3 Types of Diversity in Worship
The body of Christ is made up of many peoples, languages, and ethnicities. In Matthew 28, Jesus charges his followers to expand His kingdom by making disciples of all nations. Therefore, if the church’s worship practices are to reflect our calling, we must embrace diversity in our worship. While there are many potential ways the church can demonstrate this diverse makeup, I intend to focus on three especially crucial areas the church faces today — Ethnic, Socioeconomic, and Generational.
One of the most powerful areas worship teams can embrace multiplicity is through ethnic diversity. Our worship teams should the ethnic makeup of our community. God has created all humanity in His image. The human race is unique in all creation in that it is the only thing that God has endowed with His likeness. Scripture teaches us that there is equal value in every ethnicity, tribe, and tongue when they come together to worship their Creator. In fact, this ethnic diversity in worship is a picture of heaven itself. Revelation 7:9 states that one day “every nation, tribe, people, and language” will stand before the throne of the Lamb. While John describes this multitude as unified in their worship, notice what each sect of this congregation retains. Each language is represented. Each nation is represented. Each ethnic identity is represented. This is not the homogenization of cultures and ethnicities so as to create some new uniform version of humanity. Instead, what John describes is a beautiful coming-together of every individual who ever lived — each unique yet each radiating the image of God. Therefore, if we are to effectively serve our communities, the church’s worship needs to reflect those it has been called to serve.
For worship teams, it’s important that those on the platform reflect those in the congregation. This means looking out to our communities and identifying who’s out there. Then, it requires us to compare the makeup of our congregation to those on the platform and see if there’s a disconnect or not. This requires humility, service, and a listening ear. Our worship should reflect the beauty of ethnic diversity that God has blessed our churches with.
A second way we can model diversity in our worship services is by being conscious of socioeconomic diversity on our worship teams and in our congregation. This is crucial to our unity as a church because God Himself shows no favoritism or partiality regarding socioeconomic status. Romans 2:11 states plainly, “God does not show favoritism.” James 2 expands on this truth. The writer of James outlines a scenario in which two men come into a place of worship. One man is clearly wearing “gold rings and fine clothes,” and the other is dressed in poor shabby clothes (James 2:2). The biblical author instructs us that we are not to demonstrate any kind of discrimination or corrupt standard of judgment towards the poor man in favor of the rich man. We are all to love all people equally, just as God does. James concludes, “If you favor one person over another, you’re sinning, and this law convicts you of being disobedient.” The model represented by the New Testament church is one of great fiscal variety.
When it comes to our modern-day worship setting, we must be equally diligent in identifying such socioeconomic discrimination between those inside and outside our fellowship. With the development of church budgets, building initiatives, and other such financial concerns, it can be tempting to discriminate based on economic status. Yet, we are called to reject such inclinations. We must continuously hold ourselves accountable to James’ inclusive charge to show no favoritism based on such monetary matters. In Acts 10:34–35, upon witnessing the vision of the clean and unclean animals, Peter proclaims, “now I truly understand that God shows no favoritism, but in every nation, the person who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him” In our worship ministries it’s important that we look out for those on our teams who may have differing work hours or challenges in transportation and take measures to include them. This could mean perhaps adjusting rehearsal schedules to better shape an inclusive structure that allows for service regardless of economic status. It may also require us to step out of our comfort zones to minister to those in our communities who may lack the financial stability of others in the church. To strengthen unity in our worship services, we must be aware of the socioeconomic diversity in our congregations and among our communities.
Lastly, diversity in worship encompasses multigenerational worship. In scripture, there are many examples of multigenerational worship. In Exodus 14, after crossing the Red Sea, Moses and the entire nation of Israel respond in song to the Lord. Psalm 95 says, “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” In Deuteronomy 31:19, God commands Moses to “write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel.” Later in Deuteronomy 32:46, upon teaching the Israelites a song recounting what the Lord had done, Moses instructs them to “take heart all these words…so that you may teach your children to follow all the words of the law carefully.” Not only is this worship multigenerational, but songs are also utilized to teach a new generation of believers. Younger generations will learn and build their theology around the theological foundation we give them.
At Ashburn Baptist Church, we like to use the term “AllGen” versus “Multigen” to describe our worship philosophy because we believe that corporate worship is not complete unless everyone is involved. While the prefix “multi” can encompass multiple generations, it can just as easily leave out certain demographics. For example, my church may have a lot of 6 –19 year-olds and a strong army of 50 and 60 year-olds, but it is still missing anyone in their 20’s and 30s. In this case, while I may have may be able to call myself a “multigenerational” ministry, I am still missing an essential part of the church body — young families in their twenties and 30s. Alternatively, “AllGen” refers to “all generations” and leaves no room for the disparity among ages. When we include all generations together, we follow scripture’s command to “proclaim your faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 89:1). Like Socioeconomic and Ethnic diversity, AllGen worship can, at times, be equally messy. Every person comes to the table with their own set of partialities. I myself am partial to certain types of music over others. However, God’s worth is not contingent on my personal affinity. AllGen worship calls us to lay down our preferences for the glory of God. It reminds us that we cannot worship God correctly if we only worship Him when we feel like it, or our list of inclinations are met.
The church may be made up of many different people from equally as many backgrounds, but we are still united in one faith. The fact that such a massive mixture of people can gather around one Savior is a testament to the boundless love of our Creator. We must also demonstrate this same to others, regardless of any differences. We can reflect this multiplicity in our worship by reflecting the ethnic, socioeconomic, and generational diversity that makes up our church congregations. John 13:35 states, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, by your love for one another.” What better way is there to show our love for each other than by singing together?
