About Your Church Profile...

I read your church's profile the other day,

on our Church Leadership Connection,

the matching service for

pastors seeking new congregations to serve,

and congregations seeking new pastors.

You told me of the beautiful scenic area 

in which your congregation is nestled;

yes, I know it well

It's gorgeous.

You told me about your generous, full-time

compensation package with benefits

and the lovely manse,

great for a pastor with a family.

You told me about your active congregation

And your dedicated lay leaders and ministries

Excited for a pastor to come and join them.

You told me about the great school system

And all the cultural opportunities

And what a lovely community 

it really is all around.

"Wow!" I thought,

"I really need to consider this one!"

And then you used the phrase, 

"We are a Bible-Believing, Conservative Christian Church,"

and my heart dropped,

along with your profile,

from the top of my list

to the floor

Because in one coded phrase, 

you told me:

You would not welcome my LGBTQ+ kids,

Let alone my Neurodivergent kids,

You would not welcome

my multiracial family, either;

And very likely, 

You wouldn't want me

as a Clergy Woman, anyway.

And furthermore, 

Most of our friends and family

Wouldn't be welcome to visit on a Sunday morning

even though we'd be living in a gorgeous area

perfect for camping and vacations.

And how is it even possible

That such a phrase could be posted

in a profile

in a presbytery

in our denomination

that ordains Women, and People of Color,

and LGBTQ+ people, and strives to work

for equality and justice for all people

and your congregation is in a state

that still prioritizes equality and justice

for all people

at a time that pastors and their families

and so many other families

are fleeing states that 

do just the opposite?

No, I understand exactly how carefully

that phrase is chosen

and who that church wants to attract

and who they mean to keep away.

I think briefly of writing back, 

"Are you sure you are in the right denomination?"

But likely, it would do no good.

All churches believe in the Bible, 

Some just believe 

in using it

as a weapon.

And so, 

because our family has been through this 

with other congregations before, 

and won't go through that again,

goodbye profile

goodbye full-time compensation package

goodbye lovely manse

goodbye great school district

goodbye lovely community

goodbye cultural opportunities

goodbye desirable scenic area. 

I refuse to sacrifice my family

on your bloody altar of hate.

--

(c) 2024. Rev. Le Anne Clausen de Montes (she/they) is ordained in the PC(USA) and serves on the Leadership Team for the Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice (ACWGJ), and as a liaison to the Racial Ethnic Advocacy Committee (REAC). Le Anne also serves on the Committee for Racial Ethnic Ministries/ Self-Development of People (CREM-SDoP) for the Synod of Lakes and Prairies. Le Anne coordinates the Iowa Faith Leadership Network, the Center for Faith and Peacemaking, and Neurodiversity-Affirming Congregations, and is working to develop the Peace Center of North Iowa. She also pastors a rural UMC congregation part-time, and is a part-time hospital and Hospice chaplain. Locally, Le Anne Co-Chairs the Mason City Ministerial Association, the North Iowa Diversity Appreciation Team, and Mason City LGBTQIA+ Pride, as Coordinator of Community Care. The congregation in question was matched automatically through the denomination's matching system.