LGBTI Liturgies
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The aim of this section is to provide liturgies which can be used widely by LGBTI groups and couples, without compromising on the important themes of blessing and celebration.
Click on the Recommended tab for the core collection of Liturgies which have been collated by the LGBTI Anglican Coalition.
For Links to liturgies provided by other groups click on the Web Links tab.
Latest Liturgies and News
Liturgies for same-sex blessings and marriages - Colin Coward
Blessings of same-sex relationships have been held in Church of England churches for decades, and now it is likely that services will be held following marriage. What liturgies are available? Should we be preparing more? Colin Coward is director of Changing Attitude and has campaigned for full inclusion for three decades.
Workshop presentation at a one-day conference on the theology of marriage in the light of equal marriageheld at St John's Waterloo on the 27th September 2014
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13 December
2013:
Information: COMMENTS ON THE ROLE OF LITURGY IN THE
THE REPORT FROM THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS’ WORKING GROUP ON HUMAN SEXUALITY
(THE PILLING REPORT)
The Church of England Report of the House of Bishops Working Group on Human Sexuality, or the Pilling Report was commissioned by the House of Bishops of the Church of England in January 2012, and was published on the 28 November 2013. The issues of providing liturgies for the celebration or blessing of same-sex marriages and civil partnerships were discussed, and the following arguments were made:
380. So far the Church has resisted calls to celebrate civil partnerships
in any formal or liturgical way. Objections often cited include the difficulty
of knowing whether a couple adhere to the Church’s teaching on sexual
activity within the relationship without imposing intrusive or distasteful
questioning, the fear that recognition of celibate civil partnerships will
constitute the thin end of a wedge and open the way to celebrating
formally sexually active relationships, and the fact that any formal
liturgy, in itself, would be taken to constitute a revision of the Church’s
moral and doctrinal teaching.
384. We all recognize, however, that a formal liturgy, episcopally and Synodically approved, for the celebration of civil partnerships (and the more so for same sex marriage) would have important doctrinal implications, since the doctrines of the Church of England are, in part, expressed through its liturgy. So, although some of our members would like to see such an approved liturgy, we recognize that this would, as it were, put the cart before the horse. Unless the Church of England agrees to some modification of its current teaching on committed, permanent and faithful relationships between two men or two women, it cannot prescribe a liturgy to celebrate them.
387.
So whilst we are cognisant of the objections to the liturgicalcelebration of committed same sex relationships, whether civil
partnerships or in future same sex marriage, and not all our group
would support any step in that direction, some of us believe there is
scope to consider less formal approaches to recognizing and praying
for same sex couples after they have registered a civil partnership or
entered into a same sex marriage. This would be consistent with the
statement in the 2005 Pastoral Statement that, ‘Where clergy are
approached by people asking for prayer in relation to entering into
a civil partnership they should respond pastorally and sensitively in
the light of the circumstances of each case.’
Recommendation 16 and 17 of the report concludes:
16. We believe that there can be circumstances where a priest, with the agreement of the relevant PCC, should be free to mark the formation of a permanent same sex relationship in a public service but should be under no obligation to do so. Some of us do not believe that this can be extended to same sex marriage.
17. While the Church abides by its traditional teaching such public services would be of the nature of a pastoral accommodation and so the Church of England should not authorize a formal liturgy for use for this purpose. The House of Bishops should consider whether guidance should be issued.
