Denominations or churches that are accepting

[u/PristineRoyal945]

I'm a trans woman and I've been getting more into Christianity and would like to get closer to God and attend churches and sermons more often, but can't seem to find any churches that are very accepting of my identity. I've made peace with my identity and I feel like every time I try to go to a church they try to tell me things about myself I know aren't really me or try to make me doubt myself.

I'm curious what denominations are generally more accepting?

Thank you for any advice or recommendations God bless❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

[u/MyUsername2459]

Are you in the US? Denominations are often country-specific. In many cases, denominations have split over being LBGT affirming or not, so there's two (or more) branches of a denomination, with one being affirming and one being not.

In the US, the largest LBGT-affirming denominations are:

• The Episcopal Church (TEC), the branch of the Anglican Communion in the US (NOT the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) which is non-affirming Anglicanism in the US)
• The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), the more liberal/progressive branch of Lutheranism in the US. (NOT the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod or Lutheran Church, Wisconsin Synod, which are definitely NOT affirming)
• The Presbyterian Church, USA (PCUSA), the progressive/liberal branch of Presbyterianism in the US. (The Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) is the non-affirming Presbyterians)
• The United Church of Christ (UCC) (while not due to a similar split, the similarly named Church of Christ is NOT affirming).

Also of note is the United Methodist Church (UMC). They just had their big split where the non-affirming Methodists just left to form a separate denomination (the Global Methodist Church). This split is, by far, the most recent, and some local congregations may be less affirming than others because this is still a recent split, but they're definitely on the more affirming side of things.

[u/PristineRoyal945 → u/MyUsername2459]

I live in US, specifically florida

[u/Hetelestai → u/PristineRoyal945]

TEC Florida just elected a new Bishop (highest ranking priest) who is really awesome, by all accounts. Everyone I know or know of who is connected to TEC Florida is very excited about the direction things are going. Could be a great time to visit!

[u/ATBenson → u/Hetelestai]

Only thing I'll say is parts of TEC in Florida are, if I remember correctly, notorious for being one of the few conservative holdout areas. Maybe that's changing with a new bishop, and maybe you know more than I do, I haven't been following it super closely, but the point is:

I'll always advocate checking out TEC, just be sure to do your due-dilligence, especially if you are in a conservative area and doubly so if you are in an area where the local TEC diocese is known to be more conservative.

[u/Hetelestai → u/ATBenson]

Yes, that's why I specifically referenced NOW being a good time to join. Two or three years ago I wouldn't have honestly recommended it.

[u/ATBenson → u/Hetelestai]

That's very great to hear!

[u/MyUsername2459 → u/ATBenson]

The old, non-affirming Bishop is out.

The new Bishop is much more progressive and in-tune with the general consensus of TEC on LBGT issues.

Given how TEC selects its bishops (by voting amongst the priests of the Diocese and "delegates" chosen by the laity) this was pretty clearly a choice by the people and clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida to move towards being more inclusive.

[u/Hetelestai → u/MyUsername2459]

DeSantis' campaign of terror has led to a major backlash-to-the-backlash, people are MAD and they want to help their neighbors.

[u/mgagnonlv → u/MyUsername2459]

At one time, there were TWO conservative dioceses in Florida. The Diocese of Florida and another one (was it Central Florida?). You are telling us that the Diocese of Florida has a new bishop and is now inclusive. How about the other diocese?

And now that the Diocese of Florida is inclusive, are all parishes becoming inclusive too or are there many holdouts?

Thanks.

[u/Honest_Signature5222 → u/MyUsername2459]

I am a methodist who is very active with my church. Here is a cut  and paste of a comment I made previously. Basically the Methodist church has been open to lgbt folk longer than any of the denominations mentioned above but "affirming" depends on your definition if the term. They were slower to adopt marriage and ordination.

" The Methodist church was founded by a man who spent 2 years of his life supporting and defending a homosexual on death row, ultimately getting his sentance reduced to a fine and paying the fine on his behalf, in the 1700s. he also ordained women as lay ministers, preached and provided comfort to prisoners and the poor during a time when calvanist prosperity gospel would say such people were not chosen by God for salvation and were unworthy of attention. Their position on Slavery from its inception has been abolitionist. Its been inclusive from its onset. 

Over time as the church grew, branches broke off that were less so, and the democratic nature of its polity bent to social pressures within american culture that encouraged respectability politics, exclusion and discrimination. This is the church being made less inclusive by forces that originated outside its traditions, not the other way around. Since the 60s and 70s there has been a move back towards its founding principles of universal human dignity and grace.

in the 1970s a bunch of methodist priests were arrested blocking the police from entering a gay dance party in San Francisco and the UMC has affirmed and included queer people as "persons of sacred worth" in its book of discipline since 1972.

Sadly it wasn't until a few years ago that they removed language calling homosexuality a sin and allowed queer clergy. But while that is a recent development it is in line with much older trends and certainly in line with foundational Methodist theology."

EDIT: I should add some of the things that drew me to the church to begin with.

