As a pastor and teacher in Charlottesville, Virginia, equity and racial reconciliation are heavy on my heart. The events here on August 12 shook the nation and made church leaders and church members across America ask, “What can we do?”

The first step we can take as leaders is to acknowledge a problem exists. According to LifeWay Research, 86 percent of Protestant pastors in America say their churches are made up of one predominant racial group. Yet Christianity Today reports: “Two-thirds of American churchgoers (67 percent) say their church has done enough to become racially diverse. And less than half think their church should become more diverse.”

Observers have called Sunday morning one of the most segregated times in America. If our churches, which have a biblical mandate to love God and love their neighbors, are not demonstrating unity, how can we expect it in our communities?

The Christian foundation of inclusiveness and diversity is the gospel itself.

To end division and effect real change, we must be willing to get uncomfortable. It is easy to gather, worship and fellowship with people who are like us. It takes work and a willingness to let things get a little messy to develop a community of believers that is diverse in race, culture, economic class and political leanings.

When you are in a diverse community, there will be clashes in accepted norms, belief systems and worldviews. It takes the transformative power of the gospel, time, relationship, grace and love for people to become comfortable with one another.

The Christian foundation of inclusiveness and diversity is the gospel itself. On many occasions, Scripture demonstrates the power of the gospel to break down racial barriers. One such example comes from the Book of Acts. Peter’s God-given vision — confirmed through Cornelius — transformed the apostle’s understanding of race.

Peter declared, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism” (Acts 10:34).

The Jewish believers initially criticized Peter for entering the homes of Gentiles, but they couldn’t deny what God was doing in the lives of the Gentiles. Their hearts changed, and they praised God. It is the power of God’s Word that changes hearts and minds.

Peter stretched beyond the comfort of his Jewish community, entered into community and relationship with Cornelius, and preached the grace and love of Christ.

By following the model of the Early Church, today’s congregations can promote unity and healing in a divided and hurting nation.

Pete Hartwig, lead pastor of CityChurch in Charlottesville, Virginia, encourages leaders to spend time developing relationships with other pastors in their communities. In fact, time investments and relationships form the foundation for his seven principles for leading an entire community toward racial reconciliation.

1. Commit to the long haul. Being embedded in a community for many years will earn you the right to speak to larger issues.

2. Have an outward focus. Longevity does not count for much when a crisis hits a community if all your work has been inside your own church.

3. Develop relationships. Meet with other pastors in the community, and take the time to get to know and love one another. Make it a goal to learn one another’s stories. You will all know who you can call and trust when large community issues arise.

4. Share the platform. Ask the pastors you know and trust in your community to exchange platforms with you. Lead reconciliation by promoting diversity from the pulpit.

5. Put aside personal agendas. Competitiveness among pastors severely hampers racial reconciliation and communitywide ministry. Crisis is not a time to seek the limelight for you or your church; it is a time for serving relationally. People in the racial struggle can spot personal agendas a mile away.

6. Work with others. Learn to cooperate with people from other denominations, while remaining faithful to Jesus. If you refuse to interact with those who differ on some points of doctrine, it will limit your reach in the community.

7. Pray. Prayer is a powerful change agent. Bob Rhoden, lead pastor of Celebration Church in Richmond, Virginia, said, “In the Book of Acts chapter 4, the church’s initial response to injustice was to gather for prayer.”

Grace and love are essential in coming to a point in which reconciliation can occur. We must make room for our differences.

Jonathan Burtram, lead pastor of Redemption Church Charlottesville, says, “In order to come to a place of true community, we need to make room for difficult conversations. We need to hear and acknowledge the struggles of others. Sometimes we focus on where we disagree instead of the pain being expressed. The point is to listen to the pain, not the argument. You need to legitimize and accept where others are, even if we don’t fully understand or agree with their arguments.”

As leaders, we must not focus on who is to blame for the division. Instead, we should make efforts to bring reconciliation. We must come before God in humility and ask Him to help us overcome our own biases. Then, we must invest our time to develop relationships full of love and grace with people who may not look, vote or live like us.

In Mark 12:30–31, Jesus made it clear that we are to love God with everything we are and then love our neighbors as ourselves. This is the heart of social change. The church must lead the way in racial reconciliation.