Christianity in Houston

==LGBT churches==
{{see also|LGBT culture in Houston}}
[[File:Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church.jpg|thumb|Resurrection [[Metropolitan Community Church]]]]
Some Christian churches accept members of the [[LGBT]] community.<ref name=ShellnutGayDivKid>Shelnutt, Kate. "[http://blog.chron.com/believeitornot/2011/01/gay-christian-community-in-houston-diverse-kid-friendly-and-working-for-justice/ Gay Christian community in Houston: Diverse, kid-friendly and working for justice]" (). ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. January 28, 2011. Retrieved on May 3, 2014.</ref> In 2008 Reverend Dwayne Johnson, the pastor of the Resurrection [[Metropolitan Community Church]],<ref name=KarkabiGay>Karkabi, Barbara. "[http://www.chron.com/life/houston-belief/article/Grace-Evangelical-Lutheran-welcomes-gay-pastor-1766376.php Grace Evangelical Lutheran welcomes gay pastor]" (). ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. August 29, 2008. Retrieved on May 3, 2014.</ref> a church in [[Timbergrove Manor, Houston|Timbergrove Manor]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Zuvanich|first=Adam|url=https://www.theleadernews.com/community/community-mourns-death-of-progressive-pastor/article_b28d8b98-3063-5333-8e38-5b108f0e6a4a.html|title=
Community mourns death of progressive pastor|newspaper=[[The Leader (Houston)|The Leader]]|date=2020-07-22|accessdate=2023-04-05}}</ref> near the [[Houston Heights]],<ref name=ShellnutGayDivKid/> stated that there were about 15-20 openly gay Christian clergy members in Houston.<ref name=KarkabiGay/>

Resurrection Metropolitan's main service group is the LGBT community.<ref name=KarkabiGay/> In 1980 the pastor was gay, and almost all of the congregation was LGBT.<ref name=Ennisp107>Ennis, Michael. "What do these Rugged Texas He-Men Have in Common?". ''[[Texas Monthly]]''. June 1980. Volume 8, No. 6. ISSN 0148-7736. Start page: 107. Cited: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=BC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA107 107]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on May 9, 2014. "It was Easter morning at Houston's Metropolitan Community Church of the Resurrection. [...]"</ref> In December 2010<!--last month from January 2011--> Reverend Harry Knox, a pro-LGBT activist, became the leader of the Resurrection Metropolitan. In 2011 Resurrection Metropolitan had 850 members.<ref name=ShellnutGayDivKid/>

In 1995, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church began accepting LGBT members and became a "[[Reconciling in Christ]]" Lutheran church; it was founded in 1922. In 2008, Rene Garcia, a member of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] (ELCA), stated that she estimated that 40% of the members identified themselves as LGBT, with many of them coming from other Christian denominations such as Missouri Synod Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism.<ref name=KarkabiGay/>

Over the years a number of Evangelical/Pentecostal LGBT affirming churches have also ministered to the Houston Community.  Community Gospel Church began in the early 1980s and served the community until 2012, with about 150 members at its height.  In 2012, Gateway of Hope Church [http://www.gatewayhouston.org] was birthed as a Pentecostal/Word of Faith, Spirit Filled, Word Based, Jesus Centered fellowship meeting off of Dacoma Street and Hempstead Highway and is pastored by Pastor Sven Verbeet.  Founded in 2010, Living Mosaic Christian Church [http://www.livingmosaic.cc] pastored by Rev. Jason Wood meets at the Montrose Counseling Center.

In 2008, pro-LGBT activist [[Jay Bakker]] argued that [[Joel Osteen]], pastor of [[Lakewood Church]], should speak out in favor of the LGBT community, and invited him to join his group in a picnic.<ref>Feldman, Claudia. "[http://www.chron.com/life/houston-belief/article/Gay-group-Tammy-Faye-s-son-invite-Joel-Osteen-to-1783982.php Gay group, Tammy Faye's son invite Joel Osteen to picnic]" (). ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. May 8, 2008. Retrieved on May 3, 2014.</ref>