The Reconciled Church

We have a vision to be a church that is ‘one in Christ’ (Galatians 3 v 28) and, this term, we are launching a new teaching series called ‘The Reconciled Church’. We will be exploring the subject of race and reconciliation, considering the Biblical vision of every nation, tribe and tongue being united in Christ and how the gospel breaks down the walls of hostility that exist between different ethnicities and people groups.  

To think more about this series, Jim chatted to George and Daniellia Kunnath who have been helping to shape our conversation around race and reconciliation. George and Daniellia joined King’s in 2018, they have been married for 23 years and have two children. Daniellia also joined our Board of Trustees in 2024.

Daniellia and George Kunnath

Hi George and Daniellia, firstly, can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and what you do?

Hi Jim, we met while attending a church in Cape Town. Daniellia was a teacher and I worked for a ministry helping with their Bible School. We were blessed to be involved in the life of the church. After our daughter was born, Daniellia ran her own business from home and I worked for the South African Parliament. In 2008, I received an opportunity in the UK working with other countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. So, when our daughter was just five, in the short space of five weeks we packed up home and moved country.

We settled in Horsham and were blessed to join a local church. Soon after our son was born, we joined the eldership team in the local church where we served for several years. But in 2018, things worked out that we had to move house, and we found a new home in the village of Henfield. We started to search for local churches closer to Henfield. At Christmas 2018 we attended the Christmas Carol service at King’s. We loved the worship, teaching, and diversity in the church, and we knew instantly that this was our new spiritual home.

Today Daniellia works as a cover supervisor in Millais School, while I do leadership development training for Roffey Park Institute. 

George, you mentioned to me once that when people ask you where you are from, you are never sure how to answer that question, why is that?

We carry many identities all at once, nobody has just one identity. In my case I was born in Zambia, but my parents are Indian. I spent all my youth and university in that country. After university I moved to South Africa where I settled down and got married, eventually taking up South African Citizenship. Later we moved to the UK, and over a period of time we settled and became British citizens. So, when people ask me where I am from, Indian, Zambian, South African, or British are all valid answers, so the response I give is often based on what answer I think they would want to hear. 

The Bible paints a vision for a church that is one in Christ, where there is no ‘Jew or Greek’, why do you think it’s important that we think carefully about how this actually happens in our church?

We firmly believe that where there is unity God commands a blessing. That has been a testimony in our lives where we have seen God move when people are united especially across ethnicity, race, culture and nationality. We wish this unity was something that happens naturally, but throughout the New Testament, the apostles had to intentionally work on developing this unity of understanding through their teaching and actions. 

Paul said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In that one scripture Paul was addressing ethnicity, race, nationality, status, and gender. These were the issues of the 1^st century church, and they are still issues that we face in today’s church. It is therefore important for us to constantly remind ourselves that in Christ these differences are all secondary. Belonging to Christ is our primary identity. 

‘A diverse church is not necessarily a reconciled church’. Would you agree with this statement? If so, why?

Yes, there is a big distinction between diversity and inclusion – you can be a diverse church but it does not mean we are truly reconciled in our relationships. And inclusion does not happen unless we are truly reconciled, for the Bible says, ‘can two people walk together unless they agree’. 

Inclusion will lead to unity because everyone will be free to fulfil their purpose, exercise their gifts and serve the local church and community.  That’s why it is really important that every Christian is received with the love of Christ and included in the life of the church. 

When Paul confronted Peter’s behaviour in Galatians 2, they were already one of the most diverse churches at that time, the church of Antioch. Paul publicly called out Peter’s behaviour when he would sit with the Jewish brothers at mealtimes rather than with the Gentiles. His argument was that we are all saved by faith in Jesus which unites us, therefore it is wrong for us to then build barriers that separate us into silos based on nationality, race or language group. That’s not the picture of the church of God in Revelations which describes a great multitude from every nation, tribe and people worshiping God together. 

I believe you were part of a very diverse and reconciled church in South Africa, what lessons can we learn at King’s towards this vision of a reconciled church?

South Africa is a country still healing from years of apartheid and a segregated church. Through reconciliation, repentance, and the work of the Holy Spirit we now see many thriving multiracial churches across the country and many in the church led the nationwide truth and reconciliation process. Our experience in seeing reconciled churches is that the healing starts with repentance, recognising our own biases and asking for forgiveness. Reconciliation first starts in the heart. Every race has biases, but God brings healing through repentance and forgiveness. 

The next lesson is that we have a heavenly identity that far exceeds any earthly identity, and it’s our heavenly identity that unites us. 

The last lesson is that we all have a common purpose and common future. The great commission was given to all of us, and we will achieve more for the Kingdom when we all work together as one.

While the UK can sometimes feel very divided at times, we believe that God is at work and that there is a revival coming which will bring the greatest healing to this nation. 

Our new series, The Reconciled Church, starts on September 28.