An honest question
Would I be welcome at church?
Key points
- Short answer: Jesus never turned away anyone who came to him: “He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.”
- What Jesus did: The complaint people made most often about Jesus was the company he kept.
- The Lutheran view: Lutherans say every person in church is at the same time a saint and a sinner: loved and forgiven, and still in need of it.
The short answer
Jesus never turned away anyone who came to him: “He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.”
In the ELCA, everyone is welcome to worship. That includes people who aren’t sure what they believe, people who have never been baptized, people who are divorced, and LGBTQ+ people and their families.
What Jesus said and did
The complaint people made most often about Jesus was the company he kept. He ate with tax collectors, people with bad reputations, and people the religious world had written off. When asked why, he said, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick.” He meant everyone at that table, including the people asking. Nobody in church is there because they are better than you.
A little longer
On a Sunday, nobody will ask what you believe, who you love, or how long it has been. You don’t need to dress up or know when to stand. At communion, the ELCA invites all baptized Christians to receive. If you are not baptized, or not ready, you can come forward with your arms crossed for a blessing, or stay in your seat. Both are completely normal.
Maybe you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer, or someone you love is. In 2009 the ELCA opened its ministry to people in committed same-gender relationships. It also allowed its congregations to recognize and support those relationships. ELCA pastors may officiate same-gender weddings, in partnership with their congregations. Many ELCA congregations say publicly that LGBTQ+ people are welcome; ReconcilingWorks keeps a list of them, called Reconciling in Christ. In the ELCA you can be a member, serve and lead, and have your children baptized, whoever your family is.
“All are welcome” on a sign doesn’t always mean the same thing. If you want to be sure, look for a church that names LGBTQ+ people on its website, or one on the Reconciling in Christ list. Or ask the pastor plainly: “Would my partner and I be welcome to join, to serve, and to be married here?” A welcoming pastor will be glad you asked.
Congregations are made of people, and they differ. If you want to know before you go, look on the church’s website, or send the pastor a short email first. Asking is not signing up for anything.
- Find a church near you ELCA-tradition congregations, with what each one says about itself.
- Reconciling in Christ congregations ELCA congregations that publicly welcome LGBTQ+ people, from ReconcilingWorks.
Where Christians disagree
Christians disagree about sexuality and marriage. Some churches welcome everyone to worship but not to marry or lead. Other Lutheran church bodies, the LCMS and WELS, teach differently from the ELCA. Even within the ELCA, the 2009 decisions asked members who disagree to respect one another’s consciences, so practice varies from one congregation to the next.
How Lutherans see it
Lutherans say every person in church is at the same time a saint and a sinner: loved and forgiven, and still in need of it. That leaves no one at the door checking who deserves to come in. Grace means nobody earns their place, so nobody has to prove they belong.
Where it is in the Bible
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John 6:37 “He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.”
Read John 6:37
37 All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
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Mark 2:15–17 Jesus eats with the people others avoided.
Read Mark 2:15–17
15 He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him. 16 The scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
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Galatians 3:26–28 In Christ, the old dividing lines don’t divide.
Read Galatians 3:26–28
26 For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
What do these words mean?
| The word | It means |
|---|---|
| Communion | The meal of bread and wine that Jesus gave his followers to share. |
| Pastor | A church leader who preaches, teaches and cares for people. |
| Grace | God’s love that you don’t have to earn. |
Tap a word for more. All 228 church words: the glossary, A to Z
Where to go next
Other questions people ask
Written by Digital Lutheran Church, a small, free website from the nonprofit Hope for Americans, in the tradition of the ELCA. Bible passages are from the World English Bible.