Zach de Vaux, Part 3: How to Create a Diverse Church
February 28, 2020
What Orchard Church may lack in size is made up for by the blend of families and individuals in the congregation. In this episode, Zach and Adam discuss how to attract different types of people to your church and how sometimes, all it takes is one person.
There’s three things Zach has done to cultivate a diverse church. First, he’s led by example in loving others well, encouraging his congregants to do the same. Second, Zach has intentionally put pastors on staff who aren’t the same ethnicity as himself, encouraging other non-white individuals and families to attend. Last, Orchard Church deliberately pursues low-income families, not just for the sake of outreach, but to let them know they’re welcome and valued in the church.
Listen in to this episode to hear about the strengths and weaknesses of Orchard’s generational diversity, and find out why “anchor” families and individuals are so important when it comes to attracting different kinds of people.
Jump Through the Conversation
[0:12] Adam’s intro comparing Zach and other pastors to Paul
[4:19] How Zach has led and influenced the congregation
[6:40] How diversity in leadership leads to diversity in the church
[7:46] Outreach to lower-income families
[9:20] Preaching vs practicing diversity
[10:30] Getting over the awkwardness
[11:27] Generational diversity
[13:51] Being “anchor” people
[17:26] Adam’s closing exhortation
A resource of the Chattanooga House of Prayer