Click below to learn more and register for the 2024 Christ & Cascadia Gathering. If you have a group of 8 or more, check with your church or denomination about becoming a Church Partner to receive free tickets for your attendees.

This event is held in partnership with the Inhabit Conference on April 26-27. Receive a 10% discount for the Inhabit Conference when you register for the Christ & Cascadia Gathering.

April 25, 2024
at the Church of Christ at Federal Way near Seattle, Washington

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The first year of the has been an exciting process of developing responsive programs and resources. The work of the Center for Transforming Engagement is to equip adaptive leaders with tools from the social sciences to lead communities of faith, hope, and love.

The Center for Transforming Engagement was founded in October 2021 and celebrated its launch in March 2022. Staff and supporters gathered in festive spaces at 天美视频 to hear from President J. Derek McNeil, Director Kate Davis, and Instructor Rose Madrid Swetman. Since its launch, the team has been connecting with and listening to ministry leaders and teams to hear about the demands of ministry in the complex landscape of our current era.

Since 2017, the team of Resilient Leaders Project has impacted hundreds of ministry leaders. The team鈥檚 learnings were developed first into a frame of the essential components of resilience. Their work with leaders鈥� resilience and team formation became the foundation of the Center for Transforming Engagement, the second center of 天美视频 which is continuing to grow in new directions and live out its mission in new contexts as it celebrates its 25th year.

Resources

, released its first two seasons this year. Season One was hosted by President J. Derek McNeil and Director Kate Davis in conversations with , with , and with . In Season Two, Kate is joined by Rose Madrid-Swetman to host conversations with , , , , , and about burnout. They talk about the causes of burnout, the experience of burnout, and methods of healing and prevention. These conversations about change that serve the common good and a higher good provide practical suggestions and information as well as hope and encouragement. Listen to Transforming Engagement: the Podcast on your favorite listening platform: | | .

The Center for Transforming Engagement has also created to support leaders. Recent releases include a Daily Examen process, resources to become a better mentor, and 8 Ways to Care for Your Pastor (for Pastor Appreciation Month). The Clergy Burnout Report helps pastors, congregants, and those who work with pastors identify both the causes of burnout and sources of support. The is a series of exercises, writing prompts, prayers, and meditations that will help you discover a renewed vision for the rhythms and routines of your life.

Offerings

In February 2022, the pilot cohort for began with participants from four local congregations. Through this one-year program, teams of 5 to 8 members from the same congregation journey through a process to discern their congregational identity and to reconnect with their neighborhood. Center for Transforming Engagement staff coach teams as members work together to innovate and create opportunities that fit the unique identity and context of their congregation.

In October 2022, Center for Transforming Engagement launched its first community online course, , for participants seeking renewed rhythms that support their values. Way of Life joins a growing collection of from the Center for Transforming Engagement.

Looking Ahead

The next offering of Center for Transforming Engagement is . This 7-week online program offers tools to cultivate intentional, sustaining practices for spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. By the end, participants will have developed a personalized, holistic plan and will receive support in committing to at least one change. . Early-bird pricing ends on December 31, 2022.

In February 2023, staff will welcome a new cohort of Transforming Faith Communities. Later in the winter, they will gather friends from Christian organizations across the Cascadia bioregion to imagine and discern the future of , which historically has been an annual conference with a year-round presence as an online journal.

Center for Transforming Engagement is recording upcoming seasons for the podcast on organizational identity, challenges and celebrations of women clergy, and burnout in youth ministry leaders. Downloadable resources in the works include self-guided retreats on aspects of resilience and a white paper report on the Center鈥檚 learnings from their work with narrative process groups.

Through these new programs and resources, the Center for Transforming Engagement remains committed to the purpose of restoring leaders of faith to live into hope and practice love. Stay connected with the Center for Transforming Engagement by and .

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I鈥檓 one of the many that became fascinated by the podcast after a friend recommended it. Then, when listening to Episode 5 (鈥淭he Things We Do to Women鈥�), I was surprised to hear a familiar voice: my colleague Dr. Rose Madrid-Swetman. Dr. Madrid-Swetman, the Northwest Regional Leader of the denomination and an adjunct faculty member at 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology, shared about her experience providing pastoral care for people who had left Mars Hill.

Listening to The Rise and Fall podcast brought to mind so many of the concepts that Dr. Rose Madrid-Swetman teaches in our shared project, Certificate in Resilient Service at 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology. As the researcher for this program, I wanted to hear more about her experience about what hurts and helps Christian leaders who are trying to avoid the pitfalls of abusive leadership and structures.

Andrea: When Mike Cosper called and asked to interview you for this podcast, what compelled you to say yes?

Dr. Madrid-Swetman: I thought it was important to tell the story. As a female pastor in the city of Seattle, I was constantly hearing the stories of women being traumatized by the toxic theology and culture of Mars Hill Church. My hope is the church universal can listen to the people that have been harmed and learn from stories like that of Mars Hill. If we are willing to hear, there is so much to learn.

Andrea: Clearly, Mars Hill is a visible example of church dysfunction, but it鈥檚 far from the only church to struggle like this. How have you seen similar dynamics play out in other churches with other leaders?

