In Church as It Is in Heaven

Christianity Today Award of Merit Heaven is multiethnic. Are you ready for that? The Bible tells us that the congregation gathered around God's heavenly throne will be 'a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language,' all singing the praises of the Lamb. God's intention has always been to delight for all eternity in a redeemed community of ethnic diversity. But this diverse community shouldn't have to wait until eternity to begin! It can be a reality in our own local churches here and now. Patterned after a worship service, In Church as It Is in Heaven gives biblical warrant for such a community and shows how multiethnic churches provide a unique apologetic for the gospel. Along the way, the authors tell the story of their own church-a majority-white congregation which is being transformed into a family that reflects the diversity of heaven. The multiethnic kingdom is not just a nice idea, or an abstract theory. It's a reality-one we can enter into today.

Jamaal E. Williams serves as lead pastor of Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville, Kentucky, and as president of the Harbor Network. He regularly consults churches on leadership and issues related to the multi-ethnic church.