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So people’s natural response is, ‘Well, I don’t feel like I’ve changed. But all of a sudden, ‘Oh, but now you say you’re gay, you can’t do that any more’. One pastor articulated this:īeing part of a Christian community is … The body, everyone’s got a part and a role to play. The injustice of this position was keenly felt by both LGBT people and some of the pastors themselves. Therefore, this barrier to volunteering prevents LGBT Christians from moving into more senior roles in Pentecostal-Charismatic churches, where they could promote a more inclusive position. In fact, several of the pastors I spoke to began as volunteers. Volunteering is not only symbolic of acceptance and inclusion by the church community, it’s also a pathway to ministry and leadership. And by then, I thought, ‘That’s just not right.’
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I was simply looking to be actively involved and become a member of the church… Because I was gay, that was sufficient for to turn around and say no. Nevertheless, the LGBT people I spoke to felt understandably rejected by this position. Several pastors permitted LGBT people who committed to remaining celibate to volunteer for leadership roles within the church, such as leading Bible studies or small groups, or even preaching. As one pastor I interviewed said:Ī ‘welcoming but not affirming’ approach prevents many LGBT Christians from being actively involved within the Church community.
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This means that LGBT people are welcome to attend, but their sexuality cannot be “affirmed” by allowing them to volunteer or minister. While there are many different denominations, Australia’s largest Pentecostal-Charismatic denomination, the Australian Christian Churches, boasts over 280,000 followers in over 1,000 member churches, including some of the largest “mega-churches” in the country, such as Hillsong Church in Sydney (20,000 attendees) and Paradise Community Church in Adelaide (6,000 attendees).įor most of the Pentecostal-Charismatic pastors I spoke to, a conservative approach to interpreting the Bible led them to be “welcoming, but not affirming” of LGBT people in their congregations. Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity, which emphasizes a personal experience of faith, together with ecstatic phenomena such as speaking in tongues and divine healing, is a fast growing global phenomenon. So, what is it like for people who are both LGBT and Christian? How do LGBT Christians see their place in conservative Christian churches? And how do pastors care for LGBT people in their congregations, and include them in the life of the church? To answer these questions I spoke to LGBT people, and pastors of LGBT people, from Pentecostal-Charismatic churches in Australia. But with 40% of same sex couples in Australia identifying as Christian, LGBT people are likely to be a significant, if covert, presence in conservative Christian churches. It may seem like LGBT people and conservative Christians inhabit two different worlds.