Internal Welcome and External Witness: LGBTQ Youth Ministry

Zoom | April 19 | 12 - 1:30 pm Eastern

In your local communities and congregations, 20% of GenZ now identify as part of the LGBTQ community. Therefore, it is important to know what are the particular nuances of youth ministry with and for LGBTQ youth. Deacon Murray will speak about LGBTQ inclusion in our youth ministries, and how to be specifically welcoming of those who are in the process of discovering their sexual and gender identities. We will also explore the theology and values that should undergird LGBTQ youth ministry, pushing us beyond our own congregational settings, out into the wider world.

Ross Murray is a Vice President at the GLAAD Media Institute, which provides activist, spokesperson, and media engagement training and education for LGBTQ and allied community members, the media industry and advocacy organizations desiring to deepen their media impact. Ross is also a founder and director of The Naming Project, a faith-based camp for LGBTQ youth and their allies. His book, Made, Known, Loved: Developing LGBTQ-Inclusive Youth Ministry is available from Fortress Press. Ross is a producer for the "Yass, Jesus!" podcast, a faith and sexuality affirming podcast that believes you don't have to pick between gay and God. Ross is an ordained Deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with a specific calling to advocate for LGBTQ people and to bridge the LGBTQ and faith communities.