1210 Locust St., St. Louis, MO 63103  ·   (314) 231-1220  ·     Contact Us

Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
  • Welcome
    • About Us
    • Bishop & Staff
    • COVID-19
    • Diocesan History
    • Episcopal Beliefs
    • Find a Church
    • Governance
  • Ministries
    • All Ministries
  • Clergy
    • Clergy Job Openings
    • Clergy Resources
    • Deacons
    • Priests
    • Retired Clergy
    • Supply Clergy
  • Resources
    • All Resources
    • Bishop's Annual Appeal
    • Financial
    • Forms
    • Parish Leadership
    • Strategic Visioning
    • Worship
  • Connect
    • Branding & Logo
    • Calendar
    • Communications
    • Diocesan Shop
    • Events
    • Lay Job Openings
    • News
  • Give

LGBTQIA+ Ministry Engagement

lgbtqiaministry-logo-rgb_562


Our faith in following Jesus is about being committed to living the way of God's unconditional, unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive, and transformational love.

While the Episcopal Church has long embraced the gifts of the LGBTQIA+ community, Christianity as a whole has caused hurt and harm.

Bishop Deon Johnson has appointed Bren O'Connor as the Missioner for LGBTQIA+ Engagement for the Diocese. Bren is tasked with reaching out beyond the Diocese to represent the Bishop and the Diocese of Missouri at gatherings to promote the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people while being an advocate within the Diocese to further dismantle barriers to the full expression of the ministry of the church.

We invite you to explore the resources on this page to learn more and take an active role in this ministry.


LGBTQIA+
Questions and Answers

Q: What does LGBTQIA+ Mean?
A: LGBTQIA+ is a grouping of different gender and sexual minorities. The acronym stands for

  • L: Lesbian, women who are attracted to other women or feminine persons
  • G: Gay, men attracted to other men or masculine persons. Often this is used as a catch-all for being attracted to people of the same gender as yourself.
  • B: Bisexual, people who are attracted to their own gender and other genders
  • T: Transgender, a blanket term for all people who experience their gender and/or sex as different from the gender or sex they were assigned at birth.
  • Q: Queer, a catch-all term for anyone with a non-normative gender or sexual orientation.
  • I: Intersex, people born with reproductive or sex characteristics which are not strictly male or female.
  • A: Asexual, people who do not experience sexual attraction.

Q: Does the Episcopal Church accept LGBTQIA+ people?
A: Yes, the Episcopal Church is an open and affirming church, supporting the life, dignity, and full-inclusion of all LGBTQIA+ persons.

Q: Why do we say we are open & affirming?
A: LGBTQIA people have always been part of the Church. By saying we are open, we mean that we are living into our baptismal vows to support our neighbors in their life in Christ by welcome and radical hospitality. By affirming, we mean that we cherish and embrace Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual people just as they say they are, as full members of the Body of Christ without qualification.

Q: Do you believe gay people can be married?
A: Yes. As per Acts of Convention: Resolution # 2015-A036 we affirm marriage equality for all adults in the Episcopal Church.

Q: Do you believe people can transition from one gender to another?
A: Yes. While gender identity is a creative, expansive, and deeply personal journey, we affirm all Christians’ gender identities, and the journey they take to become their fullest selves.

Q: How can someone be transgender and Christian? I thought God doesn’t make mistakes.
A: Many transgender Christians would agree with you: God doesn’t make mistakes! Their transition isn’t a turning away from God, but a turning toward God. Just as how everyone’s gender identity is different, every transgender Christian will have a different account of how they see God in their transition.

Q: Doesn’t the Bible say “Homosexuality is wrong?”
A: There are a select few passages in scripture which have been interpreted to exclude or condemn gay people, the “Clobber Passages,” as they are often known. However, many faithful Queer Christians have researched and given deeper context and understanding.

Q: What does the word “Queer” mean? Isn’t that a slur?
A: Historically, the word “Queer” was a slur. Recent generations of LGBTQIA activists have worked to reclaim the term as an umbrella for all Gender & Sexual minories. Queer can mean someone’s own identity as an LGBTQIA+ person, or a broader term for the community and its culture.

