A Welcoming Church

Graham Cook, former Moderator of the Mersey Synod and former Moderator of General Assembly, once said that one of the key things in the United Reformed Church’s self-understanding is that it sees itself as a welcoming church. He said that, time and time again, he heard people describe themselves that way. And I have to endorse the comment. It is something I have frequently heard also. But Graham Cook goes on to question how accurate it really is – and he does so by posing the sometimes uncomfortable, but very necessary, question as to how ready we really are to welcome those who don’t fit in. At its most acute, is it not true that we are a bit alarmed if someone appears on the scene screaming and shouting (cf. Mark 1:21-28). You might want to say that’s justified, and maybe it is, but what about those whose not fitting in is not as extreme and vocal?