Introduction
This statement, adopted in May, 2024, is the product of a multi-year, church-wide process of discernment. You can read the full details here.
Position and Posture: Full Inclusion
Vision
At Church of the Savior, we aspire to be a safe and authentic community, where we are known and loved as we experience and share the healing grace of Jesus Christ.
Position
We affirm that people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome and valued in our community. Neither gender identity, nor sexual orientation, nor being in a same-sex relationship will impact a person’s eligibility for membership or their ability to participate fully in congregational life at Church of the Savior. All people are eligible without partiality to receive the Lord’s Supper, become church members, have their children baptized, and, as the Holy Spirit leads and their gifts allow, fill all leadership and volunteer roles.
We affirm that the body of Christ is incomplete without all of God’s children, and we lament that too often the church has rejected people on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. We repent for the ways in which our own congregation has participated in that rejection.
Posture
Our desire to be a safe and authentic community does not mean that we live out this welcome perfectly, and it does not mean that every church member holds the same theology or understanding of human sexuality. In the midst of our disagreements and uncertainties, we do seek to bear with one another in love, and make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We recognize that this policy of welcome and affirmation may create difficulty for those who hold a traditional view of marriage and human sexuality and want to state with clarity our welcome for those who hold a traditional view, both in membership and in leadership. We commit to navigating our congregational life together with a humble awareness of our common need for the healing grace of Jesus Christ.