Chronology of Actions
taken by various United Church of Christ people and bodies
regarding sexual license
This compilation contains information taken from a chronology developed for the UCC/UUA human sexuality curriculum “Our Whole Lives” (OWL) currently on the Unitarian Universalist Association site <www.uua.org/owl/uccres.html>. Additional data comes from UCC annual reports, Yearbook Directories, delegate handbooks and minutes of General Synods, United Church News, www.ucc.org, www.lgbtran.org web searches, and reports from Biblical Witness Fellowship.
1964 – San Francisco UCC clergy are among the organizers of the Council on Religion and the Homosexual (CRH), formed to promote “a continuing dialogue between the church and the homosexual,” the first group of its kind. The flyer for its initial fund-raiser, a New Year’s Mardi Gras Ball, describes CRH as “composed of members from the homophile community and clergymen of various denominations . . . projects will be directed towards fighting for civil rights for the homosexual in the community and the nation.” The United Church is the first denomination to recognize and financially support the activist organization.
CRH was incorporated six months after a Consultation on “The Church and the Homosexual,” an event held from May 31-June 2, 1964 at the UCC White Memorial Retreat Center where 13 homosexual activists and 16 ministers of various denominations spent a weekend of face to face confrontation and learning from each other. Organized by Methodist minister Ted McIlvenna, a graduate of UCC-related Pacific School of Religion, the consultation began with a tour of San Francisco gay bars. Concerns raised include laws criminalizing homosexual acts, ordaining gay clergy, discrimination in the military and the question of same-sex marriage. The group also felt the need for theological discussion “leading to a rethinking of traditional Christian positions.” The UCC representative was Rev. Walter Press, pastor of the UCC church in Carmichael, CA, and a member of the United Church Board for Homeland Missions. He was later in Conference ministry and chair of the UCC Council for Social Action. Another active UCC member of CRH was Rev. Clay Colwell, who also went on to Conference work.
1967 – Council on Religion and the Homosexual is listed in the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries’ annual report for 1966 as one of its ministries.
1969 - Two months before the Stonewall uprising in New York, generally recognized as the beginning of the modern gay and lesbian rights movement, the UCC’s Council for Christian Social Action declares opposition to all laws criminalizing private homosexual relations between adults. The council also opposes the exclusion of homosexual citizens from the armed forces.
1971 - Freedom of Choice Concerning Abortion: A Proposal for Action - Calls for action and education leading to the repeal of legal prohibitions of physician-performed abortions. General Synod re-affirms the right of women to freedom of choice with regard to pregnancy in 1973, 1977 and 1979.
1972 - The Rev. William Johnson becomes the first openly homosexual person ordained in modern times to the ministry by an historic or “mainline” Christian church. He is ordained by the Golden Gate Association in Northern California without fulfilling the requirement of having a call to local parish ministry. An extensive bio can be found at: www.lgbtran.org. “A position of Faith,” a video of the controversial proceedings is on the UCC 50th anniversary timeline at www.ucc.org/50/timeline.swf.
1973 - The UCC Executive Council, the main deliberative body of the church between biennial Synods, recommends that sexual orientation should not bar qualified candidates from ordination. The UCC Gay Caucus receives official standing at General Synod. The caucus will later change its name to the United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns. Rev. Bill Johnson is one of the Coalition’s founders.
1975 – Resolution: “Civil Liberties Without Discrimination Related to Affectional or Sexual Preference” passes. The General Synod declares that sexual orientation is not a legitimate ground to deny civil liberties. The Synod supports federal, state and municipal laws to protect equal rights for all citizens.
1975 – Resolution: “Human Sexuality and the Needs of Gay and Bisexual Persons” Expresses support for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual persons in professional church leadership. Commissions a study concerning human sexuality and the theological basis for a Christian ethic concerning sexuality.
1977 - In Virginia, the Rev. Anne Holmes becomes the first openly lesbian woman ordained in the UCC.
1977 – General Synod adopts "Human Sexuality: a Preliminary Report" that claimed sex outside of marriage could be a moral good acceptable in the sight of God. In addition to 18 specific points, the report urged support for sexuality education in schools, adult education programs, social welfare agencies, medical services and communications media. It also approved the right of choice to end or continue a pregnancy, recommended the development of new liturgies, commitment rites, theology, and counseling services to include full participation of all persons and lifestyles, urged all settings of the church to work toward decriminalizing private sexual acts between consenting adults and for the recognition in state legislatures the traditional marriage is not the only stable living unit which is entitled to legal protection.
