What if the primary pastoral response to those who are…

What if the primary pastoral response to those who are “deconstructing” was:

“Help me understand what you are seeing and feeling. Can we try to discern what the Spirit might be saying through your feelings of desolation?”

Naive, I know.

@richvillodas

I came across some research on @barnagroup the other day that concluded the number 1 characteristic for “comfortable” evangelism to people who are considered Gen Z is a person that “listens without judgement.” I think “comfortable” here could be defined as “how non-Christians in this generation prefer to be approached when Christians are witnessing to them.”

Now…I can guarantee this isn’t going to sit well with some of you. The act of evangelism sometimes is not comfortable because we could be introducing someone to the idea that they are a sinner in desperate need of salvation. But I find what Pastor Rich posits here very interesting because this act of listening is so sacrificial. You are giving someone literal hours of your life. It’s not scalable, you can’t spread those hours across multiple people. It’s possible, in the context of deconstruction, that the person you are listening to may still continue to deconstruct and leave the faith. The act of listening defies the modern idea that hours of our life are something we spend to get a return.

On top of that, the person you are listening to, may have never experienced what it’s like to have someone listen to them without expecting something in return.

Who would have thought that “listening” is one of the more powerful tools we possess? Not me friend. Not me.

Side Note: The quality of “Has all of the answers to questions about faith” is way down on this list. Like…almost at the bottom. 🤔