dealing with a team member who identifies as lgbtq+
Your Question:
“How do I deal with a CM team member who just told me that he/she is LGBTQ+?”
The Issues:
This is a complex challenge. Since the person is already a part of your CM team, you will need to consult with your ministry supervisor or senior pastor for advice. The Church is called to love everyone! Jesus spent much time with those who were different or outcast. He touched lepers, forgave sinners, and gave personal attention to tax collectors! Loving an LGBTQ+ person is not the question; the question is: can or should he/she be permitted to serve on the CM team. No matter what your decision is, you will face conflict and reactions. You and the church leadership need to decide which conflict or reactions you want.
Scripture Foundation:
“At dawn He appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, and He sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’…When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” John 8: 9-11
Short Answer:
This challenge may become more complex each year. Today’s world sees those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community as “heroes.” Being confused about your gender and then doing something about it is almost “normal” in today’s world. Today’s Church is often vilified as being unloving or hateful toward those in the LGBTQ+ community. Christians know that we are to love those in that community, and yet we’re confused about what to do with them, or about them. Christians don’t want to imply that their expressions of love or friendship indicate approval for their lifestyle or choices, but we do love them as children of God. Since this is such a complex issue, you should ask your ministry supervisor or senior pastor for advice. This is the blessing of placing yourself under the “umbrella” of the leadership over you. If you are advised to remove the team member from the CM team, you must be careful about how this is done. You shouldn’t be alone when this decision is told to the team member. You should also document every conversation. You should prayerfully prepare for resistance or anger from the team member. If you are advised to keep the team member on the CM team, you must be careful about how this is communicated as well. For more help, click on the links below.
Click here to read more about how to deal with human nature in the “image of God.”