34% of delegates dissented and a Minority Resolution was presented and passed in response. From this Minority Caucus, the United Church People for Biblical Witness was formed in 1978. UCPBW became Biblical Witness Fellowship in 1984.
1977 – Resolution: “Deploring the Violation of Civil Rights of Gay and Bisexual Persons” Deplores the use of scripture to generate hatred and the violation of civil rights of gay and bisexual persons.
1981 - Resolution on “Freedom of Choice” Opposes the passage of constitutional amendments and legislation that would revoke the freedom to choose abortion.
1983 - Early in the AIDS epidemic, the General Synod declares “compassionate support” for people with AIDS and urges increased funding for research.
1983 - The Synod passes a resolution recommending to UCC regional associations, that “in considering a candidate’s qualifications for ministry, the candidate’s sexual orientation should not be grounds for denying the request for ordination.” The Synod also “advocates that sexual orientation not be a basis for discrimination within the United Church of Christ in the employment of staff or use of volunteers.”
1983 – Resolution: “Institutionalized Homophobia Within the United Church of Christ” calls for the elimination of institutionalized homophobia in all its forms.
1983 – Resolution: “In Response to the Concerns of Same-Gender Oriented Persons and Their Families Within the United Church of Christ” reaffirms the United Church of Christ's commitment to family ministry to all regardless of family composition.
1983 – General Synod Resolution calls for research, education and legislation to address the AIDS epidemic.
1983 – Resolution: “Recommending Inclusiveness on Association Church and Ministry Committees Within the United Church of Christ” calls for continuing education to increase understanding of gay and lesbian persons and their commitment to the Christian faith. Recommends openness to the nomination and election of lesbian and gay laypersons and clergy to church and ministry committees.
1983 – General Synod receives the “Report of the Task Force for the Study of Human Sexuality.” Urges the support of educational programs to teach about human sexuality and to end sexual violence among other things – see 1977 General Synod.
1984 - The Rev. Diane Darling becomes the first openly gay or lesbian called to parish ministry in the UCC, as pastor of College Avenue United Church of Christ in Modesto, Calif. She was ordained in 1981.
1985 - The General Synod calls on all UCC congregations and bodies to study homosexuality and declare that they are “open and affirming” by adopting a policy of non-discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual people, and to adopt a Covenant of Openness and Affirmation of persons of lesbian, gay and bisexual orientation.
1986 – UCC Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is founded by Eleonore and Oliver Powell, parents of UCC ordained Rev. Loey Powell. Oliver Powell was one of the leaders in the early years of the UCC.
1987 - General Synod declares opposition to all “sodomy laws” and resolves to witness publicly against laws criminalizing homosexuality whenever meeting in a state where a sodomy law is still on the books.
1987 - Resolution on Pornography articulates the General Synod's abhorrence of pornography. Urges ministry to victimizers and victims of violence, pornography and sexual abuse.
1987 – Resolution: “The Right to Privacy” affirms the right to privacy for all adults in their private, consensual and sexual relationships, free from government intrusion. Urges work for legislation that guarantees the civil liberties of all without regard to sexual orientation. .
1987 – Resolution: “Sexuality & Abortion, A Faithful Response” reaffirms the right of women to reproductive choice. Urges the UCC to provide educational resource to help reduce unplanned pregnancies and to encourage responsible sexual behavior.
1987 – Resolution: “Health and Wholeness in the Midst of a Pandemic” calls for HlV/AIDS education for all; government funding of HlV/AIDS research, service, education, treatment and prevention; and sexuality education programs, beginning early in elementary school.
1987 - At the same Synod, UCC minister Marie Fortune accepts the Antoinette Brown Award for exemplary achievements in ministry to a standing ovation, while her lesbian partner stands at her side.
1989 – Resolution: “Sexual Harassment in the Church No Longer Nameless” calls upon the United Church of Christ, its member congregations, and other UCC institutions to undertake educational programs on the issue of Christian ethics dealing with sexual harassment and abuse within pastoral, professional and personal relationships in the church.
1989 - General Synod reaffirms the United Church of Christ's support for a woman's right to choose a safe, legal abortion.
1989 – Resolution: “Deploring Violence Against Lesbian and Gay People” calls for education and legislation to end violence against lesbian and gay people, as well as other oppressed groups.
1989 – Resolution: “Responding to AIDS: An Audit of AIDS Discrimination in the United Church of Christ” directs the Executive Council of the United Church of Christ to conduct a church-wide audit to evaluate the nature and degree of AIDS discrimination within the church. Calls for the alleviation of discrimination discovered as a result of the audit.
