This post was written jointly by Rev. Sara Nave-Fisher and Rev. Diane Kenaston.

One of our greatest joys in pastoral ministry was leading our congregations through the Open & Affirming and Reconciling Ministries processes. Our congregations became places of refuge for the LGBTQIA+ community — as well as for people who loved them. This was vital and exciting ministry. We were following God faithfully! We were full of so much joy.

And that LGBTQ affirmation is a huge reason why closing our doors felt so tragic. 

This Pride month, we are sharing insights about congregational closure in affirming congregations. How does LGBTQIA+ affirmation affect church closure? How can we celebrate pride even while completing ministry?

LGBTQ welcome does not cause closure.

There is no broad brush with which to paint the role that queer faithfulness plays in the story of congregational closure. A congregation’s theology of welcome does not predict whether it will close. Denominations as diverse as the Southern Baptist Convention, Roman Catholic Church, and United Church of Christ are all seeing high rates of closure. What this shows is that congregational closure is a phenomenon larger than whether a congregation embraces LGBTQIA+ people. Your LGBTQ welcome is not the cause of church closure. 

What changes is how your congregation completes their ministry. All congregations make decisions based on their values. This means that LGBTQ affirming congregations can choose to complete ministry in ways that align with their moral principles. In Diane’s case, the congregation was adamant that they did not want their financial legacy to be used for discrimination against queer people. This led them to merge with another reconciling (LGBTQ-affirming) congregation. In the midst of grief, knowing that their legacy was continuing in another affirming congregation provided hope for the future. 

Queer grief is real.

Sara pastored in a large city with other affirming congregations — though none in their denomination or quite like their congregation. Thankfully, this meant the members could find a place to worship another place to worship. Even so, for months after their final service, Sara received messages from people in the community saying they were looking for a congregation affirming of LGBTQ people, and they weren’t sure where to turn. This isolation added to the grief Sara and her congregation experienced. 

This experience is even more common in smaller cities, towns, or rural communities. When an affirming congregation closes, often the safest — or only — place for queer folks to worship goes away with it.

Because of the particular grief of closing an affirming congregation, here are Sara’s tips:

• Spend extra time in pastoral care with the LGBTQ members of your congregation, who might have extra uncertainty about finding a new worshiping community. 

• Work in partnership with other open and affirming congregations in your area. This may open up new possibilities for your future, and it connects members with other affirming communities. 

• Cultivate relationships with the local LGBTQ community. You will need resources and recommendations to offer. If there aren’t other affirming congregations, maybe there is a group that meets at a local coffee shop, or even a virtual group. 

• Connect with your denominational LGBTQ group to ask for resources, connections, and ideas. 

Is there a Rainbow Glass Cliff? 

We have noticed a high proportion of queer clergy (like ourselves) leading congregations concluding ministry. We wonder whether LGBTQ clergy have similar experiences to women in ministry. Quantitative research indicates that clergywomen are more likely to be “last pastors” than their male colleagues — a phenomenon we’ve connected to the “stained glass cliff.”

A “glass cliff” occurs when an organization in crisis chooses a woman to lead them — thus breaking the “glass ceiling.” The organizational crisis predates the beginning of the new leader, but the decline and collapse of organizational structures is often painted as the fault of that leader. The new leader is thrown from the "glass cliff" and blamed for the organization's preexisting failures. 

In churches, this cliff is made of stained glass (just as “first women pastors” are breaking the “stained glass ceiling”). Women are chosen to lead struggling congregations who “can’t get” a straight white male pastor. Then the closure is told as a story of the inadequacy of women pastors. 

We believe a “Rainbow Glass Cliff” affects LGBTQ clergy. Congregations in crisis — those in Stage 1 or Stage 2 of the Five Stages of Church Closure — feel desperation and become open to queer clergy for the first time. Meanwhile, queer clergy face institutional discrimination that leads them to accept pastoral positions that straight clergy avoid. (Likely, both the congregation and the pastor are unaware of these dynamics. That’s why it’s an invisible glass cliff). This is especially true in call systems. 

If you are that LGBTQ pastor, the rainbow glass cliff is not your fault. Please reach out for help. All “last pastors” deserve support, and especially those who are (unjustly) expected to represent an entire identity.

Affirming YOU!

Affirming congregations — and those pastored by LGBTQ pastors — are faithful. You are not failing. You are doing good, holy work. Making decisions in line with your values will help your grief process. And no matter what outsiders say, being affirming does not cause closure. 

You can have hope that when your congregation scatters to new communities, their experience in an open and affirming community will go with them. These members can become seeds for other communities to also become open and affirming. The legacy of your beloved congregation can live on. You can have pride even in closing! 

How has LGBTQ affirmation affected your journey to completing ministry? Do you need a listening ear with people who “get it”? Schedule a free confidential conversation with members of the Good Friday Collaborative.