The Q Christian Fellowship (QCF) is an

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

ministry focused on serving

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

, and

straight ally A straight ally, heterosexual ally, cisgender ally, or cis ally (often simply called an ally) is a heterosexual and cisgender person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ social movements. Individuals may meet this designat ...

Christians. It was founded in 2001 as the Gay Christian Network (GCN) by Justin Lee and is currently administered from Denver, Colorado. It was re-branded in 2018 to better reflect the diversity of the ministry and community they serve. According to the re-branding documents, the 'Q' does not correlate to any particular word. Instead, it is just the letter 'Q' open for interpretation. The organization operates an online community "

safe space The term safe space refers to places "intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations", according to Merriam-Webster. It is a place where marginalized groups can discuss issues pert ...

" for

social network A social network is a social structure consisting of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), networks of Dyad (sociology), dyadic ties, and other Social relation, social interactions between actors. The social network per ...

ing and support; hosts the Q Christian Fellowship Conference, the world's largest annual LGBTQ+ Christian

conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

with over 1,300 attendees each January; organizes regional small groups; and produces resources including the Unchanged Movement, the upcoming Affirmation and Relational Guides, devotionals, online chat forums, age-block groups, the annual Parent Summit, and online. The organization's stated mission is to "cultivate radical belonging among LGBTQ+ people and allies through a commitment to growth, community, and relational justice."

Early years (2001–2017)

GCN was founded in 2001 as an

online community An online community, also called an internet community or web community, is a community whose members engage in computer-mediated communication primarily via the Internet. Members of the community usually share common interests. For many, on ...

to provide support to gay Christians. Founder Justin Lee had struggled for years to reconcile his own Christian faith with his sexuality, so he set up GCN as a way to support others in similar situations. As the organization grew, its mission expanded. In 2008, GCN officially adopted five "missional directions": promoting spiritual growth, cultivating safe community, supporting family and friends, educating and encouraging the church, and engaging the wider LGBT community and the world. Lee has said that GCN aims "to change hearts and minds in the church, and to provide support to parents and to pastors as they are wrestling with these issues in their own families and congregations."

Re-branding and expansion (2017–present)

On July 19, 2017, it was announced that GCN and Justin Lee went their separate ways.

Due to irreconcilable differences about the direction and future of the organization, Justin Lee and the GCN Board of Directors have agreed to his amicable separation from the organization. Justin Lee will no longer serve as the executive director of GCN, effective May 4, 2017. Neither Justin nor the Board will publicly discuss the reasons behind Justin's departure other than to affirm that it was a practical business decision intended to allow for the growth of this important work.

In January 2018, the new name Q Christian Fellowship was adopted, and the conference was held in Chicago for the second time the following year. In May 2019, former board member and Co-Executive Director Bukola Landis-Aina became the Executive Director for the organization. In June 2019, following Bethel Church's promotion of an ex-gay group called the Changed Movement, Q Christian launched the Unchanged Movement, an initiative developed as an "affirmative counter to the damage wrought in the name of God through ex-gay theologies and philosophies". The organization began advocating against the use of conversion therapy and ex-gay rhetoric in the Church, leveraging their platform to offer resources, amplify LGBTQ+ Christian stories, and illumine the myths often propagated by ex-gay leaders in the past. In August, Q Christian issued an open letter to the city government of Orlando requesting they condemn the Freedom March, a gathering of "former homosexuals" and "transgenders" scheduled for September 14 in Lake Eloa Park.

Theology

Members of Q Christian Fellowship have a diverse set of theological beliefs from very liberal to very conservative. The organization's "Statement of Faith" is broadly consistent with orthodox Christian beliefs, asserting the existence of one God, the divinity of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, the Bible as the authoritative word of God, and the importance of living holy lives in service to God. Beyond that, the organization does not take public stands on most theological issues; instead, it offers support to individuals in a wide variety of Christian sects and denominations, including but not restricted to

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Disciples of Christ The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Metropolitan Community Church The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), also known as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), is an international LGBT-affirming Christian denominations, LGBT-affirming mainline Protestant Christian denomination. The ...