1989 – Synod endorses a list of ten principles designed to guarantee the workplace rights of people with HIV/AIDS.
1991 – Spring - Eastern Minnesota Association votes Spirit of the Lakes Church into the UCC. It becomes the first congregation in a mainline church specifically serving the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender community.
1991 – General Synod Resolution: “Affirming Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Persons and Their Ministries” affirms, celebrates and embraces the gifts of ministry of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons. Calls upon congregations, associations and conferences to adopt an "Open and Affirming" policy and extend welcome and support to openly lesbian, gay and bisexual ministerial students and candidates.
1991 – General Synod calls upon the Virginia Legislature to repeal the Virginia sodomy laws and other laws directed at persons specifically because of their sexual orientation.
1993 - UCC leaders, including the Rev. Paul H. Sherry, president, join the “March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Equal Rights and Liberation.”
1993 - In testimony to the House Armed Services Committee, Sherry urges Congress to lift the ban on military service by gays and lesbians. “To allow the military to discriminate is morally intolerable and contrary to the values that under gird our society,” he says.
1993 - Hours after President Clinton authorizes military commanders to dismiss lesbians and gays from the armed forces, General Synod (in session at the time) votes by a wide margin to denounce the ban on homosexuals. UCC President Paul Sherry tells the Synod that ``this is a moment for the church to speak truth to power.''
1993 - The UCC publishes the only comprehensive curriculum for AIDS awareness and prevention designed for use in Christian education. Entitled: Affirming Persons/Affirming Lives. In 2001, an on-line BWF review of the curriculum that included quotes from the 5th-6th grade version is deemed to violate a UCC policy that prohibits “sexually explicit content” to be within ten clicks from page one of the UCC website and the BWF website is unlinked from www.ucc.org until the offending article is removed.
1993 – Resolution: “Calling on the Church for Greater Leadership to End Discrimination Against Gay and Lesbians” calls for legislation, education and leadership to end the legal sanctioning of discrimination against gays and lesbians.
1994 - University Congregational Church, a UCC congregation in Seattle, calls the first gay clergy couple in history to serve a mainline Christian denomination. A three-fourths majority of the congregation votes to call the Rev. Peter Ilgenfritz and the Rev. David Shull as associate co-ministers.
1995 – In approving the preliminary proposal to form the Church of Christ Uniting (COCU), General Synod expresses concern over the absence of sexual orientation affirmation with regard to clergy and votes a document saying, “the place of gay and lesbian Christians in the church is a gift that the United Church of Christ brings into the continuing dialogue.”
1996 - There are 195 “open and affirming” congregations. Three are predominately lesbian and gay congregations: Liberation United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Spirit of the Lakes United Church of Christ in Minneapolis and Phoenix United Church of Christ in Kalamazoo, Mich. Rev. William Johnson is currently Minister for AIDS Programs and Ministries Coordination in the Homeland Board’s American Missionary Association Division. Rev. Darling is now at a church in Sayville, NY.
1996 – At the Fall meetings of the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries and the Office for Church in Society, both instrumentalities passed resolutions affirming homosexual “marriages” with intention of presenting the measure to the General Synod meeting in July 1997. The resolution was withdrawn from the agenda after several conference ministers raised concern that it would create further crisis and division in the denomination.
1997 – The UCC’s Coordinating Center for Women appoints Rev. Loey Powell as its Executive Minister. She is the first out lesbian or gay person on the UCC’s Council of Instrumentality Executives.
1997 – A resolution at General Synod calling for “Fidelity in Marriage and Chastity in Singleness” as a standard for clergy is rewritten to change the original intent and then approved as reaffirming for all members of the UCC a standard of “fidelity and integrity in marriage and in other covenanted relationships, or singleness, and in all relationships of life.” It continues to be used as a basis for promoting same sex unions.
1997 – A proposal to begin a Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies was adopted by the faculty and Board of Directors of the UCC-related Pacific School of Theology. Opened in the Fall of 2000, it claims to be “the only Center for LBGTQ issues and religion established by a seminary or school of religion in the world.
1998 – UCC President Paul Sherry sends his ”Now, No Condemnation” pastoral letter to all 6,000 churches asking it be read from the pulpit on Thanksgiving Sunday. It criticizes other denominations who “exclude gay, lesbian and bisexual persons from sharing fully in the ministry of the church” saying that those convictions assume “frequently untested, that the Bible in general, and Christianity in particular, teach that homosexuality is a sin.” It creates more conflict than reconciliation in a deeply divided church.
1999 – General Synod votes in a restructured UCC with new Constitution and By-laws that mandate representation by the UCC Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns on every major national ministry board.
