Should churches be a place for those who are saved to come together and honor God, or can it also be a place for the broken come to be healed? Jesus said, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. (Mark 2:17)

How will the broken feel safe enough to come if they are not welcome? They are not welcome when they’ve been given labels. They are gay. They had an affair. They do drugs. These lifestyles indicate brokenness somewhere. They need healing and love. They need a place where they can talk about God and receive His compassion. What about all those young people who grew up in Christian families then left the church as soon as they got older? How will they come back if they don’t feel welcome?

Sometimes we don’t need to fix people, we just need to love them. God can do what we cannot. He  needs us to extend His love and mercy, not His condemnation. Maybe the broken need a place to come that is not church. Maybe it’s a home or a park or a coffee shop. God can meet them anywhere, and so can we.