Baptist

American Baptist Churches/USA, the denomination with which most Welcoming & Affirming Baptist congregations are affiliated as cooperating churches.

The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists
American Baptists Concerned

Welcome

American Baptists Concerned for Sexual Minorities was the first organization providing support, education and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Baptists. In 1991 ABConcerned recognized that their was a need for an association of churches inclusive of LGBT Baptists. In 1993, The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists was born. In June of 2003, AWAB and ABConcerned reunited under the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists banner.

AWAB continue to represent the voices of congregations, united in their desire to be welcoming and affirming places for sexual minority Baptists, family and friends and advocates on behalf of individuals who are often alienated by the church or those within it.

Many LGBT Baptists have reconciled their faith and sexual orientation. Other people have been caused much pain because of the misbelief that someone cannot be both Christian and gay. When people face such alienation from their families and churches, we seek to be a ray of hope.

American Baptists Concerned was founded as a voice for justice on behalf of sexual minority American Baptists in 1972. We invite you to learn more about the history of American Baptists Concerned and our ongoing mission through AWAB. Check on this and other pages on the Rainbow Baptists website. Our ministry to bring the good news of God's inclusive and affirming love to all continues now and until the day where it is no longer necessary.

The Association of Welcoming
& Affirming Baptists

Members are churches, organizations, and individuals willing to go on record as welcoming and affirming all persons without regard to sexual orientation. They have joined together to advocate for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons within American Baptist communities of faith. These congregations reach out to the LGBT community with the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ and welcomes all Christians into full membership and participation.

Purpose is to encourage local congregations to undertake intentional conversations on the subject of sexual orientation and Christian faith and to support those churches in their efforts.

Baptists Gathering in Integrity and
Wholeness following the Example of Jesus.

The Gathering of Baptists was founded in 1994 by concerned Canadian Baptists, lay and clergy, within the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, who felt a need to maintain contact with others who hold to similar principles and understanding of what it is to be "Baptist."

The mandate of the Gathering of Baptists is to create open discussion (for exploration and correction) in our search to think, to love and to minister in harmony with God's will.

Who We Are

Rainbow Baptists is a website providing support, information and advocacy for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer identified Baptists, their family and friends. Rainbow Baptists is an outreach ministry of The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB).

Please check out Rainbow Baptists and the official AWAB website, www.wabaptists.org. In addition to onsite information we have links to other LGBT Christian related websites; search engines, news sites, and more. We hope Rainbow Baptists and the official AWAB site can be your starting places for Christian gay and lesbian related information.

The Roger Williams Fellowship was founded in 1935 out of a need for a forum within the Northern Baptist Convention (at that time) where a variety of social and faith issues could be discussed with respect for diverse theological perspectives. The Fellowship welcomes laity and clergy of diverse backgrounds and perspectives who seek to discuss, study, and struggle with questions of conscience. The context of our mutual discernment is the exercise and pursuit of religious freedom.