At Town and Country Lutheran Church, we believe that God created human beings male and female, and that He gave the gift of sexual intimacy to be expressed within one particular setting: the lifelong marriage of one man and one woman. This is not a rule the Church invented, but the good design of our Creator, revealed in Scripture and affirmed by Jesus Himself (Matthew 19:4β6).
Flowing from that conviction, we hold what the Christian Church has always held: that God's Word reserves sexual expression for marriage between a man and a woman, and that sexual activity outside of that union β whether between people of the same sex or the opposite sex β falls short of His design. We say this not to single anyone out, but because Scripture calls all of us, married and single alike, to chastity and to honor God with our bodies.
It would be dishonest to talk about this subject as though it were someone else's problem. Every one of us, in one way or another, falls short of God's design for our lives β in our desires, our thoughts, and our actions. The Bible's call to sexual faithfulness presses on the married and the single, the straight and the same-sex attracted, the young and the old. None of us measures up by our own strength, and that is precisely why all of us need a Savior.
So we want to be careful never to treat any person as though their particular struggles place them beyond God's love or outside His Church. They do not.
We confess that every human being β without exception β is created in the image of God, loved by Him, and someone for whom Christ died. People who experience same-sex attraction are not problems to be solved or sins to be discussed; they are people, made and cherished by God, often carrying questions or burdens they did not choose. The Church's calling is never contempt, mockery, or rejection, but truth spoken in love and a door held open in genuine welcome.
We recognize, too, that Christians may experience desires they did not ask for and do not act upon. Temptation is not the same as sin, and no one should imagine that simply having an attraction places them under God's condemnation. What God asks of all of us is the same: to bring our whole lives β including our sexuality β to Him in trust and repentance.
Here is the heart of what we believe: the redeeming love of Christ is offered to everyone, through repentance and faith in Jesus, regardless of the nature of their sin. There is no category of person the Gospel cannot reach and no past the cross cannot cover. We are not a community of people who have it all together; we are a community of forgiven sinners, gathered around the mercy of God in Christ.
If you are wrestling with questions about faith, identity, or sexuality β or if you've felt judged or unwelcome in church before β please know that you are wanted here, exactly as you are, by a God who loves you and a congregation that would be glad to walk with you. Our pastor would welcome an honest, confidential conversation without agenda. Reach out to Pastor Mankin at pastor.mankin@tclutheranchurch.org.
Resources to Learn More
The Lutheran ChurchβMissouri Synod (LCMS)
LCMS doctrinal background
Further reading