LGBTQ+

As a church community we affirm and accept LGBTQ+ people, who are made in the image of God and loved by God.

We see the presence of LGBTQ+ people in society as a naturally occurring feature of human diversity and therefore part of God's creation, not a sign of sin or brokenness.

We believe that LGBTQ+ people experience their gender identity and sexual attraction as innate and unchosen in the same way as cisgender heterosexual people do. Consequently, we support the legal ban on conversion therapy. We also acknowledge that many LGBTQ+ people are concerned about privacy and will strive to protect against any disclosure without permission.

We apologise for the hurt that LGBTQ+ people have faced from Christians and the Church, both in the past and the present. We stand with churches who reject any doctrine that denies the full humanity of LGBTQ+ people and we are proud to partner with Aotearoa’s Diverse Church movement.

LGBTQ+ people have the right to full participation in our church through attendance, membership, service participation and leadership. We deeply regret that the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) does not allow LGBTQ+ people to participate as ministers and elders.

We believe that LGBTQ+ Christians are entitled to experience and enjoy love within faithful partnerships, in the same way as heterosexual Christians are. We affirm that we wish to be able to celebrate these faithful partnerships in the form of marriage, which is currently not allowed by the PCANZ.

We will continue to advocate for change on both these issues.

Somervell Presbyterian Church would like to gratefully acknowledge Cityside Baptist Church, whose LGBTQ+ statement provided the inspiration for our own.