2 Timothy 4:1-5

 
4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. 5 As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.

NRSVue

"A Welcoming, Accessible Church"

 On Sunday, October 12, 2025, we spent some time discussing ways we can be more welcoming and inviting to our siblings in Christ who are neurodivergent.  

We used an article from the summer issue of Living Lutheran, "A Welcoming, Accessible Church," as our jumping off point for discussion.  The article gives some information about what neurodivergence is, and includes a link to a study guide that offers more information.  

From the article, "Neurodivergence—a term encompassing conditions such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia and other cognitive variations—represents a growing area where understanding and accommodation are essential." Neurodivergent people have different strengths and can see the world in different ways from neurotypical people.  It's important to remember that there is no "normal" way for a brain to work.  We are all different and unique!

Using the article, available here, we began our discussion using examples of families who found warmth within a church that was willing to meet them where they are.  One child, who is autistic, relates more to nature than to faith, and the pastor began incorporating more language about nature into his sermons.  Another church installed a sensory fence on their property.  We learned there are so many ways to make our church inviting to our neurodivergent siblings!

We discussed ways we could make our own church more welcoming, too.  Some of our ideas were to add information to our "what to expect" page on our website, to include more details about noise levels and areas where folks can move to if they need a moment away.  Two of our youth members talked about friends who are neurodivergent (anonymously) and how they relate to those friends.  They suggested having noise-canceling or reducing headphones and fidgets available to anyone who might want them. Another idea was having a blank page in the bulletin for those who need to keep their hands busy when they're listening.

It was such a good discussion and we were delighted at how eager and enthusiastic our members were to provide ideas and suggestions for how to help make our church more welcoming.

If you would like more information on what neurodivergence is and how you, your church, or other organization can work toward being more welcoming to neurodivergent people, consider checking out the Living Lutheran study guide, available here.  You can also find information about neurodivergence online at other sources, or by talking to your doctor.

Our most important takeaway is remembering that listening to our siblings is the best way to make them welcome, and a willingness to meet them where they are can make a huge difference for someone who isn't sure how they might fit in, especially at a new church.

Flipping Tables

"The world doesn’t need more Christians who stay silent in the face of injustice. It needs believers who are willing to take risks, to disrupt complacency, to stand up for the vulnerable. After all, the same Jesus who flipped tables also carried a cross—the ultimate act of love and sacrifice."

"The next time you’re tempted to stay quiet, remember the scene in the temple. Picture the overturned tables, the scattered coins, and the fire in Jesus’s eyes. Then ask yourself: what tables need flipping in my world? And how can I, however imperfectly, follow His example of righteous rebellion?"

-an excerpt from Relevant Magazine

-image from The Naked Pastor

Exploring our Biases: Part 3

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

During our third and final session on biases, we learned about and discussed several types of biases. There was a lot of discussion about the specific bias known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect. This bias is a psychological phenomenon where people with low ability or knowledge in a particular area tend to overestimate how good they are at it.

For example:

Imagine someone who just started learning to play guitar. After a few lessons, they might feel like they're amazing, maybe even better than some pros. But in reality, they’ve just scratched the surface. They don’t know enough yet to realize how much they don’t know.

On the flip side, people who are actually skilled often underestimate themselves, because they understand how complex the subject really is and see what they still have to learn.

• Beginner: “This is easy! I’m great at it!”

• Expert: “This is hard. I still have a lot to learn.”

So, the Dunning-Kruger Effect is basically, “The less you know, the more you think you know.”

It’s not about being dumb — it’s about how our confidence and competence don't always line up.

How to avoid The Dunning-Kruger Effect:

Realize that Confidence ≠ Competence

Be aware that feeling confident isn't always a sign you're right. And feeling uncertain doesn't mean you're wrong. Confidence is just a feeling — not a fact.

Stay humble, keep learning, and regularly question your assumptions.

For more information about The Dunning-Kruger Effect, read this article on PsychologyToday.com.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

 Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills.

Small acts of inclusion

 Our youth chalked the sidewalks of our church and school last weekend to show those in and outside of our community that they are loved by God and welcomed by our church family. You can do small acts of inclusion too…every bit of kindness matters. 

 

Wheel of Privilege and Power

One of our congregants provided this tool, the Wheel of Privilege and Power, for our continued discussion on examining our biases. The following is from the Equity & Inclusion teaching resource section of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring (CTLM) Instructional Resources KnowledgeBase. 

In the center is the word “power”, and on the outside of the wheel is the word “marginalized”. The categories are:

• Body size, with large on the margins, and slim in the center; 

• Mental health, with vulnerable on the margins and robust in the center;

• Neurodiversity, with significant neurodivergence on the margins, and neurotypical in the center; 

• Sexuality with lesbian, bi, pan, and asexual on the margins, and heterosexual in the center;

• Ability with a significant disability on the margins, and able-bodied in the center; 

• Formal education with elementary education on the margins and post-secondary in the center;

• Skin color with dark on the margins, and white in the center;

• Citizenship with undocumented on the margins, and citizens in the center;

• Gender with trans, intersex, and non-binary on the margins and cisgender in the center;

• Language with non-English monolingual on the margins and English in the center;

• Wealth with poor on the margins and rich in the center;

• Housing with homeless on the margins and owning property in the center.

Note: This graphic is not intended to capture all areas of marginalization. The intent is to provide a framework to view power and privilege. As you identify additional areas of marginalization, take time to reflect on how you might represent that within the model.

You may find it a helpful exercise to use this wheel to examine a communication dynamic between yourself and someone else in the future. Find each portion of the wheel that you think describes yourself and then consider where the person you are communicating with might find themselves on the wheel. Compare and note any power differentials identified. This may be a helpful tool in identifying unconscious or implicit biases that might impact your interactions with others, and in so doing create a space for better and more equitable communication.

Exploring Our Biases - Part 2

"Human beings are poor examiners, subject to superstition, bias, prejudice, and a PROFOUND tendency to see what they want to see rather than what is really there."
M. Scott Peck

At this month's Faith, Friends & Fellowship discussion group, we continue our exploration of personal biases by identifying and defining various types of bias, as well as discussing strategies to address them in everyday situations. Understanding and talking about bias is essential, especially implicit bias, because it can lead to unfair judgments and discriminatory behavior, even among well-meaning individuals. By increasing our awareness, we aim to reduce, avoid, or even reverse the negative impact of these biases in our communities and relationships.