Please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below. If you have a question or comment, use the form found at the end of the FAQs to contact PCM’s LGBTQ+ Task Force.
What is the Covenant Network of Presbyterians?
The Covenant Network of Presbyterians is a national organization within the PC(USA) committed to strengthening the church through faithful welcome, theological reflection, and full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the church.
What does it mean to become a Covenant Network congregation?
It means our church publicly affirms its commitment to:
- Welcome LGBTQ+ people fully into the life of the church
- Continue theological education and reflection
- Practice covenantal accountability and care
It is a relationship, not a certification.
Does this change our theology?
No. Covenant Network affiliation does not require a congregation to adopt a single theological viewpoint. It reflects our commitment to ongoing discernment, faithful welcome, and Presbyterian covenantal life.
Does this require changes to worship or programming?
No immediate changes are required. Many congregations find that affiliation deepens existing ministries rather than replacing them.
Is this a political statement?
No. This is a faith-based and theological decision rooted in Scripture, Presbyterian polity, and our baptismal vows.
Why now?
Over several years, our congregation has engaged in:
- Bible studies on LGBTQ+ inclusion
- Scholarly theological education
- Panels and conversations within the PC(USA)
- Community events supporting LGBTQ+ people
This decision reflects work already underway, not a sudden shift.
Will there be space for questions or concerns?
Yes. Pastors and leaders are available for conversation, and the process includes clear communication and opportunities for listening.
Our Denomination: What our Book of Order Says about our Beliefs
The tenets of our Presbyterian denomination are written in the Book of Order.
The Book of Order is divided into 3 sections
- the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity (F)
- Form of Government (G)
- Directory of Worship (W)
- Church Discipline (D)
What does our Polity say about diversity and inclusion?
F-1.01 God’s Mission
The good news of the Gospel is that the triune God- Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit- creates, redeems, sustains, rules, and transforms all things and all people. This is our living God, the Scriptures say, liberated the people of Israel from oppression and covenanted to be their
God. By the power of the Spirit, this one living God is incarnate in Jesus Christ, who came to live in the word, die for the world, and be raised again to new life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ announces the nearness of God’s kingdom, bringing good news to all who are impoverished, sight to all who are blind; freedom to all who are oppressed and proclaiming the Lord’s favor upon all creation.
The mission of God in Christ gives shape and substance to the life and work of the Church. In Christ, the Church participates in God’s mission for the transformation of creation and humanity by proclaiming to all people the good news of God’s love, offering to all people the grace of God at font and table, and calling all people to discipleship in Christ. Human beings have the higher goal in life than to glorify and enjoy God now and forever, living in covenant fellowship with God and participating in God’s mission.
F-1.0204 Christ is the Church’s Hope
In affirming with the earliest Christians that Jesus is Lord, the Church confesses that he is its hope and that the Church, as Christ’s body, is bound to his authority and thus free to live in the lively, joyous reality of the grace of God.
F-1.0301 The Church is the Body of Christ
The Church is the body of Christ. Christ gives to the Church all the gifts necessary to be his body. The Church strives to demonstrates these gifts in its life as a community in the world. (1 Cor. 12:27-28)
F-1.0302(d) The Apostolicity of the Church
The Church strives to be faithful to the good news it has received and accountable to the standards of the confessions. The Church seeks to presents the claims of Jesus Christ, leading persons to repentance, acceptance of Christ alone as Savior and Lord, and new life as his disciples.
The Church is sent to be Christ’s faithful evangelist:
Making disciples of all nations in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
Sharing with others a deep life of worship, prayer, fellowship, and service,
and
Participating in God’s mission to care for the needs of the sick, poor, and lonely; to free people from sin, suffering, and oppression; and to establish Christ’s just loving, and peaceable rule in the world.
F-1.0403 Unity in Diversity
“As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer, male or female; for all of you are one in Jesus Christ. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:27-29).
The unity of believers in Christ is reflected in the rich diversity of the Church’s membership. In Christ, by the power of the Spirit, God unites persons through baptism regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, geography, or theological conviction. There is therefore no place in the life of the Church for discrimination against any person. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) shall guarantee full participation and representation in its worship, governance, and emerging life to all persons or groups within its membership. No member shall be denied participation or representation for any reason other than those stated in this Constitution.
F-1.0404 Openness
In Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all creation, the Church seeks a new openness to God’s mission in the world. In Christ, the triune
God tends the least among us, suffers the curse of human sinfulness, raises up a new humanity, and promises a new future for all creation. In Christ, Church members share with all humanity the realities of creatureliness, sinfulness, brokenness, and suffering, as well as the future toward which God is drawing them. The mission of God pertains not only to the Church but also to people everywhere and to all creation. As it participates in God’s mission, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) seeks:
a new openness to the sovereign activity of God in the Church and in the world, to a more radical obedience to Christ, and to a more joyous celebration in worship and work;
a new openness in its own membership, becoming in fact as well as in faith a community of all people of all ages, races, ethnicities, abilities, genders, and worldly conditions, made one in Christ by the power of the Spirit, as a visible sign of the new humanity;
a new openness to see both the possibilities and perils of its institutional forms in order to ensure the faithfulness and usefulness of these forms to God’s activity in the world; and
a new openness to God’s continuing reformation of the Church ecumenical, that it might be more effective in its mission.
Have a Question or Comment? Please use this form to contact PCM’s LGBTQ+ Task Force:
