Combating Tokenism: Highlighting the Role of Power in Making Inclusion Meaningful

Abstract This article uses an organizational perspective to highlight the role of power in making inclusion meaningful at a non-denominational evangelical congregation. Using qualitative data, I analyze non-religious organizational processes that affect power relations among members in organizational settings. I identify two complementary strategies for coordinating collective action that make inclusion meaningful in practice. The first strategy Politicizes Inclusivity by instituting recurrent public deliberations on inclusivity and diversity. The second strategy uses a set of Inclusive Power Arrangements that empower the voices of marginalized members in the everyday workings of the church. Finally, I show how the success of these strategies in producing racial and socioeconomic diversity created such a strong feeling of trust that members readopted them even after realizing that LGBT inclusion involved different challenges. Findings extend fundamental theoretical assertions about studying inclusivity in religious organizations and address issues relevant to the persistent problem of tokenism.