethnic diversity in our churches. …

No, You Are Not Running Late. You Are Rude and Inconsiderate!

You are not “running late.” You are rude. You are inconsiderate. You need to change. Greg Savage’s frustration with other people’s tardiness boiled over into an amusing rant that he posted online, and that was subsequently read by hundreds of thousands. 10 people kept waiting in a meeting for 20 minutes, while some selfish pratt who idles his way via the coffee shop, is actually 20 minutes times 10, which is 200 minutes wasted – while you keep us waiting …