Ep. 203 - Adey & Tom Wassink "Sanctuary: Queering a Church in the Heartland" pt. 1
The Deconstructionists
John Williamson
4.4 • 823 Ratings
🗓️ 4 August 2025
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
📌 Episode Summary:
In Part 1 of this deeply moving conversation, John sits down with Adey and Tom Wassink—former Vineyard pastors who found themselves quietly pushed to the margins for their commitment to LGBTQ inclusion.
The Wassinks share their story of faithful ministry, their transformation toward a more affirming theology, and the difficult choices they faced as a result. Through heartbreak, resilience, and deep spiritual reflection, they illuminate the cost of integrity within systems resistant to change.
This episode originally aired as part of Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power, but their story resonated so powerfully that we wanted to share it here as well.
🎵 Special Note:
The song featured at the end of this episode "Before I Go Home," was written and performed by Q Jones, worship leader at John’s church. The song reflects Q’s own journey and felt especially fitting for this story. Used with permission.
📚 Recommended Resources:
• Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power – Episode 6
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If this story resonates with you, please consider rating and reviewing the podcast, sharing this episode on social media, and continuing the dialogue with us online using:
#DeconstructionistsPodcast #FaithAndInclusion #LGBTQAffirmingFaith
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Deconstructionist podcast. It feels really good to say that. I'm your host, John Williamson, and thank you so much. I want to start by saying thank you for your patience as I wrapped up |
| 0:22.4 | the spoiled fruit, Faith and Power series. That project took a lot out of me. But it also brought |
| 0:28.6 | to light some stories that are too powerful not to share here. This week, I'm honored to bring |
| 0:34.0 | you one of those stories. Tom and Adi Wazink, our former vineyard pastors, |
| 0:39.1 | who found themselves in the crosshairs of institutional pressure after taking a stand for |
| 0:44.1 | LGBTQ inclusion. Their story is one of deep integrity, painful loss, and spiritual courage. |
| 0:52.3 | We originally recorded this conversation for spoiled fruit, |
| 0:55.4 | but I knew I wanted to bring it here too, because what they live through will resonate |
| 1:00.0 | with anyone who's questioned the cost of staying silent. They also have a brand new book out |
| 1:06.0 | called Sanctuary, Quaring a Church, and the Heartland. And before we get into it, stay tuned at the end of the episode for something special. |
| 1:14.2 | The song you'll hear was written and performed by Q Jones, the worship leader at my church, |
| 1:19.4 | Peace Lutheran and Gahanah, Ohio. |
| 1:21.8 | It's based on his own personal experiences, and when I heard it, I knew it belonged here. |
| 1:26.6 | With his permission, I'm honored to share it with you. |
| 1:29.8 | So with that, let's dive in. |
| 1:32.3 | Here's part one of my conversation with Tom and 80 Wazake. |
| 1:41.9 | All right. |
| 1:42.7 | Thank you so much for coming on. |
| 1:43.9 | I have Tom and 80, a power duo here on the podcast with me. Thank you guys so much for coming on the show today. We're glad to be here. Yeah, we're thrilled. Thanks for having us. Absolutely. You guys have a really interesting story. But before we get into that, it probably makes sense to start with a little bit about |
| 2:01.2 | your individual background. So I will go in order of who's on my screen first. So Tom, we'll start |
| 2:07.1 | with you. Tell people a little bit about yourself and your background. I grew up in Holland, |
| 2:10.9 | Michigan, which is kind of the epicenter of the reformed tradition. So for those of listening, |
... |
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