It was good to have a month off from writing, but I’m now back, pounding away on a keyboard, and I must say thank you to Don for that break! Last month he wanted to update his story first published here in September 2021.
For many years the Metropolitan Community Church in Glasgow has attended Pride (as Don explained in his story) to provide an antidote to those churches who like to shout abuse at those who parade at Pride, telling them that they are condemned by God unless they repent of their sin (of homosexuality, as they see it). I guess other sins are okay? Frequently the only thing many LGBTQ+ people hear from the church is how much God detests sin and that being gay (or whatever) is one of the terrible sins you must stop doing. So, why would anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ be interested in a god like that; a god who condemns them for being something they can do literally nothing about? Fortunately, that is not the God of the Bible.
MCC, along with a handful of other people representing other churches, go to Pride each year to talk about a God who loves and cares for the community, regarding them as precious and valued in His sight – I was told this was a false message by the shouty people, who also accused me of being a heretic! Well, one day I can talk to God about that, but I’m convinced he’ll have a smile on His face and be quite chilled about it.
To continue my slight sidetrack and quickly comment on that wrong-headed thinking of saying God condemns homosexuality: for newbies, I have dealt with that issue many times, both in my original essay, and in various blogs over the last few years, including the series of blogs from last October through to January, where I discussed what we call the clobber passages. I don’t like calling parts of the Bible “clobber passages” but use that term deliberately, because that’s how many Christians treat it. They wrongly use six passages as a kind of “whack-a-mole” approach against all those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
A new film titled “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture” has recently been released on Amazon Prime. Based on the research of Kathy Baldock, the film explores how the translators of the Revised Standard Version at Yale University in 1946, under the leadership of Dr. Luther Weigle (Dean of Yale Divinity and head of the RSV translation team), erroneously used the term “homosexual” in their translation. This choice was made instead of using “sexual abusers/predators,” or the term “sexual perverts,” to which the Revised Standard Version reverted in 1971. The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition released 2 years ago, now uses the term “men who engage in illicit sex“, but also note that the footnote says the meaning of the Greek is uncertain.
All of those terms would have been more aligned with the original text and more consistent with Paul’s “vice lists”, which include behaviours that individuals can choose to engage in (and that always involve a victim) or refrain from. Being homosexual is not a choice, prompting us to reconsider whether the translators selected the appropriate term. Throughout the New Testament, there are several other “vice lists,” and I encourage you to identify any vices where choice is not a factor. Additionally, a companion book to the film, titled “Forging A Sacred Weapon: How The Bible Became Anti-Gay,” is set to be released soon, also authored by Kathy Baldock. However, as I write this, it has not yet been published, and I do not have a release date.
Getting back on track, Don wanted to update his story so that at Pride, if asked about his story, he could have a web page to refer to when we got ourselves involved in deep discussions. In his story, Don talked about his background, his early experiences, his relationship with Jesus, how his life was changed, and how he is now the Assistant Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church in Glasgow.
Since MCC has been referred to several times in various Blogs, I have been asking myself the question, “Just how much do folks outside MCC know about the Metropolitan Community Church”? Personally, I knew nothing before I visited, and I have been in churches the whole of my life. My suspicion is that for most, what they know can be written on the blank spaces on the front of a current postage stamp! Is it a sect? Does MCC believe in the Bible, and if so, just how much? Why create a new denomination and not just work within existing ones?
Today you can find MCC churches in many countries and on every continent, but where and when was the first MCC church founded? By way of caveat, although I quote from several MCC sources, what I write is from my own personal research and experience, rather than any officially sanctioned writing. On the MCC church website it says: “In 1968, a year before New York’s Stonewall Riots, a series of most unlikely events in Southern California resulted in the birth of the world’s first church group with a primary, positive ministry to gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender persons.
Those events, a failed relationship, an attempted suicide, a reconnection with God, an unexpected prophecy, and the birth of a dream led to MCC’s first worship service: a gathering of 12 people in Rev. Troy Perry’s living room in Huntington Park, California on October 6, 1968.
That first worship service in a Los Angeles suburb in 1968 launched the international movement of Metropolitan Community Churches, which today has grown to 43,000 members and adherents in almost 300 congregations in 22 countries.”
That is the introduction. Can I encourage you to read the fuller story at that website, it’s probably a 15-minute read (when you’ve finished this!). If you want the complete story of the birth of the church, look for the book: “Don’t Be Afraid Anymore: The Story of Reverend Troy Perry and the Metropolitan Community Churches” co-authored by Troy D. Perry (Author), Thomas L. P. Swicegood.
