That's the topic adressed by Robert Cornwall, a pastor in California, in this essay. Pastor Cornwall had one idea of what a welcoming congregation was and how they should treat homosexuals.
Then his brother came out.
As often happens when an issue moves from the abstract to being personal, Pastor Cornwall approached the whole idea of welcome with a different sense of perspective:
I had to face some choices, including how I would read the scriptures. Experience is an important resource when we’re wrestling with difficult issues, and my new experience told me that my preconceived ideas needed to change. Moving from that personal transformation to providing leadership to a congregation that hasn’t dealt with the issue is a long, arduous and even dangerous trek, which is why many of us who have come to new understandings shy away from taking the next step.
Check out the rest of the essay to see how Pastor Cornwall is working to lead his church toward becoming a welcoming and affirming place of worship.
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Thank you for posting the link to my essay -- our church is, in this regard, is still a work in process. But for a largely older congregation they are moving forward slowly but surely.
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