Have you ever wondered why you don’t see many LGBTQ-identifying people coming to Christ?
Or do you know the answer to that, but don’t know what to do about it?
Do you know someone in the LGBTQ Community who expresses they have been hurt by the church?
Are you surprised to hear that, in a 2022 Gallup poll, 7% of all Americans say they identify as L, G, B, T, or Q, or that 21% of Gen Z’ers identify within the acronym LGBTQ?
Have you heard that 86% of LGBTQ people say they were raised in a faith community?
Have you been personally impacted by someone close to you who now identifies along the acronym?
You’ve probably heard the twisting of scripture by some who want to justify LGBTQ identity as being within the plan and design of God.
You’ve undoubtedly heard the declaration that goes something like this: “I was born gay, (or lesbian, or bisexual, or transgender), so If God made me this way, how could he condemn me for it?
And, quite possibly, you’ve tried to share your faith with an LGBTQ individual, only to be met with rejection or even hostility.
Perhaps this quenches your willingness to share the gospel with unbelieving LGBTQ individuals.
You are not alone! It is easy to be so caught up in the cultural narrative that seems to fly in the face of Biblical Truth. And it is easy to build resentment toward people because of the cultural narrative, assigning beliefs to individuals before you even meet them.
I get it. I was the person who accepted Christ at 14, was called to ministry at 16, and served as Youth Pastor and Baptist Campus Ministry leader while in college while carrying a secret shame of same-sex attraction.
I was the person who walked away from the church at 21 to pursue what I had come to believe was my identity: A gay identity.
I was the person who tried to interpret scripture to support my sin, and when that didn’t work, began to push Christians away, lashing out at them, blaming them for my guilty feelings, and claiming not to believe scripture.
I developed a hard heart towards all things Christian and lived as I pleased. Any attempt to talk to me about spiritual things was met with harsh rejection. I couldn’t stand to hear anything that did not support my gay self-identity.
To many Christians, I was unreachable. They gave up trying.
Except for one family. A family who learned to show me they cared about me as a person, even if I didn’t share their Christian worldview. A family who included me in gatherings and showed me they valued me as a person. This was my partner’s family.
And, because of them, I returned my heart to the Lord, repenting, asking forgiveness, and surrendering the false identity I had lived in. Because of the relationships built on grace and truth, I opened my heart to the work of the Holy Spirit.
I am now an ordained minister, a husband to an amazing, Godly woman, and a full-time missionary who no longer experiences same-sex attraction. It was quite the journey to freedom, but the same Christians who led me to the cross walked with me, discipled me, challenged, and encouraged me.
“This is one story”, you might say. “The LGBT person in my life is bitter.”
(I was too).
“The LGBTQ person in my world refuses to hear me when I share my faith or try to share the gospel.”
(I refused to listen to gospel presentations – over and over again.).
What was the turning point? Relationship.
Relationship with a couple of Christians who didn’t insist I listen to their faith message. Relationship that allowed me to talk, to share my beliefs, and my concerns about Christianity without fear of reprimand. A relationship that, over time, became strong enough to bear the weight of Gospel truth.
Developing Grace and Truth Relationships
I share my story because I realize that the church seems to be at a loss as to how to reach those in the LGBTQ community. Thanks to the grace of God, I can help. My team can help.
I mentioned I am a missionary. I am with EveryEthne. I began, my journey with them when I was asked to help develop a seminar we call Heart, Mind & Soul: LGBTQ. This seminar is designed to equip the average church member to build grace and truth relationships with an unbelieving LGBTQ person. It is practical and of course Biblical. It is not about equipping the church to reach a community, but it is more about equipping individuals within the church to reach individuals within a community. To find out more about the seminar, click HERE.
My story is not as unusual as you might think. As the church mobilizes its people, folks come to Christ. It’s that simple. We just have to care enough to be equipped!
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14–15, NIV).
