By Barb Tuttle
Writer’s note: This article was written after a conference call with: Anderson Schulle, pastor of Hispanic ministries intern from the Church at the Crossing; Colin Short, children’s ministry associate at Mountain Park Community Church; Samme Rousopoulos, children and family pastor at Church at the Crossings; and Barb Tuttle, children’s pastor at Mountain Park Community Church.
How do we live out the values of diversity in the life of the local church? What are these values for you and your church? For me, they are respect, openness, treating each other as equals, and listening to other ideas—even when they are different from mine. We must remember we are in process and sometimes change and growth is slow. That does not give us permission, however, to wait to begin to build bridges in the church. We must commit to be open and grow in reaching out to others.
As Christians it is vital for us to recognize the need and to teach awareness of diversity to children. People of faith are called to respect all people and treat them with dignity. We are reminded in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world that God gave his only son” for all of us. In 1 Peter 3: 8 and Hebrews 10:24, we are challenged to recognize the emphasis that is placed on loving one another.
We are all God’s children. It is up to us as Christians to make responsible choices as to how we are going to respond to diversity in the life of the church and in the world. Although we are diverse and have differences, we can embrace those differences and focus on our commonalties.
For some of us, our churches house two nationalities for worship. These groups need to meet in separate areas of the church because of language barriers, but there can be times designed for both congregations to meet frequently and learn more about each other. The language differences may be barriers to effective communication but they are not barriers for love. A hug, a smile, or an act of kindness can be demonstrated without words. Celebrating diversity and inclusion brings strength to any faith community and helps all to grow as we reach our hands in fellowship to each other. Children are the benefactors when they do not see walls between two groups.
Children’s ministries in the life of the church can honor persons of other cultures by using pictures that show a diverse group of children and people. In your classrooms have dolls and puppets that reinforce diversity. When you are creating a publicity piece for your community about your church, always be sure it reflects diversity.
We enrich the lives of children by teaching them songs using sign language and other languages. This activity can be done consistently throughout the year and not just once or twice a year for a special program or musical. Children love to play games from other cultures too. Tasting other foods can stretch the palate of children as they discover they like foods they never thought they would!
As leaders, we can help educate our children’s ministry teams with the value and appreciation of diversity. Helping people understand differences and supporting them to be comfortable will strengthen the ministry and the individuals serving children. Some people may be resistant and will need to be encouraged and mentored. Communication, discussion, and openness help improve challenges, and will help others see the high value placed on diversity in the ministry.
Adults impact the lives of children. I would encourage us to be intentional in bridge building with persons from other cultures. Sometimes we create a barrier without knowing it by, passively, being uncomfortable and not trying to break down walls of misunderstanding.
We may feel awkward or shy about approaching someone from another culture; we do not know what to do or say. If you are not sure how to begin building bridges, have a gathering with people from a variety of cultures. Perhaps you could host a dinner with cultural clothing and food; this would be a great start. The next step would be to invite people to your home. Really get to know each other. Knowing someone and seeing who they are as a people, loved and created by God, can break down the walls of prejudice and misunderstanding.
We are all models. Children watch adults and learn from us. We can celebrate diversity and teach how God calls us to love all people. Often it can benefit us to ask the question, “What can we do to work together for God’s kingdom?”
Churches must not be separated by differences but be bound together, meeting as people of God who are learning and growing in their faith. While we cast vision and work to break down barriers—and as we get to know each other better—we are honoring God and helping create the church that God designed.
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Author: Barb Tuttle is the children's pastor at Mountain Park Community Church in Phoenix, Arizona.
