In our experience, leaders of congregations often face tensions and pressures during intense moments of public and political debates.
During the Proposition 8 campaign in CA in 2008, many raised honest questions around the roles clergy and congregation can take publicly around issues of equality and also how those actions might impact their ministries – Rev. Rebecca Voelkel reflects on some of the important questions and share insights on how to move forward with confidence and faith.
What Holds Us Back?
Fears and Responses: Common Questions and Answers
Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, Director, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Institute for Welcoming Resources
I don’t have enough time, energy, or resources to take on marriage equality. We are stretched too thin as a congregation with the social action projects we have going.
This is a very common concern—especially for progressive clergy members. First, one of the main points of this program is the importance of weaving work on marriage equality into the life and work of what you are already doing in your congregation. Marriage equality work should not be seen or understood as “adding one more thing” but rather as an opportunity to show a concrete way that a local congregation can live out its mission—of hospitality, of justice, of right relationship.
Whatever actions you take—preaching, Torah, Bible, Koran study, education classes, outreach work, consider how you can interweave marriage equality into pre-existing structure, rather than creating a whole new set of tasks to do.
When we weave marriage equality into the life of our congregation, we empower our congregants to the work that calls them. Marriage equality work is most effective and most empowering if the entire community is engaged, not just the clergy or a few leaders.
I’m worried about the legal ramifications of this work. Are we breaking the law?
This is a common concern—and an important question to ask. Partisan politics are prohibited by 501(c)(3) organizations. However, issue advocacy can be an important part of our work—it just cannot be the majority of our work. A helpful rule to think about is that, as long as a religious community (or any 501(c)3) does not spend more than 20% of its budget on issue advocacy, they are well within the law.
According to www.irs.gov, Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.
Certain activities or expenditures may not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For example, certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner.
On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.
The Internal Revenue Service provides resources to exempt organizations and the public to help them understand the prohibition. As part of its examination program, the IRS also monitors whether organizations are complying with the prohibition.
It’s important to me to maintain the separation of Church and State. Marriage equality is a civil issue, and out of my purview.
This is a common concern for many people of faith, but public witness rooted in faith is a proud tradition in our country. Representative John Lewis, a longtime Georgia congressperson and civil rights activist has said, “Faith is a powerful moral force that can serve as solid grounding for the best in public policy.”
Rep. Lewis’ words can serve as a guide for us. Our role is to help articulate the ways in which marriage equality comes from the best of our nation’s morals and values—justice, equality, the pursuit of happiness.
This violates my denomination’s canon. What will my colleagues think? It’s important that I am respected by my colleagues both within and outside of my denomination.
This is a very important question and ultimately, a very personal one that each clergy member must engage. There are several ways to think about it.
For what are you known as a rabbi, pastor, priest, imam or religious leader? What kind of a legacy or reputation do you want to have? For many who advocate for marriage equality and other justice issues, being known as one who speaks truth to power, who acts in ways that are in concert with what one preaches and as one who sought to faithfully follow the dictates of her/his religious tradition is the kind of reputation they wish to carry.
Many religious traditions have an understanding similar to the Roman Catholic understanding of conscience—namely that there are those things that, regardless of what some say, the tradition supports and a person of conscience must do. For many who support LGBTQ justice, such a stance, regardless of what some in the tradition say against LGBTQ persons, is a matter of conscience.
Many in religious traditions point to the history of justice movements in this country—abolition, women’s rights, the Civil Rights Movement—and recognize that many religious denominations were on the wrong side of the debate. Further, in each of these examples, it was to religious arguments that opponents of justice turned. At the same time, in each of these historical instances, there were always “faithful remnants” in all religious traditions that advocated for justice, even against denominational policy. Many clergy who support marriage equality say it is this desire to stand on the right side of history that gives them the courage to act.
I don’t know what to say. What if I use the wrong words and offend people even more than if I am silent?
There are at least two things to raise in answer to this question: the first is that integrity and honesty are always the most important “postures” when engaging people. If you, as a person of faith and a religious leader are able to articulate your support for marriage equality from a place of real stories, your own experience and your honest values and beliefs, this goes a long way toward gaining peoples’ respect.
Secondly, just like with other justice issues, doing your homework is important. There are numerous resources available on the issue. Several places to start are: www.freedomtomarry.org (which has numerous resources on marriage equality from a secular perspective), http://www.welcomingresources.org/marriage.xml (which has Christian resources on marriage equality), and in the marriage section of the online resources library at http://huc.edu/ijso (which has several Jewish resources.)
We will alienate and lose members if we are too far ahead of our congregation.
There have been several important reports that link pro-LGBTQ advocacy with religious community vitality. Jane Heckles (1997) found that churches that took on an Open and Affirming process in the early 1990’s had a 4.8% increase in membership, compared to churches that did not go through the ONA process, who had a 3.5% decrease in membership. In fact, from 1981-1995, ONA congregations experienced an increase in membership when non-ONA churches experienced a decrease.
