Values, Beliefs &
Boundaries
As a community in formation, our values, beliefs & boundaries may evolve, but these are our starting points.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ELCA Liberation Affirming LGBTQIA+ Queer Theology Christian Christianity
Values
We are committed to the liberation of all creation so that all may have full access to abundant life. We practice this in many ways, including:
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Centering the experiences, bodies, and lives of those who have been pushed to the margins of society.
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Engaging spiritual practices that are authentic to our own individual ancestral cultural heritages and practices that are considered open practices by their culture or religion of origin.
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Working in whatever capacity we are able and called to bring about justice and equity, particularly for Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian, and Middle Eastern people, disabled people, and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities.
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Engaging in relationships and practices that assist us in working on our own shit, whether that's our attachment to white supremacy or the ways we harm others as a result of our own trauma.
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Maintaining a commitment to abolition from how we engage in conflict in our community to advocating for abolition at local, state, and federal levels.
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We engage in lifestyles that that, to the best of our abilities, demonstrate our commitment to climate justice and advocate for climate justice policies.
Liberation
Connection
We are committed to community that supports meaningful, generative connection with self, one another, creation, and that which is greater than us. We practice this through
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Supporting one another in discovering and maintaining spiritual practices that are authentic to who we are and support us in all four dimensions of connection
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Practicing accountability in our relationships
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Being honest when things aren't okay and being willing to engage in generative conflict
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Respecting the boundaries of individuals within the community and of the community itself
Radical Compassion
Compassion beginning in compassion for self that extends outward to our neighbor down the street and around the globe is at the center of all major religions and spiritual practices. In Christian practice, this is as simple and as complex as the command to love your neighbor as yourself. We practice this through:
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working on our ability to love ourselves and encouraging others in their work on self love
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setting and communicating clear boundaries for ourselves and respecting the boundaries of others
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insisting on consent based interactions in every facet of our lives together
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engaging spiritual practices that help us learn to love ourselves and our neighbor
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working to end the ways that bodies are criminalized
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engaging in acts of solidarity with the poor and oppressed
Community Boundaries
(all are not welcome)
Given our values of liberation, connection, and compassion, as well as a desire to operate out of a healing-centered framework, we believe clear boundaries are vital to creating a safer community into which people can bring their full selves. We seek to build a culture of accountability and generative conflict, rooted in abolition.
We will shape our boundaries as a community as we grow and change, with the starting point being any words or actions that cause harm to another (particularly those rooted in white supremacy and racism, patriarcy, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and fatphobia), if they cannot be dealt with between the parties immediately involved, will be moved through a process of transformative justice to be determined by the community (we will seek advice and training as we navigate this process). This is inclusive of all community members, regardless of perceived or actual power in the community.