Our own church’s LGBTQ discernment team had spent a long Saturday morning studying Romans 1. On his way out the door I asked Lou, a very progressive older gentleman from Guam, how the conversation went for him that morning. He surprised me by saying, “I didn’t realize the conservatives had such good arguments. I’m going to have to go back to the books.” He was followed shortly by Joe, a young White engineer who held the traditional position. I asked the same question and got another surprising answer. “Damn,” he started, “the progressives have better arguments than we do. I’m not sure what to do.”
I remember feeling strangely warmed by these two men who had worked hard to understand each other’s perspectives so well that they felt almost convinced by them. This was a team that was truly engaging the process.
In the fifth stage in the discovery journey, the discernment team digs into the scriptures and into the issues, building towards a clear path forward.
Leveraging the Curriculum
A well-built curriculum (see Stage 3 LINK) sets the pace for the team’s study. Whether it’s 3 months or a year, the discernment team uses skills around crucial conversations and conflict management to push through the curriculum and sort out where the Spirit is leading their church. The curriculum will include scripture study, but also input from the congregation (see Stage 4 LINK) and ideally some resources like an LGBTQ Fishbowl or similar event.
While that three-point outline is neat and clean, the conversations will not be.
The team will work through three key questions (usually in order, although it can be tricky to distinguish #2 & #3 at points):
- What is our posture towards LGBTQ people?
- What is our position on core questions of LGBTQ inclusion?
- What are our practices around LGBTQ inclusion?
This stuff takes a lot of energy and perseverance, and, in the end, love and hard work.
While that three-point outline is neat and clean, the conversations will not be. They will be emotionally and spiritually taxing, and you will need to give yourself and your team lots of support on the journey. This is why so many churches wait to go through the discovery journey until after they’ve finished the capital campaign, launching the new service or making the big hire. This stuff takes a lot of energy and perseverance, and, in the end, love and hard work.
Writing It Down
By the end of its term, the team needs to put their answers in writing. And it’s these statements that the church will need to vote on.
During the study phase, one of the most helpful things to do is to look at what other churches have decided (and how they’ve articulated their decision). Before writing their own statement, many study teams look around at a dozen or more policies and positions from others who have gone through the journey. It’s often helpful for a team to adapt one or more of those statements to their own context and needs.
LGBTQ statements generally fall within three broad groupings: traditional, affirming, and third way.
For the churches we coach, we create a list of “best of” examples from other churches. Some of those statements are internal, some are posted on websites. Some are easy to find, some are hidden (often intentionally, especially if the church has a more conservative position, we’ve found). Although within each position there’s quite a lot of variety, LGBTQ statements generally fall within three broad groupings: traditional, affirming, and third way. For example, we love these statements by Vineyard Columbus, Dwell Church, and New City Church. They differ theologically and in length, but they are all clear and aimed at loving the LGBTQ community in the name of Jesus.
Getting your posture, position, and practices written down is essential for the final stage.
Getting your posture, position, and practices written down is essential for the final stage in the discovery journey, which we look at next.
-Bill
Read the final post in this series: Stage 6 (Decisions)