In the 1970’s the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Canada embarked on a road to discovery and acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Since then it has been a journey of growth and understanding as the church embraced the radical acceptance preached by our founder, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
In 2018 the community of Christ the King Lutheran Church began to feel a need to articulate our belief in the saving power of God’s grace and our openness to the diversity of the body of Christ. So after much conversation and prayerful thought, it was at the 2019 AGM that the congregation adopted the following statement of Our Community:
“I am willing to accept all persons from all walks of life, of all ages, and of all various abilities, from all cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, and from all gender identities and sexual orientations without judgement, even if I may hold a different theological view or different personal opinion on specific matters; I am willing to accept difference, and to welcome all people into this church and to support their involvement in the community, including partaking in leadership working with the supervision of the Pastor and the Council; I am open to being a church where all people are welcome to receive pastoral care, receive the sacraments, marry and be called and endorsed for ministry if meeting Synod guidelines.”
Being inspired by this declaration our community wanted to be known as a Reconciling in Christ community, which is how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada articulates its efforts to identify congregations that are affirming and welcoming of the LGBTQ community. We, as a community, extend our welcome to all people of all origins and do not elevate one over the other. Christ’s command is to love one another as we love ourselves.
Ultimately, as a community, we are inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ; we are a community that is faithful to the Gospel of Grace. Holding this in our hearts and minds, we proclaim the power of God’s gracious and faithful work that is always working around us. We are called to be workers in the Spirit, graciously sharing the gifts that we have been freely given for the good of our community. We journey alongside the broken-hearted and hurting, trusting in the love of Jesus to heal where there has been pain and disappointment. We trust that, above all, God’s love and grace are sufficient in all that we do. God’s love is boundless and his grace eternal.
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.” We are all welcome to Christ’s table.
