All Means All: A Reflection on Allisonville Christian Church's Open + Affirming Journey - A Reflection from Rev. Sarah Zuniga

"Allisonville Christian Church isn't Open + Affirming?"

This wasn’t a new question to me. I remember asking this same question when I visited Allisonville in 2018 during my Disciples Peace Intern summer, and it’s a question I heard many times during my first year on staff here at Allisonville.

Allisonville Christian Church [in Indianapolis, IN] discerned becoming an Open+Affirming Ministry (O+A) in the early 2010s, around the same time as our own Indiana Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was having similar conversations about the inclusion of LGBTQ+ clergy. I’ve been grateful for the stories that others have shared with me about their experiences being a part of those church-wide conversations as I’ve prepared to help journey with Allisonville during the formal O+A process.

The church did not formally call for a vote to become O+A at that time. However, these sacred conversations transformed into a congregational welcoming statement, drafted by church leadership, what we now know as ACC’s “All Means All” statement.

Those sacred conversations helped move the congregation into a new way of being – one that was striving to intentionally be more welcoming and affirming to the LGBTQ+ community. ACC began to participate in Indy Pride every year. The church has hired and called multiple staff and pastors who identify as LGBTQ+, myself included.

Fast forward to February 2024, and I was ready to report to the Elders how my first month of work at ACC had gone. Once I opened up for questions after my report, many of our Elders named how ACC was not yet O+A, and the question – “ACC isn’t O+A?” began to turn into a call to action – “Let’s change that!”

And so, we changed it! The pastoral team, Elders, and Church Council facilitated various listening sessions for the congregation. Pastors had drop-in office hours, providing opportunities for those who felt more comfortable asking questions one-on-one. Pastor Beau Underwood and I led special Bible study sessions on Leviticus and Galatians.

And on January 26, 2025, Allisonville Christian Church voted unanimously to become an O+A Ministry.

In many ways, the official “yes” vote felt like a recommitment from ACC. It was a recommitment of the congregation’s witness to the inclusive love of God. It was a recommitment of the congregation to live into what it means to embody a faith that isn’t static, but a faith that is dynamic and continues to transform and grow.

This process wasn’t without its challenges, of course. And certainly, there were enough times during this process that I could think of where I found myself frustrated at the end of the day, wondering if this congregation will ever truly *see* me for who I am – a trans and queer person of color who is still trying to figure it out (what even is “it”?).

The truth that I’ve become comfortable with through this O+A process is this: My congregation might not always see me for who I am, and I know that they have recommitted to embodying God’s inclusive love. The Church may not always see me for who I am, and I pray for a Church that will (re)commit to embodying God’s inclusive love. God knows me for who I am and has called me to co-create in this world with Her. My transness and queerness are physical manifestations of God’s inclusive love, and when the Church commits to following queer and trans leaders, God’s inclusive love shines even brighter in this world.

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Rev. Sarah Zuniga (any pronouns) is the Associate Minister for Outreach & Growth at Allisonville Christian Church. They love pottery, knitting, Baldur's Gate 3, and dad jokes. They’re excited to help ACC leaders revise their All Means All statement.