So, you found out that you and your pastor disagree on an issue.
Perhaps it’s a political issue. Did she give some sort of clue in that last sermon? Perhaps it’s a social issue. You saw that meme on his Twitter feed. Now you’re not sure if you can listen to him anymore.
This really happens, of course. We live in a divided world along many fault-lines. Ever since that sword was planted by the angel at the edge of the garden, cutting our first parents off from Eden, humanity has been at one another’s throats over things big and small.
With so many opportunities to share our opinions, with a world so connected via new media forums, we’re always on the brink of offending someone. Either the pastor steers absolutely clear of ever opining on anything potentially controversial (and also is probably pretty boring), or we just have to learn to live together with our disagreements.
Too often, though, one of the parties simply leaves the relationship. Sometimes in a very public manner, sometimes in a more private way. We so often choose just to eject rather than stay together in community. We’ve bought into the idea that uniformity is better than community. We’ve bought into the idea that we need absolute agreement to stay together as a church.
Uniformity is not better than community.
Not only is it not better, uniformity is not how God operates.
You know, despite schisms old and new dotting the timeline of the church, there is ancient precedence for the church living together with disagreements.
In Galatians 2 we have Paul writing about coming before the early church council, defending his preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles. There were some in that council room who didn’t agree with that work, and by the writing it appears they disagreed so vehemently that Paul thinks they may have been planted to oppose him.
It kind of reminds me of the congregational meetings at some churches, no matter the denomination or affiliation, where it’s clear that many of the vocal opponents to ministry, ministers or lay leadership haven’t been active in the congregational life of the church but show up for the vote.
But getting back to Scripture, at the end of this disagreement in Galatians the council shakes Paul’s hand and, as Paul writes, asked “only one thing, that I remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.”
You and your pastor are going to disagree, and you might disagree on very touchy issues. But if we’re to claim citizenship in a kingdom larger than this one, we must look at what truly unites the church: Jesus. Not politics. Not agreement on social issues.
We are not connected one to another through what we do or what opinions we share, but rather because of who Christ is. Not anything other than Christ. And because of this we can move forward together in all things.
The church that represents the kingdom is one where different people with different perspectives come together to worship a unifying God who is beyond all that divides us, and who agree to remember the poor.
You and your pastor disagree. He is willing to do gay marriages, but you don’t like the idea. She is open about her distrust of government leadership, but you voted for the guy. Your pastor’s take on Scripture is more conservative or progressive than the take you’ve grown accustomed to hearing.
What will you do?
I hope that you will stay in relationship with them and continue in the body of Christ, the local congregation where they serve and you find yourself. I hope that you will extend your hand and agree to remember the poor, and do it with eagerness. I hope you will both listen to one another in love, not in anger.
And as long as the pastor is not forsaking the unity of Christ by proclaiming some other gospel, I hope you will be a witness together for the whole church catholic, embodying the kingdom of God where we find ourselves alongside those who don’t wholly look like us and reach out to them in generous hospitality as the stranger God has put in our personal midst to mutually learn from, serve and love.
No pastor and parishioner agree on every single issue. But somehow God still shows up in that relationship.
And that’s pretty amazing.
