Abstract: Baby boomers often view sexual minorities differently from Generation Z. Changes in technology, religious shifts, and politics are some of the contributing factors that have shaped how generations understand sexual minorities. Grace Church San Diego is a multi-generational church located three miles from the largest LGBTQ+ neighborhood in southern California. One ministry challenge is the division between young and old, that derives from suspicion and prejudice about how the other views these marginalized people. This divide in understanding and trust is what the project is designed to bridge.

            Knowing a person’s story, and a people’s collective journey, is one way to build trust. Simplified themes will be provided to define the distinguishing make-up of why Boomers, Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z view sexual minorities the way they do. Themes will be generated from the social conditioning of their respective childhood and developmental environments.

            The goal of this project is inter-generational flourishing at Grace Church with sexual minorities in the congregation. A necessary step for flourishing is clarity on what Grace Church biblically believes, as well as how it ecclesiologically carries out those beliefs. A spectrum of five church views will be provided, from fully affirming to banishment, and where Grace Church fits on this spectrum. This kind of clarity around belief and practice is important for leadership and congregants, for sexual minorities to know what to expect when walking into church. It provides an act of kindness to be honest. A theology of church as spiritual family is the vision for inter-generational flourishing with sexual minorities in the congregation.