Salisbury Diocese LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy service is a developing chaplaincy that fully accepts and affirms LGBTQIA+ people, their loved ones, friends, and family. It is a supportive resource for the LGBTQIA+ community, plus individuals and churches who wish to be inclusive.
The Chaplaincy will offer confidential, non-judgemental spiritual and pastoral care to LGBTQIA+ Christians and those exploring faith.
We also offer resources on LGBTQIA+ inclusion for churches and individuals, and aim to provide a voice from the LGBTQIA+ community to the diocese in its decision making. We are also exploring how best we might support gay clergy & office holders in the diocese.
The chaplaincy is being developed by a working group of volunteers who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies, and includes lay people and clergy. We welcome your ideas on inclusion, and would love to hear from you.
Email us for more information or for support LGBTQ.Chaplaincy@salisbury.anglican.org
Inclusive Churches and Open Table in Salisbury Diocese
Inclusive church is a network of churches that celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate.
They are churches which will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.
Inclusive Churches in Salisbury Diocese
• St Thomas’ Salisbury
• Bemerton Parish: St Andrew’s; St John’s & St Michael’s
• Parish of Wyke Regis: All Saints with St Edmunds
• Holy Trinity Weymouth
• St Aldhelm’s Poole
• St John’s Broadstone
• St Mark’s Swanage
The Open Table Network (OTN) began because many churches and their congregations do not easily, kindly or honestly welcome LGBTQIA+ people, therefore, many LGBTQIA+ people have nowhere spiritually to belong.
In the Diocese of Salisbury there is one Open Table currently being explored. It will be located at Holy Trinity Weymouth, and hosted by Holy Trinity Weymouth, the Parish of Wyke Regis and ecumenical partners from Weymouth Methodist Church and URC church. We hope the Open Table services will begin later in the year.
Rev’d Juliet Stephenson and Rev’d John MacKenzie would be happy to talk with any churches/PCCs about the process of becoming an Inclusive Church or hosting Open Table LGBTQ.Chaplaincy@salisbury.anglican.org
Pastoral support
We will offer affirming, non-judgemental support for LGBTQIA+ people who are over 18, and their friends and families in Salisbury Diocese.
The chaplaincy is unable at this time to directly support under 18s.
However chaplains recommend the affirming support and advice for young people that can be found at: It gets better and The Proud Trust who also have a helpful section on exploring identity and your faith as a young person click here.
For crisis support the contacts listed here may be helpful click here.
We know that churches have too often been unsafe places for LGBTQIA+ people, and so we are working with our Diocesan Safeguarding team to make the support that we offer as safe as it can be. Support can remain confidential unless we are concerned that someone may be at risk of harm.
The Pastoral Support area of the Chaplaincy is developing – please look back again, or contact us on our email LGBTQ.Chaplaincy@salisbury.anglican.org
The chaplaincy is unable at this time to directly support under 18s.
However chaplains recommend the affirming support and advice for young people that can be found at: It gets better and The Proud Trust who also have a helpful section on exploring identity and your faith as a young person click here.
For crisis support the contacts listed here may be helpful click here.
We know that churches have too often been unsafe places for LGBTQIA+ people, and so we are working with our Diocesan Safeguarding team to make the support that we offer as safe as it can be. Support can remain confidential unless we are concerned that someone may be at risk of harm.
The Pastoral Support area of the Chaplaincy is developing – please look back again, or contact us on our email LGBTQ.Chaplaincy@salisbury.anglican.org
Other resources- Reading list
These books are recommended by members of the LGBTQIA+ Chaplaincy Working Group as resources that we have valued. The books are affirming of same-sex relationships. Some of them consider the Biblical passages, known as the Clobber Passages, that are often used to condemn same-sex relationships.
- Love means Love David Runcorn SPCK 2020
- The Gospel of Inclusion Brandan J. Robertson Cascade Books 2019 - this can be located via The Inclusive Church website.
- Just Love - a journey of self-acceptance Jayne Ozanne DLT 2018 - autobiographical detailing Jayne's journey to accept her sexuality from an evangelical background.
- The Bible's YES to same-sex marriage Mark Achtemeier Westminster John Knox Press 2015
- God and the Gay Christian Matthew Vines - a great help to a member of our congregation who left church for many years, but partly through the scholarly wisdom of this book has returned to faith.
- Permanent, Faithful, Stable: Christian Same-Sex Marriage Jeffrey John Darton, Longman & Todd 2012.
- Sexuality and the Christian Body: Their Way into the Triune God (challenges in Contemporary Theology) Eugene F Rogers John Wiley & Sons 1999. Described as ‘brilliant – but pretty academic’.
- Equals: Enjoying Gender Equality in all areas of life Jenny Baker SPCK 2014. About gender, not sexuality, but enlightening.
- Someone you love is Gay – how to reconcile your faith with homosexuality Brandon Park Independently published 2022. An affirming book, despite the title, which deals with the ‘Clobber Passages’.
- Undivided: Coming out, becoming whole and living free Vicky Beeching Collins 2018. Courageous and heartbreaking.
- Strangers and Friends Michael Vasey Hodder & Stoughton 1995
- Biblical endorsement of same-sex relationships Elaine Ambrose downloadable at: https://kcl.academia.edu/ElaineAmbrose or https://www.academia.edu/
Other resources- Blog List
Pride month (June) gave an opportunity to celebrate the contributions LGBTQIA+ people make to the world. Through a variety of learning offerings, Sarum College highlights the often-underrepresented voices of queer people in the theological disciplines. Provided from LGBTQIA+ theologians who are making major contributions both to the study of theology and to the Church, is a series of blogs:
Pride Bell
Pride Bell
Supportive Groups
Local:
Salisbury LGBT+ Christians - an informal, ecumenical gathering of LGBT+ Christians and Allies, who meet together on the fourth Monday of each month 19:30-21:00 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK for friendship, prayer, conversation and reflection.
Please contact us on salisburylgbtpluschristians@gmail.com if you would like further information about the group, or search Facebook under “Salisbury LGBT+ Christians”
National:
Inclusive Church is a network of churches that celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. Welcomes church & individual membership. https://www.inclusive-church.org/
Open Table Network – hosted by Inclusive churches, a growing partnership of ecumenical communities that genuinely welcome LGBTQIA+ people – just as they are. https://opentable.lgbt/
Together for the Church of England – a group of Anglicans aiming to support and work with all those desiring a more diverse and loving Church of England https://togethercofe.org.uk/
Inclusive Evangelicals – a growing group of Evangelical Anglicans, and others, who believe that human sexuality is a gift from God and joyfully proclaim the biblical affirmation of equality and inclusivity. https://www.inclusiveevangelicals.com/