Resources for Congregations

Room for All knows that congregational life is more than just what happens for an hour on Sunday morning. This page is for resources that will feed your congregation and community during those other 167 hours: community learning opportunities, adult Bible studies and guides, etc.

If your congregation has used a program or resource that has helped your welcoming and affirming journey, please share it with us at Cameron@RoomforAll.com.

What Does Welcome Mean? serves as inspiration for many of the ways your community can live their welcome. This list is neither linear nor a comprehensive checklist. Some suggestions will remind us to notice how we disregard BIPOC individuals and people with disabilities as well. If not all of these items are currently a part of your congregational life, consider them as room to grow.

Workshop Presentations and Trainings: Whether in person or via Zoom, Program Manager Mitch Leet offers educational workshops and trainings to RfA rostered congregations and communities seeking LGBTQIA+ inclusion within the RCA. These offerings are not meant to be recorded, so that attendees can bring their questions and stories to a safe space.

Current topics include:

Coming Out Conversation: Designed for allies wanting to learn more, we’ll talk about the history of the terms surrounding coming out, and the process a person goes through before diving into deeper discussion.
Into Transition: An opportunity to learn more about gender identity and expression, the transgender community, and what transition really means.
Responding to Anti-LGBTQIA+ Rhetoric: Equipping participants with tools designed to change hearts and minds, this is a chance to practice talking about things like transgender access, book/education bans, license to discriminate, or child abuse prevention.
Making Room for All at Camp: This training prepares staff to protect all campers by putting affirmation into action, from following a young person’s lead to responding to tough situations.
LGBTQIA+ Affirming Care at End of Life: Providing hospice caregivers with an overview, we’ll shine a light on the unique needs of the aging LGBTQIA+ community, patients’ rights, and scenarios where advocacy is crucial.

For more information, or if there is a specific topic you’d like a future workshop to cover, reach out to Mitch@RoomforAll.com.

Community Education: A Wider Welcome

The group and study guides found elsewhere on RfA’s resource page may be useful tools for engaging the congregation, whether during after-church study hour or in small group settings.

Ecumenical Resource: Scripture and Moral Discernment – Report on the consultation among representatives of Formula of Agreement (RCA, ELCA, PCUSA, UCC) churches.

More Light has an archive of their Online Teach-In Series with supplemental materials. Topics covered include Racial Justice, Connecting the Dots: Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation, Caring for LGBTQIA+ Refugees and Asylum Seekers, and more.

Queer Theology (Also Home to the paid membership Sanctuary Collective) is a bevy of resources for clergy, parents, and LGBTQ+ individuals seeking the true message of love and inclusion from their church. On Facebook Watch, many previously recorded videos can be accessed, and the Queer Theology Podcast is accessible on a variety of streaming platforms.

The Transmission Ministry Collective is a dedicated online community seeking to support transgender folks called to serve in faith-based spaces. They also provide support to family members and cisgender ministry staff looking to learn and support the trans folks in their lives,

Gender Spectrum provides resources, events and training opportunities around supporting the transgender community, including ones specific for faith communities. Their stories of gender and faith page has individual testimonies of people who have experienced the intersection.

Our Bible App is a progressive, faith based app that contains multiple translations of the Bible, devotionals and podcasts published by a variety of contributors and access to chatrooms– all free! A premium subscription, which is $4.99 a month gives users unlimited access to the full devotional library and access to Pass the Salt, an exclusive OBA podcast.

The Reformation Project has a free brief rundown of the Biblical case for LGBTQ inclusion, and a larger paid 20 module course developed by Executive Director Matthew Vines.