The Pastorate Podcast Pieter Valk on the Historical Christian Sex Ethic, Demystifying Vocational Singleness & How Pastors Can Serve the LGBT+ Community
How can the Church hold both deep conviction and deep compassion in loving the LGBT+ community?
In this episode, Jason Ballard hosts a conversation with Chris Price and Pieter Valk on how pastors can navigate the tensions of sexuality, theology, and pastoral care. Pieter shares his personal story of enduring same-sex attraction, why he embraced a historic Christian sexual ethic, and what he wishes pastors had said to him growing up. This conversation offers honesty, hope, and practical wisdom for anyone longing to love people like Jesus does.
Key Takeaways:
Pieter’s personal journey of following Jesus with enduring same-sex attraction
Why Pieter embraced a historic Christian sexual ethic over a revisionist one
What pastors can say and do to better support LGBT+ individuals in their churches
How churches can embody compassion without compromising conviction
Biography
Pieter Valk is the director of EQUIP, a Nashville-based consulting ministry that partners with churches to become places where LGBT+ people can belong and thrive according to an orthodox Christian sexual ethic. Pieter graduated from Vanderbilt University with Highest Honors in Chemistry in 2013. After graduating, Pieter studied at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary for a year with a focus on Lay Leadership and Culture-making. As a fellow of the Boston Fellows Program, he worked as a ministry development intern and completed a 26-week Pastoral Counseling course on relational and sexual brokenness. In 2016 Pieter graduated from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN, with his Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
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Guest Notes
Show Notes