Where We Stand on LGBT+

Our Church’s Position on Homosexuality, Sexuality, and Marriage

The Gospel is for all people.

We are writing this so that no one has to wonder where our church stands, and so that no one has to wonder whether they are welcome here. Those are two different questions, and we want to answer both plainly. Clear is kind. Speaking clearly, in love, is one of the most caring things a church can do.

Everything that follows rests on one conviction: the Gospel is for all people. That is not a slogan for us. It is the reason our doors are open at all. If the good news of Jesus Christ is only for the people who already have their lives in order, then none of us would qualify. It is for all of us, and it is offered to everyone.

What We Believe the Bible Teaches

The conversation surrounding the church, faith, and homosexuality almost always narrows to a single question: “Is homosexuality a sin?” Taken at face value, Scripture gives a direct answer, and we will not pretend otherwise. Understood plainly, the Bible presents homosexual behavior as sin.

This teaching is not scattered everywhere or read into every page. It appears in a small and identifiable set of passages, which we name openly: Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; 1 Timothy 1:9–10; Jude 7; and Romans 1:26–27.

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another… — Romans 1:26–27 (ESV)

Romans 1 helps in three specific ways

1. The passage describes the behavior; it does not hinge on one word.

Some point out that the English word “homosexual” did not appear in an English Bible until 1946. That is true, and it is worth noting honestly. But it changes very little. The word did not enter the English language at all until 1892, so its arrival in a translation about fifty years later is unremarkable. More importantly, the passages that carry the weight of this teaching—Leviticus and Romans 1—do not depend on a single word. They describe the relationship. There is no lone term to mistranslate.

2. The issue is God’s created design, not merely an old law.

People sometimes dismiss the Levitical laws by comparing them to rules about mixing fabrics. But the Law of Moses was given to protect a people God was forming, and even the laws that seem strange to us served a purpose in their time. Romans 1 goes further: it presents homosexual behavior not merely as a violation of the Law, but as a departure from God’s created design—the way He ordered things from the beginning.

3. Jesus affirmed this same understanding of Scripture.

It is often said that Jesus never spoke of homosexuality. Yet when Jesus was asked about marriage, He grounded His answer in that same created design:

Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female…? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate. — Matthew 19:4–6 (ESV)

This is the very foundation Paul reasons from in Romans 1. And because all Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), the whole of the Bible carries the authority of Christ, not only the words printed in red.

What People Are Really Asking

When someone asks, “Is homosexuality a sin?” they are often asking something larger and more personal: “If I am gay, does God reject me?” That is a different question, and it deserves a fuller answer.

The Bible’s answer to that deeper question is the same answer it gives to every one of us:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… — Romans 3:23–24 (ESV)

There is no distinction. Every person who has ever lived stands in the same need and is offered the same rescue. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Sin—every kind of it, including this one—is dealt with in only one way: by grace, through faith in the finished work and lordship of Jesus Christ. There are not multiple paths. Christ is enough for everyone.

You also do not have to fix yourself first. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Every believer came to faith before their behavior was sorted out. That is the only way anyone comes.

Salvation and the Process of Growth

There are three distinct things God does in a person who comes to Him:

• Justification — the moment you place your faith in Christ and are declared right with God. This is instant.

• Sanctification — the lifelong process of becoming who God made you to be: growing in holiness, becoming more like Jesus. This is not instant.

• Glorification — when Christ returns and raises His people to perfect life and wholeness. This, too, will be instant.

Between the first and the last is a process that can take a very long time. Abraham was declared righteous in Genesis 15, yet he offered Isaac in Genesis 22—some forty years later. Scripture even calls him a friend of God, a description given long after his lifetime. Sanctification is patient, and it is often slow.

We say that plainly because we tend to want a long road for ourselves and a short one for everyone else. Mercy for me, justice for you, never reflects the heart of Christ. The same grace and patience God extends to us, we are called to extend to others.

So people sometimes ask, “Can you be a gay Christian?” Our answer depends on what the phrase means. If it means that a same-sex-partnered life and the Christian life are simply congruent—two things in full agreement—then no; we do not believe Scripture allows that. But if the question is, “Can someone come to Christ, be truly saved, and still be walking through this?” then the answer is an emphatic yes.

We hear wonderful, dramatic testimonies of instant change, and we praise God for every one of them. But that is the exception, not the rule—for anyone, with any struggle. The ordinary Christian life is one of showing up for the Lord over time and letting Him do His work. If someone who is gay comes to faith here, they may well walk out our doors still working through it—and we will walk with them, help them, and stay with them as they do. That is not a failure; it is exactly what the church is for.

Our Position on Marriage

Because clarity here matters, we state our position directly. On marriage, Saraland Church adopts the definition affirmed by the General Council of the Assemblies of God in its official statement, Homosexuality, Marriage, and Sexual Identity:

Marriage is the permanent, exclusive, “one flesh” union of one man and one woman — ordained by God and ordered toward procreation, family, and the binding together of father, mother, and child.
Genesis 1:27–28; 2:18–24; Matthew 19:4–9; Mark 10:5–9; Ephesians 5:31–33

In keeping with this understanding, our facilities are not used for, and our ministers do not officiate, any marriage other than that of one adult biological male and one adult biological female.

We hold this position because we believe it reflects God’s created order affirmed by Christ Himself—not out of hostility toward anyone. We say it in the open, and with respect, so that it never comes as a hurtful surprise.

Our Welcome

Let us be as clear about our welcome as we are about our convictions. LGBT people are welcome in this church. You have a seat here. The Bible says that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13), and “whosoever” includes you. Roughly half of all believers say they came to faith within a local church. Our doors are open for exactly that reason.

If you have been searching for something—for hope, for grace, for the presence of God—we believe you can find it here. Come sit under the ministry of the Word. Sing the songs. Lift your hands. Worship the Lord with us. We want you here, and we mean it.

Our one firm boundary.

Our only exclusion, for anyone, is this: we will not permit anyone who would endanger a child. We value the safety of children above all else, and we act on that—firmly and without exception. That standard applies to every person who walks through our doors, and it always will.

What We Ask of One Another

To our church family:

You will sometimes meet people whose lives, words, or appearance you are not sure how to respond to. When that happens, the expectation is simple: be loving, caring, considerate, respectful, and friendly. The foyer is never the place to correct or confront someone. If something concerns you, bring it to the pastoral team—come talk with us directly. A quiet, kind welcome does far more Kingdom good than a word spoken in judgment ever will.

To our guests:

You are wanted here, and you are welcome to come as you are. All we ask in return is the same courtesy we extend to you: come to worship, not to make a spectacle. We will take a stand against anyone in this room who would treat you unkindly or put a barrier between you and the presence of God. In turn, we ask you to honor the trust of a congregation that is choosing to open its doors wide. You work with us, and we will gladly work with you.

For anyone who would prefer added privacy, single-occupancy restrooms are available, and you are welcome to use them.

In Closing

We have tried to be faithful to Scripture and to the heart of God: clear about what we believe, and clear about how deeply we want you here. If you are willing to walk a road of faith, we would be honored to walk it with you—through the presence, the love, the forgiveness, and the power of God, not merely a demand to change. Come and see what the Lord can do.

With you, and for you!
Pastor Jason Mayfield
Senior Pastor, Saraland Church