2026 is the 5th anniversary of when over 450 Canadian MBs signed an open letter asking the Canadian Conference of MB Churches to discuss the issue of LGBTQ+ welcome and affirmation. The Conference said no. Since that time, eight MB congregations have left or been expelled from the Conference for becoming welcoming and affirming of LGBTQ+ people—as reported by this blog.
Five years later, I decided to check in with those congregations and former
leaders to hear their reflections and see how things are going. That includes
leadership at Southridge Community Church in St.
Catharines, which was
expelled from the Ontario Mennonite Brethren Conference in 2023, together with
FreeChurch in Toronto.
Jeff Lockyer led the congregation at that time. Since then, they’ve undertaken a first-chair leadership transition, and Jeff Martens and Annie Froese now serve as Co-Lead Pastors, with support from Jeff. I asked the new leaders to tell me how things are going for them now. Below find that conversation.
In becoming welcoming and affirming of LGBTQ+ people, Southridge did not seek to leave the Conference, Jeff and Annie say. Instead, the church saw its stance as a “disputable matter” that they wanted to navigate in unity with the Conference, a disagreement that didn’t mean a break in the relationship.
The Conference disagreed, expelling Southridge in 2023.
“We just wanted to make
equal space for all,” says Jeff of how they got to that point. “We wanted
LGBTQ+ people to know it was a safe place for them,” adds Annie.
Today the church, which started in 1980, has about 600 adults meeting at three locations (Welland, Vineland and St. Catharines). Due to their welcoming stance, “we have had some from the LGBTQ+ community come check us out, and their allies,” says Jeff.
Currently, the church is independent, but they are open to the possibility of joining a denominational family in the future. “But we’re not pushing it or actively pursuing it,” Jeff says. “We want to know what it means to be truly inclusive before jumping in to another denomination.”
Southridge has had discussions with The Good Table network, a new organization that seeks to provide a home for churches that have left, or been expelled, from their denominations due to becoming welcoming and affirming of LGBTQ+ people. But nothing concrete has been decided in that direction, either.
While the church is no longer part of the MB Conference, some Southridge members are still connected to it through things like Camp Crossroads and Tabor Manor (a personal care home). And some members have family and friends in other MB churches in the area.
“In our hearts many in our community are still MB, our roots are there, along with our mission and orientation,” said Jeff, adding that “while we are no longer Mennonite Brethren, we have still wanted to be as MB as we can be—even if we are no longer officially an MB church.”
For Southridge, the most important goal is to live out a vision of what they call “Love Beyond Belief.” That means living out Jesus’ greatest commandment to love God and others, “above and beyond our theological differences,” as the church puts it.
As for LGBTQ+
inclusion, the church states on its website that they believe everyone is
“deeply loved by God and are full image bearers of God, each bringing unique
value to our community.” That includes LGBTQ+ people, who are also welcome to
participate fully in all aspects of church life, including leadership and
employment and being married.
One way that Southridge supports LGBTQ+ people is through its Safe Space Sharing Circle, where those at Southridge who identify as LGBTQ+ can gather to build community with one another and to share stories and encouragement. The most recent Safe Space Sharing Circle was on Nov. 10.
Along with being affirming of welcoming of LGBTQ+ people, Southridge is active in supporting and serving migrant farmworkers, and assisting people who are homeless and facing food insecurity.
While they did not choose to leave the MB Conference, they now feel more fully free to “welcome and serve people on the margins,” says Jeff. “Now we feel free to be who we sense we are called to be, who Jesus has called us to be.”
“There’s a lightness now after such a long journey,” adds Annie.
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