Ask and you shall receive

I read a blog (following a link on a friend's blog) this weekend asking what questions you'd like to ask in church but daren't.

It made me want to cry.

Some comments in answer to the blog were bitter, some were bitchy, some were crude; most were simply honestly wanting to be real, seeking the reality of life and faith and fearing they weren't allowed to do so in their church. O, as a pastor and a teacher that hurt more than anything.

Whilst I was in the States, one of the churches I visited had a programme where they had forms you could fill in and hand over so that the preacher would address any questions the congregation raised. He gave five minutes at the end of his sermons to answering a couple of issues this way every week. Not every problem can be answered this way, but some can, and this process well handled (and he dealed with it excellently) seemed to me to encourage a culture of asking questions - treating them as the friend of faith.

So I have put a box at the back of church, and forms for people to fill in. They can put their name on the forms, or fill them in anonomously (though I ask them always to indicate which service they usually attend so I can try to answer at the service they are most likely to attend). I may use the question within a sermon, or I may take a couple of minutes after a sermon if it's appropriate. I promise to answer as well as I can. If someone isn't then happy, they should simply put the same question back in the box - I'll get the message. And I will never disclose who asked, even if they do put their name on the paper.

I don't want anyone from my church having to write on such a blog. And that may be blindly idealistic of me, cos some people will always have things they would never say openly, but in the family of our church, my prayer is we can really be open and really learn, and I can really find out what people want to know and teach into that - especially if it means I have to do some learning along the way.

And yes, even by the end of today, the first day the box has been out, there is the first paper in there, and it's a fantastic question: "Jesus is the 'son of God' so why say 'Jesus is God'?"

You want my answer? You'll have to be at one of my 11am services soon!