Reconciling Congregation since 1996
On Sunday, February 11, 1996, Trinity members present at a called church conference adopted the following statement, officially adding Trinity’s name to the list of individuals, churches, conferences and agencies who support “opening the doors” of the UMC to homosexual men and women:
We the congregation of Trinity United Methodist Church in Atlanta, GA, welcome into our fellowship all persons, regardless of their religious, racial, or ethnic background, social or economic station, or sexual orientation. Therefore, we affirm that the reconciliation offered for all creation through Jesus Christ is thereby offered to all, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons. This reconciliation is not based on any condition except the desire to acknowledge Christ as redeemer and to live as life which demonstrates God’s love for all the world. We recognize that God challenges us all to find responsible, committed, and loving forms of relating to one another. We commit ourselves to ongoing prayer, study, and conversation about what this challenge means for all our life and ministry together.
We affirm with the larger United Methodist Church that homosexual persons no less than heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth. We accordingly propose that Trinity UMC become an official Reconciling Congregation. We invite other United Methodist congregations to join us in this stand, that those who before have felt abandoned by the church will now feel welcomed into the fellowship of believers.
To acknowledge the diversity of theological interpretation in the United Methodist Church on this matter, we furthermore ask the General Conference to remove the words from the Discipline (par. 402.2) that state the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching and that deny ordination to self-avowed, practicing homosexual persons.