Belonging at First UMC Dallas: Safe and Sacred Conversations

In this episode of Belonging, young adults from First United Methodist Church in Dallas discuss their experiences finding community through the process of deconstructing, and reconstructing, their faith. They emphasize the importance of safe and sacred conversations, even when there are disagreements, and that open-mindedness and joy are always helpful when creating community. Throughout the conversation they share a variety of resources that have been helpful to them individually, as a young adult community, and as a church. Resources such as:An Alter in the World by Barbara Brown TaylorSearching for Sunday by Rachel Held EvansInclusive Faith series at FUMC DallasStudio 3A - an online community hosted by Anna and Roy, another clergy at FUMCHowdy Theologian - a podcast hosted by two other clergy at FUMCChapters00:00 Introduction and Background08:30 Centering and Taking a Breath10:19 Deconstructing Faith and Challenging Beliefs21:41 Conflicts and Losses in the Process of Deconstruction27:13 Safe and Sacred Conversations29:35 Belonging and Change33:18 The Role of Spiritual Formation in Reconstruction and Belonging36:20 Approaching Young Adults with Open-Mindedness and Authenticity39:07 Investing Time and Being Vulnerable for Building Belonging42:52 The Importance of Joy in Spiritual Spaces45:14 Advice for Young Adults48:32 Advice for the Church52:23 First United Methodist Church of Dallas: Platforms for Connection and Community