The Beauty of Biblical Diversity

The following is an abstract of a larger biblical theology of diversity drafted by the Elders of River City. You can read the full version HERE.

Biblical Diversity is a God-centered understanding of human difference, rooted in the truth that all people are made in the image of God (Imago Dei) and therefore possess equal dignity, value, and worth (Gen 1:26-27). This includes, but is not limited to, differences in ethnicity, culture, gender, personality, age, gifting, and socioeconomic background. In addition to being a theological reality, Biblical Diversity is also a relational calling in which we affirm our shared worth and invite one another into mutual sacrifice, burden bearing, and love across our differences.

The local church, as the gathered people of God, is meant to be one of the clearest expressions of this vision. As those united by the gospel and filled with the Spirit, we are called to reflect the unity-in-diversity of the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-27). Our shared identity in Jesus doesn’t erase our differences; it redeems and reorients them so that we can become a witness to the reconciling power of the gospel.

At River City, we pursue diversity because it is woven into God’s good design and fulfilled in the redeeming work of Christ, not as a strategy or because it is trendy. We want to guard against this pursuit becoming a token gesture to gain cultural approval. In what follows, we will highlight six ways a biblical understanding of diversity informs our life and practice.

We will Celebrate Diversity Without Showing Partiality

We want to be a place where diversity, as defined and affirmed in Scripture, is celebrated in all its forms. This must include ethnic and cultural diversity, but it also means we celebrate differences in personality, age, gifting, and socioeconomic background. Every person brings something valuable to the table.

As James reminds us, “My brothers, show no partiality…” (James 2:1). Partiality elevates certain people over others. Biblical hospitality, by contrast, welcomes one another as Christ welcomed us (Rom 15:7). We strive to be a church where people do not need to hide who they are to belong.

At River City, promoting a multiethnic kingdom culture means we affirm what Jamaal Williams and Timothy Paul Jones’ eloquently summarize in their book, In Church as it is in Heaven, “Simply put: You don’t need to check your ethnicity at the door of God’s kingdom. Your ethnicity and your culture are part of God’s plan for His praise” [1]. We believe this is true not only of ethnicity but of all our God-given uniqueness. We are fully aware that our church functions within a majority-culture expression. In light of this, we want to grow in creating a community where people feel seen, known, and honored without having to adopt another cultural expression in order to belong.

We Will Pursue Unity, Not Uniformity

Paul urges his readers to “live in harmony with one another” (Rom 12:16). Harmony is not unison. In music, unison is everyone singing the same note. Harmony, however, weaves together different notes to create something beautiful and rich. That’s a picture of a gospel-shaped community.

Unity in the church doesn’t require sameness. It requires mutual submission, sacrificial love, and a shared foundation in Christ. Scripture tells us that “the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor 12:14). We need each other’s voices at the table. We need one another’s perspective so we can see more clearly. We need one another’s gifts so we can experience the fullness of God together. When those differences are held together in love, the result is not chaos but a foretaste of the Kingdom.

We want River City to be a church where difference doesn’t divide, but deepens our love for one another. This means listening well, honoring one another, and being open to having our own assumptions gently challenged for the sake of growth.

We Will Lament Injustice with Gospel Hope

The Bible gives us a rich language of lament to name the gap between what is and what should be. When we consider the Biblical vision of human dignity and God’s intent to reflect his glory through the diversity of humanity, and then compare it to the conflict, injustice, and division we witness across ethnicity, gender, and generation, we are moved to lament. Through the Psalms of David, the cries of the Prophets, and Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, we see that lament is one of the Biblical responses to the brokenness of our world.

As we engage the painful legacy of racial injustice and division in our city and nation, we want to become a people who “weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15), who name injustice without flinching, and who cry out to God for healing and restoration. Lament enables us to share the burden of our brothers and sisters who have borne the wounds of racism and inequality.

