Dunwoody United Methodist Chr

Biggoted Church Kicks Out Unwanted Congregants

I've been attending the Dunwoody Methodist Church for a little over a year. I've attended there regularly in the hope of understanding more about the heart of God.

Recently I met with Pastor Zach Martin about some struggles I'm having. Primarily I wanted him to help me understand what the heart of God is. I shared with him a few personal stories from my past. He seemed, on the surface, compassionate and caring. At the end of our meeting he told me he would like a couple of days to think about our conversation and he would get back to me.

Today he called me to let me know that I was not welcomed in their church. He told me that the struggles I'm dealing with are more than their church wants to handle. I never asked him to address those struggles, I just wanted to know about the heart of God. Apparently offering prayer and counseling about understanding who God is would be too much of a burden for them. At first he talked in circles saying things like, "Our church may not be the best fit for you". This confused me because I've been coming there for over a year and I felt comfortable there, or so I thought.

He suggested that I attend another church on the other side of town. I asked him why I would want to do that when this church has been the one I've been attending for over a year. He felt that I may be more comfortable in a church that serves a smaller community. I didn't know what that was suppose to mean so he said that perhaps I would be more comfortable "with my own kind". That was insulting. It made me sound like I wasn't human. I also brought to his attention that there are no people of color in the church as well. I asked him if they preferred a white, straight only church. His answer was, "That's how things are". That comment really threw me. The only thing I can take away from his reply is that if you're not white and heterosexual you're not welcome.

He also told me that if the congregation knew I was gay they would not be comfortable even sitting in the same room as me to share a Bible lesson with me. I asked if the people who attended the church were really that narrow minded and he said there are many who would have a hard time around people like me. He kept talking out of both sides of his mouth at first by saying I was welcome there, but I wasn't as well. It fell on me to make him say what he really meant with some very pointed questions.

He suggested that if I were to, in his words, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" I would be welcome. I said to him, "I'm welcome there as long as I sit in the back and stay in the shadows"? He said that their church was not open to people like me and the congregation would be uncomfortable around me. I told him that I don't normally discuss the intimate details of my life with people. His reply to me was, "You told me". I said, "Of course I told you things about myself, you're my Pastor and I came to you for counseling".

I asked him if this is how the congregation feels has the leadership ever challenged the church to have the heart of God. I went on to tell him that if this is how the leadership teaches the love, compassion and forgiveness of God he's failing. When I asked him to tell me, yes or no, was I not welcomed there. He finally found enough courage to be a man and say what he really thought and he said, "Yes, you are not welcomed here".

I have to ask, is this the way a Pastor of the Methodist church should talk to a congregant who is seeking to find God? Is the churches' position to throw out the ones they deem as "unlovely"? Would Jesus be so quick to cast anyone aside? If so, I would like to see that passage in the Bible. If this is a church that claims to teach the heart of God, I can tell you, it's not there. What did Jesus say to the Pharisees, "You are like whited sepulchers, all clean and fair without, but within full of dead mens bones and all corruption".