Photos by Corbin Payne
Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) is your Annual Conference’s partner in ministry.
For 50 years, the UMC was forbidden from seeking robust education about LGBTQ+ inclusion and justice. The decisions of the 2024 General Conference changed that.
The depth of queer and trans people’s lived and learned experiences have so much to teach the Church. And RMN is ready to deliver those learning opportunities. Our training staff has nearly half a century of combined experience in working for LGBTQ+ justice in our Church.
We invite United Methodist district and annual conference staff to bring RMN’s expertise to your community.
Below, you’ll find brief descriptions of training modules that RMN will tailor to your annual conference’s unique context. After that, fill out the form below to get our conversation started.
Training Format
Reconciling Ministries Network will customize trainings to meet your participants’ needs.
Location: RMN training staff can fly to you, or we can provide virtual trainings over Zoom.
Time commitment: any length of time between 1 hour and 3 days.
Photos by Corbin Payne
Training Modules & Descriptions
Adopting the Posture of an Advocate
Advocacy is not a checklist to complete. Rather, it’s a spiritual practice girded by faith, curiosity, humility, and commitment. This module eases us out of a works-based model of advocacy performance, and it guides us in the way of advocacy as discipleship.
All Justice is Intersectional!
This training examines how LGBTQ+ justice is inseparable from racial, economic, gender, and disability justice—and calls the Church to more holistic, whole-hearted witness.
Becoming a Reconciling Ministry
Begin or deepen the journey of becoming a Reconciling Church or community, with practical steps for cultivating visible, intentional, and intersectional inclusion.
Building a (More) Inclusive Church
For churches and communities that have already made the Reconciling commitment. This training offers tools and practices to move you from surface-level welcome to a wellspring of inclusion.
Gracious Conflict Management
Learn faithful, grounded strategies for navigating disagreement and tension in your context while you hold fast to justice, compassion, and community.
Language as Love
Discover how the words we choose — about God, people, and justice, and in our liturgies —can either harm or heal. Learn ways to breathe new life and love into your ministries.
LGBTQ+ 101
This training is a pastoral, accessible introduction to LGBTQ+ identities, terminology, and experiences, designed especially for those newer to this journey of justice.
Stages of Inclusion
Inclusion is less about destination and more about direction. This training explores the common stages churches and institutions experience on their journey toward LGBTQ+ inclusion, from silence to solidarity. Participants will gain tools to assess their organization’s inclusivity as well as next steps toward justice-rooted affirmation.
Storytelling the Good News
Stories have the spirit-filled power to change hearts, shift culture, and testify to God’s expansive welcome. In this training, we’ll work together to craft your unique stories of the liberating love of God.
Supporting LGBTQ+ Clergy & Candidates
We wish that General Conference 2024 eliminated discrimination from the fabric of our denomination. But it didn’t. In this training, you’ll learn practical and spiritual ways to be in solidarity with LGBTQ+ clergy and candidates, resisting harm and building a Church that honors every call.
After you fill out this form, an RMN staff person will be in touch. We’ll work with you to customize the training experience for your community’s needs.
