The (No)Body of Christ

For the body does not consist of one member but of many...if the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is there are many parts but one body. (1 Corinthians 12)

I have observed that there is a tendency in groups toward conformity. This dynamic makes a lot of sense for a variety of reasons. For a like-minded collection of people it's simply more comfortable to be uniform. And in the industrial world uniformity is more efficient. As social creatures we are hardwired toward this efficiency. For the sake of the group and its common goals, we are willing to sacrifice our individuality lest it upset progress.

But the Church is just the opposite. The Body of Christ, that amalgamation of Believers in Jesus, is diverse because human beings are diverse. The Church thrives when it is diverse - when it is intentionally and consistently diverse. Which is why the analogy of the human body is so critical to understand. Of course a human body can't function if it's just a mouth, or just an ear. It's absurd. In the same way, it's absurd to think that the Christian Body can function without its members functioning uniquely and fully.

However, that tendency I have observed in groups applies almost without fail to the churches I have attended. Like any like-minded social collective, churches have an interest in efficiency. This is not stated of course, nor is it likely consciously pursued. But it happens. Churches are a fantastic place to witness the opposite development of what Paul admonishes the church in Corinth to pursue.

Most of the time the conformity is focused in the person and personality of the Pastor. Since most churches are formed around the charisma of a single individual, or of a limited group of leaders, that person or group will become the ideal for the church. Their spiritual direction will be the North Star for the congregants. In this way a dominant or charismatic church leadership will invariably work to mold every congregant into whatever body part that leader is. Typically that is a mouth.

I'm not trying to be funny. In churches where the pastor is a great speaker or where speech is valued - where being a mouth is important - the churchgoers will all work to become mouths, and their leaders will lead them there. Imagine being an ear in such a church; you would go nuts, until and unless you were willing to (pretend to) become a mouth. Or imagine being a foot in such a place. No one would have any use for you.

Take any body part and substitute it in the scenario, the outcome is the same. Whatever the church values, that will become the focal point. And we haven't even considered body parts that are broken or sick or severely impaired. An ear with a busted eardrum is a poor performer as an ear; imagine if he tries to be a mouth instead.

This is why Paul implored his friends in Corinth to pursue a diverse body. If everyone is always speaking, no one is listening. A body that is just an ear has no arms to proffer hugs, no shoulders to cry on. A church with a functioning body but no heart? Talk about a waste.

The call for diversity in the church is not a call for diversity in our sense. You can't get all the right ratios of blacks, hispanics, asians and whites in a room and call it "diverse." Without a focus on Jesus and what it means to be his Body, no multicultural group will be able to get there any better than if it were homogenous. Just like a life lived for Jesus is not one of outward appearances, so a Church longing to serve him is not a showcase for our feigned inclusiveness.

Which is not to say that our churches shouldn't be multicultural, multi-racial, multi-ethnic. Of course they should, if only for the simple fact that human beings are all of those things. The Church is multi-everything, full of doubters and believers, the powerful and weak, black and white and every shade between, the rich and poor, gay and straight, failing and winning, ready and unready. And every little local body of believers should reflect the diversity of ability and personality that God has created. It should be a Noah's Ark of human spirituality, a place where the lion lies with the lamb and the introvert and the extrovert can still be friends - and where they can encourage and improve one another through the power of Jesus's presence.

Don't settle for uniformity in the church. Don't dismiss Paul's call to diversity as a good idea whose day might come. Don't conform when it's easy, but embrace the awkward for the sake of the better thing that God can do through you and for you.