OPEN & AFFIRMING
WHAT IS AN AFFIRMING CHURCH?
An affirming church practices the full affirmation and inclusion of all LGBTQ+ people in its full life and ministry, including participation in church membership, leadership, employment, baptism, and marriage.
WHAT IS "SIDE A" AND "SIDE B"?
Side A: Side A or “Affirming” theology believes that God blesses and ordains same-sex relationships.
Side B: Side B or “Non-affirming” theology holds a more traditional sexual ethic and believes that God’s design for marriage is only between men and women, the most common implication for queer Christians being life-long celibacy.
While we make room for both Side A and Side B Christians, we will operate as a Side A church.
Note: Of course, there is more nuance and implications for each of these sides, as well as other positions such as Side X (even homosexual orientation is viewed as sin), mixed-orientation marriages, etc.
WHY BECOME AN AFFIRMING CHURCH?
What This Is Not: This is not us succumbing to cultural pressure. This is not us trying to appease our current LGBTQ+ members or attempting to get them to stay. This is not us not taking Scripture seriously. It’s actually because we take the words of Jesus seriously that we feel compelled to move in this direction.
Obedience: We believe this is the kind of Church Jesus loves and calls us to be. For us, it’s not so much about building an affirming church, as it is about building a loving church that reflects the heart of God. It’s about building a church that forms people into the loving image of Jesus. We believe this is the best way we could live out Jesus’ calling to love God and love our neighbors.
Safety: Statistically, LGBTQ + youth who live in counties with a greater concentration of non-affirming churches experience increased instances of alcohol abuse and more sexual partners than those who live in counties with affirming churches. Studies have also found that teenagers who had to hide or subvert their same-sex attractions through church participation were more likely to experience an increase in psychological distress.
These findings have two important implications. First, churches play a role in the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people, regardless of whether they intend to or not. Second, non-affirming theology contributes to lower self-esteem, higher psychological distress, and increased health risk behaviors such as excessive drinking in LGBTQ+ youth that can last a lifetime.
Data shows that non-affirming theology is harmful to LGBTQ+ people, especially youth.
Justice: Looking at the history of our country and the American church, we see a pattern of people in power creating systems of exclusion for people on the margins. This is not the way of Jesus. By becoming an affirming church, we play our small part in being on the right side of history when it comes to standing with the marginalized.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WELCOMING CHURCH AND AN AFFIRMING CHURCH?
While many churches welcome LGBTQ+ people, they are denied equal access to the life of the church and a seat at the table. Churches will accept their tithes, but won’t allow them to use their gifts and passions to bless the community. It’s not enough for us to just welcome LGBTQ+ people to our church, we want to invite people to fully belong. It’s only when people experience true belonging, that they experience transformation.
WHY TAKE A PUBLIC STANCE?
Clarity: We want to be clear about what people have access to in the life of our church. We don’t want there to be any ambiguity on where we stand as a church.
Celebration: We want to do more than tolerate our LGBTQ+ people, we want to truly celebrate them.
Visibility: We want LGBTQ+ people looking for a safe space to grow in their discipleship to Jesus to be able to find us.
WHAT IF I HOLD A NON-AFFIRMING THEOLOGICAL STANCE?
We’d love for you to stay. Here are a few things to consider:
1) We believe this is a secondary issue that we can agree to disagree on (as opposed to salvation by grace, Jesus’ death and resurrection, the importance of Scripture, etc). We believe it’s possible to disagree on this topic and still be in covenant community.
2) We believe it’s important to remain in community with people who think differently than you. That’s the only way we learn how to grow in love. We’re not after uniformity, we’re after unity. We need each other to make a complete body.
3) How many churches have you been a part of where LGBTQ+ people stayed and engaged, despite having different theological beliefs? Could God be challenging you to do the same in this season?