Dr. Madrid-Swetman: This is true. Mark is not an anomaly. What happened at Mars Hill has played out over and over again in both small and large churches. The West鈥檚 industrial religious complex is designed to produce and reward leaders who misuse their power like this. As I was teaching leadership classes at 天美视频, I would tell my students that Mars Hill is an excellent case study in this kind of abuse of power that is enabled by some churches.

Andrea: Part of what drew my compassion in this podcast was the hurt experienced by other leaders at Mars Hill as they were drawn in by Driscoll. Cosper concludes that many of these leaders (who were almost exclusively men) were drawn to Driscoll due to experiences way back in their childhoods. What would you tell a leader who wants to be aware of their vulnerabilities to manipulation from those who lead them and those who they lead?

Dr. Madrid-Swetman: I would say you have to know your story, you have to do a deep dive into the impact of your early years and understand how you were formed in your family. That process brings a self-awareness of your strengths and weaknesses鈥攁nd also an awareness of how you repeat, in the present, patterns of relating that you learned in your family. By understanding and working through how you were formed in your family, you learn how you could be vulnerable to manipulation or how you are set up to lead from your weaknesses, often causing harm.

Andrea: Another Mars Hill dynamic that Cosper draws out is the echo chamber it created for leaders. It struck me how much the leaders around Driscoll would have been helped by receiving more outside perspectives. Leadership in the church is often isolating, so how can leaders find that kind of perspective and support?

Dr. Madrid-Swetman: This is important. I think all leaders need a community of people outside of their church who they get input from鈥攑eople they can be completely real with. That could be peers from other denominations, a therapist, a spiritual director or a mentor that you trust. Leaders need safe spaces to reflect vulnerably. Mars Hill had a closed system, theologically and socially. When you are in a closed system, vulnerability is too risky. I think leaders begin to internalize so many emotions that they cannot name. I have seen this in leaders who are struggling, feeling like they are not enough, and also with leaders like Mark who seem to have it all. I was part of a group that met with Mark in 2006 to discuss his public vitriolic speech about women; in talking with us, his defense about why he did not have mentors was that every person who he went to for mentoring ended up being jealous of him. I suggested he see a Roman Catholic priest for spiritual direction. I told him I guaranteed a priest would not be jealous of him.

Andrea: A lot of your work with Certificate in Resilient Service (CRS), which you helped design and currently teach in, is focused on creating healthy, sustainable lives for leaders. How is your work with CRS informed by your experiences with churches like Mars Hill?

Dr. Madrid-Swetman: I would say my work is informed by churches like Mars Hill and also by my own experience of leading a congregation. Leading a congregation can be one of the most isolating of vocations. It is so challenging to navigate all that comes with it, including the expectations you put on yourself and the expectations others have. I have seen so many leaders crash and burn. Many of them I know did not have the tools or the people in their lives to create a safe environment for vulnerability. Seeing this process play out over and over again in the lives of leaders, dear people with good intentions, made me even more committed to create safe spaces for leaders and advocate for sustainable ministry.

Andrea: What are the practices you recommend for Christian leaders who are seeking to be emotionally healthy?

Dr. Madrid-Swetman: I have so many thoughts on this. I think the practices of curiosity and reflection–about the leader鈥檚 life and the life of others鈥攊s key. Paying attention to what is happening in the world is also important. Right now that means engaging the question 鈥淗ow do we think theologically in a time of great upheaval and change?鈥� Also, I would say it is imperative for a leader to commit to practices that keep them connected to God, the practices that ground you in the love of God,

Andrea: Seeing the narcissism of Driscoll increase as his power increased was not a surprise to me鈥攔esearch has shown that not only does ministry make those inclined to narcissism worse, but also that the pressures of ministry can actually induce narcissism in pastors who may not have otherwise been disposed to it. What counsel do you have for church leaders who want to create healthy conditions for their pastors to work in?

Dr. Madrid-Swetman: The system has to be one that will support leaders. Pastors cannot be endlessly giving care; they also need to receive care. That may mean the board allocates money and time for pastors to receive care. Congregations need to create an environment where leaders do not have to hide, but can be honest and ask for help. Too many pastors and leaders have to hide their struggles for fear of losing their jobs, their source of income. That requires that black and white thinking is challenged and people learn to hold dynamic tension. And, related to what happened at Mars Hill, I recommend that churches look at their own bylaws and see who holds the power if the church goes into crisis.

Andrea: Rose, you have been such a source of blessing in my own life. Can you leave us with a blessing for leaders–your hopes and prayers for those seeking to serve with humility and integrity?

Dr. Madrid-Swetman: I pray for leaders, that they would find safe spaces to be honest about their struggles. Places they can be honest with themselves and others. I pray they would seek out people who can come alongside them to remind them of who they are and who they are becoming. I pray they will resist the temptations that Henry Nouwen so timely named in Life of the Beloved, the temptations to be relevant, spectacular and powerful. I bless them to lead with humility, compassion and creativity. And, I pray that they may do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord. Amen.

If you are interested in hearing more from Rose about her experience providing pastoral care to people wounded by their experience with Mars Hill Church, listen to her on the podcast , featured in episodes 鈥淭he Things We Do to Women鈥� and 鈥淭he Bobby Knight Problem.鈥�

The post Andrea Sielaff Interviews Rose Madrid Swetman about The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

Find out more about our Master of Divinity program.

Could you give us an overview of what you do?

