Over the last few weeks, I have been sharing with you a number of Texas Baptists’ descriptors, including biblically faithful, gospel-centered, historically rooted, and future-thinking. This week, I would like to unpack a fifth value: Texas Baptists are beautifully diverse.
The churches that make up the Baptist General Convention of Texas are diverse in multiple ways, including geography, size, worship styles, culture, ethnicity, age, and language. Before I expound more on this, it is important to establish the biblical basis for celebrating diversity.
Some today believe highlighting and affirming diversity is a worldly culture influence on the church. To be honest, some use the concept of diversity to affirm lifestyles and decisions that are contrary to God’s design. Yet, there is biblical support for the ethnic diversity of God’s people.
Biblical support for ethnic diversity
When God called Abraham (Abram), he instructed him to leave his country and people and go to a land God would show him. God promised to make a nation from his descendants and that he would bless them, so he could bless all the nations of the earth through them (Genesis 12:1-3).
The story of Israel is the revelation to the nations of the earth of God’s glory and power (2 Samuel 22:50; 1 Kings 4:34; 1 Chronicles 14:17; 16:18; 16:24; 16:28; 16:31).
The Psalmist expresses God’s desire and promise to be worshipped by all nations (Psalm 2:8; 9:11; 18:49; 22:27; 45:17; 46:10; 47:1; 57:9; 67:4; 72:17; 86:9; 96:3; 96:7; 96:10; 98:2; 99:2; 102:15; 108:3; 113:4; 117:1).
The Old Testament prophets foretold all the nations would come to the Lord’s temple to worship him (Isaiah 2:2; 5:26; 11:10; 55:5; 60:3; 66:20; Jeremiah 1:5; 3:17; 16:19; and others).
Jesus’ Great Commission, recorded in Matthew 28:19, states, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (NIV). The word translated nations is “ethné,” the root from which we get the English word “ethnic.” It refers to people groups rather than geopolitical nations; all people groups.
Pentecost was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and of Jesus’ promise. People from all nations of the world were gathered for worship in Jerusalem (Acts 2:5-12). When the Holy Spirit came over the gathered disciples, they miraculously proclaimed the gospel in every heart language of the people present.
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The inauguration of the church was a multiethnic, multilingual gospel service. As the story of Acts unfolds, the Holy Spirit leads a primarily Jewish church to include Gentiles (the nations) until the sending church in Antioch is a majority Gentile church.
While Luke’s account in Acts displays the fulfillment of God’s intention to form a new people from all nations, Ephesians declares it theologically (2:14-19).
Ultimately, John describes the vision of that new humanity in Christ in eternity. It is an innumerable multitude of every nation, tribe, people, and language (Revelation 7:9).
‘God’s heart and plan’
The inclusion of every people and language group into the family of God is not a modern idea or a cultural trend of the day. It has been God’s heart and plan from Genesis to Revelation. We live between Pentecost and Revelation, and we rejoice every time God’s church reflects his design more and more.
In addition to the geographical location, size, and style of churches, the Texas Baptists family is also made up of various people, cultural, and language groups. Of the 5,300 churches affiliated with the BGCT, approximately 1,200 are Hispanic, 1,100 are African American, 350 are intercultural, and 250 are Western Heritage/Cowboy churches. That’s about half of our total number of churches.
Our Affinity Ministries work directly with these churches to resource them for faithfulness to God’s call.
Texas Baptists intercultural churches represent approximately 80 different language groups. It should also be noted: Many English-speaking churches have Spanish-language congregations that are not separate and thus not counted as a stand-alone Hispanic church.
We are thankful for this diversity. Texas is a state increasingly diverse in culture, ethnicity, and language. As the nations have come to our state and country, we have the opportunity to live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission by loving people and making them disciples of Jesus. We anticipate the day when all nations will worship King Jesus.
Texas Baptists celebrate being beautifully diverse, because it is God’s heart and design.
Julio Guarneri is the executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. This opinion article is adapted from his August 5 weekly update.
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