On July 24, 2026, The Advocate published an article ranking 20 major Christian denominations according to their support for LGBTQ+ people. The article included American Baptist Churches USA, commonly known as ABCUSA, but its description did not reflect the full reality of LGBTQ+ inclusion within American Baptist life.
The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists appreciates The Advocate’s effort to help LGBTQ+ people navigate a religious landscape that can be painful and confusing. That work matters. However, people seeking a church also deserve an accurate understanding of how Baptist communities are structured.
The article focused primarily on national statements adopted within ABCUSA and concluded that readers would not find an ABCUSA float at New York City’s Pride March. That framing could leave readers with the impression that LGBTQ+ affirming American Baptist churches do not exist.
They do.
Baptist Polity Changes the Picture
American Baptist Churches USA does not operate as a centralized denomination that determines the beliefs or practices of every congregation.
Local American Baptist churches are autonomous. Each congregation has the authority to determine its own ministry commitments and how it will live out its faith in its community. National statements may express the position of a denominational body, but they do not obligate every local church or region to follow the same course of action.
This distinction is essential when discussing LGBTQ+ inclusion within ABCUSA.
AWAB is not suggesting that harmful national statements should be ignored. Those statements have caused real pain, and their impact should be acknowledged. At the same time, they are not the whole story of American Baptist life.
There are American Baptist congregations that fully welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ people. These churches celebrate same sex marriages, call openly LGBTQ+ clergy, and welcome queer people into every area of congregational leadership. Some American Baptist regions recognize the ordination of LGBTQ+ ministers, while others maintain restrictive policies.
That tension is part of the reality of Baptist life. It should be described honestly rather than reduced to a single denominational label.
A Visible LGBTQ+ Affirming Baptist Witness
Many AWAB member churches are affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA.
These congregations are not quietly affirming behind closed doors. They participate in Pride celebrations in New York City and in communities across the country. They host Pride worship services and publicly stand alongside their LGBTQ+ neighbors.
AWAB’s annual Pride Directory documents this witness each year. Our year-round church directory also helps people locate Baptist congregations where LGBTQ+ people can worship freely and participate fully in the life of the church.
A denominational float is not the only measure of Christian witness.
As AWAB Executive Director Rev. Dr. Brian Henderson wrote in his response to The Advocate:
“Baptist witness is expressed not primarily through denominational campaigns, but through autonomous congregations faithfully serving their communities.”
The absence of one national float should not erase the congregations already showing up.
AWAB Requests a More Complete Account
Following the publication of the article, AWAB sent a letter directly to its writer, Dawn Ennis, requesting that the section on ABCUSA be updated to reflect the autonomy of local churches and the varied practices of American Baptist regions.
The letter also offered AWAB as a resource for future reporting on LGBTQ+ inclusion in Baptist life.
For more than fifty years, LGBTQ+ Baptists and their allies have organized to make full inclusion visible within the Baptist tradition. AWAB continues that work by supporting churches that are welcoming and affirming while helping people find communities where they can fully belong.
Those stories deserve to be part of any account of American Baptist life.
What LGBTQ+ People Seeking a Church Should Know
A denominational name alone may not tell you whether a particular Baptist church is affirming.
Look for a clear public statement of welcome. Ask whether LGBTQ+ people may participate fully in marriage and ministry. Seek congregations whose practices match the language they use.
AWAB carefully reviews churches before accepting them into membership. Our member congregations have made public commitments to LGBTQ+ inclusion and maintain employment practices that support LGBTQ+ staff and ministry leaders.
Through AWAB’s Find a Church directory, seekers can connect with Baptist communities that have chosen radical welcome and full affirmation.
The American Baptist Story Is More Complete Than One Statement
The story of LGBTQ+ inclusion within American Baptist Churches USA is complicated. It includes policies that have caused harm, but it also includes faithful congregations that have resisted exclusion for decades.
LGBTQ+ people are preaching in American Baptist pulpits. They are leading ministries and helping shape the future of the church. They are not merely being welcomed into these communities. They are indispensable to them.
LGBTQ+ affirming American Baptist churches are here.
Their witness is public, and their stories deserve to be told.