My title is Director of Organizational Development for The Allender Center at 天美视频鈥攚hich, honestly, is really functioning like an Executive Pastor. I get to do leadership development for our staff at The Allender Center, creating consistent structures of communication, professional development, care, support. I鈥檓 also on faculty with The Allender Center, so I teach and work on the blog and podcast, as well as facilitating groups.

It鈥檚 interesting that all of those things鈥攆rom the relational to the technical to the administrative鈥攐ften fall under the role of pastor, too. Which raises another question: What does it mean to be a pastor?

I often joke that being a good pastor is just like being a good parent, but specifically in the realms of spiritual formation and identity development. When I think about a pastor, I think about someone who tells stories that help people locate themselves in a larger story. Both individually鈥斺�淲ho is God, and who are you?鈥� and collectively鈥斺�淲here have we come from, where are we now, where are we going?鈥� I think it鈥檚 about providing good care.

I often say that, vocationally and in my calling, I鈥檓 a pastor by orientation. I find that whether I鈥檓 working in a tea shop and serving people crepes and loose leaf tea, or working on an admissions team recruiting students to a graduate program.

I鈥檓 guessing the tea shop鈥檚 not hypothetical.

No, I worked at a loose leaf tea shop the year after I graduated from 天美视频.

Was there a period of finding it hard to identify as a pastor, since you weren鈥檛 in the traditional paid staff position at a church?

Two moments come to mind. First, I did not come to graduate school to become a pastor, even though I came to pursue an MDiv. I came from a tradition where women couldn鈥檛 be pastors, so I didn鈥檛 have much imagination for myself as a pastor. I came to 天美视频 because I thought I would be a professor. I knew I would do ministry, but I would maybe just do ministry through the academy. Then during my third year, Paul Steinke named me as a pastor. There was something about someone actually naming me pastor, inviting me to see that as part of my identity, that was really powerful.

And then, during our formational years at The Allender Center, there were some moments where we were in the midst of a lot of spiritual warfare and a lot of despair. I remember Dan was introducing me before the large group to teach, and he said, 鈥淩achael really is the pastor of The Allender Center.鈥� And as he said that, there was something that felt really true to me about that. It鈥檚 not a way I would necessarily have seen myself, but it was a way I was bringing myself in the midst of our team, calling us to remember who we are and who we鈥檙e called to be. So I felt like the unofficial pastor of The Allender Center, and then there鈥檚 the question of, what does it mean to be the pastor of a nonprofit? Is that sacrilegious?

It seems like there are layers: Something was going on inside you regarding your own identity and calling, but something else happens when others see that and name it. Why do you think that outward affirmation is so meaningful?

I think there鈥檚 something about anointing that is really important. We see that throughout the text, right? It鈥檚 something we鈥檙e meant for and made for: to have others bless aspects of our calling and identity and vocation. I think it鈥檚 why something like an ordination process holds so much meaning in the Church. There鈥檚 a way of anointing, honoring, and consecrating鈥攕etting apart a role. Though I think, at times in our culture, that setting apart means the role is elevated in a way that some people who have the esteem of pastor really abuse that power, and it creates this false dichotomy that people who are pastors or leaders in a ministry are actually doing ministry, not everyone else. That鈥檚 a really weak, thin theology, a really weak, thin missiology, a really weak, thin sense of what the Church actually is and how it functions.

This process of recognizing your pastoral gifting and embracing that and naming it true鈥攈ow has that journey clarified or refined how you understand calling?

I don鈥檛 see calling as being just connected to vocation. It鈥檚 far more expansive than that. It鈥檚 that sense of knowing that, no matter what I鈥檓 doing, it鈥檚 okay to bring these parts of myself.

And there is some mythology that calling is static, when I actually think it鈥檚 something that develops and grows and shifts. I think it does stay pretty consistent in its rootedness, but the fruit it bears can change in different seasons. So we always need to be growing and learning and have a posture of curiosity and a willingness to surrender to formational processes.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see calling as being just connected to vocation. It鈥檚 far more expansive than that.鈥�

What would you say to somebody else who is recognizing aspects of their calling as a pastor, but also recognizing that it might come out in an unconventional context?

The more we know who we are, then we can make better decisions about where we want to give those parts of ourselves. Calling, again, is about more than vocation. Calling is about union, calling is about love鈥攊t鈥檚 always about love. So what are the really unique ways that you are equipped and gifted to love people and communities well? For some people, that will look like very traditional roles that have really clear boundaries, really clear definitions, and there鈥檚 nothing wrong with that. For others, it might mean you meander a bit, because there are certain skills you need to develop that go along with that calling. Some people might look at it and go, 鈥淥h, this is a real deviation from your calling,鈥� and I would say, 鈥淣o, I actually think it was preparing me to be more fully equipped for my calling.鈥�

So I would tell people, especially those who will find themselves in more unconventional spaces, we need healers and pastors and artists and therapists working in lots of different contexts. And it may not always look like the textbook. That doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e not being faithful to live out your calling well.

Part of what we鈥檙e exploring is inspired by Barbara Brown Taylor鈥檚 language of your 鈥渁ltar in the world,鈥� and the idea that our work in the world is a form of worship. Do you want to say anything about that?

