Beginning in the 70s there was a movement that said church growth could only be effective if a section of society in which, culturally, all members have some characteristic in common. This has been debated in the church for years and interestingly has possibly caused as much disunity as unity in the church.
It would seem that we must consider that in both the OT and NT we discover that God set out to create a people for Himself. Christ came to establish a family, not just new individuals. John Stott says, "Salvation in the Bible is never a purely individualistic concept. As in the Old Testament, so in the New, God is calling out a people for Himself and binding it to Himself by a solemn covenant. The members of this new society, reconciled through Christ to God and one another, are being drawn from all races, cultures, and ages. Indeed, this single new humanity - which Christ has created and which no barriers are tolerated - is an essential part of the good news" (Eph. 2:11-22).
The question is - have we lost our confidence in the power of the gospel, not only to change lives but also to transform the community of God's people into one body, united in Him? Have we allowed an attempt at church growth of unity in culture to affect the worship of the Body? Are our worship expressions and music about culture or about Him? If we look at the teaching of scripture, how can we not see the case for worship for all of the Body? Corporate worship is a multi-racial, multi-cultural, and multi-generational expression of our love and adoration and commitment of Lordship to the Father of the family of God. Is this not a scriptural basis for intergenerational worship in the church? mjm
