The Student Christian Movement’s Honest Church campaign asks churches to write “with greater honesty about the true welcome that LGBTQ+ people receive” and to be honest about women’s opportunities or limits in the church. It also encourages us as to think about how we can be more welcoming for people with disabilities.
In the spirit of supporting this, we want to make clear where we stand:
We are part of the United Reformed Church (URC), a Christian denomination which has publicly affirmed the dignity of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people, opposed so-called conversion ‘therapy’, and which allowed individual churches to offer same-sex marriage since 2016 if they wish to do so. There are no limits whatsoever on the role women can play, and for over a hundred years, women have been welcomed as ordained ministers, often occupying the most senior roles in the denomination. Local churches hold a range of views on inclusion with integrity, so here is a little about St. Andrew’s with Castle Gate:
LGBTQ+ inclusion:
- We perform same-sex marriages.
- We have LGBTQ+ people in the congregation and in leadership roles.
- We’ve hosted special services for the LGBTQ+ community at Pride and at other times.
- We host The OpenHouse, an affirming group for LGBTQ+ people of faith.
- Those in leadership, including those leading worship, are passionate about inclusion, and we’ve had a number of discussions as a church about LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Opportunities for women:
- Women may serve in all roles within our church. We have no gender-based limits for attending, serving, or leading within our community and when creating decision-making groups, we make sure to consider gender balance.
- Female ministers are common in the United Reformed Church and we often have services led by women, including communion.
- Many of our church leaders (Elders and secretarial team members) are women.
Disability inclusion:
We have level access to the main part of the church, and a lift which makes the rest of our building accessible for those who can’t use the stairs. The sanctuary (a Grade II listed Victorian building) has fixed wooden pews, which may limit manoeuvrability, and there are some tight spaces and areas with slightly raised floors. Our welcome team on a Sunday morning can help find you somewhere to sit, just ask.
We print an order of service for worship, so you’ll be able to know what we are doing and about to do. We have large-print copies and also print some on coloured paper to help anyone with dyslexia. We also have large print hymn books.
We have a loop-system to support those who use hearing aids with a “T” position. When we’re busy, coffee time after church may get a little loud. Some people might prefer to move to a quieter part of the room or to move onto the garden terrace, and you’re welcome to do so.
A further note on our facilities:
- We have noted the URC response to the UK Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers which may be read HERE.
- We wish everyone to feel included, safe and welcome in our church. For information, we have accessible toilets and other unisex/mixed-sex/gender neutral toilets which are fully enclosed as well as men’s and women’s toilets.
The honest church campaign asks churches to score themselves from 1-5 on the scales outlined in the Honest Church “toolkit”. (To understand the scoring system better please visit the individual toolkits on the Honest Church website). For women’s roles we think we are a “5”. For LGBTQ+ welcome we hope we are a “5”. Here is why we are not certain:
- We are not a church that expects everyone to agree on everything. Whilst a majority of members support same sex marriage for example, a few were unsure or didn’t think we should. (Like any “family” we accept that we will not agree all the time, but are pleased to be part of a congregation which respects and loves each other regardless, and recognises that opinions can change over time.)
- We are not a church started by, or led primarily by, LGBTQ+ people.
We really hope that by being honest, everyone (including students and young people) can decide whether we are a church where they might feel safe and welcome. Taking the first step into a new church can be a daunting experience, but whoever you are, and wherever you are on life’s journey, we hope you feel welcome here.
You may read our general “welcome statement” HERE.