By Andy Hale

In some families, there are just certain things you don’t talk about ever. We all have sat through those Thanksgiving meals, just praying that no one brings up politics or religion in front of the highly contentious uncle.

Growing up in the Hale house, much to my mother’s chagrin, there didn’t seem to be a topic off-limits. I lost count by the age of 6 or 7 at the number of times that Mama Hale stared at three boys in unfathomable shock.

In many churches, there are unofficial topics that are off-limits. We just don’t talk about [fill in the blank].

But why is that? Why do we not talk about difficult things?

Have we ever considered that some churches’ unwillingness to talk about specific topics might be pushing people away from the faith community in a silent retreat?

“You can’t talk about a lot of topics in church, I learned. But here is what else I learned: Our refusal to talk about tough topics can push people away from the church,” charged Elizabeth Hagan on the CBF Podcast.

Hagan is the author of Brave Church: Tackling Tough Topics Together. We sat down with the ordained minister to talk about some of the pivotal conversations that churches need to navigate now.

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This podcast episode is brought to you by The Center for Congregational Health, Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, and McAfee School of Theology Doctor of Ministry program.

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Andy Hale is the creator and host of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Podcast. Hale is the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following eight years as the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton and five years as CBF’s church start specialist. Follow on Twitter @haleandy