Portage, Wisconsin F rom time to time, issues arise in the church that challenge the fundamental identity of the Church of Jesus Christ and the Gospel which it proclaims . These voices import worldly notions into the church, while jettisoning historic Christian teachings. The Reconciling Congregation Program is a movement of churches and individuals who are working for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in our denomination.
Full inclusion includes rights to ordination and to covenant services for same-gender couples.
The issue is not the welcoming of all persons, including gays and lesbians, into the church. Acts of violence, hatred, and denial of basic civil rights against gays and lesbians are to be deplored and opposed by all Christians. While homosexual practice is no more or less a sin than any other that separates us from our God, both the Bible and the Discipline of our church clearly present such practice as a sin. The remedy is the same for all. There must be repentance before there can be a restoration of fellowship with God and the possibility of being transformed by God's grace.