KCQueer: Read our updated list of LGBTQ-friendly churches and temples in Kansas City
Reader Lil asked The Star: “Where can LGBTQ people attend church in a safe and welcoming religious setting?” She’s looking for an open and affirming church in Kansas City where her daughter can worship with a nonbinary friend who was recently rejected by their family.
We answered, recommending six Christian churches, two synagogues and a Buddhist temple. In the week that followed, The Star received an overwhelming community response from churchgoers eager to share their own congregations’ welcoming and supportive policies.
In total, we heard from 57 people, who recommended 37 different houses of worship around Kansas City. This piece adds many of those reader suggestions to our list.
What makes a religious community truly welcoming?
Given the fraught history of religious persecution towards the LGBTQ community, it is difficult to quantify any religious group’s acceptance of diverse sexualities and gender identities. Ultimately, the judgment will fall to individual queer people who explore these communities– and each person’s experience may be different.
If you or someone you know has experienced trauma or rejection by religious groups as a result of your gender or sexuality, help is available in the Kansas City area.
The Kansas City Center for Inclusion holds a support group on the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. for those who have experienced religious trauma or intolerance.
LGBTQ+ members of the Black community can also find support at WHOSOEVER Community of Faith, led by Rev. Dr. Dionne T. Boyice. This Kansas City, Kansas group provides healing to those who have experienced “church hurt” due to their identities.
Our methodology
In the original version of this article, a house of worship had to explicitly state its support for the LGBTQ community in its official materials or be led by an openly gay minister in order to make the cut. This time, we tweaked these qualifications to match those listed by the GALIP Foundation, a religious reconciliation nonprofit serving the LGBTQ community.
“A church may ‘welcome’ ALL people but may NOT ‘affirm’ all lifestyles,” the organization writes (emphasis their own). For this reason, they suggest that truly affirming religious groups have the following characteristics:
Permitting members of the LGBTQ community into all leadership positions
Officially sanctioning and officiating same-sex marriages
We adopted these qualifications for the houses of worship included in the list below. To verify them, we used conversations with ministers and attendees as well as policy guides to religious denominations written by the Human Rights Campaign, a nonprofit LGBTQ advocacy organization.
In addition to dozens of recommendations from readers, The Star enlisted the help of Suzanne Wheeler, executive director of the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and Emily Ferrarini, interim center coordinator of the Kansas City Center for Inclusion, to compile this list. Wheeler and Ferrarini are two of the local experts helping The Star answer questions about LGBTQ topics during the month of June.
The list below is not intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to all LGBTQ-affirming houses of worship in the Kansas City area. It is merely a selection of suggestions from the community that we hope will prove helpful to LGBTQ people.
This Pride Month, the service journalism team is answering questions from readers about LGBTQ topics in a new series we call KCQueer. Submit your questions here or email them to kcq@kcstar.com.
Broadway Church
1017 W. 29th Street
Sunday service: 10:30 a.m. in person or online
While technically still a member of the Baptist denomination, Broadway Church says it was dismissed from the Blue River Baptist Association of Kansas City in 1994 for its progressive stances towards women and LGBTQ people. Today, the church is led by an openly queer senior minister and a nonbinary ministry coordinator. KCQueer expert Emily Ferrarini recommended this church for inclusion on our list.
Christ the King Independent Catholic Church
700 W. Pennway St.
Sunday service: 10:30 a.m.
This independent Catholic church was recommended by four readers, and is the only Catholic church on our list at this time. Worship Director Michael De Voe noted that the church has “a valid apostolic succession which means we have valid sacraments and valid orders.”
“We are the only community in the Catholic tradition with[in] a 4+ hour radius [of Kansas City] that formally affirms members and includes members of the LGBTQ+ community, including blessing same-sex unions,” Fr. Taylor Tracy told The Star.
Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)
While the Disciples of Christ denomination allows each congregation to determine its own stances on a wide variety of issues, the churches below have a culture of inclusivity that five readers shared with us.
“CCCC has a history of LGBTQ+ members and leaders and of hosting and celebrating same-sex weddings,” said minister Tyler Heston of Country Club Christian Church in Waldo. “I’m the second openly queer minister, and I’m thankful for how our community values inclusivity, open mindedness, and meeting people where they are.”
Readers recommended the following Disciples of Christ congregations:
Crossroads Church
7917 Main Street
Sunday service: 10:30 a.m. in person and online
In addition to officiating gay weddings and once hosting the cast of Queer Eye, Crossroads Church states that around 20% of its membership identifies as part of the LGBTQ community. The church also participates in Kansas City’s annual pride parade.
Lutheran Churches
Four readers recommended Lutheran churches to The Star for their open and affirming policies. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the broader Lutheran Church “has passed repeated resolutions to welcome LGBTQ people since 1991.” The church marries gay couples and welcomes LGBTQ clergy members.
