Who is “Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC)” and what do you believe?
“There is no ONE way to answer this question.” Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) is truly a diverse group of people with different perspectives and opinions and, as you read articles from our MCC authors and explore our various MCC churches, you’ll notice this beautiful diversity of opinions, expressions, and viewpoints. That is who we are as a people! Diversity is a central part of MCC!
Many people within Metropolitan Community Churches, and many people who know about us, consider us to be a Protestant Christian denomination. We also consider ourselves to be a spiritual movement (more on that later). We are an international collection of churches and faith communities that was founded in 1968 in the United States by a brave out gay Christian pastor named Rev. Troy Perry.
We have many straight people who are part of MCC, and they are important and cherished members, leaders, and clergy of MCC! Most of our members, however, are from the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, we are unique among all Christian denominations because we’re the ONLY denomination that is primarily made up of LGBTQ+ people, has a focus on LGBTQ+ and Queer understandings, and this has been true of us for OVER 50 YEARS! The idea that God fully loves and accepts gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans*, pansexual, intersexual, asexual, and various queer people is NOT new to us! We’ve always welcomed and embraced the LGBTQ+ community. More than that…we ARE the LGBTQ+ community!
Metropolitan Community Churches is also considered by many to be “progressive Christians.” Part of being “progressive” means we often see ourselves not only as a denomination, but as a spiritual movement of people on a collective journey, and as people always seeking. For us this “seeking” means four things:
We believe that love is the most important force on this earth and we do everything we can to lovingly make everyone feel welcomed and included in our MCC churches and communities of faith. We’re always seeking to share our love with others!
We also believe we can learn about faith, God, Jesus, churches, our spiritual selves, our holy bodies, and much more when we come together in community. Many of us have been taught that there is only one (capital-T) “Truth.” However, dogmatic religious viewpoints that restrict truth in that way have not served us well. In fact, we use the (small-T) plural “truths” to indicate that there are many truths, and we can discover those best when we honestly explore our faith, beliefs, and questions together as a group people, with various perspectives. Yes, we’re always seeking for more truths!
We all know that the world we live in isn’t always loving. There are people who do not care about truths that help to make our world fair and just. And so we believe it’s important for us to go out into the world and to help all who are oppressed, and to help end oppressive systems that hurt or punish various people or groups. We’re always seeking for more justice in our world!
Finally, we believe that the “we” matters. We believe it really matters! We respect our individual rights, selves, identities, and opinions; but we also believe that something amazing happens when we seek to come together as a group of people. We believe we’re more loving, more wise, and more just when we exist, act, and believe as a group!
And so, let’s be clear about the main purposes of this website. It was created as a way to invite you to join us on the journey, learn more about MCC, and perhaps even consider joining one of our MCC churches or communities. And know that our “searching” is for one reason: We’re Seeking YOU!
Metropolitan Community Churches Statement of Faith
As adopted at General Conference XXVI, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Adopted: 05 July 2016
Preamble
Metropolitan Community Churches is one chapter in the story of the Church, the Body of Christ. We are people on a journey, learning to live into our spirituality, while affirming our bodies, our genders, our sexualities. We don’t all believe exactly the same things. And yet in the midst of our diversity, we build community, grounded in God’s radically inclusive love for all people. We are part of an ongoing conversation on matters of belief and faith, shaped by scripture and the historic creeds, building on those who have come before us. Our chapter begins when God says to us: “Come, taste, and see.”
Our Faith
“Come, taste, and see.” Jesus Christ, You invite all people to Your open table. You make us Your people, a beloved community. You restore the joy of our relationship with God, even in the midst of loneliness, despair, and degradation. We are each unique and we all belong, a priesthood of all believers. Baptized and filled with Your Holy Spirit, You empower us to be Your healing presence in a hurting world.
We expect to see Your reign on earth as it is in heaven as we work toward a world where everyone has enough, wars cease, and all creation lives in harmony. We affirm Your charge to all of humanity to care for the land, sea, and air. Therefore, we will actively resist systems and structures which are destroying Your creation.
With all of creation we worship You—every tribe, every language, every people, every nation. We know You by many names, Triune God, beyond comprehension, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, who invites us to the feast.
Amen.
