Who We Are ~

The Love Your Neighbor Coalition (LYNC) is a group of organizations and individuals who aim to love our neighbors around the world and within our church. We follow John Wesley’s calls to do no harm, do good, and attend to the ordinances of God. LYNC takes its name from Matthew 22:36-40, in which Jesus calls his followers to love God and their neighbors:

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (NIV)

Our Values ~

Our values are grounded in our Wesleyan theology: grace, dignity, relationships, justice, and solidarity. All plans under consideration fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We grieve systems of oppression, including the harm that the church is doing to LGBTQ+ people in our congregations and communities. The imperfections of the plans leave us with important questions from our values:

  • Grace: What expresses God’s grace and moves us toward perfection?

  • Dignity: What brings dignity to God’s beloved people currently living in oppression?

  • Relationships: What helps us respond to Christ’s call to be in relationship to transform the world?

  • Justice: Can we work with the plans on the table to seek justice for all of God’s children Solidarity: How do we stand side-by-side to resist colonialism and support each other?

A Call to Love

For generations, we have named God’s grace for all of God’s children and cried out for justice. We call the denomination to end harm in every place where the Gospel of love is preached. We commit to love each other and stay in relationship with the global Body of Christ. We trust in the wisdom of God and the power of the Holy Spirit as our sustaining hope for unity. We seek to remain in our beloved United Methodist Church with our siblings in Christ throughout the world. The unity of the Body of Christ has sacred value.

Members of the
Love Your Neighbor Coalition