Open and Affirming is the way many in the United Church of Christ (UCC) declare welcome and inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), same gender loving (SGL) persons into the full life and ministry of the church.

The message of love and compassion, justice and peace are at the very core of the life and ministry of Jesus. Open and Affirming (ONA) ministries and resources are rooted in that Gospel message. The testimonies of these ministries proclaim the truth of God's power to transform cultures of hate and violence into communities of healing and reconciliation. They give witness to God’s continuing testament and how the gifts of God are being liberated for service in the world.

The first national UCC body to affirm civil rights for LGBT people did so in 1969.  The Council for Christian Social Action, a predecessor body to Justice andWitness Ministries adopted the "Resolution on Homosexuals and the Law."  In 1972, the UCC ordained the first openly gay person into ministry, the Rev. William R. Johnson. In 1985, the UCC's General Synod declared itself to be "open and affirming" and called upon all settings of the church to become similarly poised to welcome LGBT persons as full members of the church.  Click here for a timeline.

Although not everyone in the UCC is of the same mind concerning human sexuality*, the Open and Affirming movement for full inclusion of LGBT persons continues to spread throughout all aspects of our denomination's life and witness. There are now more than 1,000 ONA churches and increasingly, the values that shape the ministry and witness of UCC are:

• Continuing testament
• Extravagant welcome
• Changing lives

Congregations and other expressions of the church are encouraged to engage in the ONA process.  A toolkit, training, educational resources, consultation and technical assistant are available to help you assess where you are on the journey and design a process to fit the life and culture of your congregation or organization.

• LGBT Resources on ucc.org
• Open and Affirming Frequently Asked Questions
• Resources available from the UCC store - UCC Resources
• UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns
• Institute for Welcoming Resources

* Note on UCC Polity:

The United Church of Christ (UCC) is not organized in a hierarchical way and therefore we are not a doctrinal church. The local church is the basic unit of mission and has the basic freedom to determine its own mission in light of God's call. This means there is some diversity among members, local churches and other settings of the UCC regarding "Open and Affirming," sexual orientation, and gender identity. The work of the national setting of the UCC in this area is guided by a significant body of resolutions adopted by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, the representative decision-making body of the national setting.