The North Texas Association (NTA) of the United Church of Christ (my old association when I served a conservative UCC church near Waco 94-05) has voted to receive into membership the 4300 member Cathedral of Hope. The official UCC site has a postive report.

The Cathedral of Hope touts itself as "the world's largest liberal Christian church with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people." Briefly, the congregation is open and affirming of same-sex sex and marriage.

The NTA had been a conservative hold-out in the denomination, but the dwindling numbers of conservative rural congregations gave priority of leadership to a few congregations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area strongly supportive of same-sex sex and marriage. Now the transformation is complete, since Cathedral of Hope will be far and away the largest congregation in the association, indeed the 4th largest in the denomination. Some of the congregations in central Texas, and a few in the Metroplex probably will consider leaving the denomination.

Prior to the vote, the national office of Biblical Witness Fellowship, a network of conservative UCC congregations, expressed reasons to be hesitant in admitting Cathedral of Hope (in addition to their theology). below


Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We share with many of you deep concern about the application of the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas, to join the North Texas Association. This concern is rooted in part in our long history of working for the renewal of the United Church of Christ as the voice of the voiceless, challenging and encouraging churches to remain within the United Church of Christ. Dissident churches who leave our fellowship come under strong criticism from our Conference and Denominational leaders, especially when they are courted by another denomination. The term “church stealing” has been used many times. Clearly, Cathedral of Hope, however, is engaged in this very behavior as a dissident congregation in its previous denomination being courted by the UCC. Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the Cathedral’s previous denomination, was quoted as saying in reaction to this decision, “I take it as a personal slap when a congregation decides to leave.” www.glaad.org/publications/archive_detail.php?id=3465

Moreover as you are aware from the public media, the Cathedral of Hope Dean Michael Piazza resigned his credentials just two days before the finalization of a disciplinary investigation by his previous denomination over a broad range of allegations related to insurance fraud, misuse of funds, extravagant parties thrown in faux fund raising events, and other irregularities. The decision by the Cathedral to sever ties from their denomination stopped public disclosure of the details of this investigation. The North Texas Association would do well to call for full and complete disclosure before taking any action that would, by covenant, involve them in any liability. The Cathedral has in its communication to its members and others on this decision expressed their dissatisfaction with what they perceived as the higher standards of accountability and control in the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, and the greater freedom they anticipated in the United Church of Christ to do as they willed.


The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, is a denomination mostly made of of congregations of self-affirming and practicing gays and lesbians. It dates from the time when most denominations would not include such congregations. Official web site.
Biblical Witness Fellowship would not be considered conservative by all evangelicals. For example it affirms the ordination of women. Its platform calls for a reaffirmation of the founding statement of faith of the UCC. Official web site.