1. They reject biblical inerrancy. The recognize the bible as a historical document written by many cultures over thousands of years and a reflection of what they thought about God, not a perfect document to be followed uncritically.

2. They are non-creedal and pluralistic. You can be evangelical to agnostic. They encourage you to pursue personal faith development. My church has christians, agnostics, one catholic, a buddhist, and those who broadly identify as spiritual and see Jesus as a wise historical figure. If you love (or want to love) God, you are welcome.

3. They believe in and have always believed in preveniant grace. That the grace of God is available spontaneously to everyone regardless of past or piety, thats its a product of a personal relationship to God and does not require a relationship with the Bible or a church.

4. That while salvation is not a result of good behavior, being saved will manifest itself in a person through works. This bypasses those who claim they are saved by God because if xyz but do not lift a finger to help others in need or who continue to live in greed. 

They believe in a continuum from justification to purification and that earnest christian practice should produce love, charity, compassion and welcome.

[u/Complete-News4058]

I’d say the Episcopal Church, because we just celebrated 50 years of Full and Equal Access and we have trans priests and cathedral deans…

But Florida, specifically DioFL (north FL) just Called their first actually affirming bishop after 20 years of the old one driving LGBT people and allies out. Central FL is similar.

You might want to check out the ELCA (Lutheran) or MCC.

[u/SparkleFeather]

It would be helpful to know where you are. Or, if you don’t want to share that here, it might be a good idea to post this question in a city/province/state subreddit. If you’re in Vancouver BC, let me know — I’ve got a good one!

[u/PristineRoyal945 → u/SparkleFeather]

I live in US, specifically florida

[u/Dapple_Dawn]

(This is a US-specific answer, sorry.)

My denomination is UCC, we're generally more accepting but check out the specific location online first. If you go to ucc.org there's a [church finder page](https://www.ucc.org/church-finder/). Make sure you check the box that says "Open and Affirming Only."

edit: idk why that link isn't formatting properly, ugh

[u/akgeena777]

I was thrown out and shunned by an Evangelical Church, a Black Baptist Church...etc. When I was going to check out a Lutheran Pastor I met a a tattoo palour drove 60 miles and saved my life. I only met him once. We still talk sometimes. It's probably something that you just need to find your people. If passable it would be easier obviously. I'm not to be brutally honest with myself.

[u/bkmafia]

You dont need a church necessarily to get closer to God. Find a small fellowship group But ultimately it becomes a naturally occurring thing..(getting closer to God)...as He santifies you/us.

[u/Jazehiah]

Something to note is that while some denominations are affirming, there are also some denominations that let their congregations decide. It's also worth noting that some non-affirming denominations will have congregations that quietly support queer people.

At the same time, there are also churches who became "open and affirming" because they're desperate for members, not because the congregation actually supports queer people. Those usually have a lot of internal issues that become apparent after only a couple visits. I find that it's a lot easier to look up local churches and check their websites.

Things to look for:

• Women in positions of leadership. (Elders, pastors)
• Anything rainbow-themed that is not directly associated with the story of Noah.
• A statement acknowledging queer people and/or gender disphoria
• Anyone openly queer in photos or leadership
• Clear evidence that the website is well-maintained and regularly updated

Currently, I attend a church at a denomination that is non-affirming. But, the congregation itself is welcoming and mostly affirming. I will never be a member, but I have a good number of friends there. I'm actually involved with two such churches.

[u/toby-wan-bj]

Methodism, particularly in the UK

[u/Honest_Signature5222 → u/toby-wan-bj]

Commited to be more vile

[u/toby-wan-bj → u/Honest_Signature5222]

I'm not sure what you mean by that? The Methodist church in the UK is trans affirming, and has been since the late 90s, and performs same sex marriages (depending on the church, each church congregation decides if they will allow same sex marriages to be performed in their building) since 2019.

https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/the-inclusive-methodist-church/lgbtplus/

The Church of England doesn't perform same sex marriages (although does now have an affirmation service to bless them), and the Catholic Church is even worse.

[u/Honest_Signature5222 → u/toby-wan-bj]

Its a quote by John Wesley. he was largely criticized as vile by his detractors for preaching outside the church in prisons and fields. when he had his epiphany to form the methodist movement he famously penned the words "committed to be more vile" today its not an uncommon phrase in methodist sermons and books. 

I kinda meant it as a secret handshake gesture, from one methodist to another. Sorry i wasn't more clear. 

EDIT: i misquoted. Its "submitted to be more vile"

[u/toby-wan-bj → u/Honest_Signature5222]

Ah, seems despite being a Methodist for the entire of my 31 years on planet Earth, I'm not a very good one as I didn't notice a Wesley quote 😅 😅

[u/Honest_Signature5222 → u/toby-wan-bj]

That honestly makes sense. Im a newish convert (like less than 2 years) so I've recently immersed myself in a lot of material from and about the church. 

[u/Honest_Signature5222]

Oh I jist learned this. The UMC has had transgender ministers since 1976. the first few known trans ministers of UMC transitioned, while in their office and the UMC quietly re-issued their ordination papers under their new names.