Metropolitan Community Church

The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), also known as

Metropolitan Community
the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community
Churches (UFMCC), is an international LGBT-affirming Church
mainline Protestant Christian denomination. There are 222 member
congregations in 37 countries, and the fellowship has a specific
outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families and
communities.[1]

The fellowship has Official Observer status with the World

Council of Churches. The MCC has been denied membership in
the US National Council of Churches,[2] but many local MCC
congregations are members of local ecumenical partnerships
around the world and MCC currently belongs to several statewide
councils of churches in the United States.[3][4] The MCC has also
been considered to be non-denominational.[5][6][7][8][9] Classification Protestant
Orientation Mainline
Beliefs and practices Polity Congregationalist

MCC bases its theology on the Moderator Cecilia Eggleston

historic creeds of the Christian Region Worldwide
Church, such as Apostles' and (divided into
Nicene creeds. Every church is regions with
required to celebrate the Eucharist
congregations in
at least once a week, and to
37 countries)
practice open communion,
meaning that recipients need not be Founder Troy Perry
Infant baptism in an MCC a member of the MCC or any other Origin 1968
church church to receive the Eucharist. Los Angeles,
Beyond that MCC allows its
California, US
member churches independence in
doctrine, practice, and worship as worship styles vary from church Congregations 222
to church. The MCC is considered to be Bible-based[10] and many Official website www.mccchurch
pastors take a fundamentalist approach to scripture.[11] .org (http://www.
mccchurch.org/)
MCC sees its mission being social as well as spiritual by standing
up for the rights of minorities, particularly those of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. MCC has been a leading force in the development of queer
theology.[12]

Many local churches are also involved with other national and international campaigns, including Trade
Justice[13] and Make Poverty History.
 The MCC supports same-sex marriage, and has performed the first
church-based weddings for same-sex couples in the United
Kingdom.[14] MCC's founder, Troy Perry, performed the first
public same-sex marriage in the United States in Huntington Park,
California, in 1969. In 1970, he filed the first lawsuit in the U.S.
seeking legal recognition for same-sex marriages. Perry lost that
lawsuit but launched the debate over marriage equality in the U.S.
Today, MCC congregations around the world perform more than
6000 same-sex union/marriage ceremonies annually.
Eucharist at an MCC worship service
Brent Hawkes and the Metropolitan Community Church of
Toronto were key players in the legal action that ultimately brought
same-sex marriage to Canada.[15]

A notable aspect of MCC's theology is its position on homosexuality and Christianity where it fully
embraces and welcomes LGBT people. Indeed, the majority of members are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or
transgender, with many clergy being openly LGBT. MCC fully affirms the ministry of both men and
women, seeing them as equal, and the past election of Nancy Wilson as Moderator makes MCC one of a
small number of communions with female senior leadership.[16] The MCC also believes that abortion
should be legal.[17]

A new statement of faith[18] was passed, almost unanimously, and was adopted at the 26th General
Conference in Victoria, British Columbia. It is now considered one of the core documents of MCC,
separate from its bylaws, as it is part of MCC formation and identity, but not part of its governance
policies.[19]

History
The first congregation was founded in Huntington Park, California, by former Pentecostal pastor[20] Troy
Perry on October 6, 1968.[21] This was a time when Christian attitudes toward homosexuality were almost
universally unfavorable. The first congregation originally met in Perry's Huntington Park home. The church
first gained publicity by ads taken out in The Advocate magazine. Perry declared the church was made up
of born again believers.[22]

In 1969 the congregation had outgrown Perry's living room and moved to rented space at the Huntington
Park Women's Club. It was at this point in time membership in the church grew to about 200 people. Due
to discrimination the church was forced to move, and had a hard time finding a permanent place. During
this period during the spring and summer of 1969 the church moved first to the Embassy Auditorium, and
then a United Methodist Church for two weeks. The church ended up renting out the Encore Theatre in
Hollywood from 1969 through 1971.

Within months of the first worship service, Perry began receiving letters and visits from people who wanted
to start Metropolitan Community Churches in other cities. MCC groups from eight U.S. cities were
represented at the first General Conference in 1970: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Costa
Mesa, California; Chicago, Illinois; Phoenix, Arizona; Kaneohe, Hawaii; and Dallas, Texas. An MCC
group existed in Miami, Florida, but did not send a delegate.[23]

The church had its final move to a building it purchased at 2201 South Union Avenue in Los Angeles in
early 1971. The building was consecrated on March 7, 1971. MCC worshiped there until January 27,
1973, when the building was destroyed by what the Fire Department called a fire "of suspicious origin".[23]
During this early period of expansion, a congregation of the MCC formed in New Orleans. Services were
initially held in the UpStairs Lounge, a well-known gay bar. The church was struck by tragedy when the
UpStairs Lounge suffered an arson attack in 1973. The Reverend Bill Larson and a number of parishioners
were killed in the blaze.