1999 – General Synod calls on churches to increase awareness and study the issue of suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.
1999 – A resolution submitted by the Connecticut Conference proposing "Justice and Civil Rights for Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Persons" by-passed General Synod delegates when the Executive Council referred it directly to the “appropriate agencies for implementation.” The resolution reaffirmed “the historic commitment to justice and civil rights for all persons including lesbian, gay and bisexual people." It asked that the UCC at all settings “prevent abridgement and erosion of justice and civil liberties for lesbian, gay and bisexual persons by working to defeat DOMA-type legislation on state levels” and to support the Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
1999 – UCC and Unitarian Universalists publish Our Whole Lives (OWL) a comprehensive human sexuality curriculum that was not endorsed by at least two conference ministers because of its untraditional “no topic off the table” format. Homosexuality, Bi-sexuality, and Heterosexuality are each described as “normal, not an illness, no known cause.”
1999 – October, the UCC Homeland Board sponsors a first consultation for “out” gay and lesbian pastors entitled “Called Out for Good.” Rev. Diane Darling preached at the event, organized by Bill Johnson. UCC President John Thomas attended the worship.
2000 – January, UCC President John Thomas and many other UCC clergy sign the SIECUS Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing that calls faith communities to work toward the “full inclusion of women and sexual minorities in congregational life, including their ordination and the blessing of same sex unions.” It further advocates for lifelong sexuality education and access to abortion.
2000 – June 16, William R. Johnson Scholarship Fund is founded by United Church Board for Homeland Ministries out of historic endowment monies of the American Missionary Association to assist openly gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender persons in seminary preparing for parish ministry.
2000 – July 1, the “new” UCC is actualized, dissolving the former Homeland Board and the United Church Board for World Ministries. William R. Johnson becomes Minister for HIV/AIDS and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns as part of the newly formed Wider Church Covenanted Ministries team. Diane Darling preached at the opening worship at the 4-day celebratory inauguration of the restructured UCC. “Here we are, perched between memory and hope,” she said. The United Church News continues, “ ‘The United Church of Christ is not a structure,’ she said. ‘It is a living, growing story of what God has done and is doing even yet.’ The current structure has outlived its usefulness, she pointed out. It simply ‘can no longer contain the multiracial, multicultural, multi-splendored, mission-focused, Spirit-propelled church that God was birthing, was not containing it, and hadn't been able to contain it for quite some time,’ she said. ‘And this is good news! This is God's news!’ ”
2000 – a new support network is started for bisexuals in the UCC called Bi All Means Necessary! (BAMN!). In 2003 BAMN! begins a discussion with the broader church on the gifts bisexuals bring to the family of God. A June 2003 United Church News story reports that Rev. Darryl Kistler, pastor of United Christian Church in Miles City, Mont., and a BAMN! leader, sees bisexuality as a God-given vocation, a blessed ability to love across a spectrum of people. The article further quotes The Rev. John Selders, co-coordinator of BAMN and Pastor of Amistad UCC in Harford, Conn., as saying he believes the church must "go beyond our dualisms of straight or gay, and learn to honor our sexualities, plural." A 30-minute video “Bi-sex’u-al” is produced to increase understanding and acceptance in the church and wider community.
2001 – Fifteen years after calling the denomination to be “open and affirming,” there are 375 (out of 6,000) UCC churches that have voted to be ONA Churches.
2001 – General Synod overwhelmingly rejects resolutions submitted by a considerable number of local churches in the Heidelberg Association of the Penn Southeast Conference calling for John Thomas to remove his support for the SIECUS Declaration thus reaffirming its commitment to abortion and the ordination and placement of openly homosexual clergy.
2001 – Resolution: “Support for Federally Funded Research on Embryonic Stem Cells” passes.
2002 – Bill Johnson is promoted to Executive Associate to the Executive Minister of Wider Church Ministries, the number two position. In 2005 he becomes vice president for member relations with the UCC Council for Health and Human Service Ministries.
2003 – Synod resolution reaffirms denouncement of violence against lesbian and gay people and calls for the inclusion of transgender people within that anti-violence statement.
2003 – Resolution “Affirming the Participation and Ministry of Transgender People Within the UCC and Supporting Their Civil and Human Rights” passes. Most evident are the men in dresses are in attendance and speaking on stage during plenary sessions.
2003 – General Synod took “no action” on the resolution “Protecting the Vulnerable, the Unborn, the Subjects of Medical Research, the Disabled, and Those Chronically and Terminally Ill.”
