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 10th 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
Belinda R. King, President and CEO, Disciples Church Extension Fund
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. Bill Rose-Heim, Regional Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Greater Kansas City
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
Rev. Dr. Paul Koch, Regional Minister, Mid-America Region
Rev. Dr. Nadine Burton, Executive Regional Minister, Great River Region
Rev Dr. Don Gillette, Regional Minister, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky
Rev. Dr. Cathy Myers Wirt, Regional Co-Minister, Christian Church in Oregon and Southwest Idaho
Rev. Dr. La Taunya Bynum, Regional Minister, Christian Church of Northern California/Nevada
Rev. Pamela Holt, Regional Minister, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma