A Special Mission
(In addition to the usual ones)

So often, words are mouthed by clergy about seeking out and meeting the needs of the people which they refer to as "the unchurched."  And, it is normally fair to presume that refers to the folks who have no church affiliation and perhaps have no desire to have any.

There are those for whom Sunday is a day to sleep late, do the laundry for the week, or perhaps take in a ball game.  And, if that is the closest they come to having something spiritual in their life, then they are indeed missing something. 

I, personally, do not count as "unchurched" anyone who has a spiritual path which is different from my own, or perhaps even alien to it.  If someone is honestly pursuing a serious spiritual path, then they have the absolute right to do so without any interference from me or anyone else.

But then, there is another group of people who seem to be largely ignored, or occasionally mistaken for "unchurched."  That is the group which I refer to as the "de-churched."

The de-churched are those who no longer have a spiritual path.  Most often, this happened because they were driven away from the spiritual path which they had once pursued and perhaps even loved.  There are many possible causes for this to happen.

• Many have fallen victim to unwise interpretations.  The classic case is the child who is told that the death of a beloved family member is "God's will."   But that is only one of ever-so-many possible examples of unwise interpretations.
   
• Many are victims of manipulation, such as the husband who learns that someone (perhaps a member of the clergy, or perhaps a busybody among the laity) is telling his wife to leave him because of differences in faith.
   
• Many are victims of gossip, shunning and other similar agendas which have no place on a spiritual path.
   
• Many have been shunned because of either their love of tradition, or their questioning of tradition.  In some cases, gossip has been used by the victimizers to provide additional self-justification.
   
• Many have been told to wait, but there was a need which was immediate.
   
• Many have been told that a loved one "is in Hell" because of some actual or purported infraction of some divine ordinance.
   
• Many have been the victims of the abuse of someone's apparent authority, whether by a member of the clergy, or merely a fellow member of a congregation who was unable to mind his or her own business.

The de-churched are fairly easy to find.  Some of them are wandering from one path to another, trying to find something which works.  Others attempt to absorb themselves in the pursuit of other goals in hopes of sublimating their spiritual needs and desires.  Still more can be found physically present within those physical-plane groups and associations which represent the spiritual path which left them, and there they are, still hoping for someone willing to quench their burning thirst.

One factor which sets the de-churched apart from the un-churched is that while the un-churched might have never known anything spiritual, the de-churched have felt its intensity.  The un-churched might never know that there is such a thing as a spiritual thirst, but many of the de-churched know the intensity of a burning, painful spiritual thirst.

The de-churched present more of a challenge than the un-churched.  Someone born into poverty who grows into luxury simply appreciates the luxury.  Someone who had luxury but was robbed knows what it is like to have something precious taken away.  While I do not dare try to force anything on them, I want them to know that we are here, our answers are as honest and agenda-free as we can make them, and that some of us have walked in the shoes which they have been forced to wear.

Hence the call for ministry to the de-churched.

Blessed Be!
Aidan Odinson