Oh, I really like that. I was just reading , and I love Paul鈥檚 language of living faithfully to what you鈥檝e been gifted鈥攁nd that鈥檚 going to look different for each person in different seasons, based on different giftings鈥攋ust be faithful to bring those gifts to the world in such a way that it is like a living sacrifice. I think we鈥檙e really scared of that word, sacrifice. And rightfully so鈥攖here鈥檚 been some theological and spiritual abuse that has used a word like sacrifice to maintain oppressive structures of power that are actually anti-Gospel. However, when we give of ourselves in a way that actually leads unto life, I think that鈥檚 that living sacrifice that Paul calls us to.

Learn more about our Master of Divinity program and how you can pursue your unique calling.

The post Unconventional Pastor: An Interview with Rachael Clinton appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

If you鈥檝e ever worked in ministry or a helping profession鈥攐r any work that requires your full self鈥攜ou know this matters: the rate of burnout is too high, and the cost too steep, to not take seriously the need for resilience. We launched Resilient Leaders Project to help leaders and communities respond to that deep need in the midst of a changing church and fragmented culture.

Kate: 鈥淩esilient Leaders Project is about trying to come alongside leaders in their context to help them construct lives that support their good work, instead of feeling like their lives are at the cost of their work.鈥�

In reflecting on what drew them into this work, Kate and Laura Wade share about their histories with the Church and how they came to believe it could be a space that would welcome them fully and unequivocally, in all of their brokenness and trauma. Because it turns out that it鈥檚 impossible to talk meaningfully about resilience without also talking about trauma.

Kate: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a depth of experience that you must learn to narrate in your own life if you鈥檙e going to integrate the really hard pieces of your life. It鈥檚 not simply bouncing back to the shape that you were before something hard happened, it鈥檚 saying 鈥楬ow did this really difficult situation, this suffering that I went through, actually form me to be in some way more human, more compassionate, and therefore more divine?鈥欌��

鈥淭here鈥檚 a depth of experience that you must learn to narrate in your own life if you鈥檙e going to integrate the really hard pieces of your life.鈥�

Laura Wade: 鈥淩esilience, to me, is finding healing and freedom and voice in the midst of those harmful places, and being able to meet the Spirit and meet God there to be different, to be more of who we are created to be. That鈥檚 the linking of resilience and trauma. I don鈥檛 think you can have resilience without some level of trauma.鈥�

Shauna: 鈥淎nd maybe you can鈥檛 be a human and not have trauma.鈥�

As we gather to reflect together on the trauma of Christ鈥攖he violence, betrayal, death, and resurrection鈥攊n the Church we might also find space to reflect on our own trauma, to lean into a community of others who can help us find language and meaning for that which is beyond words. This is a beautiful hope, that reflecting on the wounds of Christ in community might help us heal from our own wounds, but it is also a risky, vulnerable hope鈥攐ne from which it is all too easy for many leaders to shy away. The rigorous demands and unspoken expectations of leadership often mean that leaders鈥攅specially in church, ministry, and nonprofit settings鈥攁re left feeling as if they cannot disclose experiences of trauma or uncertainty, and like there is not room for them to receive care.

Kate: 鈥淲ounded healer is language that we usually use, but we gloss over the wounded part, which means that we often have healed wounders in those roles.鈥�

鈥淲ounded healer is language that we usually use, but we gloss over the wounded part, which means that we often have healed wounders in those roles.鈥�

Toward the end of the conversation, Kate and Laura Wade share about their experience in the first full year of RLP, inviting leaders into intentional connection, thoughtful reflection, and new practices that create room for their full selves鈥攊ncluding their trauma, doubt, and brokenness鈥攖o be present in their work and relationship. This integrative work is a central part of building resilience, and it is a gift to journey with leaders as they step into that.

Kate: 鈥淢y hope for the Church is that God鈥檚 not done. And it might not look like the church that it looked like in our parents鈥� or grandparents鈥� ages, it might not be focused on Sunday morning worship, but I think God鈥檚 not done in gathering people in a certain type of way. I want to be part of making that happen, and I want to be part of helping resource the creative and courageous people who are stepping into this unknown territory.鈥�

Resources to Go Deeper

• You can learn more about the Resilient Leaders Project鈥攊ncluding our newsletter, upcoming events, and the application process for our next cohort鈥攁t theseattleschool.edu/rlp.
• Kate shares a poem by an anonymous survivor of rape, which reads in its entirety: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 forget what happened, but no one else remembers.鈥� When she was a student at 天美视频, Kate wrote this moving reflection about the installation and about church as a community that remembers and holds.
• Laura Wade recommends a book about integrating the feminine and masculine parts that live in each of us. The book is by Tami Lynn Kent.
• One of the practices Laura Wade mentions that she has returned to because of this work is running. You can read her reflection about how running helps her return to spiritual health in this blog.
• For more on resilience, you can watch Nikkita Oliver鈥檚 stunning talk from our 2018 Humanity Through Community gathering, and you can listen to Nikkita鈥檚 conversation with Shauna Gauthier from an earlier podcast episode.

The post Resilience, Trauma, and the Hope of the Church appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

We鈥檙e reminded of the power of place every year when we host 鈥攁 gathering of hundreds of leaders and practitioners from around the world, grounded in the conviction that the nature of our service should be shaped not only by our individual identities and callings, but by the very particular stories of the places we serve. Dr. Dwight Friesen, Associate Professor of Practical Theology, is one of the organizers of Inhabit, and he helps equip 天美视频 students to explore the intersections between their stories, the story of God, and the story of the places they inhabit.

