Healing Church Hurt

A statement from Flourish Community

Exclusion Is Not the Gospel

There are moments when silence becomes complicity.

This is one of those moments.

At Flourish, we follow Jesus—the one who stood with the marginalized, who broke bread with the rejected, and who confronted systems that burdened people in the name of God.

So, we must speak clearly:

We do not support or condone expressions of church life that exclude, diminish, or cause harm to any person—especially our LGBTQIA siblings, who bear the image of God and carry the breath of the Spirit just as fully as anyone else.

We recognize that the Church, at times, has chosen comfort over courage, control over compassion, and tradition over the transforming love of Christ.

And while Flourish may not have created those wounds, we refuse to ignore them.

We will not be a community that looks away.

We will not be a community that stays quiet to keep the peace.

Because what is often called “peace” in the Church has too often come at the cost of people’s dignity, belonging, and even their lives.

That is not the peace of Christ.

The peace of Christ is rooted in justice.

The peace of Christ restores what has been broken.

The peace of Christ makes room at the table—not just for some, but for all.

So, we name this plainly:

Exclusion is not the Gospel.

Silencing is not the Gospel.

Harm in the name of holiness is not the Gospel.

Love is.

At Flourish, we are committed to being a different kind of witness—a community shaped by radical welcome, honest truth-telling, and courageous love.

We will continue to listen.

We will continue to learn.

We will continue to stand alongside those who have been pushed to the margins.

Because we believe this is where Jesus already is.

And we intend to be there too.

He has told you, O human, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Justice & Peace,
Pastor Francisco Gonzalez
Flourish