First Free is in a historic season of discernment and change. At our Ministry Community Meeting on August 24th, Pastor Matt shared a vision for ‘a church for people without a church.’ This includes a proposal to re-launch on Easter Sunday 2026 with (1) a new name, (2) separation from our current denomination, and (3) a policy of full inclusion.
Pastor Matt shared this vision, and the elder board, while holding a range of convictions, is in unity and agreement with this direction. Jonathan Lim briefly shared about inclusion while Steve Lepse spoke about disaffiliating from the denomination. It’s important to have good and united leadership, and at the same time we are a church where everyone’s voice matters, and we believe the Holy Spirit is present in us all as a collective ‘priesthood of believers.’ We seek to live this out in our polity as a congregational church. Ultimately, Jesus is the head of the church, and we all do our best to faithfully discern the voice of the Spirit guiding us.
The current plan is for members to vote on these changes on February 1st. In order for us to do that well, the elders have been doing our best to communicate clearly and frequently. This page exists as a way for you to (re)reference these communications as needed. You’ll find links to communications at past Ministry Community Meetings, Elder Newsletters, Learning Labs, and a Narrative Document and FAQ’s document.
Ministry Community Meeting Videos
Vision and Direction
Denomination Disaffiliation
Full Inclusion
Elders Newsletters
August 24 Ministry Community Meeting Recap
Elder’s Newsletter 01 – Virtues and Prayers For A Season of Change
Elder’s Newsletter 02 – Breath Prayer
Elder’s Newsletter 03 – Are We Doing the Right Thing? (Listening Session Reflections)
Elder’s Newsletter 04 – Spiritual Discernment Resources
Congregation Wide Survey
Elder’s Newsletter 05 – A Letter from the Elder’s Chair
Important Dates
Learning Labs
October 26 – What Stories Have We Heard? – Register here
November 9 – How Do We Read the Bible?
December 7 – What About the Problem Passages?
January 11 – How Do We Move Forward, Together?
Listening Sessions
September 7
September 19
October 19
November 2
Draw Near – Prayer and Worship
October 16
December 11
Ministry Community Meetings
November 16
February 1
Recommended Resources
Books
Christlike Acceptance Across Deep Difference edited by Ronald Pierce and Karen Keen
Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same Sex Relationships by Karen Keen
Heavy Burdens: Seven Ways LGBTQ Christians Experience Harm in the Church by Bridget Eileen Rivera
The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality within the Biblical Story by Christopher and Richard Hays
Changing Our Mind: 3rd Edition by David Gushee
Does the Bible Support Same-Sex Marriage? 21 Conversations from a Historically Christian View by Preston Sprinkle
Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality by Preston Sprinkle
Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life by Henri Nouwen
Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton
Films
1946 (Rent on Amazon Prime)
A documentary about bible translation and the difference adding the word “homosexual” made
Pray Away (Streaming on Netflix)
A documentary about the collapse of the ex-gay movement
Boy Erased (Streaming on Netflix)
Biopic of a young man attending Christian Conversation Therapy, really well done
I Am Michael (Streaming Free on Tubi)
Biopic of a Gay Rights Activist who becomes a heterosexual Pastor
Videos and Podcasts
Stories
LGBTQ Episode on the Liturgists Podcast (2h)
Gay
Justin Lee (15m)
Christopher Yuan (8m)
Sam Allberry (10m)
Tim Ouyang (35m)
Cameron (6m)
Lesbian
Vicky Beeching (6m)
Jackie Hill Perry (4m)
Rosaria Butterfield (8m)
I Tried to Fast the Gay Away – The Pastor’s Daughter Podcast Episode (59m)
Trans and Intersex
Paula Stone Williams and Her Son (13m)
Lianne (7m)
Educational Talks
Christian Philosopher Nicholas Wolsterstorff (begins at 11:30)
FAQ’s
Coming soon