Inside the Local Church: What Builds a Biblical Response to LGBTQ+?

Ready or not, here it comes. Will your church have its head in the sand, its back toward strugglers, or will you be prepared with a biblical response to LGBTQ+?

A ten-year-old child.

A 16-year-old teen.

A 20-year-old college student.

A 44-year-old adult.

Any of these within a local congregation can choose to participate to some extent in the LGBTQ+ mindset and culture. When this comes to light, the leadership of many churches realize that they are (or have been) unprepared to address either the issues, the strugglers, or their families.

It’s Never Too Late to Build Your Church’s Response Structure

Churches often opt to become “affirming;” they fail to commit to a biblical viewpoint or response. Perhaps an unbiblical approach seems easier, more “inclusive,” friendlier. Or worse, it reflects the leadership’s lax attitude toward Scripture.

Other churches may admit that they have not prepared their leadership or congregation to stand for biblical truth. They may wonder what they could have done in hopes of preventing and preparing. They wonder what to do now to build a ready-steady response to LGBTQ+. It is never too late to help your church envision and structure a biblical response to what can (and probably will) arise.

Mistakes or past negligence should be acknowledged and repented of. They should also become instructive. Making changes now and going forward constitute a much better perspective than simply stagnating in regret.

What are the most crucial puzzle pieces for building a church’s biblical response to LGBTQ+?

Bolster the Congregation’s Perception of God

The instruction of the youngest to the most mature must ultimately and constantly focus on who God is. Basic theology. This weaves into the minds of the whole congregation that God is absolutely in charge; he is worthy of our awe, respect, obedience, and worship.

A child who is taught the nature of his Creator from the earliest perception will be much more likely to unquestioningly hold to God’s Word and authority over his personal world, his conduct, and his life. Today’s culture works hard to establish the individual and his own authority. The only thing that can defeat that tempting viewpoint and its results is an increasingly strong, absolute certainty about who the Creator is. This is an ongoing need for all members of your church body, whether minor or adult.

Make sure your curricula reflect this central emphasis, from the classrooms to the pulpit, for all age groups. They need to know why they should believe and obey! An undergirding, growing knowledge of the person and nature of God will give them that reason. With this background of truth in place, the culture’s suggestions and temptations about sexuality, gender, and identity will be recognized as unacceptable options—clearly unbiblical. On this biblical and foundational rationale, the Holy Spirit will do his work of creating submission in a believer’s heart to their gracious Creator and Redeemer.

Prepare the Congregation for Serious Fellow-Pilgriming

A church’s readiness to come alongside her people when LGBTQ+ is an issue will be two-pronged. Of course, the two parts have a cause and effect connection, but they are separately functioning ministries within the church.

1. Discipling Strugglers Toward Truth and Godliness.

Clearly, someone struggling needs to want such discipleship. But, regardless, the church can make such help available. Discipleship for adult strugglers can be offered without concern for legalities, but for minors it needs to be established carefully with the parents’ consent.

Such things as men’s or women’s purity or integrity groups can ideally be available on an on-going basis. One-on-one work may be a good precursor to inclusion in a group. (Harvest USA offers curricula for both men’s and women’s mentoring.) Those who facilitate such groups will likely need training. A grasp of salient doctrine will include basic answers to “What does Scripture say about God, about me, and about the world?” Mentored groups or one-on-one mentoring conducted by lay church members should include an initial screening process, confidentiality, and pastoral oversight.

The mentoring of minors, partially because of the legal aspects, may best be indirect—the needed content could come through the curricula used with the entire youth group. These could be doctrinal studies that answer basic life questions (God, man, the world), or studies about culture’s lies. Any one-on-one work with a minor child must be carefully constructed, supervised, and parent-approved.

2. Walking with the Hurting Family

This ministry is much different from discipling those who are struggling. The family is caught in the ripples (tsunami?!) flowing from their loved one’s choices that can affect family life in unlimited ways. Essentially, they can do nothing to change those choices. The emotional and spiritual earthquake that parents and others experience is always unique and often beyond words, whether their child has embraced an LGBTQ+ identity and lifestyle or is struggling against those temptations. Also, there will be considerable differences based on whether their loved one is a minor or an adult.

The church can offer a focus group with others in similar situations. The group will provide encouragement, prayer support, advice, and fellowship, relieving the isolation which many family members feel in the broader church setting. If possible, there can be added advantages if the group facilitator is facing a similar situation. This support group also should have pastoral oversight. Materials used in the group should be drawn from a wide range of spiritually encouraging content and information on the relevant sexual issues.

Essentials of a Church’s Biblical Response to LGBTQ+

•  Leadership that is devoted to Scripture and informed and realistic regarding the deceptions and doctrines of LGBTQ+.

• A top-to-bottom preaching and teaching ministry that stresses who God is, clarifies what human fallenness is, explains the nature and need for redemption and sanctification, and instructs the congregation regarding cultural deceptions.

• A mentoring ministry for strugglers that compassionately and clearly offers the grace of the gospel and works for growth toward personal godliness.

• A fellow-pilgrim ministry that will offer long-term fellowship, prayer, and mutual support to families of sexual strugglers.

Does your church have these things in place? If not, now is the time to establish them. Chances are very good that the need for a church-wide, biblical response to LGBTQ+ is already there!

Visit Harvest USA for resources to help build your church’s biblical response to LGBTQ+.