Diversity in ONEvoice!

I want to get back to my "mini-series" on diversity in the Church of God. Before tackling my next diversity theme, I must comment on the "Statement of Diversity" under which our magazine, ONEvoice!, operates. Here's the statement as it appears in each issue:

ONEvoice! magazine celebrates the great diversity of the body of Christ as it exists in the Church of God movement. In this, the goal is to go beyond mere tokenism to true representation of the variety of regional, ethnic, international, gender, racial, congregational size, and age differences within the Church of God. The magazine's editorial staff recognizes the limitations inherent in reaching this goal. No single issue can accurately reflect the diversity of the Church of God in scope or proportion. But the goal is that, taken as a whole over time, ONEvoice! magazine will celebrate the broad spectrum of the Church of God.

Well stated.

A few reflections:

This broad spectrum approach may help explain why ONEvoice! has struggled to gain a foothold across our movement. In our highly segmented society the tendency is toward niche targeting in marketing and media. For example, take a look at the literally hundreds of magazine titles on a newsstand, or the plethora of TV channels currently available. Even Christian organizations like Focus on the Family publish a dizzying array of periodicals, each targeted to a specific audience.

The broad stroke approach of ONEvoice! does not appeal to everyone. Some want more doctrine. Others want more church news. And so on. This is one reason why a fringe publication like Reformation Witness has a faithful following.

But, is this narrowcasting tendency in the church healthy? Is it even biblical?

I would be the first acknowledge that there is a place for targeted ministry. Churches, for example, are wise to understand their giftedness and the communities in which they live in order to adjust their ministry accordingly. Reaching people according to age, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural characteristics breaks down communication barriers and is even modeled in Scripture.

But, having said all this, the church is also a new community where there is "neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female" (Galatians 3;27-28). This flies directly in the face of the growing fragmentation in our society, and it is a value and ideal that we as the Body of Christ must demonstrate in our world. Yet, far too often, in our churches we tend to parrot the divided world, keeping even the people in our own congregations from truly living out the vision of the church.

In effect, ONEvoice! is much more than just our official movement publication. It should symbolize and truly reflect the diversity that is our reality and that should be our goal within the Kingdom of God. Despite the struggle to gain acceptance, the current format of ONEvoice! is a worthy reminder of what church should be like.

I know that I have posted frequently on issues surrounding ONEvoice! Be assured that it is not only because I am a current contributor, but because its role and success is truly indicative of some larger matters confronting the Church of God today.