As queer and trans ministers who have faced significant discrimination in the church, Rev. Anna Blaedel and Rev. M Barclay know personally the impact of harmful words used in religious spaces. Despite the barriers they’ve faced in the institutional church, they’re committed to helping others connect with the Sacred in ways that matter. For this reason, they’re partnering with a board of faith activists, academics, and pastors to launch a new ministry called enfleshed.

With Rev. Barclay – the first openly non-binary trans and queer deacon to be commissioned in The United Methodist Church (The UMC) – serving as director and Rev. Blaedel – who was recently on the docket of The UMC’s version of the supreme court – serving as Theologian-in-Residence, they hope to bring what matters back to religious language and practices through spiritual resources often difficult to find.

Despite the fact that there is a significant progressive movement in the church – one that is interested in and even driven by queer, trans, feminist, and anti-racist values – it can still be challenging and time consuming to find resources for local congregations that center those voices and theologies. For this reason, many pastors are forced to choose between liturgies that are “good enough” or finding the time to write their own each week – a luxury few pastors have.

With this challenge in mind, a primary resource of enfleshed is a subscription to “Liturgy that Matters.” This resource would give progressive clergy across Christian denominations a direct source to turn to for liturgy that doesn’t need to be modified to be inclusive and extensive sermon starters that center the voices, experiences, and emotions often sidelined in many commentaries and resources.

Rev. Barclay shared, “enfleshed was launched because we know how many others in the church share our frustration with mediocre theology and an idolization of the status quo. We’re interested in how the Spirit can lead the church in a new direction, especially in these challenging days, but to follow the Spirit requires holding lightly that which is. enfleshed is a resource for clergy and individuals who, like us, want to be pushed and pulled and transformed by a God who is still up to new and radical things. The language we use to talk about God shapes so much – our individual lives, our communities, culture…we want to connect with other pastors who are eager for the language to shape in a strictly positive way. No more conflating God with homophobia, transphobia, capitalism, white supremacy, or any other destructive force – only love, justice, liberation, and delight – that’s our hope for our work and the church at large.”

Among other unique approaches to their work, enfleshed materials prioritize the use of “they” as a pronoun for God. While many Christians continue to use masculine language for the Divine, they’re eager to make a case for the social relevance and theological accuracy of a pronoun that is both plural and singular. Their theology and resources won’t be for everyone, but for those who are eager to let the Word enflesh in bodies, words, identities, and other unexpected places within creation, their budding ministry could be the start of something desperately needed.

Learn more about the ministries of enfleshed including queer and trans pastoral counseling, teaching and preaching related to gospel and justice, and a growing library of liturgy at www.enfleshed.com