Since its founding, the church has been recognized as an international LGBT-affirming mainline Protestant Christian denomination that embraces an interdenominational approach, allowing individuals from diverse backgrounds to come together in worship. Here, you will find former Catholics worshipping alongside ex-Baptists, Pentecostals, Anglicans, Methodists, and many others. While the worship style may lean towards the traditional, individual members may express a more charismatic dimension to their faith in their personal devotions. Although the core practices are fundamentally Protestant, the church remains open to various expressions of worship, as one of its main goals is to foster inclusivity—a value that is cherished and actively pursued. Inclusivity extends beyond sexuality and gender to encompass race, abilities, socio-economic status, mental health, age, and more. Many within the community have faced prejudice and rejection, making it essential for the church to serve as a safe haven for all. Given the long histories of exclusion that many have endured, finding a welcoming and safe church is far more important than its specific style of worship.
There are not many MCC churches across the UK* at present. HowevBrightoner, there are MCC churches in: Exeter, Bournemouth, Brighton has two (MCC Brighton and The Village MCC), London also has two (East London** and North London), Newcastle*** and finally, Glasgow.
* It’s clear that the links on that page have not been updated for a while, and most should have been changed years ago to the more secure, https protocol.
** Site doesn’t seem to have been updated much since Covid.
*** Some browsers may not be happy because the site is still using http, rather than https. Viewing the content will be fine but be cautious about leaving personal info unless you are using a VPN. [Techie note: http://…., the bit at the beginning of the web link, is much easier for the bad guys to get access to, whereas https:// is much more secure.]
A few of these churches regularly post their services on YouTube, and these are Bournemouth (Inclusive Community Church), MCC Brighton, Northern Lights MCC (Newcastle) and MCC in Glasgow, but a couple of those don’t (yet!) mention it on their web site. I’m sure they will soon fall into line! So why not check out a service for one of those churches on YouTube sometime?
To share a bit of my personal journey, I once served on the leadership team, known as Deacons, at a Baptist church. During that time, the church was becoming increasingly vocal about its negative stance towards the LGBTQ+ community, while I was grappling with my own beliefs about how God views that community. As I revisited and deepened my understanding of John 3:16, I came to realize that God does not make exceptions regarding who can receive His blessings—contrary to the church’s exclusionary practices towards LGBTQ+ individuals. This revelation compelled me to resign my membership and leave the church, having already stepped away from the leadership role.
About fifteen months later, after exploring most of the churches in the area that I felt drawn to, I still hadn’t found a place that felt like home. Although I had heard of the Metropolitan Community Church through a news article, I had been hesitant to engage with them, viewing it as a “single issue” church. I’ve always been wary of congregations with a narrow focus—whether aimed at young people, specific ethnic groups, or particular styles of worship—so the idea of attending a church where everyone identified as LGBTQ+ while I did not, felt daunting. Nevertheless, feeling out of options, I decided to give it a try, uncertain of what to expect. (Later, I came across another article in The Herald that further piqued my interest.)
I visited, but with caution, and with a theological agenda. In Acts 10 and 11 we have the story of Peter being called to visit Cornelius a “Gentile” (Jews were not allowed to associate with Gentiles much like many churches don’t want you to associate with the LGBTQ+ community). In my original essay (that ultimately resulted in the creation of this website), I wrote:
“God shows a hungry Peter a whole load of unclean animals and tells him to “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” Peter effectively tells God “No chance!” Then God makes an incredible comment in verse 15: ‘The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, …’
… and whenever that happens in Scripture, we know it is an imperative. Not only that but we can’t make the excuse that God was only talking about food. This was a Divine Principle, and Peter recognises that this applied not just to food but to everything, including people, because when he gets to the house of Cornelius he tells him in verse 28: “But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. …” [Emphasis mine but strongly endorsed by Scripture.]
Later, Peter speaks to the assembled family and friends and says: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35 but accepts those from every nation who fear him and do what is right. … 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 ‘Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’”
Not only that, but Peter then explains himself to the church in chapter 11: 1-18. He tells the story again including the sheet being let down three times. Effectively the principle has been given to us eight times: three times in the initial story, three times in his report to the church, once in Peter’s comments to Cornelius, and once at the start of his message. How important is that then?! Not only that, but the Holy Spirit fell on this family group, to the astonishment of Peter and his companions (10: 45-47), and he comments to the church in chapter 11 verse 15 that: “the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”
So, my agenda was that I was looking for evidence of the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit, and, since my hesitations were quickly set at rest, even though the worship did not have the vibrancy of the worship I had been accustomed to, I felt this was the place God had for me and have stayed there ever since. It has been wonderful to recognise how God’s spirit has been at work in the lives of some of our folk. People arrived uncertain and damaged but then found a sense of purpose, along with a real and personal faith – even if they continued to have many questions. They may have arrived saying “Not sure if I can accept that!” but have progressed to grabbing a Study Bible and saying, “Have you seen what it says in this footnote?”
In Mark 10: 14-16, Jesus says: “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” Little children ask many questions, like to understand, and remain vulnerable, but they tend to be very trusting.
