General FAQs

  • That's cool! There is no belief requirement to be a part of Zao, and many people here believe different things. In fact, we trust that church starts with belonging, and belief is much more fluid. What you believe might change while you're at Zao, and that's okay too!

  • Nope! We believe that belonging is more important than fitting in, and that belonging comes from having spaces to be authentically you. Come with your wonderful self and discover loving community. You might find lots of people like you, or lots of people not like you, and either way, we hope you find a deep sense of authentic belonging.

  • YES! Lots of churches have a kind of bait-and-switch thing going on when it comes to sexuality and gender. Some churches say that you are welcome, but then expect you to go back into the closet, tell you not to pursue romantic and sexual relationships, or exclude you from leadership. We think that's pretty toxic, and we wish churches would be more upfront about the limits of their "welcome."

    At Zao, we don't just welcome, we affirm and celebrate queer people. Our pastors are both queer, our leadership team is majority queer, and we intentionally talk about our faith from a queer perspective. No bait & switch! Though we don’t mind a #ThirstTrap here and there 😉

  • We believe that rooting ourselves in the life and teachings of Jesus requires us to take seriously the call to justice - not just in how we talk about God, but also in how we live our lives and interact with structures of injustice. You can learn more about our justice work here.

  • Zao is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. We love our Wesleyan heritage, and the tradition's call to both personal connection to God alongside the holy work of justice in the world. Being a part of a denomination connects us to history, resources, and community that we wouldn't have if we were independent.

    But it's also hard work, especially when the denomination is struggling to be faithful as an institution - including the call to full queer affirmation in the church. We currently feel that it is our role to keep pushing the United Methodist Church towards a more liberated, queer-affirming, anti-racist future, and so we work hard to model by example while we advocate from within.

  • Kids are best served in our local harbor gatherings. Each harbor incorporates kids differently! Some harbors incorporate children into every element of weekly worship, while others have intentional kids programing that runs parallel to adult discussions. Wherever we do kids programing, we are guided by the recommendations of the Safer Sanctuary effort, which you can read more about here.

    As the collective continues to experiment with how best to serve our kiddos (we like to call them Zaolets!), we gather materials in the Digital Commons Worship Library, so we can keep experimenting and learning from one another.