鈥淧art of my work here at 天美视频 is to attend to what it means to be located. We are not just souls, and we鈥檙e not just bodied souls. Our bodies are actually placed somewhere,鈥� says Dr. Friesen. 鈥淚n fact, I would say that one of the greatest teachers God gives us is the place where we are, the ecosystem that gives us life and invites us to attend to what our presence looks like, what our footprint is in the everyday stuff of life.鈥�

鈥淥ne of the greatest teachers God gives us is the place where we are.鈥�

The intersection of those threads鈥攜our story, God鈥檚 story, the story of your place鈥攊s where transformative relationships happen, and it鈥檚 where we are most able to step into the sort of wise, creative, and hospitable service that our world so desperately needs.

鈥淲hen we hide behind doctrine or ideology or even an 鈥榠ssue,鈥� it allows us to become almost adversarial toward those who do not hold the same view. When you stay located in place, however, all of a sudden those issues are not issues. Those issues are actually people, people with names who you are encountering. It takes it out of abstraction and into relationship. That鈥檚 what we try to do here at 天美视频.鈥�

We鈥檒l be diving into this April 26-27 at the Inhabit Conference, two days of inspired teaching, energizing stories, and thought-provoking workshops.

The post Place as Teacher appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

This post is part of our conversation about the Church鈥檚 relationship to sexuality and sexual orientation. You can also read Kate Davis鈥檚 hope-filled reminder that the body of Christ, though wounded, is not yet broken; Jennifer Fernandez鈥檚 essay about the dangers of conflating Church with Christianity; and Dr. Derek McNeil鈥檚 reflection about global complexity and the pitfalls of ethnocentric theology.

Scrolling through my Facebook feed in the wake of the UMC special session felt like a 21st century experience of attending a public mourning. As a gay Christian man, with many friends who identify both as followers of Christ and members of the LGBTQ+ community, my feed echoed voices of lament. These voices represented numerous denominations, experiences, and political views, but shared a felt sense of a very familiar pain.

One post stood out to me in particular. In an incredibly honest, understated way it mentioned how unnerving it is to have one of the most personal parts of your life turned into a motion to be voted on by people who don鈥檛 know you at all. Something about the straightforwardness of this statement struck me.

In the days since, I have watched voices on every side of the spectrum abandon dialogue and return to the place they feel most safe. For some this is a highly politicized place with high stone walls, and for others it is a place of abstract theology and equally high walls. I understand this response, and I want to leave people the space they need to find safety in the way that makes sense for them.

鈥淚 have watched voices on every side of spectrum abandon dialogue and return to the place they feel most safe.鈥�

For me though, with three years of a graduate education built on the belief in a God who chooses to be present in my story and with me in my pain, I feel a need to simply remain鈥攖o ask that regardless of where we find ourselves, we extend witness to the pain of the communities personally impacted in recent weeks.

I鈥檓 tired. I鈥檓 sad. I鈥檝e carried unspoken weight for my whole life, stayed awake into many sleepless nights, prayed even when I didn鈥檛 know what to say. I鈥檝e wrestled with scripture, my community, and my own heart. I鈥檝e felt the intense tension caused in pitting my emotional and psychological health against the question of what I needed to do to be loved by God. At every turn, I鈥檝e felt the shift in the conversation, the point at which the person looking in my face is no longer seeing me, no longer hearing my story, but instead has lifted away to the far less human place of debating ideas.

We all have a story. We all have pain and trauma, and we know the loss of Holy Saturday. In this way we are more similar than we are different. As you think about the LGBTQ+ people in your life, please start from this place with them. Please create space for their stories and their pain, even as I pray that space has been created for you here at 天美视频 and The Allender Center. For the moment, please come be with me. Listen to me. Bring your pain, and hold me in mine. If the Body of Christ means anything, it must mean that I need you now, and that you will continue to need me.

In the hope of fostering faithful dialogue that understands narrative, wrestles with intersections, resists reactivity, and fosters radical hospitality, we seek to feature work from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. Therefore the opinions expressed on the Intersections blog are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect an official statement regarding the views or opinions of 天美视频. You can read more on the Intersections landing page.

The post The Urgent Humanity of Dialogue appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

To continue the conversation, you can also read Elliot Huemann鈥檚 vital plea that the stories and pain of LGBTQ+ Christians be heard honestly, Jennifer Fernandez鈥檚 thought-provoking reflection on the dangers of conflating the Church and Christianity, and Kate Davis鈥檚 hope-filled reminder that even when the body of Christ is wounded, it is not broken and it is not without hope.

In the wake of the UMC vote on Human Sexuality, I鈥檝e become increasingly concerned that we are losing the capacity to see relationally and to hear each other beyond social categories. I have noticed a familiar tendency, in what started as an international vote concerning a global denomination is turned into a particularly American discussion鈥攗niversalizing themes and inflections that are firmly located in our national political, religious, and social discourse. This shortchanges our understanding of the complexity of our human discourse and limits our ability to listen deeply.

To raise this point is not to intellectually diminish the real rejection and pain felt across the UMC denomination. The voices in this discourse matter, and I pray that we continue listening to the stories and honor the tears of those who have felt harmed and isolated by this vote, who have experienced the last few weeks as the deepening of an old wound. And may we also remember that there are voices鈥攂eyond and within our borders鈥攚ho do not easily fall into the familiar categories and talking points of our national discourse. This, it seems to me, is the complexity of the global conversation; even through our wounds, can we see those who have also been wounded? A relational hermeneutic invites us to cross ethnic, economic, gendered, and political boundaries to consider the contextual concerns of those outside the boundaries of our discourse.

