One could argue, quite successfully, that the Bible explicitly demands a multi-ethnic ministry. Some have done this, and others, no doubt, will build upon their work.
Presently, we will briefly summarize the implicit biblical evidence for a multi-ethnic ministry.
1. Galatians 3:281: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Here Paul argues that no class of people, gender, or culture should be excluded from the saving benefits of Christ. Since the NT, particularly the Book of Acts, assumes new converts will fold into a visible church experience, and since nowhere does the Bible exclude anyone from participation in a local church because of ethnicity, all churches must welcome all people into their fellowships.
2. Jesus’ Ministry.
Since Jesus reached out to Samaritans (John 4:1-26), tax collectors (Matt. 8:9-13), Greeks (John 12:23-26; here Jesus does not refuse them, but only requires they “follow” Him, v. 26), and virtually anyone directly in His path, so, too, must we. Never does Jesus instruct His disciples to form fellowships based on common characteristics of a people or group.
3. The Apostle’s Ministry.
One need only examine the outreach to Samaria (Acts 8:4-25), Cornelius’ vision and subsequent conversion (Acts 10:1-11:18), or the great missions to the Gentiles (Acts 13-28, without excluding the Jews). Nowhere do we read of a targeted approach that excludes any people or group. Paul’s chief and, perhaps only strategy, was to “to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named” (Rom. 15:20).
4. Christian Maturity.
Could Christ’s own people, washed from their sins (1 Cor. 6:11), instructed to practice the highest form of sacrificial love (1 John 3:14-17), commanded to receive all of Christ’s children (Rom. 15:7), fail to welcome and demonstrate cultural sensitivity to a brother in Christ, even and especially in a church context?
5. Christian Destiny.
The common destiny of all children of God, heaven, welcomes people from “all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. . .” This diversity of people stand in unity and physical proximity to one another before the throne. Should it be any different now? Should not people of a common destiny lock arm-in-arm in fellowship, praise, and mission? “Unthinkable,” would be our first guess.
6. Christian Hospitality.
Paul instructs church leaders to subsidize only such widows who have “shown hospitality” (1 Tim. 5:10), and John commends his readers, noting that “it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers (italic ours) as they are.” What brand of hospitality “targets” upscale urban elites, while being surrounded by other peoples of different cultures? If they wander into our church, do we send them off to another church that they might “feel comfortable” in. May we suggest such an action raises the comfort level of the host church rather than the dismissed seeker.
7. James Prohibition of Favoritism.
In James 2:1-13, James forbids in the strongest terms any species of favoritism (see v. 9, “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors”). The very example speaks to assimilating people into the church. While we admit we have strained the meaning of the word “implicit” above—because this would appear quite explicit, the church of the Lord Jesus should not practice partiality in any form of church function, including outreach strategy.
8. Paul’s Admonishment to Translate, not Alienate.
In 1 Cor. 14, Paul reprimands his readers for practices that would exclude some from hearing the gospel message. If those who speak do not speak intelligible words, “how will anyone know what is said?” The words will have no effect at all upon hearers not understanding what is said.
Regardless of one’s position on the question of ecstatic utterances, Paul does not direct the hearers to leave and find a place whose language they understand. He rather chastises the host church for failing to enact proper controls so that others might feel welcome and understand what is spoken.
9. The Silence of the Bible on Group Targeting.
Proponents of the “homogeneous principle” strive to locate even anecdotal biblical evidence to support their notion of the legitimacy of targeting people of like characteristics.
10. The Great Commission.
While the great commission is expressed in a number of places (Matt. 29:18-20; Acts 1:8), it is practiced in the Book of Acts, the very place we find an inclusive flavor to Christian ministry.
- Scripture references are taken from the English Standard Version of God’s Word. ↩
One Comment
I would add 1 Cor 12, the teaching on the Body of Christ and how each part is dependent on the others. In the mind and plan of Jesus the Head, this is not a hope or aspiration, but a spiritual reality: the parts need each other, and cannot be the Body unless they operate in interdependence. The challenge is that we are out of sync with Jesus’ concept of His own Body!
Of course the typical exposition and application of 1 Cor 12 is the exercise of spiritual gifts in a local church. This is one key truth from the text. We typically pass over the obvious indication in the text that Paul also has the macro application in mind– the ethnic and cultural parts of the body need each other (“whether Jews or Greeks”), and the different economic and social parts of the Body need each other (“slave or free”, 12:13). To spell this out, I as an upper middle-class white male need to be in interdependent relationship with men and women of other ethnicities and cultures; to the degree I am not, I am not experiencing the Body of Christ in the fullness Jesus intends. The same is true for those who are of different economic and social standing from me; they add value to, and enrich my life. Beyond this, I must rise above my individualistic thinking and realize that the group of which I am a part (whites, males) need Latinos, Blacks, Asians, Africans if I am to know the fullness of the Body.