All Together Different: Upholding the Church's Unity While Honoring Our Individual Identities

Can we all just get along?E Pluribus Unum: ?Out of many, one.? This motto is emblazoned on the Great Seal of the United States, but it could be the church?s model, too. Unfortunately, the daily experience of many Christians and churches feels like the opposite: out of one, many. We are increasingly aware of what makes us different from others, and it is hurting the church and its witness. All Together Different will help readers understand why we find it so difficult ?to just get along.? Drawing from research on personal and group identity, it equips readers to navigate a culture that often pays lip service to the value of diversity, but struggles to foster constructive dialogue and mutual respect. With clear writing and real-life stories, All Together Different translates social identity theory for pastors, church leaders, and ministry practitioners, exposing it to the light of biblical and theological reflection. Review Church conflict is painful, but inevitable. At some point, a person or group in a congregation feels overlooked or mistreated, and the seeds of discord are sown. All Together Different will help church leaders understand how identity plays a role in these conflicts. Tucker and Koessler are scholars with pastors? hearts. They?ve written a wise book explaining how we can take our individual differences seriously while upholding the unity of the church. Ed StetzerBilly Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton CollegeAll Together Different is a substantial yet practical book that points the way forward toward a more unified experience of the body of Christ. In these pages, you?ll find deep reflection and actionable suggestions for developing and maintaining a culture in your church that prioritizes unity in essentials, liberty in nonessentials, and charity in all things. Too many churches divide over secondary and even tertiary issues. Read this book. More importantly, heed its message. I highly recommended it! Todd WilsonSenior Pastor, Calvary Memorial Church, Oak Park, Illinois  Are you battle-weary from all of the arguments on national disunity, racism, and identity? Western culture has been drowning in bickering and bitterness for a long time. Who?s right and who?s wrong? Hope of resolving our differences seem to be slipping further away. Now we seem to be arguing for arguing?s sake. We listen not to discover a resolution but to find an opening to launch our own salvo to further our agenda. If you would like to find a portal to discuss unity in an intelligent, meaningful, and substantive conversation again, read All Together Different. It will give you a path to finding a solution to the problem of understanding our personal and corporate identities. It will also show us believers how we can rediscover hope for unity and even invite others into this community of acceptance.  I enjoyed this read. It was informative, stimulating, and biblically challenging.Bruce FongDean of Dallas Theological Seminary-Houston and Professor of Pastoral MinistriesGender, race, age, sexuality, theological persuasion-all of these issues highlight our differences. In the midst of this, Christ-followers are called to live in genuine unity while not erasing our human distinctions. Through careful research, cultural analysis, and biblical insights, Brian Tucker and John Koessler encourage us to dive into the messiness of being all together yet different. To my knowledge, nothing quite like this has been written for evangelicals. I have no question it will move the ball downfield in this important discussion. Mark S. MitchellLead Pastor, Central Peninsula Church, Foster City, CaliforniaIn a fragmented world confused by various identities, Brian Tucker and John Koessler provide a great introduction to the meaning of identity, race, gender, and community, and what they mean from a Christian perspective. This is a great volume on how faith shapes our identity as follow