At its regular meeting in November 2003, the LC/NA Board of Directors created a Vision for the Church, and, based on that Vision, adopted a new Mission Statement in February 2004.
Freed by God's grace, the body of Christ on earth leads a joyous dance of transformation, integrating sexuality and spirituality, justice and mercy. Through continuous reformation, the Church embraces in holiness and into wholeness people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, strengthening us for authentic, visible, faithful lives. Dedicated to radical reconciliation, the Church falls into the heart of God's passionate intent, co-creating a world without outcasts, calling all to serve as guests and hosts at God's table of blessing and power.
We believe that God values and embraces each person as a beloved child, that the Spirit gives a diversity of gifts for the common good, and that Jesus Christ calls us to work for justice. The ministries of Lutherans Concerned / North America (LC/NA) embody, inspire, and support the acceptance and full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, their families, friends and allies, within the Lutheran communion and its ecumenical and global partners.
Through our Reconciling in Christ Program, ministries, resources, events and alliances, LC/NA: builds community for worship, education and support; fosters welcome and acceptance in all Lutheran settings; advocates for the ecclesial changes necessary to ensure full participation in all rites, sacraments, and ministries of the Church; and invites all people into Gospel lives of authenticity, integrity and wholeness.
We are an independent membership organization, supported entirely by donations and member contributions. We include members of all Lutheran affiliations as well as other Christian denominations.
As a people who believe in God, we all have spiritual needs. If you understand yourself to be a sexual minority, you want to be a Christian without having to hide who you really are, but also find your Christian values are not always accepted in the gay community. If you are heterosexual, your experiences may have shown that some people you love have gone through great pain because of who they are in relation to the church.
We are all wonderfully created in the image our God. Regardless of our sexual orientation, we are all part of the full spectrum of God's human creation, a rainbow of diversity. Sexuality is a gift from our creator, not a choice we consciously make. Rather, a choice is the decision of how we express who we are.
As Christians we believe we are empowered to be a model of the Gospel, loving our fellow human beings and promoting justice for all. All too often, churches have used scripture to condemn people for many things including their God-given nature. Even Lutheran churches, which emphasize grace, have been quick to judge.
Lutherans Concerned helps people reconcile their spirituality and sexuality in an uplifting way. We seek to minister to people who the institutional church often shuns. We also seek to lead the church to live the Gospel to the fullest, affirming sexual diversity, as we all grow in faith and understanding of God's grace.
We envision ourselves as a community that:
- is empowered through baptism
- centers its life in worship
- acts decisively for justice
- witnesses a prophetic ministry of presence
- strives as a family to encourage and nurture all who are coming out
- prays for those who are still in the closet
- acts assertively in the face of oppression
- patterns its decision-making processes in the light of a loving gospel and the principles of consensus
- seeks the guidance of the Holy
Spirit to integrate and express our spiritual and sexual selves
- calls the entire church to be a visible proponent of justice for all gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.
The triangle shape symbolizes the Holy Trinity. The pink triangle was also used by the Nazis to identify European homosexuals who were persecuted or put to death in the concentration camps of the Third Reich. Both symbols are now used by respective communities today as signs of honor and support. We unite them to show that Christian life and human sexuality can be reconciled into one. |
The Lutherans Concerned logo visually unites symbols of our Christian
Faith and courage against sexual discrimination. The ichthus, or
fish symbol, originated as a secret recognition sign, when Christians
in the Roman Empire were persecuted for their faith. The Greek language
acronym for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior," spells
out ichthus, meaning "fish."
Lutherans Concerned / North America is committed to embodying, inspiring, and supporting the acceptance and full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, their families, friends and allies within the Lutheran communion and its ecumenical and global partners. LC/NA is also committed to being an antiracist organization that holds itself accountable to communities of color. We welcome all applicants for paid or volunteer positions who share these commitments and demonstrate capacity to enhance LC/NA's pursuit of them. We are further dedicated to equality of opportunity for all our employees and applicants for employment and will not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, gender expression, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation/identity, disability, age, height, weight, religion, ancestry, or marital, economic, military, veteran, or parenting status. |