Dr. Soong-Chan Rah writes, “Lament is a liturgical response to the reality of suffering and engages God in the context of pain and trouble. The absence of lament in the liturgy of the American church results in a loss of memory, the denial of suffering, and the silencing of the oppressed” [2]. In other words, lament is not optional. It is an act of spiritual resistance against shallow optimism and cynical despair. It gives voice to grief while anchoring us in the faithful character of God.

We want River City to be a church where people bring their pain into the presence of God and are met with both compassion and truth. Through lament, we open our hearts to the Spirit's comfort, pursue healing and justice, and resist the urge to rush past sorrow to premature resolution. Lament keeps us rooted in the hope of God, because we trust in the One who will make all things right.

We Will Discern Culture Through a Gospel Lens

We all live in a cultural context. God created culture good and gave it to humanity to steward (Gen 1:28), but like all of creation, it has been impacted by the sinfulness of the fall. As a result, culture is a mixture of beauty and brokenness. That is why we must learn to discern what to receive, reject, and redeem.

Receive: Because we were made in God’s image, every culture reflects something of God’s common grace. We receive aspects of culture that align with Biblical truth, such as hospitality, storytelling, artistry, or respect for elders.

Reject: Because we are fallen and plagued by sin, every culture also includes values and behaviors that are out of step with the gospel, such as pride, racism, materialism, violence, or ethnocentrism. We must name and reject these.

Redeem: Because Jesus is making all things new, there are aspects of culture to reorient around his lordship. This happens as we rethink language, traditions, and cultural liturgies through a Biblical lens.

Importantly, the lens we use to make these judgments is not our own cultural perspective, but the Biblical story. Every follower of Jesus is in a process of disenculturation as we learn to lay down parts of our cultural identity that do not reflect the way of Jesus and are formed into citizens of his kingdom.

We Live for the Common Good in a Racialized Culture

We live in a particular time and place. As a church in Minneapolis, we cannot ignore the history of racism that has shaped our city and our nation. We must be aware of how our history continues to affect relationships today. To be faithful witnesses, we must acknowledge the pain of the past, listen to those who have been impacted, and seek to embody the justice and mercy of Jesus.

This work is often complex, but that doesn’t mean we shrink from the task. Some want to explain everything through the lens of personal responsibility; others want to explain everything through the lens of systemic injustice. But the Biblical story doesn’t flatten the world into one narrative or the other. It teaches us that both sin and systems are at play, and the hope of redemption is found not in human effort, but in the cross of Christ.

Because we believe in God’s common grace for all, we work for the common good of all, even while we recognize the limits of reconciliation apart from the reconciliation that is found in Christ. So, we will continue to seek justice, build relationships, confess sin, and embody grace. We will do so, not as a social agenda, but as kingdom people seeking the good of our city.

We Will Shape Our Worship as a Foretaste of Heaven

Each week when we gather, we are given a preview of what is to come. Revelation 7 paints a picture of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation worshipping around the throne of the Lamb. That is where history is headed. Sunday gatherings, as imperfect as they are, are foretastes of that future hope.

This means we want our liturgy, language, music, and preaching to reflect more than just majority-culture norms. Corporate worship must tell the whole story of God’s redemption and reflect the whole people of God. As we grow, we will invite more voices to shape our worship, whether musically, pastorally, or communally, so that we are not merely reflecting who we are, but who we are becoming in Christ.

Conclusion: Becoming a People Formed by the Gospel

At River City, our primary vision is to be known for Jesus. Because we follow Jesus, we will care deeply about the things he cares about, such as justice, unity, reconciliation, and the beauty of a people who are made new by his blood.

We won’t always get this right, but the gospel gives us everything we need to keep moving forward with humility and hope. May we become a church where diversity isn't just present, but celebrated. Where unity is not just preached, but practiced. And where the grace of Jesus is made visible in the way we love and worship together.

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[1] Jamaal E. Williams and Timothy Paul Jones, In Church as It Is in Heaven: Cultivating a Multiethnic Kingdom Culture (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2023), 4.

[2] Soong-Chan Rah, Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2015), 21.