鈥淓ven through our wounds, can we see those who have also been wounded?鈥�

The vote in late February was relatively close鈥�. Forty-three percent of those voting were international delegates, primarily from African nations, a majority of whom joined a coalition of conservative American delegates in voting for the Traditional Plan. This was very much a vote of global representatives, and the conversation around it is, in some ways, a microcosm of America鈥檚 present and historic relationship with the other countries represented.

To be clear鈥攖here are no easy, tidy takeaways from this vote, from the centuries-old dynamics that led up to it, or from the reactions and conversations in the wake of it. But perhaps that is, in itself, a meaningful reminder: in our discussions, responses, sermons, and even in our grief, may we allow room for the complexity and nuance that is asked of us to live as the global body of Christ.

My hope for 天美视频, and for the Church in America, is that we follow Jesus by continuing to wade into that complexity without resorting to caricatures or escaping to easy, familiar answers. May we be a place that struggles, a place that is willing to speak truth to systems of power that have caused harm鈥攍istening to and amplifying the voices of those who have been harmed, while also asking hard questions of ourselves and each other about the structures that undergird those systems.

As we continue unraveling this thread, it becomes clear to me that our engagement of the discourse following this vote cannot be separated from our ongoing engagement of cultural supremacy, and the intersections of whiteness, patriarchy, and colonialism. Because sometimes white supremacy is expressed through the violent racism of pointed robes and burning crosses, and sometimes it looks more like the implicit assumption that 鈥減rogressives鈥� in America are more advanced and are waiting for the rest of the world to catch up鈥攐r the more traditionalist assumption that the only civil or functional civilizations are of European descent. No matter how it is expressed, an assumption of supremacy disrupts our capacity to see relationally.

No matter how it is expressed, an assumption of supremacy disrupts our capacity to see relationally.

This means we must resist a posture that suggests the international Church鈥攑articularly churches in Africa鈥攊s too 鈥減rimitive鈥� in its social evolution, still behind the progress of the Church in the United States. And we must question the narrative that says delegates from African nations only voted a certain way because they ascribe to the theology exported to them by colonialist missionary practices. While it is true that the conflation of colonialism and mission is a crucial part of our shared history, that argument all too easily denies agency to other nations, denies that their own contexts, traditions, social mores, and histories also inform how they speak in these global conversations.

If you haven鈥檛 noticed yet, there are more questions implied in this essay than there are answers. That might not be a satisfying conclusion, but I do not believe we can arrive at meaningful answers without first sitting in the painful tension of these questions, in all of their history and nuance and complexity. And I don鈥檛 know how we do that as a global Church without falling into old patterns or reenacting old wounds鈥攐r if we can do that, in our present context. But I do know that a relational hermeneutic means there are certain things we cannot work on from a distance, and I know that we can turn toward each other now at a local, relational level. That is my prayer: that we would turn toward relationship in times of unrest and division, when it can be tempting to veer toward isolation over connection, or toward resistance without community.

And so I say again: May we be a place that struggles. May we listen to the cries of our LGBTQ siblings whose pain feels raw and urgent after this vote and the conversations in its wake. May we listen to the Church beyond our borders when they say that the Jesus they believe in looks different than what we鈥檙e asking of them. May we listen to each other, to the questions and stories that are too often silenced. And may we listen, all of us, to the voice of the Spirit that continues to call us together as the local, global body of Christ.

In the hope of fostering faithful dialogue that understands narrative, wrestles with intersections, resists reactivity, and fosters radical hospitality, we seek to feature work from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. Therefore the opinions expressed on the Intersections blog are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect an official statement regarding the views or opinions of 天美视频. You can read more on the Intersections landing page.

The post A Call to Discourse appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

To continue this conversation, we鈥檙e also sharing Elliot Huemann鈥檚 vulnerable plea that the pain of LGBTQ+ Christians be heard honestly, Jennifer Fernandez鈥檚 thoughtful exploration of the dangers of conflating the Church and Christianity, and Dr. Derek McNeil鈥檚 reflection about global complexity and the pitfalls of ethnocentric theology.

What a hopeful time for the Church in America.

It doesn鈥檛 look like it, at first glance (or perhaps even first dozen glances), but in the midst of grief, I feel the greater undertow towards hope. My tears are both lament and cleansing baptism.

The headlines in my newsfeed are focused on the fracturing, fighting, and forsaking taking place in the United Methodist Church. The rejection and righteousness felt by both sides. Grief is expressed, prayers offered, services held.

It鈥檚 the grief that strikes me, more so than the split. Many of the prayers and laments offered are from Christians who aren鈥檛 in the Methodist tradition. I鈥檓 also not Methodist, and have been processing the news each day with friends and colleagues who identify across a number of sexualities and come from various traditions, including some who don鈥檛 currently identify as Christian at all. From the depth of pain and grief expressed, you鈥檇 never know that we aren鈥檛 all Methodist.

Because despite centuries of denominational splits and rewritten polities and institutional barriers, we are all still the singular body of Christ.

