Towards the development of inclusive missional congregations : biblical hospitality as a paradigm for building hospitable communities of faith

Abstract

This study explores the way that ancient Near Eastern hospitality, as revealed in the Bible, can inform and impact contemporary ecclesial welcome and inclusiveness, with specific attention to inviting LGBTQQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual/Aromantic/Agender) persons into the life of local missional congregations. The study was carried out through practical biblical analysis and empirical, qualitative research. The study falls within the field of congregational studies specifically within Congregational Development, i.e., “Gemeindeaufbau.” The thesis describes the biblical and cultural background undergirding the ancient custom of Near Eastern hospitality and the way it was instituted among the nomads and later codified among the Bedouins. These customs are then applied to a contemporary, postmodern, context advocating for the hospitable welcome and inclusion of all people in the life of local missional churches. The question is “how can congregations that exhibit prejudice toward LGBTQQIA+ persons overcome bias and discriminatory practices and become missionally holistic, hospitably welcoming and inclusive?” The research problem is that numerous missional congregations fail to be hospitably welcoming and inclusive, especially concerning persons of LGBTQQIA+ orientation. The reason for this lack of inclusivity, stems from a lack of understanding of hospitality as a major biblical and theological theme. The answer to how congregations that exhibit prejudice toward LGBTQQIA+ persons can overcome bias and discriminatory practices to become missionally holistic and inclusive, may be found in an alternative biblical hermeneutic that creates a better understanding of the principle of radical hospitality as a theological premise inherent within the Judeo-Christian scriptures. Accomplishing this degree of reformational transformative change demands intentionality by church leadership, specifically clergy who implement transformational change within the congregational system. A church can be authentically hospitable only if it engages in processes toward discernment, achieving clarity about its identity, an absolute necessity in determining the missional ethos of a local congregation. This study offers a paradigm from which congregations can engage LGBTQQIA+ persons from an alternative biblical hermeneutical perspective. An exegesis of specific biblical references reveals the various ways that biblical peoples, tribes, and clans related to one another. Described as a detailed event in Genesis 18, hospitality then emerges as a pervasive theological theme throughout the biblical narrative.