R.I.C.H. in Preaching

Transforming Strategic Leaders within an Afro-Caribbean Congregation to Become Agents of Radical Inclusive Christian Hospitality towards the LGBTQ Community through Preaching

Antonio LaMar Torrence

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781725252547, 9781725252554
• eBook ISBN: 9781725252561
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

As many black churches attempt to become welcoming spaces for LGBTQ people, preachers are navigating ways to develop sermons that are more inclusive and welcoming. Pastors and ministers can begin transforming their congregations to become extensions of Christ through preaching sermons about radical inclusive Christian hospitality (RICH). RICH preaching encourages its hearers to embrace those of the queer community as neighbors deserving of love, compassion, and healing.

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RICH Ministry

Statement and Analysis of the Problem

The Black Church stands at a threshold, one of embracing social justice for the oppressed LGBTQ community or closing its doors in the face of talented and gifted persons seeking a community of faith. As millennials challenge the social constructs of sexuality and spirituality,1 the Black Church struggles to remain relevant to a generation bringing different values to its pews. While some Black churches are not facing the mass exodus of their millennials, many are still confronted with those who bring a mixture of faith with them when they enter the doors.2 This ministerial project examines the efforts of one Black congregation to break through traditional cultural taboos and embrace LGBTQ persons through RICH as its strategic leaders hear transformative sermons preached by an openly gay Black preacher. Their mutual journey from a position of skepticism and fear to one of relationship and advocacy should demonstrate the possibility of transforming perceived homophobic congregations into welcoming spaces for all persons. Based upon the spiritual maturation that resulted from my pastorate of an Afro-Caribbean congregation formerly known as the Cross of Life Lutheran Church, I propose that transformational preaching can move similar congregations toward a spirit of radical hospitality that embraces the LGBTQ community.

A Personal Journey

As an ordained Baptist minister called to pastor an Evangelical Lutheran congregation bi-vocationally, I knew that this Afro-Caribbean congregation still held traditional views on homosexuality; that is, homosexuality and any variance of it was an abominable sin. As I struggled to reconcile my own sexuality with my spirituality, it was a choice to pastor them under the cloak of heterodoxy, wondering if it would be possible for this suburban Afro-Caribbean church to become a welcoming community to all people, including LGBTQ persons. What would it take for this to occur?

For Cross of Life, it took establishing a relationship of trust, love, and hospitality through transformational preaching. After years of practicing various hermeneutics and homiletics, my preaching still lacked authenticity. There was an invisible wall between the congregation and me that stood for some fourteen years. That wall was a lifelong struggle with my sexual orientation. How could I help shape the identity of this congregation without first acknowledging and embracing my own? After some years of preaching about inclusion and love, my personal transformation led me to come out to my congregation. I discovered that the transformative effects were binary for the church and me. Transformation occurred over time as a result of spiritual growth through constant contact with God’s word. Through dialogical learning, the spirit of hospitality that was characteristic of this congregation was extended to me. Although my initial encounter with the Black Church was one of exclusion under negative diatribes against the gay community, this congregation removed that cross of shame and replaced it with the hospitality of acceptance and inclusion. Resultantly, its members stood in witness of the church’s first same-sex marriage within its walls—my own. The congregation understood the intent of hospitality as noted in Deuteronomy 10:17–19:

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.3

As an Afro-Caribbean congregation comprised of descendants of oppressed and enslaved people, they were reminded of their own liberation through the hospitality of compassionate people who sought freedom for all. They welcomed into their midst those who were also being oppressed and marginalized.

There may be other congregations within the Black Church whose members are yearning for inclusive hospitality that embraces the LGBTQ community. Moreover, although society has responded to the call for justice and equality, the majority of Black churches are still resistant to being liberated from its fear and loathing of the queer community. In an interview with Marc Lamont-Hill of HuffPost Live, Bishop T. D. Jakes discussed the shifting stance of Black churches on LGBTQ persons and their coexistence: “I think that it’s going to be diverse from church to church. Every church has a different opinion on the issue, and every gay person is different.”4 Further, when pressed about his thoughts on LGBTQ persons, he revealed that he has evolved and is evolving. It is a slow progression for the Black Church as it seeks to remain relevant in a changing society.

This hesitancy yields a void in preaching that engages the LGBTQ community. In 2014, the Pew Research Center reported that “a majority of U.S. Christians (54 percent) now say that society should accept homosexuality rather than discourage it.”5 Within this group, 51 percent of historically Black Protestants think that homosexuality should be acceptable.6 The study demonstrated a growing acceptance of homosexuality among Christian Americans being led by younger generations. As the milieu of congregants and communities becomes more benign toward accepting homosexuality, many pastors and ministers are unprepared to preach transformative sermons that embrace the LGBTQ community. Furthermore, many LGBTQ persons remain withdrawn from churches due to their history of sermonic diatribes against homosexuality. Can the transformation that took place at Cross of Life Lutheran Church be replicated in other churches through preaching? Could a culture rampant with homophobia be transformed to extend inclusive hospitality to others without condemnation and judgment?

Description of Context

“Reverend Torrence, I would love to help you with your ministerial project, but would you be comfortable not mentioning your lifestyle and orientation during the process?” It was a question that hit me with a reality check. Although I successfully transformed my former congregation into being inclusive and welcoming, there were still an abundance of Black churches that were not openly welcoming to LGBTQ persons, and especially to openly gay clergy. This question from my mentor, Rev. Dr. Glenmore Bembry Jr., reminded me that although I preached at several White progressive churches as an openly gay man, I had yet to preach at one Black Church since my coming out in 2012. Pastors who were once inviting me to participate in revivals, conferences, and worship services had stopped calling. The stigma of having an openly gay preacher in their pulpits seemed to have created an atmosphere of fear. His question caused me to realize the oppressiveness of my intersectionality. As the pastor of an ELCA congregation,7 I had the privilege of access to several White liberal churches; however, as an ordained Black Baptist preacher who now professed his gayness, I had no access to the traditional Black Church. Could I proceed with the task of moving key leaders of my mentor’s leadership team to inclusive hospitality without the pronouncement of my sexuality? I conceded and agreed on the condition that if I were asked, I would tell. I made it clear that I was not ashamed of my sexuality and my marriage.

Yet, it turned out that the concerns of Rev. Bembry about individuals within Trinity Baptist Church (TBC) being homophobic surfaced prior to the beginning of my ministerial project. He had assigned me the task of being the Assistant in Strategic Planning. I made it a point to attend weekly Sunday Worship services six weeks before implementing my project. I even requested watch care membership status to demonstrate my commitment to the process of leading them strategically in inclusive hospitality.8 To introduce me formally to the congregation, Rev. Bembry scheduled me to preach during a Wednesday night revival service. This action was an effort to promote the ministry concerning inclusive hospitality. One week before preaching at the Wednesday revival, Rev. Bembry indicated to me that someone googled me and discovered my same-sex marriage. The person made it a point to bring it to the attention of the leaders at their meeting and wanted them to prevent me from preaching because the person did not believe that LGBTQ people should be in positions of leadership within the church. Interestingly, the leaders voted the person down and expressed that they had no issue with me preaching at the church, as well as conducting my research. ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• List of Table and Charts
• Acknowledgments
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: RICH Ministry
• Chapter 2: Literature Review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Ministry Implementation, Analysis, and Evaluation
• Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusion, and Reflection
• Appendix A: Strategic Planning Initial Assessment Questionnaire
• Appendix B: Strategic Planning Participant Feedback Form
• Appendix C: Strategic Planning Final Assessment Form
• Appendix D: Sermon
• Appendix E: Sermon
• Appendix F: Sermon
• Appendix G: Sermon
• Appendix H: Sermon
• Appendix I: Sermon
• Appendix J: RICH One-on-One Interviews
• Bibliography