All inclusive churches... what to expect?

[Poetic Awakening]

I hope there isn't a thread already on this, but I didn't see one that was so obvious...

Anyway, I'm thinking about checking one out (as I think there's only one in North GA, without having to go towards ATL).
The church I go to now is by no means open minded, with homosexuality being a fairly untouched subject except for the 'We hate the sin, but love the sinner" quote. I used to think that was the correct view, but going through the realization that I am a bisexual, I feel slightly offended by that view now (knowing that everyone would have to re-address their opinion of me as the good kid to the sinner...), and could see how that might hurt people looking for hope within a church's walls (such as never being good enough for being yourself - not a very fun situation).

So are there any universal aspects of these churches I should look for, or watch out for? I'm really new to this, so anything you could provide would be helpful!

Thanks,
Poetic

[keltic63]

are you talking about churches that are specifically lgbt? There are Metropolitan Community Churches www.mccchurch.org There are actually 5 in Georgia, so perhaps you're not too far from one of them.

Other mainline denominations have individual congregations that have gone through the process of becoming "Open and Affirming" (or some other name to indicate they welcome lgbt people.) My denomination, Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, has many O&A congregations, unfortunately, none in Georgia.

I've not had much experience with MCC churches or others who've gone through the process of becoming O&A, but I would expect that anyone who attends should feel very welcome.

[Poetic Awakening]

Thanks for that link, keltic63.

The church I am thinking about trying out is of the ICCC denomination. I sort of wished I lived closer to Atlanta, as those MCC's looked like very nice places.

Poetic

[NathanATX]

ICCC? Just be sure it's not the International Church of Christ.

I was a resident advisor in college at Oklahoma State University and we were trained to watch out for "symptoms" of our students being targeted by the ICC. They are dangerous and predatorial. They encourage separation from family & friends. They encourage students to drop out of school to join the "ministry" full time. They take control of all the student's money. ... We were told that ICC is a dangerous, manipulative cult. I believe it's on the FBI's watch list. (of course, these days, who isn't?)

***********

Ok, now that I got that out of my system... I attend MCC Austin and I absolutely love it. I went to Oral Roberts University and have a pentecostal/charismatic background... and MCCA is anything but Pentecostal. It usually reminds people of high church episcopal. But now we have a contemporary worship service that is unbelievable...

The wonderful thing about MCC is that not only do the welcome anyone.... gay/lesbian/straight/trans/bi, they welcome all faith traditions and are very inclusive of all Christian traditions in the life & worship of the church.

If you came to MCCA fresh out of being a member of a mainline church all your life, you will most likely be uncomfortable for awhile. But stick it out. Get to know people. Learn about the church's beliefs. Learn about the reasons for the liturgy, inclusive language, etc. Even if there are things you disagree with, you will hopefully find yourself so loved and embraced that you will have peace disagreeing with people. MCCA encourages these kinds of things. "It's more important for us to have UNITY than it is for us to have UNIFORMITY." That can be a very unsettling concept for someone who has been given only one script for faith their entire life, but it unlocks a personal peace and ability to love that can be extremely powerful and rewarding.

As for other churches... even if they are not officially Open & Affirming, often the clergy are. Sometimes clergy are placed or they choose to be placed in ultra-conservative congregations for whatever reason... So send a personal email or make a phone call to your local Methodist, Episcopal, Lutheran, etc... pastors and get clear on where they stand and whether or not you would be safe in their congregation.

Peace,
Nate

[Poetic Awakening]

It was ICCC which stands for "international christian community churches".
Their website is (www.intlccc.org) I think it's a fairly small denomination or something.

Thanks for that advice, too. I will definitely check around to see what my options are around here.

Poetic

[keltic63]

Originally Posted by Poetic Awakening

It was ICCC which stands for "international christian community churches".
Their website is (www.intlccc.org) I think it's a fairly small denomination or something.

Thanks for that advice, too. I will definitely check around to see what my options are around here.

Poetic

from the intlccc.org website

• How and Why We Came Into Being

In 2002, a small group of lay people and pastors began to dream of an inclusive faith community that centered on Christ’s call to love all and to serve humanity. We dreamed of a place where barriers were overcome, barriers that limited local church autonomy and that excluded individuals based upon their skin color, their economic status, their sexual orientation and gender identity, and the many other issues that keep people from worshipping and working together for Christ. Our prayer and study led us to believe that such a radically inclusive, Christ-centered church was rare, if at all existent.

The dream became a calling, and the calling became International Christian Community Churches. At this writing (10/2003), we have begun with five affiliated churches in three states, with many more considering affiliation.
April 2006:
As of April 2006, ICCC has grown to include 13 churches in 6 states.

It sounds small, but if there's one near you, give it a try! It sounds like they have good intentions.

[SolApollo]

Like other progressive denominations, the UCC (United Church of Christ) is very lgbt-affirming denomination (see: www.ucc.org/index1 and www.stillspeaking.com). I joined this denom. a year or so ago and have not regretted it. Its been a great experience.

[BruceChris]

This looks like a good place to put this in. My church is Spirit Of The Lakes
UCC. It has been an all LGBT, or almost all GLBT church for all of it's 18
years. I only discovered it about 6 years ago. We started out as a liberal split off from the local MCC. We are quite top heavy with human service professionals, ex-Catholics, people who have attended seminary, some who have graduated and/or generally have spent 'way too much time in school (like moi).

But that's all beside the point. These are the people that I can most truely be at home with. A place I can grow as a person, and now and then become a better Christian, or grow closer to God, or where was I, anyway? Still working on that one. I would truely wish that everyone could have a church experience like this available in their lives.

Gotta go, more later P&L, BC