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

and other

Charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ...

churches,

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbat ...

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

, and unaffiliated/

nondenominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...

Christians.

Sex and Christianity

Members of Q Christian Fellowship have expressed a wide variety of opinions concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life and how it should be lived from a Christian perspective. For instance, the site is committed to being a safe haven both for members who believe it is okay for gay Christians to enter into healthy, committed relationships (including sex) and for those who believe that the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

prohibits such behavior and requires

chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains from sexual activity that is considered immoral or from any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for exampl ...

. On the site, these two positions were nicknamed ''Side A'', i.e., those members who believe that homosexual activity is not sinful, and ''Side B'', i.e., those who believe that God does love gay people but does not accept homosexual activity. The ''Side A'' members are ''not'' advocating promiscuity or other casual sexual behaviors; many of them are looking for a

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...

, marital relationship (e.g. a

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

). Similarly, the ''Side B'' members are ''not'' advocating an ex-gay position; many of them believe that God is not asking them to change their sexual orientation, but simply that they remain sexually chaste. As the site described the two sides:

Here at GCN, we have two types of gay Christians. On one side are those who are in gay relationships or hope to be someday. On the other side are those who view their same-sex attractions as a temptation, and strive to live celibate lives. We call these views Side A and Side B, and both are well-represented at GCN.

Although both sides have strong contingents on the site, many members have not fully decided which side they belong to. For these members, the site provides a safe place in which to think through these issues and the resources to help people make informed decisions. Another example of the variety of opinions is that many ''Side A'' members on the site choose to remain sexually abstinent until they are in a committed relationship and/or legal marriage. These types of beliefs exemplify the conflicts that some gay Christians have encountered with the mainstream gay community.

The QCF Conference

According to Q Christian Fellowship, its conference is the largest annual LGBT Christian event in the world. The conference includes a wide variety of workshops that explore the LGBT and Christian landscapes, particularly where they intersect. The most recent conference in 2020 was Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 2021 conference was originally scheduled to be held during January 7–10 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the end of July 2020, it was announced that the event would still take place but due to issues related to Covid 19 would be hosted virtually. Dr Emilie M Townes, Dr Robyn Henderson-Espinoza and Father Richard Rohr are scheduled to be keynote speakers. The 2022 conference was scheduled to take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, January 20–23 but due to the rise of the Omicron variant of Covid, it was announced at the end of 2021 that this would also be a virtual conference only. In 2022, the QCF conference was held in Washington, DC, during January 5–8. It took on a new look as both a face-to face gathering and offering virtual attendance using WHOVA as a platform.

Workshops

The workshops cover topics from a broad spectrum of Christian belief and LGBTQ life. The overall theme for workshops is the intersectionality of Christianity and being an LGBTQ person. The plenary session speakers are given a chance to present workshops to expand on topics not discussed in the larger session. Some past workshops have discussed: * The Bible and Homosexuality * Support for Parents * Resources for Pastors and Churches * Race and Intersectionality * Making a Real-World Impact * The Trans Community and the Church * Supporting LGBT Youth * Side B and Celibacy * Couples' Communication * Prayer and Spiritual Growth * Responding to Homophobia

Speakers

The Q Christian Fellowship Conference attracts keynote speakers and performers from a variety of perspectives, known nationally and internationally for their faith work. Past conferences have included names such as Philip Yancey, the late Rachel Held Evans, Vicky Beeching, Jeff Chu, Peter Gomes, Tony Campolo, and more. The 2020 Conference in Fort Lauderdale included civil rights activist DeRay McKesson, Dr.

Pamela Lightsey Pamela commonly refers to: * ''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740 * Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname. Pamela may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pamela Spence, a Tur ...

