I asked 5,000 readers what questions they would ask of God. Their responses undid me.
Not a single question about church doctrine or the inerrancy of Scripture. Only one question in 1,600 referred to gay bishops. Less than 1% mentioned church controversies of any kind.
Instead, people asked basic, down-to-earth questions, such as “Who are you, God?” “Where do you live?” “Will I ever get married?” “Why did my wife die so young?” “Will we ever have peace in this world?” “Where is heaven?” “Why do children suffer?” “Will I ever find someone to love me?”
These questions came from Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Roman Catholics, and Lutherans. They came from laity and clergy.
E-mail responses cascaded into my inbox like waves breaking onto shore. I had a hard time keeping my balance. I expected questions about all the issues we church types fight about, but got none. I expected anger and heard yearning, instead.
After the first 400, I asked myself, In 18 years of preaching, how many sermons did I give that answered questions no one was asking? Now that’s a sobering thought. If I had listened more transparently to my people and heard the questions of their hearts, would I have preached and served differently?
I tried it out. I asked a congregation what questions they would ask. Over the course of four months, I answered groups of their questions every Sunday. I preached about the basics. I found my own words more pertinent, and I’m sure they did, too.
That’s what we mean in the Church Wellness Project by “Listening Church.” We mean listening to the questions our people are asking. Listening also to the questions that the world outside is asking. Instead of telling the marketplace what we want to do, we should listen to the marketplace, identify its yearnings and agonies, and proclaim God’s response to actual needs.
Such an approach might put some church partisans out of business. But it surely would focus our ministries as laity and clergy.
You can read more about the concept of “Listening Church” at www.churchwellness.com .
Tom Ehrich is a writer, consultant, and leader of workshops. An Episcopal priest, he lives in Durham, N.C. The church wellness project may be found at www.churchwellness.com
