page_title: LGBT clergy in Christianity
section_title: Congregationalist polities
hierarchical_section_title: LGBT clergy in Christianity / Protestantism / Moderate and liberal Protestant denominations / Congregationalist polities
caption_attribution_description: English: The Reverend Elder Nancy Wilson with the Metropolitan Community Church logo in front of the altar at a regional conference of the church denomination at All God's Children MCC in Minneapolis, Minnesota
context_page_description: The ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender clergy who are open about their sexuality, are sexually active if lesbian, gay, or bisexual, or are in committed same-sex relationships is a debated practice within some contemporary Christian Church communities.
  While most Christian churches ban the ordination of sexually active LGB clergy because they view homosexuality as incompatible with biblical doctrine and do not allow those identifying as transgender to be ordained for the same reason, a growing number of churches are allowing openly LGBT clergy to serve. The Metropolitan Community Church, a predominantly LGBT church, has ordained LGBT candidates for ministry since its founding in 1968. In 1972, the United Church of Christ became the first mainline Protestant denomination in the United States to ordain an openly gay clergy person. Other churches are the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Presbyterian Church. The Episcopal Church in the United States and the Christian Church have also allowed ordination of openly gay and lesbian candidates for ministry for some years.
context_section_description: The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is the first denomination with an official stance allowing non-celibate gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to be ordained; it is also one of the fastest growing denominations in the United States and the United Kingdom. Smaller denominations, like the Liberal Catholic Church, the Swedenborgian Church of North America, the Ecclesia Gnostica, and the Apostolic Johannite Church also do so.
  The United Church of Christ began ordaining LGBT clergy in the 1970s. The Rev. William R. Johnson was ordained in 1972 and the Rev. Anne Holmes in 1981. The UCC's executive council endorsed ordination of gay and lesbian candidates in 1973 and was the first mainline denomination in the United States to endorse marriage equality (2005). A number of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender ministers now serve throughout the church.
  President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Albert Mohler says, "Scripture clearly defines human beings as male and female, here not by accident but by divine purpose", adding, "Scripture clearly refutes any theory that gender is only a social construction or that human beings are free to define gender in a way different than the way God defined male and female in the act of creation." He also states, "Christians guided by Scripture recognize that controversies and confusions over sex, marriage and other issues are part of what it means to live in a fallen world. The church must honor the good gifts God gives us in order to accomplish two great purposes. First, to obey God and to find true happiness and human flourishing as we obey. Second, to live out that obedience before a watching world in order that others may see the glory of God in the Christian’s faithfulness, so that others who need Christ may find Him." In 2014, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution at its annual meeting stating that "God's design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female" and that "gender identity is determined by biological sex and not by one’s self-perception" Furthermore, the resolution opposes cross-sex hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery, and anything else that would "alter one’s bodily identity," as well as opposing government efforts to "validate transgender identity as morally praiseworthy." Instead, the resolution asks transgender people to "trust in Christ and to experience renewal in the Gospel."
  In 2009, the British Quakers confirmed the Church was open for LGBT ordination and said issued support for same-sex marriage.
  The United Christian Church decided to ordain openly LGBT Christian clergy at First Annual Conference in Seattle, WA in 2010.
  In the Philippines, the Ekklesia Tou Theou (Church of God) believes and ordains LGBT Christian Clergy through its denominational jurisdiction the Catholic Diocese of One Spirit.
  The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has a decentralized church structure as well.  Regional bodies ordain individuals and as such have different rules regarding ordination.  Northern California is the only region labeled as Open and Inclusive; however, the Ohio Commission on Ministry (the body that grants ordination) has decided that sexual orientation is not a criterion for ordination.  At the 2012 Regional Assemblies, a number of Disciples regions (including Kentucky and Indiana) joined Ohio in eliminating sexual orientation as a restriction for ordination. Other regions are in the process of investigating the matter, mostly on a polity (since congregations determine ethical fitness for candidates and hire their ministers) and not a theological basis. In July 2013, the General Assembly of The Disciples of Christ passed a "Sense of the Assembly" resolution (GA-1327 "Becoming a People of Grace and Welcome to All") to allow ordination clergy "regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity", although no individual congregation will be forced to ordain LGBT clergy if the object to doing so.
caption: The Metropolitan Community Church logo in front of the altar at a regional conference of the denomination
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "NIKON", "Image Model": "COOLPIX L5", "Image Orientation": "0", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Picasa 3.0", "Image DateTime": "2008:07:19 18:04:50", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "224", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "2002", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6135", "EXIF ExposureTime": "10/69", "EXIF FNumber": "29/10", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "79", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2008:07:19 18:04:50", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2008:07:19 18:04:50", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "2", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "29/10", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "63/10", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2034", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1519", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1878", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "38", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "Low gain up", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "eb4818aae8682231c4c40211df73be8a"}