The MCC has grown since then to have a presence in 37 countries with 222 affiliated churches. The largest
presence is found in the United States, followed by Canada. The denomination continues to grow: In 2010,
El Mundo reported that the first MCC congregation in Spain would be established in Madrid in October. If
successfully established, the MCC would’ve been the first recognized church in Spain to officially
solemnize same-sex marriages.[24][25] An MCC congregation was not permanently established in Madrid in
2010, it is unclear why however. In 2018, the first religiously affiliated same-sex wedding recorded in
Spain was performed by a vicar of the Lutheran Church of Sweden.[26] The Lutheran Church of Sweden
and the MCC are in partial communion with each other and the vicar is stationed in Spain on a long term 5
year mission. Despite these facts he cannot legally officiate any wedding wherein either party is a Spanish
citizen and can only perform ceremonies in which at least one participant is a Swedish citizen.[27] Later that
year an MCC congregation finally opened in Madrid. As of 2020, the MCC website describes their
“emerging” congregation in Madrid as thriving and expanding. When or if this congregation has performed
any LGBTQ weddings is unclear however.[28]

In 1972 Freda Smith became the first female minister in MCC,[29] and was the first woman elected to the
Board of Elders in 1973 at the fourth general conference in Atlanta, when the Board of Elders was
expanded from four members to seven.[30] Later MCC adopted gender inclusive language in its worship
services.[31]

Perry served as moderator of the fellowship until 2005, when

Nancy Wilson was elected moderator by the General Conference;
she was formally installed in a special service at the Washington
National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on October 29, 2005.[32]
She is only the second person, and the first woman, to serve as
moderator.[33]

In 2003, a scandal occurred involving the flagship of the church, as

Perry at an MCC church in 2006 well as the largest gay church in the world, Cathedral of Hope,
when former board member Terri Frey accused minister Michael S.
Piazza of financial impropriety, an accusation that prompted the
UFMCC to open an investigation. However, the investigation ended when the Cathedral's membership
voted to disaffiliate from UFMCC with 88% support. In 2006, the Cathedral of Hope was received into
membership in the United Church of Christ. The split cost UFMCC 9% of its membership, and 7% of its
annual operating budget. Church members, including copastor Mona West, claimed that the vote was less
about the investigation and more about the congregation's long-simmering frustration with the
denomination, including the opinion that the denomination was focused too much on gay issues and
hampered their desire to reach out to Dallas residents disaffected by conservative churches; as church
member Michael Magnia explained: "The tie with MCC was more about gays and lesbians. You're going to
have a difficult time getting even progressive heterosexuals to come to a church that is anchored to a gay
and lesbian church."[34]
In 2011 the Good Shepherd Parish of the MCC was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of
Fame.[35]

Governance and administration

Leadership

MCC is led by a Council of Elders (COE) and a Governing Board.

The Council of Elders consists of a Moderator and elders appointed
by the Moderator, approved by the Governing Board, and affirmed
by the General Conference. The COE has responsibility for leading
the fellowship on matters of spirituality, mission development, and
Christian witness. The Governing Board is made up of the
Moderator, 4 Lay members and 4 Clergy members elected by
General Conference, and is the legal corporate board of the
denomination, handling responsibility for financial and fiduciary Moderator Nancy Wilson preaching
matters.[36] at an MCC church in Minneapolis in
2008.
As of 2016, the Council of Elders includes Rachelle Brown
(Moderator), Nancy Wilson, Ines-Paul Baumann, Pat Bumgardner,
Tony Freeman, Darlene Garner, Hector Gutierrez, Dwayne Johnson,
Nancy Maxwell, Margarita Sánchez de Léon, Candace Shultis, and Mona
West.[37] The Governing Board includes Rachelle Brown (Interim
Moderator and Chair ex officio), Joe Cobb, Victoria L. Burson, Miak Siew,
and Dr. David L. Williams.[38]

The primary responsibility of elders is to give pastoral leadership and care

to enable the fellowship in its spiritual journey. The elders exercise spiritual
and pastoral authority to build a shared vision for the UFMCC, prepare
UFMCC for the future, and support UFMCC's strategic direction. The
elders serve as official representatives of the fellowship in the areas of
public and community relations; provide oversight of and support to Ordination of clergy by the
congregations; consult with churches on issues related to church laying on of hands
development; and fulfill other ecclesial and ceremonial duties.[36]

In July 2019, a new Moderator and Governing Board were elected at the MCC General Conference in
Orlando, Florida. The Moderator is Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston. The Governing Board consists of Rev.
Marie Alford-Harkey, Rev. Alberto Nájera, Rev. Elder Diane Fisher, and Rev. Paul Whiting, representing
Clergy, and Chad Hobbs, Clare Coughlin, James Chavis, and Mark Godette, representing Laity.

General Conference

Internationally, the government of the UFMCC is vested in the tri-annual General Conference, subject to
the provisions of the fellowship Articles of Incorporation, its bylaws, or documents of legal organization.
The General Conference is authorized to receive the reports from the various boards, committees,
commissions and councils of the fellowship. Throughout its history the General Conference has met both in
and outside of the continental United States, in places such as Sydney, Australia, and Toronto, Ontario and
Calgary, Alberta in Canada. The 2010 General Conference was held in Acapulco, Guerrero, with future
conferences occurring every three years. The 2013 General Conference was held in Chicago, Illinois,
US.[39] followed by Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 2016 and Orlando, Florida, US in 2019.

List of regions

The worldwide church is administratively divided into seven regions, each of which are represented by an
elder on the Council of Elders.[40] Since the 2000s, many are further divided into sub-regional
networks.[41]

Region 1: Region 1 Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Western Canada (British

Columbia, Yukon), China, Micronesia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, North Korea, Pakistan, Papua New
Guinea, Philippines, Eastern Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Taiwan, Thailand,
Vanuatu, Vietnam and the United States of America (Alaska, California (Northern), Hawaii,
Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming).
Australasia Network
Pacific Northwest Network
Valley & Bay Area Network
Asia & Pacific Islands Network
Region 2 - Canada (Manitoba and Nunavut), and the United States of America (Alabama,
Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
Tennessee, Texas (Eastern), and Wisconsin).
Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama Network
Heartland Network
North Central US Network
South Gulf Coast Network

Region 3 - Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados,

Bermuda, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada,
Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St.
Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad, Tobago,
Turks & Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands and the United
States of America (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey,
New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, Virginia, the District of Columbia (Washington,
DC).
Metropolitan Community Church of
Northeast United States Network Washington, D.C. sanctuary during
DC, Delaware, Maryland & Virginia Network the 2019 Transgender Day of
Remembrance.
Carolinas Network

Region 4 - Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Austria,

Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African
Republic, Chad, Congo, Denmark, Egypt, England, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, France,
Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Holland, Iceland, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel,
Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia,
Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia,
Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Wales, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
 Western Europe/United Kingdom Network
African Network
Region 5 - Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Eastern Canada (Baffin
Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia,
Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec), Estonia,
Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan,
Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro,
Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia,
The Czech Republic, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan,
Ukraine, United States of America (Connecticut, Indiana, MCC of Stuttgart, Germany, taking
Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New part the CSD march in 2009.
Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, West
Virginia), Uzbekistan, Vojvodina.
Central US East Network
Canadian, Michigan & Windsor Network
Region 6 - Antarctica, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and the United States of America
(Arizona, California (Southern), Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas (Southern).
Southern California/Nevada Network
Arizona, New Mexico & El Paso Network
Southern Texas Network
Ibero-America & Caribbean Network
Region 7 - Western Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories), and the United
States of America (Colorado, Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas (Northern).
North Florida Network
Central Florida Network
North Texas and Oklahoma Network
South Florida Network

Local congregations

Each affiliated member church of MCC is a self-governing, legally

autonomous body, is vested in its congregational meeting which
exerts the right to control all of its affairs, subject to the provisions
of the UFMCC Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, or documents of
legal organization, and the General Conference. An ordained pastor
provides spiritual leadership and administrative leadership as the
moderator of a local church administrative body. In the United MCC of North London taking part in
States and Canada the local church administrative body is usually Pride London 2011.
called "board of directors". Each local congregation is required to
send a tithe or assessment of income to UFMCC, currently set to
reduce from 15% of income to 10% by 1% every two years stating in 2005.[42] Each local church elects its
own pastor from the roster of MCC credentialed clergy.
Each local congregation is free to determine matters of worship, practice, theology and ministry providing
they meet certain basic requirements involving open access to communion and subscription to the
traditional Christian creeds. Styles of worship include liturgical, charismatic, evangelical, traditional and
modern — diversity is an important part of MCC.

Philippines controversy

The Metropolitan Community Church of Baguio solemnized the union of one gay couple and seven lesbian
couples at a bar called Ayuyang Bar. This is the first MCC Baguio ceremony that has agitated the
Philippines' mainstream evangelical churches.

MCC Baguio is a local chapter of the MCC in Quezon City, which ministers to homosexuals. Pastor Myke
Sotero of MCC Baguio stated that the service was a "Christian celebration of love and relationship". The
rites are not considered marriage since the Philippine government does not recognize gay marriage.
Couples who participated in the union were also criticized by local church leaders. Bishop Donald Soriano
of the Bethesda Ministries Calvary Pentecostal Church, said that they will denounce same-sex unions.[43]

Notable clergy
This list includes notable present and former clergy associated with MCC.

James Ferry Jeff Rock

Darlene Garner Robert Sirico (former MCC minister)
Chris Glaser Rembert S. Truluck
Bob Goss Jean White
Brent Hawkes Mel White
Troy Perry (founder) Nancy Wilson (moderator as of 2005)
Marge Ragona Bob Wolfe

See also
Christianity portal

LGBT portal

Religion portal

Category:Metropolitan Community Churches

Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement
LGBT-welcoming church programs
New Pacific Academy
Queer theology
UpStairs Lounge arson attack

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External links
Official website (http://www.mccchurch.org/)

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