Can the Mainline Rise Again?

What Resurrection Might Look Like for the Mainline Church

Last Sunday I helped lead a membership class at our downtown location, and honestly, I went in expecting the usual. Coffee, name tags, and some small talk. What I got instead was something that felt a lot like hope wearing everyday clothes.

The Room That Blew My Mind

Going around the circle, we met a same-sex couple who told us they’d been burned by the church but wanted to belong again. There was a single dad with three teenage sons, each one respectfully listening and engaging. A single mom who’d adopted her son from Ethiopia sat next to a retired Black man who was getting back into church after having a stroke. And there was another guy who spends his days helping other men get back on their feet after being in prison, looking for a church that can fill his cup.

I’ve been in ministry long enough to know when you’re witnessing something real. This wasn’t a carefully curated photo op for the church website. These were actual people with complicated stories, sitting in a circle on a Sund…