Frequently Asked Questions
I'm new to the conversation on sexuality and gender. Is this course for me?
Consider this an "intermediate" course on LGBTQ+ discipleship, evangelism, and integration into the life of your faith community. If you're looking for a robust introductory course, we suggest attending or hosting a Posture Shift training. Learn more at https://www.postureshift.com.
I have a traditional view of marriage. Is this course for me?
Yes! The majority of pastors who attend the Safe Pastors intensive hold a theologically conservative view. We believe theologically conservative pastors are among the most important people to be equipped to build communities where LGBTQ+ people can grow spiritually. We will honor and respect your beliefs and convictions, and you will not encounter any attempts in this training to change your theology on marriage.
I am an open-and-affirming pastor. Is this course for me?
Yes! As you know, there is so much more to helping LGBTQ+ people feel safe in your congregation than just sharing and living out where you stand on marriage. Our course material addresses contextualizing the gospel to LGBTQ+ people outside your church, as well as handing complex issues of inclusion inside your church. We honor and respect your beliefs and convictions here, and you will not encounter any attempts in this training to change your theology on marriage.
Don't you consider the theology of marriage important?
We absolutely do. What we believe, how we conduct ourselves sexually, and how we teach others to steward their sexuality and gender are matters to be taken seriously. There are many places where discerning our theology on marriage is important and where we can work out our theology. This course is reserved for offering pastors training in evangelism, discipleship, and contextualization of the gospel toward the LGBTQ+ community. At Kaleidoscope, we have the task of helping pastors share the gospel and make disciples, and doing so with integrity and faithfulness. Pastors have the task of ensuring their teaching and practice are conducted with integrity and faithfulness. May we each carry the burden God has given us to carry.
I am NOT local to New York City. Can I still participate?
Yes! Though our discussion sessions are online/remote, our local contexts are where the most important ministry happens! If you're joining us from outside NYC, you will need to find a local opportunity to humbly attend an LGBTQ+ cultural event as a listener and learner. We are available to help you think of ideas and opportunities that might take place in your area.
I am an ethnic minority pastor and/or I pastor an ethnic minority or multiethnic church. Will this course address the challenges we're facing as a community?
We can't practice effective LGBTQ+ missions without understanding how our cultural and ethnic identities affect how we are embodied in relationships and communities. And our cultural and ethnic contexts deeply affect and inform the needs, challenges, and opportunities of our churches and faith communities and the family dynamics within them. Every unit of our course addresses how cultural dynamics affect pastoral care of LGBTQ+ people. We do so in attempt to address common dynamics in ethnic and racialized groups without denying the uniqueness of each person's story, identity, and context.
If you are a white or ethnic majority pastor and feel shaky in the area of pastoring multi-ethnically or cross-ethnically, we recommend attending an intensive course with Be The Bridge. Learn more at https://be-the-bridge.mykajabi.com/.
What is the time commitment of this course?
Each week, in preparation for our discussion, you will have 1-2 hours of homework. This will consist of mostly video/audio recordings of content corresponding with that week's handout. The first week, you will take a pre-test and a quiz to let us know where you're coming from, what you're looking for, and to locate yourself on the theological spectrum. The last week, you will take a post-test to evaluate how you've grown, what's next, and to let us know how we can improve the course for future students.
In our Spring 2023 cohort, you have the option of attending a bonus session, taking place in partnership with a Rice University student who is conduction research on our training. Any participation in this students research is optional! The bonus session will not require homework, but it will consist of an additional. 1.5 hours on Thursday, February 16 from 12:30-2pm ET.
What is the most effective way to take this training to truly produce effective LGBTQ+ spiritual care?
If you're a vocational minister seeking to register for Safe Pastor Training, it is ideal for your entire ministry team to join so all can be united and on the same page. If that's not possible, the next ideal situation is to get a local-to-you group of pastors or ministers together. And lastly, if you can't gather your whole team and don't know like-minded local leaders, you can gather with ministers from other locales. As an NYC-based ministry, it is not lost on us that not every minister has the luxury of knowing fellow leaders locally who share the same heart for LGBTQ+ missions and discipleship.
Why is one week dedicated to my own story?
In preparation for W6, you will look at questions to prompt evaluation of your own story around faith, sexuality, and gender. It may not seem like this work is relevant, especially if you don't personally relate to the LGBTQ+/SSA experience. But in designing the curriculum, we felt that it was important to include this unit. We can't offer to others a gospel we have not experienced ourselves, so understanding sexual and gender minorities absolutely does call for inviting God and safe people into our own lived experiences of sexuality and gender. Our hope is that in doing this story work with openness to what God will speak to your heart, you'll find it strikingly relevant to understanding and directing your unique presence and approach in LGBTQ+ ministry and missions. We promise to honor and protect every story, and we'll also never force you to share anything in class. This week is for you – and we, your loved ones, and your peers in the class are here to root for you and be present in your story work as much as is beneficial.
What happens if I miss a week?
We strongly encourage you to attend every week if at all possible. We also understand that things come up. If you can't make it, let us know ahead of time and we'll record the session. The one exception: We cannot record W6 since we discuss sensitive information and need to protect participants' confidentiality in breakout groups for that day. If you have to miss W6, we encourage you to go through the material on your own time and send us "your story" as homework. If you end up missing 3 or more weeks, and cannot commit to watching the recordings or doing the homework, we encourage you to drop out for that cohort and sign up again when you're able. Unfortunately, we can't offer refunds on your registration in the event you need to drop out.
Is this course available in Spanish?
We hope to empower people to do LGBTQ-contextualized ministry in their unique cultural and linguistic contexts. We are currently looking for bilingual ministers who may be able to strategically partner with us in translating our course into Spanish (and eventually other languages as well). If that's you, contact us!
I'm interested, but I/we can't make the times/dates of this course work. Now what?
We're sorry this time won't work for you – but we have some options for you!
- Private Team Training: As of Fall 2022, because of high demand of our course, we are offering private Safe Pastor Cohorts for ministry teams of 6 or more. If you're a decision-making leader and want to arrange for a private training on your team's schedule, please contact us at [email protected] to start the conversation.
- Group Training: Not a decision-making leader on your team? You can still access the course by getting a group of 6 or more like-minded Christian ministry leaders together to form a cohort. The more "local" your group, the better! (ex: If you don't have a group in your rural town, reach out first to others in your state/province, then to those in your general region)
- Private Team Consulting: Is your team ready for training, but not available for 8 weeks? We also offer consulting seminars that help your team work through challenges specifically facing your leadership or congregation. If that's you, please contact us.
