By Kyle Brooks

Do you want what Jesus wants?

That’s a question I have to ask myself regularly when I think about unity with other Christians in my city, in my denomination and around the world. 

It’s pretty clear what Jesus wants. He prays for it. 

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23)

Jesus wants the world to know that he was sent by the Father. He wants the world to know that the Father loves them as he loves Jesus. And he says that will happen when and only when those who believe in him are brought to complete unity. 

The phrase “complete unity” implies that there might be a spectrum. There might be forms of unity that are incomplete. There might be attempts at unity that are partial. Here’s my attempt at identifying a spectrum of Christian unity:

Competition: We see other churches as people with whom to compete. It would be sad to see someone attend their church and not ours, because they don’t really teach/practice the gospel like we do. 

Tolerance: We agree to disagree with these churches on issues that we see as important but not ultimate. We let bygones be bygones and neither support nor actively compete with each other. 

Collaboration: We are willing to tackle individual projects together for the sake of our community. Our connection is concrete and impactful, but it is project/time bound. 

Partnership: We are willing to link ourselves together structurally in some way. It may take the form of creating something together that each church will participate in sustaining, or worshiping together regularly, or sharing resources. 

Complete Unity: We are one church, structurally, missionally, theologically and relationally. We do not see each other as an “other” to be competed against, tolerated, collaborated with or even partnered. We see each other and treat one another as “us.” 

Now, of course there’s some overlap in these categories. But here’s the key: apparently nothing less than complete unity is enough to fulfill Jesus’ own desire for us. 

I’m not naïve enough to confidently proclaim that this complete unity is possible for my denomination, the churches in my city, or the churches in our world through our own efforts in my lifetime. But I am confident that it is the desire (dare I say command?) of Jesus for me to move toward complete unity and not away from it.  

I simply will not move toward complete unity if my heart is not aligned with Jesus’ own desire for unity.

So, I’ve found it helpful to ask myself these questions to diagnose my soul. 

Where is my heart on the spectrum of Christian unity with respect to:

1. People in my congregation?

2. Churches in my city?

3. Churches in my denomination?

4. Churches of other cultures and/or denominations?

Jesus knew we’d have different perspectives about important issues. Jesus knew we would sin, even against each other. Jesus knew we’d bring wildly different questions and cultures to the table of faith. But he still prayed for our oneness. I believe he still does. 

If we care about the Great Commission at all, according to Jesus, we have to strive for Christian unity. Oneness is not only a gift to receive, but a calling to pursue. Are our hearts prepared to struggle for it?