Saturday 16th May 2026
St John’s Church, Friern Barnet
Reclaiming Belonging
Scripturally-rooted conversations around LGBTQ+ inclusion in the life of the Church
WHAT IS RECLAIMING BELONGING?
‘Reclaiming Belonging’ is a day conference for anyone wanting to explore how to maintain Scriptural integrity whilst championing the full participation of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the church.
Scriptural integrity is often pitted against the celebration of LGBTQ+ communities and their full inclusion in all aspects of church life. This tension is particularly apparent in current debates around the Blessing of same sex relationships within the Church of England.‘Reclaiming Belonging’ is a day conference for anyone wanting to explore how to maintain Scriptural integrity whilst championing the full participation of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the church.Together, we’ll be re-examining traditional interpretations of Scripture through an expansive and compassionate lens, to propose that celebrating and including LGBTQ+ people is what it means to be faithful to the God revealed in the Bible.
Keynote speaker
Revd Dr Jonathan Tallon
Jonathan is part of the Northern Baptist Team and is an ordained Anglican minister. He teaches New Testament and Greek at Luther King Centre. He is also the Research Programme Co-ordinator. His own research areas include how the Bible was interpreted and understood within the late antique context, and what that can teach us today.Jonathan is the author of Affirmative: Why You Can Say Yes to the Bible and Yes to People Who Are LGBTQI+
Outline of the day
Doors open from 9.00am: Coffee and pastries available
9.30am: Welcome & Worship
9.45am: "Reclaiming Romans" - Keynote with Jonathan Tallon
10.45am: Comfort Break
11.00am: "Delving Deeper into Romans 1" - Seminar with Jonathan Tallon
11.30am: "But Where's the Fruit?" - Seminar with Alex Huzzey
12noon: Lunch (bring your own)
12.45pm: "Listening to LGBTQ+ Young People" - Seminar with Samuel Wright
1.45pm: Comfort break
2.00pm: Panel discussion taking your questions
2.30pm: Final Prayer & Finish
Keynote
"Reclaiming Romans: Rediscovering Paul’s rationale"
Is this you? You want to embrace full inclusivity, but you want to be faithful to God and to scripture. And you look at Romans 1, and all you can see is the clearest possible denunciation of homosexuality, male and female, as a shameful turning away from God’s ways. How can you read it in any other way without twisting the word of God?
This talk uncovers the context for Paul’s letter, showing how modern assumptions mislead us about Paul’s concerns and real targets (which have nothing to do with faithful same-sex relationships). You can embrace inclusivity and scripture.
SEMINARS
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Delving Deeper into Romans 1 | This seminar will be a question and answer session in response to Jonathan Tallon's keynote, enabling you to go deeper into Romans 1. Come with any questions you have. |
| Listening to LGBTQ+ Young People | There are young people who identify as LGBTQ+ in church youth groups up and down the country, so isn’t it about time that we started listening to them? During this seminar, we’ll be hearing from 3 young people as they candidly describe their experiences of Christian youth ministry, and share practical suggestions for how the Church can help LGBTQ+ young people to truly feel that they belong. |
| But Where's the Fruit? | Conservative commentators often assert that inclusive churches always fail. We’re going to tackle that argument head on with stories of churches that have fully and joyfully embraced LGBTQ people and families and are gloriously fruitful and thriving. Come along to be encouraged, and to share your own stories from the frontline of LGBTQ+ inclusion. |
Book your place now!
Join us for this special
day conference:
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