Whereas, Community of Christ proclaims a loving God and affirms the worth and giftedness of all persons; and

Whereas, The sacraments of the church—baptism, confirmation, the Lord’s Supper, marriage, blessing of children, laying on of hands for the sick, ordination to the priesthood, and the evangelist’s blessing—symbolize and reveal God’s grace to us, and are integral to the spiritual development of the entire body of the church; and

Whereas, The “Affirmation of Human Diversity” endorsed by the church in 1992 recognizes the harmful effect of prejudicial behavior on the spiritual health of the community and declares our desire to create within our congregations a spirit of openness and peace and to “eliminate expressions of prejudice and discrimination”; and

Whereas, The church continues to fall short of reaching this goal by denying some persons the opportunity to participate in certain sacraments because of factors such as sexual orientation; and

Whereas, Recent scripture counsels the church anew to embrace the reconciling purposes of God, and cautions: “… That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God. …” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:3c); and

Whereas, There is increasing awareness amongst the leadership and membership of the church of the need for Community of Christ, as an international organization which upholds “unity in diversity” as an Enduring Principle, to administer policies in ways that are respectful and appropriate to the varying cultures that exist within the diverse nations, communities, and congregations of the church; and

Whereas, Many congregations desire to create a culture of peace and justice where all persons are accepted, all gifts are celebrated, and all members may participate fully in the spiritual life of the community; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the right to full and equal participation in the sacraments of the church be made available to all persons, regardless of socioeconomic status, culture, race, gender, size, sexual orientation, gender identity, and mental or physical disability; and be it further

Resolved, That this practice be implemented by the First Presidency in a culturally respectful manner in each jurisdiction of the church, with consideration for the people’s discernment of the divine will for their own unique time and place.