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You Don’t Have To Be “Ready” – Becoming Open & Affirming

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You Don't Have To Be "Ready" - Becoming Open & Affirming

Mark Johnston, Executive Director of GLAD’s Open & Affirming Ministry Program, shares that GLAD has resources to open welcome in your congregation, no matter if your congregation isn’t ready to talk about LGBT people or if your congregation has been Open & Affirming for decades.

I have been working full time for GLAD’s Open & Affirming Ministry Program for over a year now – and I’ve been a volunteer for GLAD for over 25 years – and there are two myths I’ve been hearing a lot lately that I’d like to dispel:

Our congregation isn’t ready to talk about LGBT issues. We need to wait until it is.

Our congregation has been Open & Affirming for decades. We’ve done our welcoming homework. There’s nothing more to do.

As I have visited congregations and regions and convocations, I hear both of these statements often. Fortunately, GLAD has resources and suggestions that render both of these myths false.

First, the congregation that ‘isn’t ready.’ Well, sure, there are many congregations in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) where, if you mentioned LGBT people, the conversation would be awkward, or unwelcome, or even hostile. But there are still many things to do that will increase welcome in the congregation and move a congregation towards becoming Open & Affirming.

GLAD has posted a new page on the website: The Welcoming Journey. No matter where your congregation is on this journey, there are resources and suggestions for moving the congregation forward.

  • Most of the members of your congregation haven’t learned how to read the Bible and mostly repeat what they hear on T.V. about how the Bible doesn’t approve of homosexuality? There are resources available to educate church members about the Bible, its history, context, and how to read the Bible with respect and deep faith.
  • Your congregation is uncomfortable with welcoming LGBT people? There are resources available to talk about welcome without focusing on LGBT people.
  • Your congregation is beginning to talk about welcoming LGBT people? Great! There are resources for guiding an Open & Affirming process carefully, with patience and grace, without debate and argument.

On the GLAD website, The Welcoming Journey page has specific suggestions for congregations like these and more. Many other resources are available under the Resources tab on the GLAD website.

There are also resources for those congregations that have been Open & Affirming for a while now and think We’ve done our welcoming homework. There’s nothing more to do.

The Open & Affirming Ministry Program encourages all of our O&A congregations to do something at least once a year to celebrate and remember their O&A commitment. This might be on the anniversary of their O&A statement, perhaps in June for LGBT Pride Month, or perhaps for International Welcoming Church Sunday, the 4th Sunday in January.

Why is this important? For several reasons:

  • Over the years, new members have joined who haven’t done their theological homework around LGBT people in the church.
  • Over the years, long time members have forgotten the importance of welcoming openly. It’s important to remind ourselves that we are extending the welcome of Jesus to all of our neighbors.
  • Perhaps most important, welcoming LGBT people openly is not the end of the journey but rather the beginning, a journey of opening up to all our neighbors, differing in gender expression and sexual orientation, differing in race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, ability, politics, immigration status, and who knows where God will lead us next in our welcome.

There are many suggestions on The Welcoming Journey page. There are many resources on GLAD’s Resource list.

For the follower of Jesus, there is always a new neighbor around the next corner to be welcomed.