A perspective from the Chinese Heritage Church
“What is the greatest need of your church today?” I am sure you could answer with a variety of urgent issues your church is struggling with. The need could be for strong biblical teaching, for effective evangelism, for community engagement, for more pastoral staff, or for a variety of other concerns.
But, if Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, we need to understand his perspective. He knows exactly what is going on in your church. He knows the urgent needs, as well as the really deep needs of your church. So, what would Jesus think is the greatest need of your church?
We have an indication of what concerned Jesus the most about the church by looking at his prayer in John 17. He prayed for the church even before it was formed in Acts 2. In fact, Jesus prayed this prayer just before he suffered and died on the cross for our sins, providing the foundation for the church. Amazingly, he is not praying for himself, even faced with the agony he will endure. Instead, he prays for us, his church.
20 I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. – John 17:20–23
Of all the things he could pray for, Jesus prays for unity within the church. It is clear that Jesus is most concerned about oneness in the church (Though we could apply this to the church worldwide, let us apply this to the local church.)
The kind of unity Jesus is praying for is not a superficial unity. It is not just having a joint service or communion together. The model of unity is the unity between Jesus and the Father within the Trinity. It is a genuine, deep unity. The foundation for our unity is our oneness in Christ. This unity is to be lived out through obeying Jesus’ command to love one another as he loves us.
The opposite of unity is strife and division. Distrust could already be seen in the early church in Jerusalem in Acts 6, and division in the church in Corinth is described in 1 Corinthians 1. Throughout church history, there have been challenges to unity in every church because it is filled with sinners. The members may be saved by grace through faith in Christ, but they are still broken people.
Church unity can be particularly challenging in Chinese heritage churches (CHC). There are added language barriers and cultural barriers that breed miscommunications and misunderstandings that Satan can use to sow conflict and division. On top of that, the different language groups are often isolated from each other physically though they may share the same building.
One of the most memorable displays of division that I have seen occurred in a CHC that I was invited to preach at. As I was driven into the church parking lot on Sunday morning, I noticed a police car parked near the entrance. Initially, I thought that maybe the church had so many people and cars that they needed the police for traffic control. I was grieved to learn that the police were needed because the church leaders were afraid that members of a splinter group, who were upset and left the church, would come back and disrupt the worship service.
Jesus also said in His prayer that unity in the church would help the world to believe in Him. We live in a country that is divided and fractured. Unity and love for each other in the church can attract people outside the church to Jesus. Conversely, as someone has said: “Divisions in the church breeds atheism in the world.”
But we also need to pursue the spiritual qualities that are needed to maintain the unity we have in Christ. These qualities are especially needed in church leaders, whether pastoral staff or board members. Satan has used immature, carnal leaders to split many churches.
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” – Ephesians 4:1–3
Do we relate to one another in humility, gentleness, and patience? Are we bearing with one another in love despite our differences? Are we seeking to be peacemakers in divisive situations? Have we asked the Holy Spirit to fill us so we can bear the fruit of the Spirit?
I was surprised during the COVID pandemic that many churches encountered disputes, not over deep theological issues, but over church policies and procedures. Here is a specific example, from years ago, of how a church policy dispute can affect unity in the church. When I first started working for my church, I was appalled that all the individual donations were displayed on a bulletin board. I could see exactly what each person gave in the past month. I felt that this would encourage people to give to impress others, which the Scriptures condemn. It would encourage people to give, not with a pure motive to the Lord, but to avoid shame. It would also tempt members to judge others based on their giving record. To me, this practice was unacceptable, and it needed to be eliminated immediately.
I first thought about getting other church members to agree with me and together write a petition to scold the Board of Deacons for such a practice and demand it be eliminated. But the Lord taught me to raise my concerns with humility and gentleness.
Respectfully and privately, I asked what the rationale was for posting the individual giving records. I was told that this was their way of accounting for all the money that was donated. In those days people gave with cash in envelopes. I began to see that the leaders had a good motive – to display honesty. I gave some suggestions of how to provide accountability without a public display. I learned to patiently bear with the leaders in love, as they said they would consider my concerns and suggestions.
Eventually the church leaders agreed that posting the donation records was not a good practice, and we were able to avoid a nasty fight and maintain the unity of the church.
In this process, I learned that those you disagree with don’t always have bad motives. I also learned that communicating directly with gentleness and respect generally yields a more favorable response.
So, how can we faithfully cultivate a spirit of unity?
- Commit to praying regularly for unity for your church. It should be a priority for our individual and corporate prayers. Whether or not your church is in the midst of a dispute, pray regularly for the unity of your church.
- Commit to work toward unity in your church, starting with yourself. You may have to do some self-examination of your attitudes and actions. Are you genuinely humble, gentle, and patient? Have you been a faithful peacemaker? Do you need to be reconciled to other members? Do you love the person you disagree with, as Christ has loved you?
- Develop a culture of unity in your church. Consider Romans 12:18, “18If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Paul tells us that we can do our part to make peace but others also need to do their part. We cannot control others. But we can influence others by example and by teaching. If you have the opportunity, preach and teach about unity, how to have a good fight,how to forgive, the dangers of gossip, and speaking the truth in love.
Jesus prayed for unity for his church as he went to the cross. Will you pray for unity, personally commit to unity, and develop a culture of unity in your church?
Photo Credit: Ziph