TRANSitions: QUEERING FAITH LEADERSHIP (by Dr. Joelle Henneman)

“Transgender people have unique gifts for ministry. Distinctive experiences of deep introspection equip gender-diverse people to serve as caregivers. Social position aligns transgender people on the margins from which scripture is written. Gender transition embodies transformation that is the aim of religious practices. This book explores opportunities to preach, lead, provide care, work for justice, and have a social media presence as a transgender person. This book has lessons that apply to any person seeking to operate from their authentic self and unique gifts.”

You can learn more & get Dr. Joelle Henneman’s book here.
Find her on Substack and TikTok @transpreacher.

About the Author

Dr. Joelle Henneman (she/her/hers) serves as the Senior Pastor of the United Methodist Church for All People. Her passion for ministry comes in widening the circle of God’s love to include all people. After a 20 year career in the Air Force, Joelle attended Brite Divinity School and served as a pastor in the Central Texas Conference. After graduation, she served as associate pastor of Central United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico and founded Community of Hope–an outdoor worshiping community of housed and homeless people. Joelle moved to Columbus in 2015 in order to live in to a second calling of ministry with the poor. Initially, she served as Director of the Healthy Eating and Living program at Community Development for All People; and, has served on the pastoral staff since 2018. The United Methodist Church for All People grew out of the message of unconditional love and is an intentionally cross-class and multi-racial church. The church affirms that people of all ages, all races, all classes, all genders, all sexual orientations, and all abilities are loved by God just they way they are and God is not finished with any of us yet,

Justice Champion

Dr. Joelle serve as a leader of Faith in Public Life’s Interfaith Justice Table’s, the Ohio Progressive Faith Coalition, board member of the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio, active leader in LoveBoldly, TransOhio, Trans Allies of Ohio, the Black Queer Intersectional Collective and is the co-chair of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church’s Just Mission team.

Engaging Writer

Dr. Joelle is a published author who has written on a wide range of subjects from gender issues to military history to distance running. She served as an Air Force historian who received recognition eight times with the Excellence in History Programs Award and multiple Historical Publication Awards. As the United Methodist Student of the Year at Brite Divinity School she published two chapters in the book, “InstitutionalChange in Theological Education: A History of Brite Divinity School.” She has written hundreds of newspaper articles and is the author of this blog as well as Looked with Compassion and Perseverance Runner. She recently published the book, “TRANSitions-Queering Faith Leadership” and received the Marcella Althaus-Reid from Pacific School of Religion.

Dynamic Speaker

An in-demand speaker, Dr. Joelle has engaged thousands of people with hundreds of sermons, as a historian she spoke around the world from the Duxford Aviation Museum in England to an appearance on the History Channel’s Modern Marvels. As a social justice warrior, she speaks at rallies and campaigns on a wide range of issues including homelessness, race, immigration, and LGBTQ+ issues.

This study resource is designed to help your United Methodist church or community become more trans-inclusive. Whether or not your group is Reconciling, this resource will equip you to better live into a future of greater love and affirmation.

It will cover some basic truths about transgender people. These sessions will ask you to engage in reflection and discussion guided by biblical scriptures, and to be better equipped to support transgender folks in your community.

Learn More & Buy Here

Say More is a resource meant to support you and your community as you engage in thoughtful reflection and conversation around LGBTQ+ inclusion. We hope to empower you to share your story with others to further the causes of inclusion and justice both within The United Methodist Church and your own local context.

Say More is for communities and congregations who want to begin or continue facilitating conversation around LGBTQ+ inclusion. Whether this is your first time, or one opportunity among hundreds, we all benefit when we allow the stories of others to touch us deeply while also sharing our own reflection, testimony, and witness.

The foundation of Say More was developed by Rev. Dr. Tiffany Steinwert.

Participant Workbook

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Download with $20 donation

Facilitator Guide

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Download with $20 donation

Written by LGBTQ+ youth ministers and church leaders and awesome youth advisors, this Toolkit covers major topics a young person might encounter while learning about their sexual and/or gender identity. This is a great resource for any LGBTQ+ teen but especially for those who are new on their journey.

Parents Reconciling Network and United Methodist Alliance for Transgender Inclusion, both extension ministries of RMN, teamed up to host three sessions together. These three Virtual Porches cover Gender Identity 101, what transgender, gender fluid, gender non-conforming individuals would have wanted from their parents, and open conversation with several individuals who share their stories and journeys.

All are made in the image and likeness of God. If this is what we believe, then trans people, like all people, reflect something of God, and not just in the ways that they share in common with others, but also in the ways that they are different.

Are you LGBTQ+? Not sure? Whether you’re queer or questioning, understanding sexuality and gender identity can be confusing. God loves you exactly as you are. No matter your identity or where in your journey of self-discovery you find yourself, you got this.

What does nonbinary really mean? What is gender nonconforming? And isn’t they a plural pronoun? In this charming and disarming guide, a real-life they-using genderqueer writer unpacks all your burning questions in a fun, visual way. No soapboxes or divisive comment-section wars here!

Transfigured offers a 40-day exploration of scripture through the lens of a God who is the designer of gender in all it’s magnificent variety.

Talking with your child about gender identity can seem overwhelming–but with the right guidance, you can have healthy conversations and create an affirming environment for them as they grow. Whether your child is cisgender, gender expansive, transgender, or still unsure, this guide provides practical advice and strategies to help you embrace them for who they are and support them as they approach puberty.

Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians provides access into an underrepresented and misunderstood community and will change the way readers think about transgender people, faith, and the future of Christianity.