Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Stephens.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was mostly raised in Kansas City where my father was a Southern Baptist minister. We both felt called by the Spirit to seek out different faith communities that better fit our journeys. He ended up as an Episcopal priest. I found myself drawn to the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ. After serving three different DOC churches in the area, a little over twenty-four years ago I found my way to Southwood United Church of Christ in Raytown. I felt myself more and more drawn to a ministry that specifically included and affirmed LGBTQ persons centered in some core theological ideals. Likewise, Southwood had been on its own journey as a progressive Christian community since its founding in 1958. After a brief period of change and without a called pastor to lead them, the core group at Southwood decided to explore the UCC’s process for becoming an ONA (Open & Affirming) congregation around LGBTQ issues. We found each other in 2002, and it might literally have been a “match made in heaven.”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not always been easy, but, rather than rough terrain, I would say it has been a beautiful meandering road through beautiful scenery, not always knowing what is just around the next bend. While committed to our progressive Christian identity, the core group at Southwood was willing to explore new forms of ministry that included a more casual setting, use of technology and an openness to new people with new ideas. Pastor Michael remained committed to very progressive preaching and a push to get our identity out to the surrounding communities (especially since our ONA stance was twenty years ahead of many other congregations and denominations). After awhile, when we told someone in the area about where we go to church, they often ultimately would say something like, “Oh, you go to THAT church” (most often with a negative connotation). We ended up claiming that name and changing our website to www.ThatChurch.us, putting up a highway billboard sign that asked “what church welcomes gay families, honors women, seeks social justice, affirms many paths to God?,” and put up yards signs proudly proclaiming “That Church is MY church, and you’re welcome here!” We have a had a few instances of vandalism, but nothing too extreme or expensive.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In my experience, most pastors in mainline protestant churches get a lot of pushback if or when they preach many of the things we learn in seminary. These would be things like: the Bible was not written by God but fallible men, our creation myths should not be used to deny the advances and discoveries in science, highlighting the emphasis in scripture about our need to care for the poor, the orphan, the widow, the prisoner, and the immigrant in our midst, questioning the idea of an eternal hell or suggesting different interpretations of the importance of Jesus outside of (or instead of) the idea that he was a sacrifice for our sins. I have remain committed to not holding back in my preacing and sharing, AND I have been extrememly fortunate to serve a community that would never want me to.
Once that pandemic hit, we began an online streaming of our worship services at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday morning. These recordings can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThatChurchIsSouthwoodUCC
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I identify myself as something like a Christian-Monist. Monists are people who believe that ultimately all of reality is One. This may be most explicity expressed in Vedanta Hinduism, but is an underlying core of the mystics in most of the world’s religions. In the Christian tradition this might be expressed as the sacred One that existed before all things who chose to create the many and putting the One’s own self into that creation and the luring forward through Love toward an ultimate greater Oneness. And that Love, so often when it shows up in the world, is resisted or even crucified. Our simplest statement about the gospel at Southwoood is the proclamation, “Love wins!” But my core belief in the Oneness of all things means that my “salvation” and joy and success is intricately tied up in the “salvation,” joy and success of ALL the “others” around me.
Pricing:
- we have online giving available here: https://givingtools.com/give/872
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ThatChurch.us
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearethatchurch/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThatChurchIsSouthwoodUCC
