My Faith Journey as a Gay Man (Chapter 1)
Lutherans Concerned led me to a deep sense of belonging in my faith and sexuality.
This is the first of three chapters of my faith journey as a gay man I shared in my . I’m continuing to document this journey on Medium. To provide readers with the context of new stories, I’m sharing the start down this path — helping frame new installments and offering an understanding of where I started and how I arrived at this point.
August, 20, 2024
Lutheranism has recently been in the news with the selection of Tim Walz, a Minnesota Lutheran, as Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential candidate. We are both lifelong members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Conservatives typically perceive the ELCA as a liberal Christian denomination, yet its member congregations hold a variety of theological positions.
My Lutheran congregation, founded by German immigrants in the early 1900s, was typical of Lutheran churches in my younger years where discussions about sex, let alone homosexuality, were nonexistent. That silence from the pulpit had me grappling with doubts about my place in the church and my faith in the early 1970s.
Lutherans Concerned for Gay People emerged in the wake of Stonewall as a faith-based organization supporting gay and lesbian Lutherans. Founded in 1974, it offered a place of sanctuary for gay and lesbian Lutherans seeking to reconcile their faith with their sexual identity.
I spent many hours researching homosexuality and the gay rights movement at the Kent State Library during my college years. I stumbled upon Lutherans Concerned in a 1975 news article about gay and lesbian people of faith. Wanting to learn more, I reached out to them via mail.
A letter from Lutherans Concerned arrived shortly after, offering much-needed validation, and affirming my faith as a gay man. The Californian writer described the movement’s work and expanding ministry but noted that Ohio lacked a local presence. Inspired by his letter, I subscribed to their quarterly publication, The Gay Lutheran.
Fifteen years later, I returned to Northeast Ohio with my future husband after an eighteen-month consulting stint in Cincinnati. A surprise awaited me in the mail. It was an invitation to a gathering of local gay and lesbian Lutherans interested in establishing a Lutherans Concerned chapter.
My husband, a non-Lutheran, and I made our way to Cuyahoga Falls on a chilly November evening to join the gathering. I was excited to finally meet Lutherans Concerned members face-to-face, instead of just reading about their existence in The Gay Lutheran.
A small group gathered in the church parsonage. It did not take long for a sense of community to form. Our shared connections of faith and sexuality would deeply influence my future life. We concluded the evening committing to establish Lutherans Concerned Northeast Ohio. Our chapter was officially recognized by the Lutherans Concerned board.
Our initial task was establishing leadership roles. I became the chapter secretary and newsletter editor. We sought a permanent meeting location. The organizer, now our convener, and his pastor requested and received permission from their church council to host Lutherans Concerned. Our ministry within that church grew and flourished as part of their community outreach.
Names and identities: Lutherans Concerned for Gay People, founded in 1974, evolved into Lutherans Concerned for Gay and Lesbian People during the 1980s. The organization expanded its ministry in the mid-1990s to bisexual and transgender individuals, becoming Lutherans Concerned for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People. Today, the organization is known as Reconciling Works.
Our primary method of publicizing our ministry was in the Gay Peoples Chronicle, the Cleveland gay and lesbian weekly newspaper. Our chapter pastor and convener were both active in synod-wide ministries allowing them to publicize our chapter. Word of mouth spread through the local gay and lesbian community of our ministry.
Within months, our meetings had grown, attracting between 20 and 30 people. A diversity of faiths was represented with a strong Lutheran presence. Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Catholics joined us for interfaith fellowship. Our gatherings began with an interdenominational worship service led by a Lutheran pastor, followed by a potluck meal, and ended with a program of interest.
In 1990, gay and lesbian seminarians challenged the ELCA’s policy prohibiting their ordination as pastors. This act of defiance sparked a wider movement that grew through the 1990s. Recognizing the need to expand the ministry beyond offering a place of sanctuary, Lutherans Concerned embraced advocacy and became the voice for changes in church policy to achieve the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals.
By the late 1990s, advocacy had become the primary focus of Lutherans' Concerned mission. Local chapters faced a pivotal decision: provide a place of sanctuary and/or engage in advocacy for full inclusion. Recognizing the diverse needs of their communities, Lutherans Concerned chapters tailored their work and mission accordingly.
The early 2000s marked a large shift in societal acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals. As more congregations extended a welcome to LGBTQ+ Lutherans, attendance at monthly Lutherans Concerned gatherings dwindled. The need for a place is sanctuary was no longer needed. Lutherans Concerned Northeast Ohio concluded its ministry after fifteen years of in-person meetings.
While in-person gatherings declined, advocacy efforts within the church grew. Our synod council, with the bishop’s endorsement, established a gay and lesbian task force. This development provided Lutherans Concerned with a platform to champion the inclusion of LGBTQ Lutherans within the Church.
The official recognition by the synod allowed Lutherans Concerned and the task force to participate in the annual synod assembly resource fair. To promote the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals within the church, the task force organized quarterly workshops across the synod, incorporating materials from the ELCA’s sexuality studies. These efforts marked a significant stride forward for LGBTQ+ rights in Northeast Ohio.
In 2007, I held leadership roles as chair of the Northeast Ohio Synod Task Force for Gay and Lesbian People and president of my congregation. Beyond these positions, I was actively engaged in various Lutheran and synod ministries. Building upon my previous experiences as a Lutherans Concerned convener and regional director, I dedicated myself to advocating for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ Lutherans within the church.
More than three decades had elapsed since I first grappled with questions about faith and sexuality. This journey ended with a deep sense of belonging in both aspects of my identity. Yet, this narrative was not complete. The story continued, unfolding in ways unimaginable to my younger self. I look forward to sharing further chapters in future installments of Rainbow Threads.
Sometimes it takes doing what people say you’re not supposed to be doing to find out what’s true for you. Oprah