鈥淒espite centuries of denominational splits and rewritten polities and institutional barriers, we are all still the singular body of Christ.鈥�

In the crucifixion, Christ鈥檚 body was wounded, but the bones remained intact. There are no breaks in the body of Christ. No fractures. No amputations.

Which isn鈥檛 to say there aren鈥檛 wounds. His wrists, his feet, the cut on his side, the crown of thorns鈥攚ounds abound. The wounds are not superficial; they go deep, and the nails go all the way through. Thomas is able to insert his fingers into the side of the resurrected Christ. The body of Christ is deeply wounded, but remains intact.

Which is why this week has hurt so much. We are still the body of Christ, and we feel the nail pierce our flesh, no matter the distance of denomination, tradition, theology, ideology. It turns out that the God who holds us together is bigger than polity, that words can deeply wound鈥攅ven unto death鈥攂ut cannot break us.

And this is what strikes me as hopeful in this season: the recognition of pain. Our collective feeling of our hurt鈥攏o matter tradition or sexuality鈥攎eans that we鈥檙e in touch with our common humanity. The shared lament offers us an opportunity to draw closer to one another across perceived differences鈥攅ven as it feels like our two hands are arm-wrestling each other.

Because I direct a program designed to cultivate pastoral resilience, the question keeps coming to me: What does resilience look like in the midst of this? It looks like grief. Like tears and lament. It looks like fully entering into grief, and the ability to do so because we know God is with us into suffering, through death, and on the other side. It looks like entering into pain with the expectation that the experience will form us.

The disciples didn鈥檛 get to fast forward from the crucifixion to the resurrection. They had to grieve through Holy Saturday, with the certainty that the man they had thought would save Israel was dead. I trust that God鈥檚 timing wasn鈥檛 off, that it was necessary for the disciples to go through this day of grief before the resurrection occurred. I believe God was inviting them to something formative on that day through their grief.

We don鈥檛 get to fast forward to resurrection or reconciliation either. But we can enter into grief with the trust that it鈥檚 formative, perhaps even necessary. And we can grieve with the memory that reconciliation and resurrection have come before: that Jacob and Esau embraced, that Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept over them, that salvation came even from a Samaritan. Sometimes years pass before reconciliation occurs, necessary time in which God does the formative work to make reconciliation possible.

May this season be an opportunity for us to identify as citizens of Heaven more primarily than members of any denomination or ideology. May we enter into the wounds of the body of Christ, recognize our shared pain, and proclaim together: 鈥淢y Lord and My God.鈥�

Rev. Steve Wolff is a pastor of a UMC congregation in Nehalem Bay, OR, and a participant in Resilient Leaders Project. I reached out to ask him how he鈥檚 doing in the midst of his congregation鈥檚 decision-making process. Steve has held different stances on LGBTQIA questions during his 35 years in the denomination, initially in the traditionalist group before moving into the open and inclusive one. I value Rev Wolff鈥檚 perspective because he鈥檚 a kind, connective soul who speaks with both strength and mercy, and I am grateful for these words he shared about his experience:

Since I serve to a progressive congregation in a progressive Jurisdiction, I have felt all along like I was pretty secure in what I felt and where I belonged. That said, I have been surprised at how much this vote has affected me. I have been part of this denomination for some 35 years, and have moved from initially being in the traditionalist group into the open and inclusive camp. It has been journey of discovery, but now I feel like I have moved from the United Methodist Church to the Untied Methodist Church and that we are adrift.

All this is preamble鈥攈ere is what I have been thinking about today. A dear friend of mine brought up the good Samaritan, wondering what should this general conference have done in light of that parable? That got me to thinking of a teaching from my old Seminary professor, Bill Mallard. What Bill pointed out to us was that Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Most of us know that, but somehow when we read the parable, we forget. So, in a parable told by a Jewish man, to a Jewish audience who would be identifying with the assumed Jewish protagonist, the one who comes to save is a member of their most hated group. At least part of what Jesus was teaching is that loving our neighbor is not just about us saving the hated person or class鈥攊t is accepting that the hated person is saving us. As I look at General Conference 2019, I see that the presenting problem is Human Sexuality, but much of it is about power: who will have the power to determine who is in and who is out, and both conservative and progressive voices are jockeying for this authority. How different would this look if we were to let the most abused and reviled groups save us? Now that would be an inspiring generosity. I can鈥檛 explain how, at least right now, but that idea of salvation by the least of these keeps me going.

In the hope of fostering faithful dialogue that understands narrative, wrestles with intersections, resists reactivity, and fosters radical hospitality, we seek to feature work from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. Therefore the opinions expressed on the Intersections blog are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect an official statement regarding the views or opinions of 天美视频. You can read more on the Intersections landing page.

The post Wounded But Not Broken appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

Here, Jennifer Fernandez, Assistant Instructor, argues that particular churches or denominations should not be equated with the whole of Christianity. Whatever your response when you are harmed by or disagree with an institution鈥攚hether you stay to grieve and work and effect change, or leave in search of a home elsewhere鈥攖he way of Jesus and the call to live as people of justice and relationality remain the same.

Let鈥檚 stop conflating church for Christianity.

