Lions, and Tigers, and Progressives - Oh My!

Column by Rev. Roger Wolsey on 1 August 2019 2 Comments

I recently experienced something that is the stuff of many people’s nightmares.

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Question

 
How do I find a church community that aligns with my values, like for example, radical inclusion?

Answer

 
Hello Jennifer,
 
That is an excellent question! Thank you for asking. This is one of our most challenging tasks as humans today, in my opinion, and one of the most vital. I believe that being a part of Sacred Community is an essential aspect of living a whole and spiritually healthy life. It is what we seek, I believe, when we go to shopping centers or malls, to city squares and even to bars. As a whole, there has not been any new institution that effectively replaces or even improves upon church, so far. So there is a vacuum of sacred community in our societies. As spiritual beings living a human life, we need and yearn for meaningful community.
 
Unfortunately, church has become more about the business model and saving something that is dying, and less about creating an experience of sacred community and personal transformation; which, I believe, is what we all seek, though we don't all know it. Once mainstream protestant church membership started declining, the focus became more toward saving the business of church. When that shift from community centered, healing and transformative spaces to economic centered and hierarchal businesses occurred something of great value was lost in the church experience. Now we have pastors that are afraid of saying what they really believe and challenging people to grow, because they are afraid that they will lose their old time funders. We have church leaders who are falling back into rigidity because that feels safe.  It's the last gasp of a dying organism.
 
Now, I know that there are many progressive church leaders out there trying to do something very different, and there are some that are succeeding in creating genuine sacred community and meaningful experiences in their churches.
 
To me community becomes sacred when those that gather together and support each other do so with intentions that are meaningful and support personal and communal growth. Sacred community is the space in which people show up with courage to step forward in growth, to commit to practice loving kindness toward one another, to show up in vulnerability, to attend regularly, and to go deeper. At the heart of a thriving sacred community are shared values, usually around social justice issues.  People of all generations are coming together in droves around the aim of shifting our culture toward equality. Because equality is so inherent in younger generations' views of the world, this value is interwoven into any thriving sacred community in which millennials are engaged. When all people are valued as unique and equal - women, men, youth, adult, older, younger, black, white, rich, poor - we are free to find connections with others based on a deeper, more meaningful, even indescribable force.
 
So, when searching for a church community, I encourage you to look at the values the church states is has, and then look for the ways in which those values are being actively lived out. If, as you say, radical inclusion is important to you, then see if the church has a diverse group of people in leadership positions. Are there people of color? A range of ages? As many women as men? Are there LGBTQ people in leadership? Where does the money go and is it equitably distributed? Who holds the power? Because that is where the true values will be the most visible.
 
Look at what action this church is taking to positively affect the community and its members? How much growth and transformation is the church willing to go through so that it can be radically inclusive, relevant to an intergenerational community, and be an agent of positive change in the world? Take as much time as you need to ask these questions and move on if you aren't satisfied. It is possible that you can affect change in the church from within, but, like with any institution, that can be fairly challenging. If you can't find a church in your area that aligns with your values, I encourage you to consider starting a small in-home or in the wild church community. Perhaps you meet weekly in a forest or a park somewhere near you and have 20 minutes of quiet contemplation, some songs, and some brave vulnerable conversation. Perhaps once a month you all volunteer somewhere together. Perhaps it's time to think outside of the box of Churchianity.
 
More on this topic in some of my upcoming columns. Thanks again for your question.

~ Rev. Deshna Ubeda

 

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