Q: Are there any LGBT people in the Bible?
A: The ancient world had very different values around sexuality and gender from our own. Thus, while we may not see many of our modern LGBT representations in the Bible, there are a number of places and stories which can and have been interpreted to support LGBT people.


Resources:

If you have a resource to add to our collection, please contact Bren O'Connor.

Understanding and Reinterpreting the "Clobber Verses"

  • Clarifying the Clobber Texts: https://roomforall.com/resources/a-clergy-responds/

  • Responding to “The Clobber Passages” https://www.genderspectrum.org/articles/faith-resources-clobber

  • “The Clobber Verses: Six verses cited at gays, lesbians, same-sex relationships and the LGBTQ+” https://postbarthian.com/2017/10/11/clobber-verses-six-scriptures-cited-gays-lesbians-sex-relationships-lgbtq/

Transgender Identity - Testimonies

FR. SHANNON KEARNS

  • “If God Does Not Make Mistakes, Why Are You Transgender?” https://www.queertheology.com/if-god-does-not-make-mistakes-why-are-you-transgender/

  • “Doubting Thomas: Transgender Scars” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnkXzBqfNUY


AUSTIN HARTKE

  • “If My Body is a Temple, Can It Change?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPyLn0YxBIc


BREN O’CONNOR

  • “Genesis, Creation, and the Goodness of LGBTQ+ Identities” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFO6H1hQa5I

Posters for Understanding Gender & Sexual Orientation

  • “The Holistic Trans Body” Poster
    https://wannalearnmore.com/poster/

  • “The Genderbread Person”
    https://www.publichealthpost.org/databyte/genderbread-person/

  • “What is LGBTQIA?”
    https://www.fuzia.com/blog/details/learn-with-posters-what-is-lgbtqia


Queerness

  • “What Does “Queer” Mean?”
    https://www.them.us/story/what-does-queer-mean

Podcasts

  • Queer Theology Podcast
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/queer-theology/id644062857?mt=2

LGBTQIA Youth

  • Resourcing adults who work with LGBTQIA youth:
    https://buildfaith.org/resourcing-adults-who-work-with-lgbtqia-youth/

  • Supporting parents of LGBTQIA youth:
    https://buildfaith.org/supporting-parents-of-lgbtqia-youth/




Pride 2023: We Are Sorry

As we mark Pride month 2023, the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri wants everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community to know that we recognize the pain the church has caused you and we are sorry.

Read More »
Share this page: LGBTQIA+ Ministry Engagement
Bren O'Connor
Diocesan Missioner of LGBTQIA+ Ministry Engagement

    Bren O'Connor

    Diocesan Missioner of LGBTQIA+ Ministry Engagement
    Welcome to the Diocese of Missouri Mission & Ministries Clergy Congregational Resources Connect Give Contact Us

    © 2023 Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
    1210 Locust St. · St. Louis, MO 63103
    (314) 231-1220
    Privacy Policy · Powered by Membership Vision

      View Entire Post

    Service Times

    Location

    Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
    1210 Locust St.
    St. Louis, MO 63103

    Contact Us
    (314) 231-1220

    Newsletter Signup

    Welcome from Our Bishop Find a Church Diocesan Calendar Clergy Resources

    We believe in a loving, life-giving and liberating God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe God loves you -- no exceptions!

    We invite you to be a part of our faith journey.

    The Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson is the leader of our diocese. He was elected as our bishop on Nov. 23, 2019, and ordained on June 13, 2020, at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis.

    Learn More

    Approximately 10,000 people throughout Eastern and Central Missouri find their faith home with us. About three-quarters of our members are in the metro St. Louis area, but our diocese reaches much farther than St. Louis. You will find more than 40 Episcopal churches, missions and faith communities as far north as Kirksville, as far west as Columbia, and as far south as Poplar Bluff (and many points in between).

    If you are looking for a church home or a just a faith community to visit, we invite you to explore The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.

    Find a Church


    Detailed Calendar

    Suggest an Event

    Specifically of interest to the ordained clergy canonically resident or licensed in this diocese.

    • Diocesan Forms Library
    • Diocesan Clergy Directory
    • Current diocesan supply priest list
    • Missouri Clergy Association email list

    Do you have a question or need more information?

    Send a message to the Offices of the Bishop and we'll get back with you soon!


    Contact Us Bishop and Staff Find a Church