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Talking About Sexuality :

Talking About Sexuality : . How Your Congregation Can Have the Conversation while Building Comm unity. Lin Carter Minister of Education and Outreach FBC Raleigh. Assumptions:. Sexuality is part of God’s creation and therefore good The church is already talking about it informally

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Talking About Sexuality :

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  1. Talking About Sexuality: How Your Congregation Can Have the Conversation while Building Community Lin Carter Minister of Education and Outreach FBC Raleigh

  2. Assumptions: • Sexuality is part of God’s creation and therefore good • The church is already talking about it informally • Church members are going to disagree about it • Each church should tailor the conversation to its needs • Churches can discuss difficult topics without making decisions or causing harm • We don’t have all the answers • The church doesn’t have to take a public, monolithic stand • Homosexuality is the hottest of the hot topics but should be discussed in the larger context of sexuality

  3. Goals and Cautions: • We seek to educate and facilitate growth- not indoctrinate • We seek to hear- not to speak only • We seek to build community- not cause divisiveness • We seek to be compassionate- not condescending • We seek to grow and change ourselves- not just to change others’ minds

  4. Content: • Dr. Chris Chapman, senior pastor, presented first • Videos of Dr. Coleman Fannin of Baylor University and Dr. Melissa Browning of Loyola University on Ancient and Contemporary Voices at the A [Baptist] Conference on Sexuality and Covenant, 2012 • Dr. Diane Lipsett of Salem College on Sexuality and the Church: From Scripture to Ethical Practice • Video of LeDaynePolaski of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America on How Congregations Might Lead the Way at A [Baptist] Conference on Sexuality and Covenant, 2012

  5. Format part 1: • Based on A [Baptist] Conference on Sexuality and Covenant, 2012 • www.thefellowship.info/conference • Four consecutive Sunday evenings with dinner and childcare • Plenary sessions with presentation but no large group discussion • Small group discussion facilitated by trained facilitators • Groups were carefully assigned by the education minister • Groups size ranged from six to ten • We listened and discussed. No votes. No planning. No collective decisions. • Cost to attend covered dinner. Other costs covered by education budget.

  6. Format part 2: • Nightly schedule: • 4:45 Child care begins • 5:00-6:00 Plenary session with presenter in fellowship hall • 6:00-6:30 Dinner in fellowship hall • 6:40-7:30 Facilitated small group discussion in classrooms • The fourth night we shortened each element and ended with worship

  7. Results: • Excitement over getting to know fellow church members better • Requests for similar events in the future • Emotional, personal sharing in small groups • Follow-up discussion with ministers • New learning about sexuality • Suspicion from both left and right • New perspective on the views of our church as a whole • Sense of accomplishment that difficult topics can be discussed in a civil, productive manner • Interest from around the country • This workshop

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