The story of our church began in 1928 at Collegeside Congregational Church where we presented a progressive witness to God’s word in Nashville. Our church has continued this tradition of progressive witness throughout its life, from our move to Bresslyn Road in 1954, to our merger into the United Church of Christ in 1957. Our denomination was the first historically white denomination to ordain an African-American person, the first to ordain a woman, the first to ordain an openly gay man, and the first Christian church to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. We were in the forefront of the anti-slavery movement and the Civil Rights movement.
Brookmeade has continued this UCC commitment to progressive witness. From participating in the struggle against racial segregation in Nashville in the 50s and 60s, to fighting for affordable health care, LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality, environmental justice, and protesting mass incarceration and the death penalty, Brookmeaders believe that faith is something we live out, not just something we believe in. Our God is one who enters into our lives and circumstances and is still speaking into a world in need of more love, justice, and mercy. At Brookmeade, we are doing our best to follow this call—even though there are times we stumble and have to get back on track.
We are an Open and Affirming church, which means that we welcome people of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations. We live this out by being a congregation not just welcoming of LGBTQ+ individuals, but a congregation of LGBTQ+ individuals and straight/cis allies. We celebrate and participate in Nashville Pride, engage in protests related to LGBTQ+ rights, and honor Trans Day of Remembrance. Our church also has all-gender bathrooms available to any visitor.
We are also a Just Peace church. This means that we believe that peace is not about pacifism but about the abundant flourishing of all individuals—in other words, we believe in justice-seeking and peace-making by alleviating systemic injustice of all types using non-violence and living out Christ’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves.
At Brookmeade, we align ourselves with the eight points of Progressive Christianity, believing that we are Christians who…
- Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the Sacred and the Oneness and Unity of all life;
- Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness and Oneness of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey;
- Seek community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to:
- Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
- Believers and agnostics,
- Women and men,
- Those of all sexual orientations and gender identities,
- Those of all classes and abilities;
- Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe;
- Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes;
- Strive for peace and justice among all people;
- Strive to protect and restore the integrity of our Earth; and
- Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love.
If you are looking for friends for this journey of life-long learning, risky faith, and expansive love, we hope that you will join us for worship. Come see what it’s like to be a Brookmeader for yourself!
You can find directions or contact us with more questions by clicking here.
Feel free to learn more about our Worship service, our church Leadership, and how you can Get Involved. If you’d like to offer financial support for Brookmeade’s ministries, you can click here to give.
We also encourage you to look at our COVID-19 Guidelines that our congregation is currently following.
brookmeadeucc.org 