There鈥檚 a Twitter post I read recently that reads, 鈥淚t is not helpful to tell LGBTQ United Methodists they need to find 鈥榓nother church.鈥� Home is home. The UMC belongs to them as much as it belongs to straight Methodists.鈥� My immediate thought was, 鈥溾�楬ome is home鈥�? What does that mean?鈥�

Sometimes 鈥渉ome,鈥� for some people, is a place where you are hurt, abused, told you don鈥檛 matter, and that your very existence is an abomination. If a child grows up in such a home, we immediately want to do something to change that child鈥檚 circumstances. We want to provide comfort, care, grace, and love. We demand justice. So why do we allow Christ鈥檚 鈥渉ome鈥� to do the same thing?

In Diana Butler Bass explains, 鈥淚n the decades before the Civil War, three of the nation鈥檚 largest Protestant denominations鈥擝aptists, Presbyterians, and Methodists鈥攕plit over slavery, biblical interpretation, and abolition. [鈥 As the churches divided over slavery then, so they are dividing over sexuality and gender now. Many of the biblical arguments and hermeneutic approaches once used to support slavery are now employed to reject the humanity, gifts, and dignity of women and LGBTQ persons. If you read 19th century sermons or tracts from Southern Presbyterians, for example, you only need to swap out a few words and you have a blog about how the Bible doesn鈥檛 allow women to preach or gay and lesbian couples to marry.鈥�

Too often we conflate all Christian churches and denominations for Christianity, when really they鈥檙e a bit of a Venn diagram. Sometimes they鈥檙e the same, sometimes they鈥檙e not. Our jobs as consumers of church is to know the difference. Christianity always demands that we call out injustice鈥攕ometimes church does this. Christianity always tells us to set a place at the table for everyone鈥攕ometimes church does this. Christianity urges us to live into right relationality that is reflective here and now of the kin-dom of God鈥攕ometimes church does this. When church and Christianity don鈥檛 line up, we the people get to say 鈥渄o better.鈥� Sometimes, demanding that church do better means staying and not leaving your ground, it means writing letters, it means protesting, it means finding new platforms and new coalitions, and sometimes it means leaving. It means saying, 鈥淚 will not let you hurt me in the name of God. I will not let you abuse me. I will not sacrifice my deep and true knowing of God in the name of a denomination that mistreats me.鈥�

Butler Bass reminds us that denominations are not the same as theology, and I agree. When we begin to idolize a structure like a denomination, when we begin to turn a blind eye to the suffering that those denominations are causing, we are sacrificing Christianity. That said, it鈥檚 painful work to acknowledge that 鈥渉ome鈥� isn鈥檛 safe. It鈥檚 painful work to acknowledge that we have been harmed in that 鈥渉ome.鈥� And it鈥檚 painful work to acknowledge that we have let others be harmed there and done nothing. Our denominational affiliations often comfort and give us a sense of belonging. They鈥檙e our Hogwarts house, where we feel seen and where we feel that we鈥檙e among others who experience and see the world the same way we do. Our denominations often give us a sense of tradition, a sense of rootedness. But sometimes, that鈥檚 not the case鈥攐r rather that鈥檚 not the case for everyone in that home. Home sometimes means a place where you have both sacred, beautiful memories and shattering, impossible realities. Home sometimes means a place where you once felt completely loved and accepted, and then when you came out/transitioned/wanted to get married/got divorced/wanted to be ordained, you were no longer loved and accepted. Home sometimes means a place where you have to hide who you are because if you don鈥檛 hide, you will be hurt, you will be told you are not God鈥檚 child. However, God鈥檚 home should never be this type of home. And if it means that people need to leave 鈥渉ome,鈥� sometimes that鈥檚 the very best thing they can do to save their lives and their faith.

鈥淲hen we begin to idolize a structure like a denomination, when we begin to turn a blind eye to the suffering that those denominations are causing, we are sacrificing Christianity.鈥�

That said, we need to acknowledge the black and white, dualistic thinking we鈥檙e enculturated into in this country and drag it out of the shadows鈥攍eaving a denomination or church that hurts is not the same as leaving Christianity, and knowing the difference requires a lot of slowing down on our part. It means doing the work necessary to know that Christianity is greater, deeper, and more expansive than any one denomination or church. It means learning to decipher as good consumers which places feed us and all those around us, and which say to some 鈥測ou can eat at this table,鈥� while it turns others who are hungry away. Knowing the difference is important to both our collective thriving and the thriving of Christianity itself.

In this time of deep pain where denominations fail to see the fullness of those in their midst, we should be reminded that home need not be the kind of place that hurts us. As Bishop Karen Olivedo, the first open lesbian bishop elected¹ to the UMC, states, 鈥淥nce you have seen and experienced how beautiful the Body of Christ is when all are included you can鈥檛 accept the rejection of some of the members of the Body.鈥�

We can find new places to call home, created family that sees the fullness of the divinity within us. We can hold the complexity of trauma and know that there are homes where we will be embraced, cared for, and celebrated. And we can be prophetic in our stance against systems which forget that faith opens one鈥檚 heart to the enormity of creation. However we choose to find home that feels safe, that feeds our faith, may we know that Christianity is more than church, and that we are Divinely loved.

¹Look her up. She鈥檚 got an interesting story to tell.

In the hope of fostering faithful dialogue that understands narrative, wrestles with intersections, resists reactivity, and fosters radical hospitality, we seek to feature work from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. Therefore the opinions expressed on the Intersections blog are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect an official statement regarding the views or opinions of 天美视频. You can read more on the Intersections landing page.

The post When Home Is Not Safe appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.