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The words “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything” have been echoing in my heart lately. As a pastor, I wrestle with what this means, especially in a church as beautifully diverse as Broad Street, where we hold a variety of political, social, and theological perspectives. It is a sacred challenge—to lead a congregation where not everyone thinks alike, yet we are all called to love one another as Christ loves us.

A mentor once shared with me that she was asked a difficult question, and she responded, “No matter how I answer, I will alienate someone. My job is not to alienate; it is to bring people into the fold.” That wisdom has stayed with me. As your pastor, my deepest desire is to be a pastor to all, not drawing lines but opening doors—creating space where each of you knows you are seen, valued, and loved.

We live in a time when divisions seem to be everywhere—where opinions quickly become walls rather than bridges. It can be easy to let differences define us rather than Christ. But I believe with all my heart that the Church is called to something greater. We are called to unity, not uniformity. We are called to love, even when we disagree. We are called to be the Body of Christ—many parts, yet one in Christ Jesus.

At the same time, faith is not passive. Jesus spoke boldly. He stood for justice, reached for the outcast, and challenged the comfortable. He also sat at the table with those who questioned him, engaging in conversation, telling stories, and meeting people where they were. That is the kind of pastor I want to be.

I think of the powerful words I once saw at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak for me.”
—Martin Niemöller

 

Niemöller, a Lutheran pastor, initially supported the Nazi regime but later stood against it and was imprisoned. His words remind me that there are times when silence is not an option. There are moments when, as followers of Christ, we must speak truth in love, stand for justice, and shine the light of Christ into the darkness.

When I visited Dachau, one of the Nazi concentration camps in Germany, walking onto those grounds changed me. I realized that faith requires both conviction and compassion—boldness and humility.

So, here is my promise to you. I will not speak carelessly, but I will speak when I believe it is necessary. And when I do, if you disagree, I want you to come talk to me. Let’s sit down, as Jesus did so often, and share our hearts with one another. Let’s listen, not to argue, but to understand.

Because that’s what the Church is meant to be—a place where we are not afraid to have hard conversations, where love is greater than any division, where Christ is our center.

So let’s talk. Let’s listen. Let’s grow in faith together. For we are one body, one Spirit, one Church—called to stand firm in Christ and walk in love.