Our Commitment to Diversity
LGBTQIA+ INCLUSION
We fully welcome and affirm those in the LGBTQIA+ community. They are encouraged to participate at all levels, from attending a Sunday gathering to serving alongside other believers in whichever ministries are best aligned with their God-given talents and gifts. We think that asking LGBTQ Christians to change, deny, or hide their identities in order to be accepted into God’s family is completely unacceptable.
GENDER EQUALITY
Here at New Journey Church, we stand firm in our conviction that God is the one who calls and gifts people for ministry, both volunteer and vocational. We believe men and women can answer that calling to serve based on their experiences and spiritual gifts, including all levels of pastoral ministry. While there are many differing views on the role of women, especially in the realm of teaching, we welcome and encourage women to consider the calling of God on their lives. In fact, 2 out of 3 members of our pastoral staff are women!
We happen to believe that if a little girl asks her Sunday School teacher if she can be a Pastor someday when she grows up, she should receive the same answer a little boy would: absolutely!
RACIAL EQUALITY
Racial equality and reconciliation are foundational to a community modeling its mission and values on the gospel of Jesus. We believe to follow Jesus is to walk in a way that represents his core teachings and the way that he modeled his life and ministry. At New Journey, we ensure that our message is clear and that we not just believe that racism of any kind is antithetical to our mission, but that our teaching regularly includes speaking out against the evils of it. We encourage an active and deliberate approach to dismantle systems and attitudes that feed racism. We believe this is a critical and important work of God's Holy Spirit in the life of a follower of Jesus.
Some will say that we should not see color, nationalities, etc. At New Journey, we do not believe that leaving an important part of who we are at the door is the answer. We believe the answer is to not ignore our differences and unique experiences but instead to CELEBRATE them. We come together with a posture of learning from one another, listening to our collective stories, and celebrating our diverse cultures and histories. We bring our full selves into the life of New Journey; therefore, each of us becomes a stakeholder in educating one another and weaving our individual threads into the beautiful tapestry of a diverse faith community.
