Experience has shown that human sexuality is a sensitive and often divisive issue both within individual churches and between different churches, causing pain on all sides. At a national level, disagreements over this topic have strained ecumenical relationships.
Since 2023, Churches Together in England (CTE) has had a dedicated group focused on fostering understanding and building relationships around human sexuality as part of our shared faith and ecumenical journey.
The CTE Living with Diversity Well Working Group on Human Sexuality is an ecumenical group of national church representatives committed to walking together in unity despite differences. It provides a space for respectful conversation and deeper learning about how different traditions approach issues of human sexuality.
The group values nuance and does not aim to change any individual’s or church’s position on this issue or on any other theological matter. Its role, like that of CTE and other local and regional ecumenical organisations, is to promote unity and a shared witness to the world.
The members of this group represent the following CTE national Member Churches.
- Apostolic Pastoral Congress
- Baptist Union of Great Britain
- Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales
- Churches in Communities
- Church of England
- Council of Lutheran Churches
- Ground Level
- Methodist Church
- Moravian Church
- New Testament Church of God
- Redeemed Christian Church of God
- Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
- Salvation Army
- United Reformed Church
Members of this group commit to attendance and the mutually agreed ways of working for the group meetings. They also attend compulsory bespoke communications training so that this group can be a safe space for all. The members of this group also include members of the LGBTQ+ community and their families.
CTE keeps an open invitation to its Member Churches who wish to be involved in the work of this group to send a representative. For more information about the work of this group contact Doral Hayes.