“Over 50% of our members are part of the LBGTQ community,” said reader Marilyn Turner, who attends Immanuel Lutheran Church. “I found myself drawn to this church due to their acceptance of all people. It truly is a special place.” Here are the Lutheran churches our readers nominated:
Episcopal Churches
The Human Rights campaign describes the Episcopal Church as “open and welcoming of the LGBTQ community.” We heard from one reader that St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church recently had an openly gay assistant pastor. Here are some welcoming Episcopal churches readers recommended to The Star:
Presbyterian Churches
While policies vary between congregations, we heard from seven readers about the progressive stances of several Presbyterian Churches in the Kansas City area. Reader Anna Lisa Lawton, a leader at Central Presbyterian Church, told The Star about her congregation’s membership in several LGBTQ-affirming subgroups.
“We are open, affirming, and welcoming to all and are members of both More Light Presbyterians and Covenant Network of Presbyterians, two organizations that advocate for the full inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ people in the worship, mission, and leadership of the Presbyterian denomination,” she said. Here are the Presbyterian churches readers told us about:
Rainbow Mennonite Church
1444 SW Blvd. Kansas City, KS
Sunday service: 9:30 a.m.
This Kansas City, Kansas church prides itself on its open and inclusive policies. “We are a queer affirming congregation,” pastor Ruth Harder told The Star. “We strive to welcome everyone without regard to race, ethnic identity, gender, sexual orientation, age, and economic or other life circumstances.” The church recently added its policy on LGBTQ inclusion to its website in response to The Star’s reporting.
Reform Jewish Synagogues
While the specific practices and policies of Reform Jewish synagogues vary by congregation, the Human Rights Campaign writes that “the vast majority are fully welcoming, inclusive and affirming.”
For example, Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park is led by an openly gay rabbi who told us, “We are a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and families in general.” Here are some LGBTQ-friendly synagogues we have heard about:
Shawnee Community Christian Church
5340 Martindale Road, Shawnee, KS
Sunday service: 10:00 a.m. in person or online
“At Shawnee Community, we value the welcome and affirmation of all people,” communications director Ashley Follett told The Star. “We are a partner in ministry of Disciples’ GLAD Alliance, an ally and identifier of safe congregations for LGBTQIA+ and LGBTQIA+ affirming Christians.” The GLAD Alliance is a program within the Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ) denomination that encourages inclusive church practices.
Spirit of Hope Metropolitan Community Church
3801 Wyandotte St.
Sunday service: 10:15 a.m.
Spirit of Hope has a long history of LGBTQ activism, which began in the early 1970’s when the church welcomed and married queer people before it was socially acceptable to do so. The church adds that “when gay men began dying of AIDS and other churches refused to bury them, let alone touch them, Spirit of Hope buried them and cared for all their needs.”
Unitarian Universalist Churches
Unitarian Universalists, while originally a Christian offshoot, adhere to no specific religious doctrine and have a strong history of LGBTQ support. Six readers reached out to tell us about their Unitarian Universalist congregations.
“Unitarian Universalists have always been in the forefront on issues of diversity and inclusion, whether it has been blessing gay unions or ordaining gay ministers,” reader Greg Hack told The Star. Here are the congregations we heard about:
United Churches of Christ
Eleven readers wrote to The Star about various UCC churches in the metro. The Human Rights Campaign has called the United Church of Christ “one of the most accepting religious groups of LGBTQ people.”
One reader told us that the Kansas City United Church of Christ “has been an open and affirming church for years and years – long before it was ‘fashionable’ and acceptable to be open and affirming!!” UCC reverend Holly McKissick also told us that her congregation supports its young members who are coming out or undergoing a gender transition. Here are the UCC churches readers wrote in about:
United Methodist Churches
The UMC congregations listed below were recommended by eleven readers due to their membership in the Reconciling Ministries Network, a group of Methodist churches dedicated to embracing LGBTQ+ community members and advancing social justice.
“St. Paul’s does not just give lip-service to being LGBTQ friendly, it also has several members of its pastoral staff and church leaders that are LGBTQ,” said reader Kimberly Goff of one of the churches in this network. “They also regularly reaffirm the church statement during church services that they truly welcome and love ALL.” Here are some United Methodist churches our readers recommended:
Unity Temple on the Plaza
707 W. 47th St.
Sunday services: Buddhist services 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m, spiritual service 10:30 a.m.
This interfaith spiritual house of worship is home to the Temple Buddhist Center, but also holds services and welcomes people of many other faiths. Earlier this spring, the temple hosted the Alphabet Soup LGBTQ+ short play festival.
Wellsprings Kingdom Church
7904 Raytown Rd, Raytown, MO
Service: Saturdays, 6:00 p.m.
This Black church in Raytown is led by openly queer pastor Tammy R. Linningham and promises a “Metho-Bapti-Costal” church experience. It describes itself as a “radically inclusive, hospitable, open, and affirming” church. KCQueer expert Emily Ferrarini recommended this church for inclusion on our list.
