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A new webinar series aimed at promoting inclusivity within Christian communities has been launched by Rev. Andrew Ponder Williams, pastor of North Community Church UCC in Marshfield Hills, Massachusetts. The initiative was inspired after a discussion with his church moderator about how the congregation could become more welcoming.
“My moderator said she felt the church was much more connected when her now college-aged children were younger–she said the church was a host for more social opportunities, and with the rise in the voices of Christian Nationalism, I felt we needed to be more intentional in letting people know who we are and inviting them in,” Williams said.
The three-part series is designed to encourage participants to reconsider how they present their faith and extend invitations to others. “I decided to create the series around being invitational,” Williams explained. “And that’s what the series is designed to do, to encourage people to think of words that capture our theology and our intention and our calling and our purpose as the world is growing further away from traditional expressions of church.”
Williams, who serves on the United Church of Christ (UCC) Board, expressed concern that terms like "liberal" or "progressive" do not resonate as strongly with broader audiences as "evangelical." He believes churches need strategies beyond criticism of Christian Nationalism. This perspective led him to develop what he calls Invitational Christianity.
The registration page for the webinars addresses issues facing mainline Protestant and progressive churches: “Who are you? Who are we? We tend to identify ourselves and our congregations by the denomination we belong to. This doesn’t resonate with most people in need of a nurturing faith community. We will consider a more impactful way for Mainline Protestant and progressive Christian individuals and churches to extend an invitation to those who need to receive it. Together we can overcome a marketing problem that is 200 years in the making.”
The first session, which is free, explores why some terminology no longer aligns with certain faith communities’ identities. “In the first webinar, ‘Invitational Christianity, an Invitation,’ we looked at why the word evangelical is no longer a good word for us because it’s been co-opted for the current political moment. So we dove into this word, and the theology I have behind it,” Williams stated.
The second session, titled “Intentionally Generational,” will take place on December 3 with a $25 registration fee; attendees unable to participate live will receive a recording.
Williams brings experience from advocacy work on Capitol Hill and at international organizations such as the United Nations. He has held positions on various boards including those affiliated with both Methodist and United Church of Christ bodies, currently chairing Thrive Campus Ministry at MIT.
He noted common threads across denominations regarding inclusivity: “A lot in this series is looking across my experience with different denominations and different congregations in and around the country and seeing what’s a thread, what are some consistent threads that make mainline Protestants, and what I am now calling invitational Christians, distinct.”
Williams highlighted authenticity as crucial for future engagement: “I don’t think we appreciate the authenticity that we bring to that inclusion, that invitation, that welcome, because another thing that’s happening in our religious landscape right now is a lot of churches that are not open and affirming theologically are claiming to be gay friendly.”
Registration is also open for part three of the series—“Authentically Affirming”—which focuses on these themes; it also carries a $25 fee.
“Our role is actually bigger now because we mean it. The UCC has LGBTQ people in leadership. We have openly gay and trans pastors. We have people who believe–who have had a theological witness and clarity that that we are all made in the image of God and that’s long standing. It’s not for the faint of heart. This is good stuff!” Williams said.
He added: “I think this is a moment to seize the power of invitation and inclusion, and also recognize that God really is needing us, if not expecting us to name that power, and take our authority with that theology and do good things with it because we see the consequence of the world where the loudest Christians are in an opposite place.”
According to Williams, both clergy members and laypeople are encouraged to attend any or all parts of this ongoing series; sessions may be attended out-of-order as desired.