The report, To Do Justice: A Survey of Welcoming Congregations (2009) found that “Welcoming Congregations” exhibited higher levels of church vitality, including church membership growth, financial giving increases and an increase in community partnerships and collaborations. The research also showed that congregations who went through an official welcoming process were able to deal with conflict more effectively. “Welcoming Congregations” were more likely to engage in other social justice activities—namely that being “Welcoming” helped focus the mission of a congregation.
Especially now, we can’t risk losing financial support.
Heckles reports that 82% of the churches who became ONA before 1995 experienced even or improved congregational giving. Additionally, several churches had successful capital fundraising projects during this same period. Heckles also reports that from 1986-1997, ONA churches had higher rates of increased giving than the national UCC average.
I love my congregation and do good work there. I could lose my job or my status in the church for supporting this.
This is, like many questions regarding acting for justice, a very good question. It is also a very personal decision. Besides what has been shared above, we would offer a few concrete suggestions:
If it is not possible to act within your congregation for marriage equality, you may be able to find retired clergy from your denomination who could act on this issue in your stead by marrying couples, speaking at educational forums in your congregation, or being present as a resource for clergy and congregants struggling with the issue.
You may be able to find concrete actions which support marriage equality but that don’t jeopardize your standing, such as writing letters to your congressperson as a private citizen, not as a clergyperson, attending events but not leading them
You may be able to work with multi-faith groups to support the work of marriage equality but not sign on as the pastor of your church.
Finally, if you are in this position consider supporting other leaders in this gathering and in your community as they do this work. For instance, if a member of another congregation sponsors an educational forum on marriage equality, consider going and inviting members of your congregation to attend.
Why should I do this work if my congregation has no LGBT members?
Two responses to this question are important:
The research on finances and vitality cited above show that religious communities experience an upsurge in vitality when they engage LGBT justice. One reason for this is that when these religious communities take on an issue that is so maligned both in the broader society and within religious communities, they must do so with clarity about their values, mission and purpose. Confronting fears and overcoming them, speaking truth to power and clarifying why we are doing what we’re doing all release a kind of energy and vitality that is infectious. This kind of energy attracts progressive people in general who will come because they see a vital congregation addressing the issues of our time. It is good for the congregation, it is good for the people who are doing the justice work, it is good for society, and it is good for the LGBT people on whose behalf the congregation does its work.
It has been argued very successfully that any justice movement succeeds only and when allies are part of it. For marriage equality to come to pass – and the rights, responsibilities and joys that come with it — allies need to be engaged.
The second response to this question is that very often people think that they have no LGBT members. However, in truth, LGBT members are present but do not feel the need to reveal themselves, or they are not feeling safe enough to declare themselves, or they are teens and young adult who are still struggling with understanding their sexuality or gender identity. While the studies of what percentage of the population are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender vary, a recent study by the British government stated the 6% of the United Kingdom’s population was gay or lesbian. If we take that number as an average of the higher Kinsey studies and the lower Census studies and apply it to our congregations, if we have 100 members, there will be some who are LGBT or have family who are.
If I and my congregation take this on the way it deserves to be taken on, we’ll get the reputation of being the “gay” congregation. Our congregants and potential congregants will see us/me as a “one-issue” congregation/clergy person.
As has already been said above, the research shows that congregations that engage in a Welcoming Process actually become involved in a wider breadth of social justice issues. That research shows that these same congregations—while attracting new LGBT members, also attract younger heterosexuals and their families and others who want to support an extravagantly welcoming congregation.
I’m worried that people will think that I am LGBT, and this could hurt my personal and professional lives.
It is important to grapple with this concern. There are at least two responses that supporters of LGBT justice have articulated:
The first is that the movement for LGBT justice within religious traditions has always had the presence of allies. A quick survey of history brings up many examples, including the Committee on Religion and the Homosexual from the early 1960’s—this and other efforts were filled with straight allies. It is a proud tradition to stand for LGBT justice as a straight person.
The second is a bit more pointed—that concern over being perceived as LGBT is a potent example of the power of homophobia and heterosexism. Doing the work of being an ally challenges straight people to confront why they might be afraid of being perceived as LGBT and come to grips with this possibility.
I don’t want to talk about sex.
Understanding our sexuality as a sacred blessing and responsibility is a gift the LGBT community is bringing to congregations and religious communities that have for too long resisted talking about sexuality and gender. This said, marriage equality is first about the values and ethics of love, relationship and family. Although sex is often part of a healthy marriage, it is rarely the focus of conversation regarding heterosexual marriage and should not be the focus of marriage equality conversations.
References
Heckles, Jane. (1997). Stewardship trends in open & affirming churches of the United Church of Christ. Unpublished dissertation. Andover, MA: Andover Newton Theological Seminary.
Voelkel, Rebecca. (2009). To Do Justice: A Study of Welcoming Congregations (Minneapolis, MN: The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) (www.WelcomingResources.org).