But what about the specific beliefs of the Metropolitan Community Church? As I said earlier, the church is described on Wikipedia as being a “mainline Protestant” church. It is not a radical fringe sect with questionable theological leanings.
Of foundational importance to the MCC is that they have always adopted both the Apostles Creed (2nd Century CE) and the Nicene Creed (381CE) since their earliest Statements of Faith in 1972/3. MCC also adopted “The Definition of Chalcedon” (451 CE). There are multiple marginally different versions of all, but I’ll quote here the familiar versions used by the Church of England.
The Apostles Creed states:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
The Nicene Creed says:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
So, nothing to scare the evangelicals out there! Although the Chalcedonian Definition (a declaration about the nature of Christ being fully God and fully human – look it up!) has never been formally mentioned in the MCC Statement of Faith, its teachings are core to how the MCC have traditionally understood Jesus Christ. For the completists and theologians out there, MCC has a Companion Guide to the MCC Statement of Faith which you can download and read here.
Regarding its governance, each church operates as a self-governing, legally independent entity, with authority vested in its congregational meetings, which have the right to manage all of its affairs in accordance with the principles of the parent organization. Annually, each church allocates ten percent of its income to support the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the global parent body of the MCC.
In common with most other Christian churches MCC recognise the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, though both are more open than in most other denominations, in that MCC recognises both baptism by complete immersion in water, and, by sprinkling. As I have said, the church is a very diverse body of members coming from many different faith groups and backgrounds, many who have been badly hurt by experiences in previous churches and it is more important to bring healing than enforce a particular tradition. Likewise, MCC operate an “open” communion (anyone can receive communion, regardless of the church they belong to) and the rite is celebrated at every worship service. According to the Companion Guide to the MCC Statement of Faith (above): “All who believe, confess, repent, and seek God’s love after examining their own consciences may freely participate in the communal meal, signifying their desire to be received into His Fellowship, and be saved by His sacrifice.” [p.29]
The Metropolitan Community Church hold to several core values:
- Inclusion – Love is our greatest moral value and resisting exclusion is a primary focus of our ministry. We want to continue to be conduits of faith where everyone is included in the family of God and where all parts of our being are welcomed at God’s table.
- Community – Offering a safe and open community for people to worship, learn, and grow in their faith is our deep desire. We are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that God has called us to do in the world.
- Spiritual Transformation – Providing a message of liberation from the oppressive religious environment of our day or to those experiencing God for the first time is what guides our ministry. We believe that when people are invited to experience God through the life and ministry of Christ, lives will be transformed.
- Justice – Working to talk less and do more, we are committed to resisting the structures that oppress people and standing with those who suffer under the weight of oppressive systems, being guided always by our commitment to Global Human Rights. [PJ – This is a working out of Micah 6:8 – “what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”]
On that previous link, MCC don’t just show their Core Values, but their Vision Statement, Mission Statement and simplified Statement of Faith.
MCC views its mission as being both spiritual and social, advocating for the rights of minorities, especially those within the LGBTQ+ community. The organization has played a pivotal role in the advancement of queer theology. Additionally, many local churches participate in various local, national and international initiatives, such as Trade Justice, Make Poverty History (around the Millenium) and more recently, Asylum Seeker/Refugee rights.
So, what about some of those other questions? Why create a new denomination and not just work within existing ones? Some people are quite happy being LGBTQ+ in certain larger national and international denominations. However, speaking purely personally I think MCC (globally) offers damaged people the chance to receive an element of healing from some of the traumas they have experienced, and additionally to develop their own spiritual gifts that other denominations would prevent. In a sense MCC (globally) can be a kind of spiritual hospital, where people can learn to trust again in a safe environment where, at least in Glasgow’s case, perhaps over 85% of those in church on Sunday are LGBTQ+. As an ally it is wonderful to see LGBTQ+ friends fully participating in every area of church life, where, as I say many churches would prevent them from preaching, serving communion, and leading worship.
There is another issue that also seems pertinent and that is the fluidity of attitudes of churches towards the LGBTQ+ community. We have witnessed greater anti-trans attitudes in the last few years, and whereas many Baptist churches previously operated policies of “Don’t ask/Don’t tell”, there seems to be a narrowing of views. This can also be seen in the Anglican Church where on the one hand a part of the church are pulling in favour of greater acceptance, a significant and noisy part of the church see this as departing from scriptural teachings and are strongly resisting any change, wanting to turn the dial backwards. Other churches, particularly evangelical churches, are going through similar difficulties, so, if you don’t need to be part of these faith groups, life is less stressful. Sadly, for most people there are not enough MCC churches spread across the UK, and many LGBTQ+ worshippers can only use what is available There are openly LGBTQ+ friendly churches out there, but you have to do some digging to find them, so get searching.
MCC is far from perfect, but I hope you find that helpful. If you have any questions, please email me at pjohnson@changingmindsheartslives.org and I’ll try to answer them.
Changing Minds 