The glory of God. It’s our ultimate ambition and the most important driver of the church. It fuels worship, and it is the goal of missions. It is where all history is headed. At Rock Bridge, it’s woven into our mission statement: “To glorify God by connecting people from all walks of life …” Yet have you ever thought of diversity as something that brings God glory? Diversity refers to a wide variety of people coming together from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, socioeconomic groups, and cultures to form the church. Diversity is what we mean by “all walks of life.” How does diversity in the local church glorify God? The church exists in part to be a colony of Heaven, working for “God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Therefore, not caring about diversity is not an option, and faithfulness demands we pursue diversity just as we pursue evangelism, missions, justice, and discipleship. Furthermore, if God’s glory is our bottom line (which it is) and one of the promised outcomes of history (which it is), then diversity is integral to who we are as the people of God.
About Matt Evans
Matt Evans is the Founding and Lead Pastor of Rock Bridge Community Church in Dalton, Georgia. Matt and his wife, Beth, grew up in the Dalton area and saw the need for a church that would reach the lost, broken, de-churched, and spiritually wounded.