Our Mission
Reconciling in Christ Forum with Guest Speaker Ashlei Buhrow of ReconcilingWorks.
Christ the Servant is in the process of discerning whether to become a Reconciling in Christ partner through the independent Lutheran organization Reconciling Works: Lutherans for Full Participation. The RIC designation identifies Lutheran churches, synods, colleges, and seminaries that are committed to the welcome, inclusion, and celebration of all people, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex or asexual/aromantic (LGBTQIA+). It marks these faith communities as safe and liberating environments for people who have often been rejected and hurt by society, their family and the church. Jesus welcomed everyone who sought him, recognizing them as children of God. Jew or Greek, rich or poor, healthy or infirm: all were granted access to God's grace. This process is meant to clarify and publicly proclaim the extravagant hospitality we already see in practice in our congregation. We approach the journey with humility and trust that wherever God leads us, it will be for the benefit of our church and our community.
HELPFUL LINKS
- How to Become RIC: Includes the RIC Public Partner Commitments & Resources for the Journey.
- Find an RIC Partner: ReconcilingWorks's database of RIC communities.
- Living the Journey videos: Profiles of two churches which became RIC in 1985 and 2016.
- Clunky Questions videos: Short videos of Lutheran LGBTQ+ clergy and laypeople answering commonly asked questions.
- Becoming an RIC (Reconciling in Christ) Congregation video: A 36-minute workshop hosted by the Southeastern Synod in collaboration with Reonciling Works.
- Lutheran Introduction To Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, & Gender Expression (SOGIE): A primer on understanding what "LGBTQ+" means and why we need to talk about it.
- Building an Inclusive Church in English and Español: An exhaustive toolbook the RIC ministry team has studied and drawn from in planning how to best shepherd CTS through this process.
- For the Bible Tells Me So: A 2007 documentary about LGBTQ+ Christians and their families' histories within the church, screened during the Adult Education Hour in November and December 2021. Rent it on Apple TV or contact the ministry team.