Open and affirming
Encyclopedia
Open and Affirming is an official designation of congregations and other settings within the United Church of Christ
(UCC) denomination affirming the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons (LGBT) in that setting's life and ministry.
The Open and Affirming program is administered by the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns, which supports congregations and other church settings as they consider adoption of an ONA covenant and maintains the official list of ONA settings. The Coalition encourages UCC congregations, campus ministries, seminaries, regional bodies and other communities to engage their members in serious study of sexual orientation and gender identity and to declare publicly their full welcome and inclusion of LGBT people. With more than 900 congregations, the UCC's ONA program is the largest of several LGBT-welcoming church movements in U.S. and Canadian churches.
The 1985 resolution had no legislative authority over individual congregations, which are autonomous, but set in motion a movement that spread rapidly in the church.
The resolution allocated no funds to support an ONA program in the UCC's national office. As a result, the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns launched an ONA program in 1987, headed by the Rev. Ann B. Day and Donna Enberg, which raised funds from individual contributors, sympathetic congregations and private foundations. http://www.ucccoalition.org/Programs/ONA/Quicklist.html To this day, the ONA program and the official list of ONA settings is managed by the Coalition, a voluntary organization independent from the church's national office.
New York City's Riverside Church
, under the pastoral leadership of the late Rev. William Sloane Coffin
, was the first in the UCC to be listed as ONA. http://news.ucc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=640&Itemid=54
According to the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns, 917 UCC congregations and other settings are listed as officially Open and Affirming as of February 2011. A number of the UCC's 38 conferences, many new church starts, all seven seminaries affiliated with the UCC and six UCC-related campus ministries have adopted ONA statements.
In reaction against the perceived promotion of the ONA movement by denominational officials, fifty-nine congregations have identified themselves as "Faithful and Welcoming" by affirming the Lexington Confession (named for the North Carolina
town where it was drafted), which affirms marriage as an institution between a man and woman. http://faithfulandwelcoming.org/. The FWC website states that "[t]his perspective on human sexuality has been affirmed by General Synod
s in “non-binding” resolutions [sic] summarized by the 'Open and Affirming' movement. Only ten percent of UCC churches have officially adopted the ONA perspective, but the entire denomination is being marketed as ONA through the Still Speaking campaign." http://faithfulandwelcoming.org/faw/content/show.asp?mne=faq In fact, nearly 19 percent of UCC congregations have adopted ONA covenants, and the number is rapidly growing at a rate of three congregations per month.
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
(UCC) denomination affirming the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons (LGBT) in that setting's life and ministry.
The Open and Affirming program is administered by the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns, which supports congregations and other church settings as they consider adoption of an ONA covenant and maintains the official list of ONA settings. The Coalition encourages UCC congregations, campus ministries, seminaries, regional bodies and other communities to engage their members in serious study of sexual orientation and gender identity and to declare publicly their full welcome and inclusion of LGBT people. With more than 900 congregations, the UCC's ONA program is the largest of several LGBT-welcoming church movements in U.S. and Canadian churches.
History
In 1985 the United Church of Christ's General Synod adopted the Open and Affirming (ONA) resolution, encouraging UCC congregations to welcome (or consider welcoming) gay, lesbian, and bisexual members into their life and programs. Following subsequent General Synod resolutions affirming transgender members of the church, the welcome was extended so that, today, an ONA covenant typically welcomes members of any "sexual orientation" or "gender identity and expression."The 1985 resolution had no legislative authority over individual congregations, which are autonomous, but set in motion a movement that spread rapidly in the church.
The resolution allocated no funds to support an ONA program in the UCC's national office. As a result, the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns launched an ONA program in 1987, headed by the Rev. Ann B. Day and Donna Enberg, which raised funds from individual contributors, sympathetic congregations and private foundations. http://www.ucccoalition.org/Programs/ONA/Quicklist.html To this day, the ONA program and the official list of ONA settings is managed by the Coalition, a voluntary organization independent from the church's national office.
New York City's Riverside Church
Riverside Church
The Riverside Church in the City of New York is an interdenominational church in New York City, famous for its elaborate Neo-Gothic architecture—which includes the world's largest tuned carillon bell...
, under the pastoral leadership of the late Rev. William Sloane Coffin
William Sloane Coffin
William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was an American liberal Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. He was ordained in the Presbyterian church and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ....
, was the first in the UCC to be listed as ONA. http://news.ucc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=640&Itemid=54
According to the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns, 917 UCC congregations and other settings are listed as officially Open and Affirming as of February 2011. A number of the UCC's 38 conferences, many new church starts, all seven seminaries affiliated with the UCC and six UCC-related campus ministries have adopted ONA statements.
Opposition
The website of the United Church of Christ has stated, "The United Church of Christ seeks to be Multiracial, Multicultural, Open and Affirming, and Accessible to All - A Church where everyone is welcome".In reaction against the perceived promotion of the ONA movement by denominational officials, fifty-nine congregations have identified themselves as "Faithful and Welcoming" by affirming the Lexington Confession (named for the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
town where it was drafted), which affirms marriage as an institution between a man and woman. http://faithfulandwelcoming.org/. The FWC website states that "[t]his perspective on human sexuality has been affirmed by General Synod
General Synod
-Church of England:In the Church of England, the General Synod, which was established in 1970 , is the legislative body of the Church.-Episcopal Church of the United States:...
s in “non-binding” resolutions [sic] summarized by the 'Open and Affirming' movement. Only ten percent of UCC churches have officially adopted the ONA perspective, but the entire denomination is being marketed as ONA through the Still Speaking campaign." http://faithfulandwelcoming.org/faw/content/show.asp?mne=faq In fact, nearly 19 percent of UCC congregations have adopted ONA covenants, and the number is rapidly growing at a rate of three congregations per month.
See also
- United Church of ChristUnited Church of ChristThe United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
- LGBT-welcoming church programsLGBT-welcoming church programsLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender affirming religious groups are religious groups that welcome LGBT members and do not consider homosexuality to be a sin. They include entire religious denominations, as well as individual churches and synagogues...