, Rev. Nicole Garcia, and a variety of Affinity Group leaders as well as Breakout Session presenters.

Concerts

Since 2014, the conference has highlighted Christian LGBTQ or affirming performers with an evening concert. Past concerts have included Mary Lambert, who was featured on

Macklemore Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist rele ...

's "

Same Love "Same Love" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, released as the third single from their 2012 debut studio album, '' The Heist''. The track, featuring vocals by Seattle-based singer Mary Lambert, talks about the issue of ...

" single, and

Gungor Gungor is a band formed by husband and wife duo Michael Gungor and Lisa Gungor. The group's music has been compared to the music of Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver and Arcade Fire. The band has released seven studio albums, the last one appearing in ...

Financial support

In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Q Christian Fellowship, like most churches, is an

Internal Revenue Code The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC), is the domestic portion of federal statutory tax law in the United States. It is codified in statute as Title 26 of the United States Code. The IRC is organized topically into subtitles and sections, co ...

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that provides resources and support to its members. Like church membership, people participate in the ministry without financial cost. Members and supporters can choose to offer financial support for administration and programming through one-time and/or recurring free-will donations.

Reception in the media

The ministry gained national attention with the founder's appearance on the

Dr. Phil Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...

television program's ''Gay-to-Straight Debate'' in 2006 where Lee argued against

conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have ...

. Lee debated an ordained priest who was a former prostitute who claimed sexual reorientation therapy works. Lee and the organization's website were also featured in the opening paragraphs of the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' front-page article "Gay and Seeking a Place Among Evangelicals". The organization's website has become so well-known that it was recently mentioned as a resource in the syndicated advice column ''

Annie's Mailbox Ann Landers was a pen name created by ''Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer in 1955. For 56 years, the ''Ask Ann Landers'' syndicated advice column was a regular featu ...

'', written by two former editors for

Ann Landers Ann Landers was a pen name created by ''Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer in 1955. For 56 years, the ''Ask Ann Landers'' syndicated advice column was a regular featur ...

. The column lists QCF alongside such denominational gay Christian groups as

IntegrityUSA Integrity USA was a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Episcopal Church in the United States. It was founded in 1974 to promote the inclusion of Q members and their Straight allies, allies for equal access to Episcopal liturgy, rites, bu ...

(

DignityUSA DignityUSA is an organization with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, that focuses on LGBT rights and the Catholic Church. Dignity Canada exists as the Canadian sister organization. The organization is made up of local chapters across the coun ...

(

), Seventh Day Adventist Kinship International, the GLBT-focused

denomination, and

PFLAG Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is an LGBTQ advocacy organization founded and led by friends and family of LGBTQ people. PFLAG is a national organization presiding over decentralized local and regional chapters. PFLAG has nearly ...

, the nation's largest support network for parents, siblings, children and friends of GLBT individuals. The ministry has also been mentioned (often alongside or through an interview with Lee) in articles on gay Christians and their fight for inclusion in the church, such as the article "Progressive Christians see hope for gay marriage" and the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

article "Gays, lesbians join the chastity movement," which interviews members of the site's "Waiting for Marriage" group. The ministry's annual conference was featured as part of an article on the gay Christian rock group Canaan, some of whose members are also regular contributors to the site. QCF members have been featured on the

LOGO TV Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment progra ...

series ''Be Real'' and in ''Out'' magazine.Stephanie Fairyington, "Virgin Marys," 1 February 2007, pp.46–49.

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.qchristian.org/ LGBTQ Christian organizations Internet properties established in 2001 LGBTQ-related websites Christian websites LGBTQ-related Internet forums LGBTQ-related radio programs LGBTQ organizations based in the United States Organizations based in Raleigh, North Carolina Christian organizations established in 2001 2001 establishments in the United States LGBTQ in North Carolina Charities based in North Carolina 2000s LGBTQ-related mass media Christian charities based in the United States