The Lead Pastor Residency at Mars Hill Church is designed to take leaders who are ‘already ready already’ and train them to be lead pastors at Mars Hill churches. Pastor Donovan Medina is currently the lead pastor of Mars Hill Albuquerque. We asked him about ethnicity in ministry and received the following.
All one in Christ Jesus
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26–28
My Dad, who was from Zia Pueblo, died recently. Over these last few days, the seeds of eternal thoughts have been nurtured and watered by waves of emotions and tears. My faith in Jesus has collided with the present reality of me saying goodbye to my father.
While I am half Native American from the Tribe of Zia, the other half of my ethnic make-up is Irish and old-world Spanish from the former days of exploring conquistadors. Running alongside and mingling with my bloodlines are my various interactions with standard American history, traditions, holidays, beliefs, practices, and pop-culture. They are without a doubt fused into my life.
I have spent most of my life trying to mix and vigorously shake these elements of my life in the hope that they would blend into one. In my many attempts I have found that reconciliation is impossible. However . . .
Fellowship with one another
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
A German, an Englishman, a Scotsman, an Italian, a Frenchman, an Old-World Spaniard, a Native American, a Jewish man, an African American, and an Irishman walk into a bar . . .
It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, right? If so, the punch line is “Mars Hill Albuquerque.” This is the ethnic landscape of our church and leadership.
Once a week a group of my friends, who actually make up the list above, gather to chat. It often happens that we end up pointing out and laughing about the absurd diversity that makes up our collective hullabaloo. As the laughter subsides, we all recognize that as ethnic and historical enemies, we have become friends only because of the cleansing work of Jesus.
Salvation belongs to our God
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9–10
Ethnic and cultural differences are well-aged topics of discussion. No matter who we are or where we come from, we have felt the tense and tangled history of our ancestors, forefathers, family legacy, and cultural upbringing.
With that, there is a message on earth and in heaven that must be heard, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” With victorious finality, these words will be hailed by every nation, tribe, people, and language. Ethnic diversity isn’t just possible through the gospel of Jesus . . . it is at the heart of the gospel. The gospel not only reconciles us to Jesus, but it also reconciles the nations to Jesus.
I am grateful for the many conversations I had with my dad about Jesus. And with eternity so fresh in my mind I am motivated to ask, who will go? Who will go to their nations and tribes? Who will go to their people and languages? Who will tell them, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb”? Who will tell them about the God who reconciles all people and all nations to himself?
My grandfather, great grandfather, and a properly dressed man in downtown Albuquerque
My great grandfather
Applications are being accepted for the Lead Pastor Residency through May 1st. If God is calling you to be a lead pastor at Mars Hill, apply today.
