The only way that reconciliation—whether racial or any other type—will become a priority within a church is if it is viewed as a mark of the gospel. Oftentimes, churches resist stressing reconciliation, offering up the explanation that they are focused on fulfilling the Great Commission.

My response is that it is impossible to fulfill the Great Commission without fulfilling the first and second greatest commandments, which together are a call to reconciliation. Reconciling brokenness in any form serves as a witness to the power of the gospel.

To understand reconciliation from a biblical point of view, we must see how it operates throughout Scripture—from the very beginning (Genesis), through the ebb and flow of sin and division, to the end. We must see how reconciliation is God’s idea. For starters, we can think of the people of the world as one giant family—large, colorful, diverse . . . and dysfunctional. The Bible then depicts a world of smaller, competing families, known as nations. The links that form these families are ethnic cultural groups whose members share language, values, attitudes and beliefs.

Throughout history as well as today, we see a theme of struggle, discrimination and conflict among these families: one story after another of individuals and cultural groups trying to advance their own interests over others.

If we are not careful, as we follow the biblical story we might mistakenly think that other people are the enemy—“other people” being nonbelievers in God. Yet in reality, we face a powerful spiritual army of evil beings whose goal is to frustrate God’s efforts toward a united, inclusive family:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

When we watch news stories of “ethnic cleansing” or of women being sold as sex slaves, or when we remember how the U.S. government allowed the enslavement of people based on their African heritage, we cannot forget that the root of these events is spiritual. Therefore, the primary way to address these and other evils should be rooted in spiritual practice as well.

When it comes to reconciliation, the first step of the Church in a deeply broken world is not strategy but prayer. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin wrote in The Gift of Peace that prayer was “closing the gap between what I am and what God wants of me.” We will not be successful unless we develop a vibrant, strong prayer life to close the gap.

The gap exists because as sinners we are all in some degree of rebellion against God. Let’s take a look at the root of the rebellion.

In Genesis 2 we see God’s plan for unity in the Garden of Eden: Relationships were perfect between people and God, between people themselves, and with the environment. It was truly a state of shalom, or completeness.

Then, the familiar story of Genesis 3 tells of the moment when that shalom unraveled, beginning the dysfunctional mess of a family we have today. In essence, we see barriers go up between Adam and Eve and between both of them and God. And along with the barriers come hostility.

In Genesis 3:15, God speaks to the evil being who started it all: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

This verse foretells how our world will be in a continual conflict between humans and representatives of evil. The battle lines have been formed, and the world from now until Christ’s return will struggle in a messy conflict.

Yet with Christ’s death and resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, God reveals the power for unity—with God and with each other. God has given to the church the gift of reconciliation, in reliance upon that power (2 Corinthians 5:18).

In a world where conflict reigns supreme, only God can cause a family reunion of all people—regardless of race, gender, age, economic status or physical ability (Galatians 3:26-29). It is God’s initiative and God’s work. The reunited family called the Church then becomes a witness to a world marred by conflict. As we do this, the people around us will know where to look for God.

If the EFCA is truly going to fulfill its mission statement of glorifying God by multiplying healthy churches among all people, we must become multiethnic. Otherwise, we communicate, by our separate ethnic gatherings, that God’s unity only goes so far; that His Spirit cannot bridge the gap created by our differences.

No, the power of the gospel is sufficient to restore our relationships, to set the stage for an enormous family reunion not simply in heaven, but also here on earth.

Adapted from Reconciliation 101: A handbook for ministry leaders, by Alvin Sanders. Copyright 2009 by Alvin Sanders and the Evangelical Free Church of America. To order a copy, contact NextStep Resources www.nsresources.com or 800-444-BOOK.

Alvin Sanders is the EFCA’s executive director of reconciliation.