Fund for Leaders scholarship recipient Brach Jennings wants to spread the news of God’s grace.
Brach Jennings says he has “traveled the gamut of religion.” He was baptized Catholic, became Methodist in high school and dabbled in Quakerism and Unitarianism in college. He also attended a Baptist service and, at one point, didn’t even want to be near Christianity.
As far as the Lutheran church, Brach’s only connection there was his passion for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Brach studied to become a choral conductor in college.
But in his pursuit of self-discovery and faith during his formative years, Brach’s understanding of God was one of judgment and anger. Religion was exclusionary and condemning for Brach, who was also coming to terms with being gay.
So the idea of entering seminary was a “distant and crazy” notion, says Brach. But the idea occurred to him twice, unexpectedly. “The first time was in high school, and the second time was during a choir bus trip in college. I remember thinking, ‘Where is this coming from?’” he says, especially since he didn’t officially belong to a church.
A turning point
The turning point in Brach’s young life, however, was the unexpected death of his step-father. Shortly after his death, Brach met two ELCA pastors who offered life-changing messages of God’s grace and unconditional love.
“They basically told me that I could either focus on God’s wrath or God’s grace,” says Brach. “I had never before heard of a God of grace!” One of the two pastors would also become Brach’s spiritual mentor.
This all happened after the decisions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. And it was at that point Brach knew that the ELCA was the church for him. The decisions of the 2009 assembly proved to Brach that the ELCA is a welcoming church, that there is a place for him here.
“I’m so deeply grateful for the ELCA and Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson,” says Brach.
A life-saving message
In 2011, Bishop Hanson added his voice to the more than 3,000 videos in the It Gets Better project with words of reassurance and hope to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth saying, “You are a beloved child of God.” Brach says Bishop Hanson’s message was life-saving.
Brach had the opportunity to meet Bishop Hanson at a banquet where Brach was awarded the John and Sharon Haugo ELCA Fund for Leaders scholarship.
“At the banquet Bishop Hanson said to us, ‘There’s never been a time where I have been more hopeful for the ELCA than now.’ I agree with him and share in his enthusiasm and optimism,” says Brach.
As part of its commitment to supporting seminary students preparing for ministry, the ELCA Fund for Leaders honored 19 seminarians with full-tuition scholarships for the 2011-2012 academic year. The vision of Fund for Leaders is to provide support to all qualified students preparing for ordained or rostered lay ministry through one of the eight ELCA seminaries.
About a month after graduating from college, Brach entered seminary. He is pursuing a master of divinity degree at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, an ELCA seminary in Berkeley, Calif.
ELCA seminaries currently receive close to $8 million per year in Mission Support — the percentage of weekly congregational offerings that is shared with synods and ELCA churchwide ministries. This investment covers 15 percent of the seminaries’ total annual costs and goes directly to educating the 1,400 ministry candidates enrolled in ELCA seminaries.
“The Lutheran church has given me a lens to see a Christ that is not often heard. What I’ve come to learn about this church is that God is a God of grace as seen through the cross. This is not what I heard in college,” says Brach. “I believe the ELCA has a profound opportunity to witness Christ’s message of radical inclusivity to all people,” says Brach, who wants to reach out to people who only know a God of anger.
And spreading the good news of God’s grace to others is exactly what Brach plans to do.
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Thanks for sharing Brach's story. There are many who echo the same hope and sentiment from the 2009 Churchwide Assembly action. There are many voices who have been comforted by Bishop Hanson's "It Get's Better" video.
Inspiring!
I am so very thankful that the ELCA is a grace oriented church! Thank you for publicizing this wonderful story.
Our church is experiencing dissention due to this move by the ELCA. Personally, we are in support of it. But we do not like the sermons we are getting about "dissention" and "morality." Very unhappy about that. We prefer to believe as Brach does...in a God of grace, not a God of anger. So frustrated and it is getting difficult to want to show up on Sunday knowing there are those, (including one pastor at least), that feel they are sitting in the judgement seat on this issue. I looked and while I am not totally "up" on being able to pull scriptures out, I found only one reference to homosexuality in the bible. I did aslo find some saying divorce is wrong. I found one saying violence is wrong. Perhaps it is wrong for the pastor who gave us the sermon on morality today (and I can assure you he is against homosexual pastors) also serves in the National Guard. Hmmmm......conflict of interest? He also made some sort of comment about Europe and their lifestyle and lack of religion....what's that about? We are judging Europe now? So, so frustrated. Think I will attend the church of my living room.
nanar,
Unfortunately, pastors are people too, and like the rest of us, act in anger when they feel threatened. Being able to trust the Bible as one's authority is a central underpinning for many people's faith lives. Some feel that this trust has been undermined by the CWA decision, and as a result, feel their faith is being invalidated by their church. As a result, some lash out in an attempt to gain validation, and it hurts and frustrates those around them.
I think you have two realistic options, given the situation you're in. In order of ease, the first is to find another church, even if just for a while (Reconciling in Christ churches are those that have made a public and intentional decision to welcome people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the life and ministry of the church... if you go to the Lutherans Concerned website, you can see if there's an RIC church near you). Don't plan to join right away; start with it as a refuge. In our synod, I know of several people who have been taking refuge at other churches due to problems just like yours. The pastors at these churches have been very understanding. Depending on where you are, though, you might have to try a few churches.
Second option is to try to resolve things in your church. It's a harder route, and may be more frustrating than you want. The hardest part is speaking with the pastor. Explain why the church is important to you, and how the sermons are making you feel. It's not about proving someone right or wrong, so much as conveying the pain and hurt his sermons have caused you. If it doesn't work, speak with the others in your congregation who are in the same boat as you, and try to meet with him as a group. If that doesn't work, contact the bishop's office.
God's Word is always challenging. The pew should not be a comfortable place. Sermons aren't about making us feel good, they are about presenting the truth of the gospel. Jesus stirred up a lot of passionate emotions and not everyone could accept what he was saying. If the preaching of the Word is making us question our assumptions, that's a good thing we should embrace, not run from.
Did anyone who publicly disagrees with the CWA 2009 decisions on sexuality get a full scholarship through the ELCA's Fund for Leaders. What are their stories?