Chalice, denomination address anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation

Pastoral letter from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) addressing the unjust rise of anti-LGBTQIA legislation in the United States

May 8, 2023 

General Minister and President Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens with Rev. LaMarco Cable, President of Division of Overseas Ministries, and Rev. Chis Dorsey, President of Disciples Home Missions, join their voices with other leaders across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to denounce the rising violence against LGBTQIA persons, the communities that hold them dear, and any legislation that causes harm to trans youth and LGBTQIA persons across the United States. 

There have been 461 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures this year. 119 of these bills ban gender-affirming healthcare for trans and non-binary youth. This places more than 54,000 trans youth receiving life-saving medical care at risk. Upon the release of this pastoral letter, that number continues to grow. This is not entirely new: at the 2019 General Assembly, GA-1929 noted the increase in legislation aiming to “devalue, punish, and erase transgender and gender-diverse identities in the recent past.” The current climate confirms those concerns. We have witnessed an increase in violent rhetoric and actions aimed at trans youth, their families, and the communities that support them, including many congregations across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States. 

The work of GA-1929 is not new but an extension of GA-1327, which celebrates its 10^th Anniversary this year. At the 2013 General Assembly, GA-1327 called “upon the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to recognize itself as striving to become a people of grace and welcome to all God’s children though differing in race, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, marital status, physical or mental ability, political stance or theological perspective.” 

Violence in any form – physical, rhetorical, legislative – is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which calls us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. There is no exception or caveat, no room to cultivate hatred or distrust of the neighbor. Prejudice has no place in the kindom of God. Trans youth and their families deserve the human dignity to seek medical care and build lives of joy and thriving. 

The 2019 General Assembly, by adopting GA-1929, called on all expressions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) “to grow in the embodiment of God’s generous welcome for transgender and gender-diverse people and their families through education, shifts in institutional language and practice, and the cultivation of trusting relationships with transgender and gender-diverse people and their families.” The invitation to educate, shift and cultivate trust is a call to recognize the beloved status of all of God’s creation, continue to allow our faith to be informed by science, as well as imagine a path towards greater understanding and full inclusion. As followers of Jesus Christ and as part of the one body of Christ we welcome all to the Lord’s table as God has welcomed us. 

As leaders across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we encourage the church not only to take increased steps towards education, welcome and cultivating trust but to consider the ways in which the church can be a force for wholeness in communities across the United States, decrying violence and encouraging the full inclusivity and thriving of all of God’s beloved children.  

Signed,

Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada

Rev. Chris B. Dorsey, President and CEO, Disciples Home Missions

Rev. LaMarco Cable, Co-Executive Global Ministries, President, Division of Overseas Ministries

Rev. Dr. Todd Adams, President, CEO, Pension Fund of the Christian Church

Mark D. Anderson, President and CEO, National Benevolent Association

Joel Brown, Ph.D., President, Disciples of Christ Historical Society

Gary W. Kidwell, President, Christian Church Foundation

Rev. Chung Seong Kim, Executive Pastor, North American Pacific/Asian Disciples Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Brad Lyons, President and Publisher, Chalice Media Group

Rev. Angéle Saunders Johnson, Executive Director, Disciples Women’s Ministries

Tamara Rodenberg, President, Higher Education & Leadership Ministries

Rev. Paul S. Tché, President, Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry

Valerie Melvin, Regional Minister, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in North Carolina

Rev. Dr. Teresa Dulyea-Parker, Regional Minister and President Illinois/Wisconsin and Michigan

Rev. Bill Robey, Interim Regional Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Northern Lights Region

Rev. Dr. Rick Spleth, Regional Minister, Region of Indiana 

Rev. Joan Bell-Haynes, Executive Regional Minister, Central Rocky Mountain Region

Rev. Ken Marston, Co-Regional Minister, Christian Church in Kansas

Rev. Tom Stanley, Co-Regional Minister, Christian Church in Kansas

Rev. Dean Phelps, Interim Regional Minister, Christian Church Capital Area

Rev. Bill Spangler-Dunning, Regional Minister for the Christian Church in Virginia 

Rev. Dr. Jay R. Hartley, Regional Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona

Rev. Dr. Christal L. Williams, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Tennessee

Rev. Christopher B. Morton, Regional Minister, Christian Church in Nebraska

Rev. Allen V. Harris, Regional Pastor & President, Christian Church in Ohio

Rev. Sandy Messick, Regional Minister, Florida Disciples Regional Church

Rev. Dr. Andy Mangum, Regional Minister, Christian Church in the Southwest

Rev. Joshua J. Patty, Regional Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Upper Midwest

Rev. Dale Braxton, Interim Regional Minister, Christian Church in Alabama and North Florida