For all of my adult life and many of my younger years, I have found one of the most distasteful ideas in structured worship settings to be the idea that whoever joined a particular group was, by virtue of their affiliation with that group, a member of an exclusive society which know the “real God,” and thus better than the poseurs in the “competing” groups, who could only pretend to know God. (May God have pity on their poor, unenlightened souls.)

 

The thing I find most attractive about Broken Walls is the underlying philosophy of what I call “radical inclusiveness.” By inviting to worship people of any, all or no religious affiliation, not to convert” them but to welcome them to be a part of our community, Broken Walls seems to be saying that we are all in this spiritual search together. The idea that each and every person on this earth can contribute to my spiritual growth, and therefore I have an obligation to engage those people I come across and find out what those contributions are is a thread that seems to  underlie the group’s philosophy. It challenges me to seek out and cherish those contributions in my everyday life. It also challenges me to be a conduit for God’s love in my daily life, so that others may see in me those same contributions I am obliged to see in others.    --JN

Broken Walls is the best kept secret in Milwaukee - creative and unique. We shape our work to the needs and desires we see and feel for others and ourselves. Our worship services are experiential and simple while being liturgically traditional. I like the blend of old and new. We appeal to folk who are disillusioned with church as it often is. We represent an intellectually honest worship experience that is available to a variety of intelligences and abilities. We are a tolerant, open, welcoming, and honest bunch. We are small but who’s counting. We care about others and for ourselves.  --TDB

God counts by ones. Each human being is of infinite worth because we are all made in the image of God.

 

When social scientists get hold of the church, they count “success” by following this truth: folks like to cross as few boundaries as possible on their way to relationship.

 

But good sociology is bad Christianity. Jesus opens his arms to sinners - no matter whom, no matter where. My deepest hope for Broken Walls is that we will become more and more like Jesus.  --DT

We are an urban, experimental, radically inclusive congregation. Since God accepts us as we are, we are called to accept others. God invites us to draw as big and as open a circle as we possibly can.

 

Each person is special and unique; each person has particular gifts. We hope to identify, claim, and employ the gifts of each person in our circle.

 

We are all on a journey, none of us has arrived; we must trust Grace to lead us in the right direction.  --LZT