2003 – General Synod calls on all settings of the church to challenge the Boy Scouts of America about its membership policies that exclude people from positions of leadership based on sexual orientation. Affirms congregations who wish to sever ties with sponsored troops.
2003 – General Synod encourages donations of organ, tissue, blood and bone marrow. Resolution also calls on all settings of the church to engage the American Red Cross, the United States Food and Drug Administration, and other regulatory agencies to change blood donation policies so that gay and bisexual men can be included in pool of donors.
2004 – April - The Executive Council meeting in Atlanta released the statement “Call to Action and Invitation to Dialogue on Marriage” urging the defeat of the Federal Marriage Amendment and the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 as well as the defeat or repeal of any similar federal or state legislation. At the same time, each of the four Covenanted Ministries Boards of Directors issued similar resolutions. Local churches and other settings of the UCC were encouraged to use materials developed to promote diverse understandings of marriage.
2004 – Documentary movie “Call Me Malcolm” about a transgender seminarian, Malcolm Himschoot, is produced by the UCC Wider Church Ministries.
2005 – June 29 - Two days before Synod begins, UCC President John Thomas endorses same-sex marriage in his address at the national gathering of the UCC Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender Concerns. BWF Executive Director David Runnion-Bareford publicly calls for Thomas to resign for his failure to be president of the whole church rather than an ideological partisan.
2005 – July 4 - General Synod passes, with substantial dissent, a resolution in support of equal marriage rights for all. It calls on churches to consider having wedding policies that do not discriminate based on gender and asked churches, associations, conferences, and national offices to urge federal, state and local governments to enact laws giving equal marriage rights to all couples. Delegates reject by same margin a resolution supporting marriage as between one man and one woman.
2005 – Spring and Fall - At least two Conferences (Southern California and Central Atlantic) have signed onto legal briefs challenging their state laws prohibiting same sex marriage. Two others (Connecticut and Maine) worked to have legislatures pass civil union legislation.
2005 – UCC’s “Bouncer” Ad, which was banned from airing on the major networks, wins several awards for its gay advocacy stand. UCC failed to raise the monies needed to run a new “edgier” ad during Advent.
2005 – November – 20 years after the General Synod votes to recommend churches become Open and Affirming of gays and lesbians, the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns officially declares that 10% of the churches in the UCC are ONA with 585 out of 5700-5800 congregations in the denomination choosing that designation.
2005 – December - New Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches, a predominantly gay denomination with 250 churches around the world, visits UCC’s Cleveland headquarters to discuss mutual concerns and continuing cooperation. At least 2 MCC churches are seeking re-affiliation with the UCC due to Synod marriage statement.
2006 – January – UCC-related Chicago Theological Seminary opens its Lesbian and Gay Religious Studies Center “to generate and propagate the intellectual capital in religion that provides the depth of analysis needed not only to counter distorted religion, but actually to offer sound religious arguments for equal rights for LGBT people from a religious perspective.”
2006 – Spring - UCC’s “edgier” ad featuring people being ejected from their pews again gets limited airing during Lent due to lack of financial support and rejection notices by the primary Spanish language cable networks as well as major non-cable networks. Still Speaking Campaign head Ron Buford finds new job.
2006 – Summer - In the first year after General Synod approves marriage equality resolution and rejects the one-man/one-woman model, more than 200 churches have voted out of the UCC in protest, including the entire Puerto Rico Conference. Hundreds of others have reduced contributions putting Conference and National offices into financial stress.
2006 – October – Calling itself the largest gay church in the world, Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas, is voted into the North Texas Association of the South Central Conference and becomes the 3rd largest UCC church. Formerly part of the predominantly homosexual denomination Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, Cathedral of Hope is led by UCC ordained Rev. Dr. Jo Hudson. The church’s satellite location in Oklahoma City technically became part of the UCC with the vote, but they are pursuing separate standing in the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference.
2007 – June – the 50th Anniversary General Synod took no action on several resolutions that sought to have the UCC reverse its approval of same gender marriage stance taken in 2005. Upon the dissent of UCC Disabilities Ministries, a resolution endorsing physician-assisted death was rewritten to call for further study.
Last updated 8/24/07
Other Sources:
· www.sodomylaws.org/usa/ucc_chronology.htm
· www.qrd.org/qrd/orgs/UCC/history.of.ucc.support.for.lgb
· A timeline of LGBT actions in the UCC has been newly updated and was posted on the UCC website in October 2006.
· Biographical information on key activists in the UCC is available in the Profiles Gallery of the LGBT Religious Archives Network <www.lgbtran.org> a project of the UCC-related Chicago Theological Seminary