Intersections of Interfaith

I am always captivated the intersection between my work as a pastor and interfaith dialogue. Sometimes people ask me how I see the connection between the two when I discuss wanting to integrate interfaith dialogue into local church life.

It seems to be a connection that finds me rather than vice versa.

Recently I have found myself in multiple conversations with Christians who found they no longer desire to go to churches that cannot engage with other faiths, due to personal experiences they've had. Or in another case, some congregants heard me use an illustration in a sermon involving my Jewish friends and were compelled by my friends' insights. This piqued their interest in dialogue for the first time, and they approached me to ask how to join my local interfaith group. This happened enough times that I began to worry that the Christians representation would grow disproportionate among our lively group's members. What a pleasant problem to have!

As a minister or layperson, Christian or faithful member of another tradition, have you encountered the intersection of congregational life and interfaith dialogue? What has that looked like for you?