Dr. Crowder shared the following in a letter to future Living Waters Region Clergy on Thursday, June 18.
Expanding the Table: A Bigger Vision of Love
Beloved Colleagues,
As Pride Month is observed across our nation, many people of faith find themselves reflecting on what it means to be an ally and a friend to our LGBTQ+ siblings. While perspectives on theology and scripture may differ, the call to love our neighbors remains at the very heart of the Gospel.
Being an ally does not require abandoning one’s convictions. Rather, it calls us to embrace the ministry of presence, compassion, and respect. Jesus consistently moved toward people who had been marginalized, misunderstood, or excluded. Jesus listened, welcomed, and loved before demanding anything in return.
For me, being an ally and a friend means recognizing the sacred worth and dignity of every person as a child of God. It means standing against discrimination, violence, and dehumanization. It means ensuring that people know they are seen, heard, valued, and loved.
Friendship is a holy act. Friends walk alongside one another through joys and struggles. Friends celebrate victories, share burdens, and create spaces where honest conversations can occur. Friendship does not require complete agreement on every issue; it requires a commitment to seeing the humanity and the image of God in one another.
During Pride Month, I am reminded that many LGBTQ+ persons have experienced rejection, isolation, and spiritual harm. As followers of Christ, we are called to be agents of healing rather than sources of hurt. We are called to embody grace, mercy, and hospitality.
The Church is at its best when it creates room for conversation, understanding, and genuine relationship. We may not all arrive at the same conclusions, but we can choose to treat one another with kindness, respect, and love.
As an ally and a friend, I believe our witness is strongest when we reflect the love of Christ—a love that reaches across divisions, honors human dignity, and reminds every person that they are worthy of care and compassion.
I want to be clear: this Regional Minister will be an ally, a friend, and a pastor—not only in word, but also in deed. That commitment extends beyond statements and slogans. It means showing up, listening, advocating for dignity, standing against discrimination, and ensuring that our LGBTQ+ siblings, friends, church members, neighbors, colleagues and children know they are beloved by God. Allyship is not merely what we say; it is demonstrated by how we treat people, how we welcome them, and how we accompany them on life’s journey.
Being an ally and a friend is not accomplished by renaming the month of June as “Nuclear Family Month” in an attempt to diminish or counter Pride Month. Nor is it achieved by perpetuating harmful theology that has too often been used to wound, exclude, or silence people. The Gospel calls us to something greater. We are called to bear witness to God’s love, to affirm the dignity of every person, and to create communities where love is experienced rather than withheld. Our calling is not to erase one another but to love one another. As followers of Christ, we can uphold our convictions while rejecting language, attitudes, and actions that dehumanize God’s children.
May this Pride Month be an opportunity to expand God’s table, deepen our listening, continue our learning, and strengthen relationships with a bigger vision of God’s reconciling love.