Each Life Has Its Place: LGBTA Young Adults in The United Methodist Church

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Each Life Has Its PlaceLGBTA Young Adults in
The United Methodist Church

• Chett Pritchett,
• Minister to Students and Young Adults
• The United Church, Washington, DC

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Definitions-LGBTA/YA I use this term because
many of the issues that face LGBT young adults
and their allies are also issues facing non-LGBTA
young adults-Queer a complex word with many
meanings but is heavily used as an in word
among LGBTA young adults.
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Psychosocial Development

• Young adults ? older youth 18 year olds
  magically become adults.
• Erik Eriksons study of psychosocial development
  across age ranges Each stage plays a role in the
  development of personality and psychological
  skills.
• If for any reason there is a halt in development
  at any of these stages, it becomes more and more
  difficult to fully progress to through the other
  stages.

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Key Issues for Young Adults

• Intimacy vs. Isolation
• This is a time in which relationships are
  developed we learn how to deal with rejection
• Young adults build community with one another
  they form familial bonds begin to explore
  generative work (vocation).
• When one is unable (for whatever reason), to find
  intimacy, the process of isolation can occur.

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Key Issues for LGBT Young Adults

• Many LGBT/YAs have similar issues as their
  counterparts but what, if we adhere to
  Ericksons model, in the LGBT context might make
  it difficult to move easily from Adolescence to
  Young Adulthood?

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identity differentiation RE(a)La
tionships am I a good person?cultural rules
and regulations self-awareness confi
dence role models
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Our Role as Leaders of the Church

• Engage LGBT/YAs in moving from Adolescence and
  through Young Adulthood.
• Pastoral through differentiation, exploration
  of identity and vocation
• Communal providing opportunities for young
  adults to share and create experiences with one
  another
• Prophetic to proclaim and seek justice for
  LGBTA/YAs

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The World of Young Adults

• Culture of Technology, Culture of Options,
  Culture of the Overwhelmed.
• Heavily focused on experience
• Grown up with gay and lesbian personalities
• Out teachers, parents of classmates
• Post-Matthew Shepard/Fred Phelps

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Views of Young Adults RegardingSexuality and
Gender
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American Values Survey 2006

• Young Adults (18-29) lead the support for LGBT
• rights regardless of their religious
  perspective.
• Marriage rights 44
• Marriage rights with Religious Liberty Assurance
  60
• 63 of Young Adults support gay and lesbian
  adoption, compared to 37 over the age of 60
• This is not just cultural or religious
• -45 of Evangelical respondents
• -59 of Latin/Hispanic respondents
• -51 of African American respondents
• Source American Values Survey
  http//media.pfaw.org/pdf/cav/AVSReport.pdf

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Barna Group

• An across-the-board perception that Christians
  are hypocritical, judgmental, and
  anti-homosexual.
• Sources http//www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?PageB
  arnaUpdateBarnaUpdateID280
• and http//www.generalconference2008.org/

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Young Adults across the country have vastly
progressive views regarding sexual identity than
previous generations and it doesnt matter what
their theological orientation is.
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WHYARENT THEY IN OURCHURCHES?
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LGBT Young Adultwho has left the ChurchLGBT
Ally who has left the ChurchNon-LGBTA, but a
Young Adult, who has left the Church
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Perception ProblemAccording to Betty Butterfield
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Open internet browser and paste this URL
address-http//www.youtube.com/watch?vdRYp936G14
Afeaturerelated

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• Confuse chatting and shaking hands with being
  welcoming
• Organist is blaring tired-a church hymns
• Preaching attempts to relate to our lives, but
  doesnt really achieve that goal
• Methodists lack identity wishes to be
  Episcopalian, they just couldnt pass the test
• Typical
• Middle of the road they dont want to offend
  nobody

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• Even progressive United Methodists have a
• perception problem
• -all Methodists are the same tough to overcome
• - boring, stuffy
• - havent started thinking about worship,
  outreach, Christian formation as if it were the
  21st Century
• - too excited to get young adults involved(need
  for young blood to take over the tasks deemed
  necessary by a different generation).
• These are issues that LGBT/YAs, whether insiders
  or outsiders, consider when making the important
  decision of seeking out a home for faith.

