We, the Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance, are members of the Body of Christ, called to join in God’s work of transforming the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) into a just and inclusive church that welcomes persons of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientations into full life and leadership of the church.
At its November 2021 retreat, the Council made small, BIG changes to the AllianceQ mission statement and identified guiding values and organizational priorities.
We are members of the Body of Christ…
AllianceQ members and friends span denominational groups and/or do not affiliate with the Disciples of Christ (DOC) or any faith tradition. We emphasize that every body is part of the larger body, and we ground our connectedness, humanity, and divinity in scripture. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)
Gender identities and expressions and sexual orientations…
Gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation are separate entities. Here’s a recorded webinar from AllianceQ and here’s a visual called the Genderbread Person. So many resources about all this.
Full life…
The 2021 change in our mission statement from “the full life and leadership of the church” to “full life and leadership of the church” emphasizes our work supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and issues beyond the institutional church. We are claiming God’s call through Jesus for all to have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)
Affirmation, Love, Liberation for ALL
Justice + Liberation
Belonging + Affirmation
Connectedness + Relationship
Love + Grace
Accountability + Transparency
Ensuring organizational sustainability
Dismantling and divesting from white supremacist structures and practices
Addressing the pastoral needs of LGBTQ+ people
AllianceQ—the Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance is a ministry alongside the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) whose identity statement says: “We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.”
AllianceQ is not a ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and does not receive any funding from the general church.
The 2013 General Assembly meeting in Orlando, Florida, passed the resolution GA-1327, Becoming a People of Grace and Welcome to All. GA-1327 states that the Church welcomes all, and for the first time, included sexual orientation as an identity that should not be denied the radical welcome of Christ and Christ’s church. The 2019 General Assembly meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, passed the resolution GA-1929, “An Invitation to Education for Welcoming and Receiving the Gifts of Transgender and Gender-Diverse People.” In a joint reflection of faith from General Minister and President Terri Hord Owens and past AllianceQ Executive Director + Minister Melissa Guthrie in January 2020, Rev. Hord Owens emphasized: “We cannot mandate adherence to either resolution, but with the leadership of many regions, clergy and congregations, as well as ministries such as AllianceQ, we can offer the space for discernment and education as we all seek to follow the command of Christ to love each one whom God has created.”
We have holy work to do.
We, the Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance, are members of the Body of Christ, called to join in God’s work of transforming the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) into a just and inclusive church that welcomes persons of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientations into full life and leadership of the church.
At its November 2021 retreat, the Council made small, BIG changes to the AllianceQ mission statement and identified guiding values and organizational priorities.
We are members of the Body of Christ…
AllianceQ members and friends span denominational groups and/or do not affiliate with the Disciples of Christ (DOC) or any faith tradition. We emphasize that every body is part of the larger body, and we ground our connectedness, humanity, and divinity in scripture. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)
Gender identities and expressions and sexual orientations…
Gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation are separate entities. Here’s a recorded webinar from AllianceQ and here’s a visual called the Genderbread Person. So many resources about all this.
Full life…
The 2021 change in our mission statement from “the full life and leadership of the church” to “full life and leadership of the church” emphasizes our work supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and issues beyond the institutional church. We are claiming God’s call through Jesus for all to have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)
Affirmation, Love, Liberation for ALL
Justice + Liberation
Belonging + Affirmation
Connectedness + Relationship
Love + Grace
Accountability + Transparency
Ensuring organizational sustainability
Dismantling and divesting from white supremacist structures and practices
Addressing the pastoral needs of LGBTQ+ people
AllianceQ—the Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance is a ministry alongside the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) whose identity statement says: “We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.”
AllianceQ is not a ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and does not receive any funding from the general church.
The 2013 General Assembly meeting in Orlando, Florida, passed the resolution GA-1327, Becoming a People of Grace and Welcome to All. GA-1327 states that the Church welcomes all, and for the first time, included sexual orientation as an identity that should not be denied the radical welcome of Christ and Christ’s church. The 2019 General Assembly meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, passed the resolution GA-1929, “An Invitation to Education for Welcoming and Receiving the Gifts of Transgender and Gender-Diverse People.” In a joint reflection of faith from General Minister and President Terri Hord Owens and past AllianceQ Executive Director + Minister Melissa Guthrie in January 2020, Rev. Hord Owens emphasized: “We cannot mandate adherence to either resolution, but with the leadership of many regions, clergy and congregations, as well as ministries such as AllianceQ, we can offer the space for discernment and education as we all seek to follow the command of Christ to love each one whom God has created.”
We have holy work to do.