Today I was speaking with a member of the church I serve and this member told me something that struck me. He said, "I tell all my friends that do not like Church that they need to come to my church because it is Church for adults."
This member went on to tell me several quick examples of what they meant.
"When Rev. Estee asked us one Sunday if we ever have any doubt and then when on to say that she has doubt and that doubt is essential to faith. Well that just blew me away. I have been in church for 40+ years and never have I heard from the pulpit that the preacher has doubts. I have never heard from a preacher that doubt is okay."
This member shared a few more examples that expressed his point that this is a Church for adults. Which made me smile and which made my heart hurt at the same time.
I have listened to people tell me why they do not attend church any longer and I have heard people in the church tell me they do not share their beliefs because they are "wacky" or "borderline heretical".
So for all the adults in the room, for all those who have "wacky" or "borderline heretical" beliefs, for all those who have doubts and questions, for all those who feel uneasy to say some of the things that you feel or believe:
You are not alone. You may be surprised to know that most of the things that you think or believe are held by someone else - even the wacky beliefs. And, I promise you this, that there is no belief system that is too wacky for this minister to hear.
Because chances are I have already thought about it, heard it or believe it. You cannot say much to preachers in the "Church for adults" that we have not heard before. You cannot say much that will shock us. You cannot say much that we have not read in a book or heard from someone else.
The "church for adults" is a church that understands that we stand in a 2000 year old tradition and, chances are, someone in the course of that time has thought/believed what you do.
You are not alone. You are not weird. You are not crazy. You do not have "wacky" beliefs. You are just like every other disciple of Jesus that has come along. So let us work toward greater openness and honesty about our beliefs - who knows we may just discover that we all desire to be in a "Church for adults."