A lot of churches don’t let on whether they are affirming and welcoming of LGBTQ+ people. And, although all churches welcome women, some don't let on about the ways in which they limit the roles of women in church.
Some churches say everyone is welcome, but then turn out to have hostile theology that comes as a surprise.
Some churches are largely affirming but don’t feel they are doing enough to warrant putting a rainbow on their website, so they might get overlooked. Some churches have no limits on women's ministry and value women equally, but how can you easily know this?
Everyone needs to be able to find the right place to worship and grow as a Christian in safety. Honesty is the beginning of being able to do that.
Honest Church is a campaign of the Student Christian Movement originally designed to encourage greater honesty about the true welcome that LGBTQ+ people receive in a church. And, as of March 2023, we're thrilled to be joined by our friends at WATCH (Women and the Church) to help us extend the campaign to include honesty about women’s opportunities or limits in churches.
The aim is to prompt and enable churches to be more specific in their communication about LGBTQ+ welcome and women's roles, both in their publicity and when students, graduates and others come and ask questions about the inclusiveness of the welcome.
Be honest about your church.
It won’t be a perfect representation of what it wishes to be, but it can be truthful about what it is really like for LGBTQ+ people. Really think about what your church is like. Look at the Honest Church questions in our toolkit and be honest when talking about your church.
Ask questions in your own church.
We’ve suggested some questions in our toolkit, and you might have your own. But don’t allow confusion and cover up to happen because you didn’t ask.
Then ask for clearer answers.
Lots of church leaders will give quite general answers that don’t really give you the clarity you need. Challenge them to use the Honest Church toolkit to think more deeply about the real answers.
Encourage your church to commit to honesty.
Ask them to use the Honest Church logo on their website and put up an Honest Church noticeboard poster (download below or get in touch for a physical copy).
Think about what kind of welcome will really feel okay for you.
We have a summary of the Spectrum of LGBTQ+ Welcome in the Honest Church toolkit - use that if it helps.
Know that there are churches out there who fit all answers to that question.
Look at the list of questions in the Honest Church toolkit and think about which ones will help you find out what you need to know.
Then ask the questions of leaders and members of the congregation. Use email if that feels safer than in person
Does your church say anything about how LGBTQ+ people would be welcomed?
Be honest about what welcome your church offers. Hiding the truth is often done out of good intentions, but it never helps. Its okay to be honest about where on the Spectrum of LGBTQ+ Welcome your church really is.
Put that honesty on your website.
Say something on your website that tells people what your church’s theology around LGBTQ+ people is so that people aren’t taken by surprise (or fail to give your church a go).
Use the Honest Church logo on your website, and state that you are happy to be asked more about your LGBTQ+ welcome. We also have an A5 poster for your noticeboard (download below or get in touch for a physical copy).
Talk to your church leadership group/council about what the intention of welcome is.
If you want to be more welcoming to LGBTQ+ people and their allies, take a look at our toolkit for ideas.
Be honest about your church.
It won’t be a perfect representation of what it wishes to be, but it can be truthful about what it is really like for women. Really think about what your church is like. Look at the Honest Church questions in our toolkit and be honest when talking about your church.
Ask questions in your own church.
We’ve suggested some questions in our toolkit, and you might have your own. But don’t allow confusion and cover up to happen because you didn’t ask.
Then ask for clearer answers.
Lots of church leaders will give quite general answers that don’t really give you the clarity you need. Challenge them to use the Honest Church toolkit to think more deeply about the real answers.
Encourage your church to commit to honesty.
Ask them to use the Honest Church logo on their website and put up an Honest Church noticeboard poster (download below).
Think about what kind of welcome will really feel okay for you.
Think about how you feel about any limitations the church puts on women’s roles, such as being a priest or on the leadership team, or even leading a mixed sex Bible study group.
We have a summary of the Spectrum of Limits on Women’s Roles in the Honest Church toolkit - use that if it helps.
Know that there are churches out there who fit all answers to that question.
Look at the list of questions in the Honest Church toolkit and think about which ones will help you find out what you need to know.
Then ask the questions of leaders and members of the congregation. Use email if that feels safer than in person.
Does your church say anything about women’s roles and any limits that are practised?
Be honest about what welcome your church offers. Hiding the truth is often done out of good intentions, but it never helps. Its okay to be honest about where on the Spectrum of Limits on Women’s Roles your church really is.
Put that honesty on your website.
Say something on your website that tells people what your church’s theology is about the roles of women in church, so that people aren’t taken by surprise (or fail to give your church a go).
Use the Honest Church logo on your website, and state that you are happy to be asked more about the roles of women in your church We also have an A5 poster for your noticeboard (download below or get in touch for a physical copy).
Talk to your church leadership group/council about what limits you put on women’s roles and why.
If you want to remove limits on women’s roles, take a look at our toolkit for ideas.
Many churches describe themselves as “welcoming to everyone”, but for trans people that welcome can be hard to trust. With recent changes in UK law affecting trans people’s daily lives, and a general rise in transphobia and transphobic violence in the UK, it is vital that trans Christians can find places to worship and belong without having to guess whether they will be safe. No one should have to take that gamble when they walk through a church door for the first time... and that’s where Honest Church comes in.
We’ve partnered with our friends at Transfigured Mission to create an Honest Church pop-up specifically looking at Trans welcome. As part of the pop-up we've created two resources - the first is a toolkit which we hope will help churches gauge where they’re at in this area, and find ways to communicate their welcome more honestly. That’s the whole point of Honest Church!
The second resource is aimed at helping churches improve their trans welcome, and includes lots of things we think are important to consider if you want your church to be a safe space for trans folk. This is not about asking churches to be perfect, but about encouraging them to consider where they are at in terms of trans welcome and inclusion, and identify changes that could help trans people belong more safely and fully.
You can download both resources below now!