When Adey and Tom Wassink launched a Vineyard Church in the university town of Iowa City (IA) twenty-five years ago, it didn’t take long to fill the worship center. A winsome and intelligent couple, they brought a love for the church, an intense engagement in the wider community and a focus on their own education. Tom, a medical doctor, when on to certify as a psychiatrist. Adey pursued and completed her doctorate at Fuller Seminary. In time, Adey was officially recognized as Senior/Lead Pastor. When the Vineyard denomination affirmed a policy prohibiting the ordination of women, the church left and changed its name. When Katie Imborek, M.D., attended, to her surprise, she warmed to the community and the worship. But she wasn’t at all certain that it would be a “safe place.” Would she, her spouse, Paula, and her children be accepted by the congregation? Or would they face the harmful prejudices and coded messages all to often found in church? She wrote to Pastors Adey and Tom with direct questions about their attitude towards same-sex marriage, the clobber passages in the Bible, and the general attitude of the congregation to individuals and families like Dr. Katie’s? That sent Tom and Adey into a period of deep reflection, introspection, study of their Scriptures, and open conversations with their people. They became Sanctuary Church. Ken and Dr. Tom explore the story told in their book, Sanctuary: Queering the Church in the Heartland.
Brian McLaren says, “[This book] is a gift – a series of often humorous, often poignant, sometimes heartbreaking, and always well told stories and reflections – to help us all rethink what is normal or queer, what is sacred or scandalous, what is bad or good. We may just become better people in the process. May it be so!”
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Sanctuary is the inspiring story of a church that left evangelical exclusion behind to become fully inclusive and wound up healthier, happier, and more deeply faithful than before. As they welcomed LGBTQ+ members, this Iowa congregation transformed into a more loving and caring Christian community.
As thousands of congregations nationwide are moving toward inclusion, the real-life story in Sanctuary is a unique companion for pastors, church leaders and members who are trying to reach out in welcoming ways, as well as all members of the queer community who long for a safe church home.
The Rev. Dr. Sherry Parker-Lewis, a United Methodist Elder from the Michigan Conference, is urging people to read this book and learn from the example of these Christian friends in Iowa. In endorsing the book to her friends, Parker-Lewis writes, “Set aside the ‘How To’ guides and experience an authentic narrative from those who led their church to thrive in full inclusion. Wassink, Imborek, and Wassink share deep self-examination, as well as biblical and theological reflection. In this story of celebration, readers will find a model to lead a congregation to lovingly welcome all people.”
Among the other nationally known Christian leaders encouraging readers to learn from this book is bestselling author Brian McLaren, who writes: “I am so grateful for churches like Sanctuary and for pastors like Adey and Tom Wassink, and for sincere and insightful people like Katie Imborek. They’re telling us honestly about the intimate pain that has been and is still being inflicted on people whose only crime is being sexual. And thank God, Adey, Tom, and Katie also are telling stories of healing that pain, because they are living those stories. They’re modeling what religion should have always been good at, but too seldom is: repenting, which means rethinking or changing our minds.”
In addition to sharing their transformative journey in this inspiring, often humbling and sometimes downright funny memoir, the Wassinks and Imborek continue in active ministry in Iowa. Their congregation is easy to find and they welcome visitors, as well as inquiries from readers who may want to request a Zoom or personal appearance in the future. This book welcomes both church leaders and members of the queer community to be a part of this timely national conversation about the future of Christian churches.
Release Date: October 8, 2024
We weren’t inclusive . . . and then we were.
So a very short story, but it captures something worth knowing about us. Our church centers Jesus, and emotional health, and the dignity of all humans. But we also get it wrong, and sometimes profoundly so. And when we come to see that, we try to make it right.
More Pending
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