To They which welcome our open dialogue,

We who are deconstructing,
Who are Exvangelical,
Who No longer associate with fundamental
And legalistic church

We come from many backgrounds
Various beliefs,
Differing opinions

And it would be easy for us to
Regather into groups with similar stories
Similar traumas
Similar viewpoints.
Resulting in new factions
New denominations
And we don’t want that.

We want to be open,
Welcoming,
Diverse,
Intentional,
Inclusive.

Part of doing that requires that we
Learn each other’s language,
Their voice,
And that can only come by first
Learning to listen
To do the work of investing in relationships
With those who have stories to tell
Yet have been silenced in the past.

So God,
Let our primary language be listening
That is born out of love

Jesus,
Let our hearts be open to learning
That we might deepen our understanding

Spirit,
Let our action be to lift
To raise up voices that don’t sound like us, yet deserve to be heard and honored.

Amen.