“Who are you, and what brings you here?” This question was offered as the introduction to a recent retreat I attended focused on the church and innovation. Sitting in a circle with 30 Church-wide and Canadian practitioners, each person individually shared their answer to the question. For a moment, I paused and thought deeply about my relationship with Jesus, the church, and community building and blurted out, “I am Joseph, and “courageous curiosity” brings me here!” Courageous curiosity? Yes! And though it seemed to resonate with other participants, I contemplated juxtaposing the words “courageous” and “curiosity.”

What is “courageous curiosity,” and how did it bring me to an Air B&B on the Gulf Coast of Florida? Thus began a week-long exploration of these two words throughout the retreat and subsequent incarnational thoughts I have continued to entertain over the past few weeks. These two words speak to my leadership as a priest, my role in the church, my love for community engagement, relationship building, innovation, and the creation of positive social capital among all God’s children. My first attempt to define “courageous curiosity” for my work was as follows: Since one cannot really have curiosity in isolation from the community, it is the commitment to encountering others in radical love with an attitude of holy listening – open mind, open heart, and open arms; having the courage to stay in relationship with another person for the sake of deeper connection and relational activism. In his book, Activating the Common Good: Reclaiming Control of Our Collective Well-being, Peter Block refers to relational activism as convening people to encourage them to produce, with their neighbors, more ownership of the causes and functions they care most about.  For the church to engage in “courageous curiosity,” whether a legacy parish or a new Episcopal community, it is imperative to put aside our assumptions and agendas and show up as a student of the community and not an expert in what they need.

The questions must drive our courageous curiosity along with the risk of being truly vulnerable. Courageous and curious questions like:

+Where do you see the common good in your community?

+What do you have to celebrate in your community, and how can we join you in your work?

+What questions are you asking yourself about justice and love in this community?

+What gives you joy in this community?

+Where do you see the greatest need?

+What are you afraid of?

+Are you willing to sit in discomfort to be truly present with another human being?

+As the Body of Christ, are we eager to reveal our wounds and find God deep in the wounds of another?

So, my friends, who are you, and what brings you here? Welcome to the ever-widening circle of God’s Grace! The retreat is about to begin.