As I enjoyed a way-too-expensive latte at a local coffee shop, a friend and I got to talking about church demographics. 

Who is showing up to church — and why? 

My friend mentioned how awkward he felt attending church because he doesn’t have a college degree. 

This made me think about the churches I have been a part of. Many of them were privileged in many ways. They’ve had decent budgets — at least enough to hire a full-time pastor. They’ve typically been predominantly White. The majority of people had a stable income and at least some higher education.

These are not bad things. I’ve benefited from them. I’m able to be a full-time pastor because people are giving financially and because I was able to go to seminary. 

Growing up in the church (not Mennonite), I became accustomed to the idea that we help the less fortunate. We have resources, and we are called to use them to help others. I have preached this very message. 

But I’m asking: Are the oppressed part of the church, or are they only helped by the church? 

Are those who do not fit the profile of a typical church member welcome? 

Who defines what is typical? 

If someone asked me what comes to mind when I picture the church, I would think about the churches I have been a part of. But the church is a diverse body of people committed to following the ways of Christ. Many congregations look nothing like the ones I’ve known. 

I’m pretty sure it not unusual for someone who is different to walk into a church and not feel welcome.

Context accounts for a lot. The local people set the tone and establish the culture. A church in the suburbs is going to look different from a church in the inner city. 

How we handle difference matters. It matters how we carve out space for those who have lived a different kind of life. 

I have been shocked — but probably shouldn’t have been — by the number of times people have said they do not feel comfortable in church because their life has been different. 

Maybe they didn’t go to college, while it seemed like everyone else was highly educated. Maybe they struggled financially, while it seemed like everyone else was financially secure. 

With different life experiences come different ideas about faith and community.

As the church, we have to embrace these differences and reevaluate the exclusive, conformist cultures we have created. 

In a society that has become increasingly skeptical of difference, the church needs to multiply its efforts to be a community where people of different backgrounds come together. 

Where different faith journeys and life stories collide, a beloved community emerges. 

Diversity is not only about race or ethnicity. It includes many parts of life that make us unique. We differ from one another in income levels, sexuality, upbringing, education and political beliefs. 

This brings me back to the question: Who makes up the church? The answer: We all do. Those with financial wealth and those who are poor. Those who have family and those who do not. Those with multiple college degrees and those who never finished high school. 

In the book of acts, the emerging community of Jesus-followers was stretched to widen the circle. People with different experiences and lives came together to care for one another. Each member was so important that the church had to change how it was doing things to make sure all were cared for (Acts 6:1-6).

The church is not for one kind of person. It is for all. All who want to be part of a community trying to follow Jesus. 

A church that unites people of different backgrounds weaves together many stories. A diverse church has a better story to tell — to each other and to the world.