Letter to the Congregation

Dear Gathering Church Friends and Family,

Who is welcome to belong to The Gathering Church? Everyone. Or “all y’all” as we like to say. Jesus’ invitation to belong to God’s family goes out to all. Two of our core values are: “showing God’s grace to all” (1 Peter 4:10*) and “inviting everyone into caring relationships with God and one another” (Luke 10:27**).  We put these beliefs into practice every Sunday at the communion table when we invite all who are present to participate in the fellowship of the Lord’s Supper. We hope everyone experiences the incredible love of Jesus.

As many of you know, our church has always been a place of welcome and grace for all. I'm reminded of our first tagline: “skeptics, seekers & believers welcome.” The original sign still hangs in the church office. 

In that same spirit, I’d like to share with you a new Statement of Belonging. This belonging statement continues our original hope for everyone to experience the incredible love of Jesus and flows from our mission statement and core values. It's a recognition of who we already are and who we hope to become with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Here it is:

Our Statement of Belonging

In all things, we seek to follow Jesus and the way he loved others. He respected the dignity of all people and affirmed God’s image in them. His words and acts were full of grace.

This means that we invite people into a community of belonging. Our congregation welcomes and includes all sorts of differences: race, age, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, political affiliation, theological perspective, gender identity, socioeconomic status, denominational background, citizenship, language  — whatever makes you who you are. 

As a reflection of our shared life and identity in Jesus, we invite all to participate fully in our covenantal life together. This includes practices like communion, child dedication, baptism, marriage, service, leadership, and ordination. Each week, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us stand against injustice and cultivate this diverse community united around Jesus.

We hope to sustain a diverse community of belonging united around Jesus, and that includes you. Your ability to belong, serve or lead is not contingent on these identifiers. Jesus binds us together.

Questions, definitions, and debates about identity are everywhere. As the Body of Christ, we are called to the mutual formation of one another as we grow in the likeness of Christ. We are beloved children of God, and we proclaim Jesus is Lord. All other identities fall within this identity (Galatians 3:26-28***). Too often, debates about politics, sexuality, gender, theology, etc. presuppose that those identities are the primary ones we carry, rather than our identity found in Jesus. We belong to God and each other.

How did this belonging statement come about? Our staff receive frequent requests asking for clarity on the level of welcome and participation for LGBTQ+ folks in our congregation. These requests come from people within our church and from potential visitors wondering if they or their family members will be welcome, safe, and able to participate fully in the life of our congregation. I lament that they must ask, but I’m filled with hope that they continue to do so.

In 2023 a congregant wrote to the Leadership Team asking for an additional statement on our website that would clarify the church’s support of folks in the LGBTQ+ community, alongside the Statement on Racial Injustice and the Statement on Anti-Asian Violence & Hate which were on our site at that time. While this was not the first time someone has asked what The Gathering Church believes about sexuality or gender, this was the first time someone asked the Leadership Team for clarity.

During a process of prayer and discernment, the Leadership Team felt led to write a single broader statement that both names our stance against injustice and seeks to clarify who is welcome to belong. This includes, but is not limited to, those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Why do we need a belonging statement? Can’t we just say ‘All are welcome’ on our website? 

1. We need this statement because of prior harm and exclusion. Throughout history, churches have kicked folks out or never allowed them to fully belong due to their race, gender or other identity markers. Too often churches say they welcome all, but in practice they mean they welcome them up to a certain point. Some people don’t know if they’re welcome and/or safe in a church unless the church explicitly states they are welcome and safe. History has taught them to assume they’re not; we want them to know they are.

2. We also need this statement because we value unity rather than uniformity. Jesus unites us in all our difference. I’m grateful to belong to a community made up of diverse individuals who hold a variety of beliefs and perspectives. In our polarized society today, people find it almost impossible to disagree and stay together. We want to be a witness to the world that unity is possible, that we can disagree well and follow Jesus together. We already do this, and we will continue to do so. We need each other to discover the fullness of who God is. We belong to each other.

Next Steps: You may have questions about this. You may want to discuss the biblical and theological arguments related to these issues. You may want to talk about the history of biblical interpretation and how it has affected these conversations. Wonderful! Whatever is on your heart, I would love to talk with you. Our life together is based on trust, vulnerability, love and mutual formation. I became a pastor because God called me to walk with people on their faith journeys through life. I’m thankful for the privilege to do that with this particular congregation.

I am grateful for the Leadership Team in their partnership with the staff to clarify who can belong to our community. In addition to talking with me, you can reach out to our Leadership Team Co-Chairs (Megan and Matt) or other members of the pastoral staff.

Grace & Peace dear friends,

Pastor Curt (in partnership with the Leadership Team and Pastoral Staff)

06/20/2025

*Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)

**He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Luke 10:27 NIV)

***So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28 NIV)