A new study from Lifeway Research has found that while there remains a lot of disagreement and confusion around LGBTQ Christians in the American Church, more Protestant pastors are open to having them serve in their churches than they were just five years ago.
In 2016, about 34 percent of all Protestant pastors said they were not willing to let LGBTQ people serve in church in any capacity. Now, that number has dropped to about 31 percent. 28 percent of all Protestant pastors say LGBTQ people can serve their churches in any capacity, while 22 percent say they can serve in at least one area, but not every area. Protestant pastors are most likely to say LGBTQ people can serve in “helping and service” roles, with 44 percent saying that was allowed. Only 24 percent say LGBTQ people can serve in public worship, 24 percent say they can serve in public teaching and 25 percent welcome them in public leadership.
“Overall, more pastors indicate LGBTQ+ persons may serve somewhere in their churches today compared to 2016,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.
Mainline Protestant pastors are more likely to say LGBTQ people can serve in their churches than evangelical pastors are, with 52 percent of mainline Protestant pastors saying LGBTQ people can serve anywhere in their churches compared to just 12 percent of evangelical pastors. 41 percent of evangelical pastors say there are no service opportunities for LGBTQ Christians in their churches.
A similar confusion and disagreement shows up around same-sex weddings. The same study found that 87 percent of Protestant pastors have never been asked to perform a same-sex wedding. Baptists and non-denominational pastors were the least likely to have been asked, with only four percent saying they had. Presbyterian/Reformed pastors were the most likely, with over a quarter saying they had.
