Years ago, I heard a speaker at a Promise Keeper’s gathering declare, “Diversity is not the enemy of unity.” I think it’s a brilliant quote actually. I believe it to be true.
Are the cells in your church diverse? I trust there are some commonalities in format, vision, and more. But, there’s diversity, right? Because every individual is unique, certainly there are some unique aspects to each and every cell. I would suggest that this is a beautiful thing in the local church.
Years ago, I watched my father begin a new hobby. He got interested in stain glass. I remember looking at his workbench adorned with a myriad of stain glass pieces that he had cut with his own hands. There were various colors and unique sizes represented. They were all different. Eventually, the carefully crafted and cut pieces were placed together displaying a nice piece of art.
To me, this illustration is like the church. We are formed by our Creator in many different ways and His Spirit fashions together a church family. It’s a piece of art, isn’t it? Yet, the pieces are so diverse– sometimes completely different in color, size, and more.
To the point, it’s a good thing when a church has diverse cells. A “one size fits all” type of Christianity in expression and spiritual formation is not reality. I would encourage you to celebrate the diversity– it is a thing of beauty.
Comments?