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Philosophical quandaries

• Key to this perception problem is that the
  philosophical constructs of young adults are
  different than any other generation previous.
• Postmodern - a simplistic definition a way of
  being in which the path of knowledge is not
  through a set of concrete truths old ways of
  being are deconstructed and given new meanings
  dependent upon context.

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spiritual but not religious
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Is there a difference?

• More than 1/5 of Americans describe themselves
  this way
• Difference between public faith and private
  faith
• Rejection of traditional, organized religion
• Source http//www.beliefnet.com/story/109/story_1
  0958_1.html

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Who are these people?

• More than likely, they are college educated
• Those who have grown up in the Church, but have
  left
• PKs, victims of clergy sexual and emotional
  abuse, progressives who equate the Church with
  conservative values
• Those who dont allow doctrine to define their
  faith journey

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HOWAREWEOVERCOMINGTHE PERCEPTIONPROBLEM?
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We cannot expect LGBT/YAs to walk into our
congregations just because we're reconciling or
have a banner welcoming all people or have a hip,
cool pastor. And if we do get them in our doors,
we can't expect them to stay. ?
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Three Key Areas

• Hospitality
• Outreach
• Retention

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Hospitality

• More than coffee hour and handshaking, its a way
  of life
• Caring about people as people not as new
  blood or fresh faces
• Recognizing that young adults value narrative -
  they have a story to tell and are willing to
  listen
• Focusing on the needs of LGBT/YAs in your Church
  and community

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Outreach

• Beyond the Four Walls
• A congregation and pastoral staff must be willing
  to engage with the community not just reaching
  out, but going out and bringing in.
• Begin with what we have already
• Building
• Tradition
• Passion

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Outreach Ideas

• approach PFLAG, Pride Committees, and other LGBTA
  groups an offer low cost or FREE meeting space in
  the church building
• host a concert of a musician with an LBGT/YA
  following
• donate funds from a Rummage Sale to such an
  organization and invite their BOD to Church
• encourage a mission project of the congregation
  be with an organization with LGBTA clientele

• ask staff/key leadership to attend a Safe Space
  training host this training for others churches,
  businesses, schools, etc. in your neighborhood.
• Advertise in unlikely places
• Use the technology
• Church Website
• Facebook/MySpace
• Blogging
• YouTube

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Retention

• Factors that affect YA participation in a
  ministry
• -increased school/work load
• -family obligations
• -today's economic reality (working 2-3 jobs to
  get insurance/pay rent)?
• -more transient nature of workforce especially
  in the Washington Metro area length of stay is
  3-5 years
• Based on Tribal Church Ministering to the
  Missing Generation, Carol Howard Merritt Alban
  Institute, 2007.

• Don't be discouraged if YA participation doesn't
  always reach your desired level

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Retention

• Know each of the YA in your ministry meet with
  them one on one. Try to meet with them at least
  once a quarter - their lives change frequently
  and you'll want to know about their lives (and
  they want you to know.)?

• After listening (REALLY LISTENING) to them, ask
  them about their passions and gifts and how those
  might be used in the life of the congregation.

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Connecting and Connections

• Young adults build community with one another
  they form familial bonds begin to explore
  generative work (vocation).
• -Ministry with LGBT/YA is first and foremost
  about creating a space for community to exist.
• -It is also about allowing for space to find
  passions and vocations and understanding that
  people will often leave the community or explore
  other passions.
• -Can their time in our communities be formative
  and generative?

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Each Life Has Its PlaceLGBTA Young Adults in
The United Methodist Church

• Chett Pritchett,
• Minister to Students and Young Adults
• The United Church, Washington, DC