“Most adults I know aren’t looking for a religion that answers all of their questions, but rather a community of faith in which they feel safe to ask them.” ~ Rachel Held Evans
I love this quote! And I really love that this church community is EXACTLY the kind of place she is talking about. We ARE a safe place. For everyone … in every phase of their faith-walk.
Some of you have been studying the Bible for decades and have some strong theological opinions. Some of you have never really ‘chewed’ on the scripture and just enjoy the comfortableness of it. Some of you are new to your faith and haven’t really developed a deep theology yet.
Here at Claybanks, you can feel comfortable enough and safe enough to explore. There are NO dumb questions. And here….. you can ask! BUT, please understand, sometimes we won’t have the answer. Or sometimes, the answer may be…..’you just have to have faith.’ That answer might feel a little incomplete, a little unsatisfying.
As a pastor, I often get asked some really hard questions (usually in times of deep grief or tragedy). I am expected to know WHY. This is usually a question that I have an unfulfilling answer for. But….I do know and can share that God loves us and is with us through whatever we are enduring. And I trust Him and lean on Him and will pray that you will also feel His presence in your time of pain. I just don’t always know the answer to your ‘WHY’ question. I ask Him that myself all the time.
Sometimes folks ask me a theological question that I can’t answer. I used to really dread this! I have studied the Bible, I continue to study the Bible, but I am not a theologian or a Biblical scholar. I don’t always know the answer to the question you have. But….we can look it up together… we can read and study and pray together for an answer! So ask away! Let’s BOTH of us learn!
Pastors and church people DON’T always know all the answers. But we will try to figure them out. We have questions of our own, too. The point is, whether you are a church leader, a faithful churchgoer, a seeker, or an agnostic…. feeling safe about asking and looking for answers is part of our faith walk. We humans want to know why, how, who. We want to know!
As a church body, we have to keep ourselves open to receive all questions. We have to welcome those questions as what they are…..people seeking to deepen their relationship with God. And folks, THAT is what church is intended to be…a place where those relationships are nurtured and can grow and thrive. Sometimes we fertilize that growth with Biblical answers. Sometimes we water it with our open hearts and hugs. Being a place where people feel ‘safe’ to explore and grow their faith is what we are called to be. And I think we are nailing it! We just have to get the word out a little bit more. People need to know that we are here and that we have room in our sanctuary and in our church family for those who are seeking…. for those who need comfort… for those who want a relationship with God. We have room for you AND for those questions. It is safe to ask them here!
Claybanks United Methodist Church 