Church of the Covenant has a deep history of lobbying for openness and support for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in our congregation, one that proudly continues today! Highlights from our history include:
- Church of the Covenant became a "More Light" Church within the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1980.
- In 1986, Church of the Covenant became the first congregation in the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ to declare itself "Open and Affirming," joining only seven churches nationwide that had previously made this decision.
- In 1995, the Covenant Council voted to approve the following Policy on Same-Sex Unions: We declare that we are called to name that these marriages/unions hold the same legitimacy and value as those weddings we traditionally have participated in throughout the history of the church, and furthermore we declare that we are called to continue this ministry to be pastorally present to and stand in solidarity with men and women who seek God's blessing and the church's embrace as they make life commitments to partners of the same sex.
- As of 2004, following the legalization of same sex marriages in Massachusetts, Church of the Covenant is happy to officially celebrate all marriages through all aspects of our administration.
