OPEN MINDS
WHY WELCOMING DIVERSITY
M A T T ERS
Mauricio Rodriguez
Creating opportunities for diversity in your church can make a huge
difference in people’s lives.
M
aking room for diversity means
your congregation is welcoming to
everyone in its community.
I saw this kind of openness last spring
on a visit to Nebraska. The Rock Church
(North Platte Foursquare Church) had
Welcoming diversity requires
intentionality. As a church, think of ways
you can create opportunities for diversity.
You must be willing to be vulnerable,
grow, and be open to change.
This can take many forms. If your
just remodeled its entire children’s area, church is in the midst of a large immigrant
including adding a room for kids with population, you could start by translating
special needs. Thanks
to this step, no child
or parent feels left
out. Three families
now attend this
church because their
kids have a place that
your sign into that
AS A CHURCH, THINK OF WAYS YOU
CAN CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
DIVERSITY. YOU MUST BE WILLING
TO BE VULNERABLE, GROW, AND
BE OPEN TO CHANGE.
welcomes them.
I was on the
platform diversity
during services, too,
by including different
types of people,
different genders
and ages.
This is what
diversity looks like: a multiethnic,
single mother who immigrated to the U.S. multiracial symphony where all are
in 1988 because of civil war in Nicaragua. welcomed to praise God. Like Revelation
Each Sunday, the English congregation 7:9, it is a picture of heaven.
of Angelus Temple distributed food to
Hispanic members. This was a blessing
for my family and a tangible expression of
God’s love. I didn’t know anything about
language or other barriers. I just knew
20
language. You can
receiving end of such love as the son of a
God loved me.
F O U R S Q U A R E Leade r
SAME MISSION.
CLEAR VISION.
STRONG PARTNERSHIP.
EDUCATING, TRAINING and EQUIPPING emerging leaders
to discover and pursue their Life-Mission.
-Written with Ken Walker
Mauricio Rodriguez is on a one-year assignment with the
National Church Office to examine The Foursquare Church’s
administrative processes and how we can better serve
pastors who don’t speak English. He hopes to return to
Nicaragua in 2020.
“IGN TE the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
2 TIMOTHY 1:6
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