Queer people know what it’s like to find no room at the inn. From family rejection to legal red tape to religious condemnation, we have a lot of doors closed to us. And we can especially feel shut out at Christmas, when we might not be welcomed or safe with family or at church.
Yet faithful LGBTQIA+ people are resilient. We keep making a way where there is no way, building chosen family and creating sacred space. And in Minnesota, we’ve fought for and won political representation and legal protections — and, incredibly, religious affirmation. The Twin Cities is full of affirming churches that have made public statements of welcome and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people. If you’re looking to find a church for Christmas services, we’re building a map of places that might be the right fit for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What do you mean by “affirming”?
A: Lots of churches say “all are welcome,” but in that “welcome” they hide expectations about LGBTQIA+ people. Many of us can tell stories about churches that demanded we be closeted, celibate, “converted,” or a number of other ways we were asked to hide and hate our selves. “Affirming” is the language used for churches who have deliberately and publicly stated that LGBTQIA+ people are welcome just as we are, with our marriages recognized and our identities respected.
Q: How do you decide what churches to include?
A: All the churches and their responses are self-submitted. The information goes into a Google Sheets spreadsheet for review and addition to the map (which helps make sure all the addresses are right, and also prevents spam entries making it onto the map). If a church wants to be included, they can fill out the form here.
Q: Why just the Twin Cities?
A: Our interim executive director, Emmy, is a rostered minister in Minneapolis and has a lot of connections here, which makes it easier to build the map quickly. If this project turns out to be successful — meaning it helps people find what they need! — we’ll experiment with expanding it into more locations for 2025.
Q: Aren’t there already other websites doing this?
A: Yes! There’s websites like gaychurch.org and churchclarity.org, to name two bigger ones. We wanted to try out something that added often-requested information like worship styles and racial demographics and had a relatively quick turnaround from submission to posting.
Q: Can I actually trust these churches?
A: One of the reasons the map doesn’t update live is so Emmy can review submissions for any potential problems. That doesn’t guarantee perfection (nothing with humans ever does) but it does mean that a queer person with a lot of theological training and deep care for their community has reviewed the information before posting it.
Q: I have other questions.
A: Email emmy at inside out faith dot org!