Reconciling in Christ Resources

In January 2023, Spirit of Joy! Lutheran Church officially began the Reconciling in Christ journey.

This is an exploratory and learning process, to help us discern what “welcome” looks like in our community and how we can move toward a fuller sense of welcome.

On this page you can find a number of resources to help us as we move through this journey.

What is Reconciling in Christ?

The purpose of the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program is to ensure the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; work for racial equity and commit to anti-racist work and support the national program.

A congregation or ministry who commits to the RIC program, is recognized as having a welcome statement and culture that is explicitly welcoming of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions and is committed to the work of racial equity and combatting prejudice.

See more frequently asked questions here.

Resources for Learning from our Church

What does the Lutheran Church (ELCA) teach about gender identity and sexuality? What does the Lutheran Church (ELCA) teach about racial equality? Learning the language: What do all the letters stand for? What is all the fuss about pronouns? Tolerance and Affirmation: What is the difference? Sample Welcome Statements from other congregations Implicit Bias Test from Harvard University

SERMONS AND OTHER VIDEOS

How do we read the Bible? – A sermon about how we interpret Scripture and the tools we use to make sense of what the Bible says.

Taking the Bible Seriously (Not Literally) – A sermon on the dangers of Biblical literalism.

Clunky Questions” – a series of short videos from Reconciling Works addressing common questions asked of LGBTQ church members and pastors.