The former executive director of OutServe-SLDN, Allyson Robinson has been ordained as a minister in the Baptist Church. According to HRC longtime LGBT advocate Robinson, who attended George W. Truett Theological Seminary and previously was a pastor at a church in Central Texas, was ordained at Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Robinson became one of the few openly transgender pastors when she was ordained last month.
ABPnews.com reported that Calvary Baptist reaffirmed Robinson’s ordination June 15, prior to Pastor Amy Butler’s departure to become senior minister of the historic and progressive Riverside Church in New York City.
Allyson Robinson“Allyson Dylan Robinson is a minister of the gospel, trained for the task, and ordained to the gospel ministry by another community in which she has served as pastor,” Butler said in an ordination litany later posted on her blog.
“Over the course of her journey, God has invited her to step into the faithful witness of a new identity, a true identity, and a new name,” she continued. “While we have always known her as Allyson, she was ordained with a different name.”
“Calvary’s affirmation of my ordination is certainly very meaningful to my family and me,” Robinson said in an email July 9. “Prior to my ‘coming out,’ we lamented that soon we would never be welcome in a church of our tradition again. To our great joy the Calvary family proved us wrong, just as it has so many others who have felt similar fears.”
“They have embraced Danyelle, our children, and I wholeheartedly and unreservedly,” she said. “They’ve ministered to us in our times of need and offered us the opportunity to minister to others in theirs. Calvary has been a catalyst for real healing in our lives — the kind that has empowered us to serve with our whole selves and demands that we do no less.”
Robinson runs Warrior Poet Strategies, a consulting firm that advises clients on organizational design, change strategy, diversity management and social and civic entrepreneurship.
“We at HRC who have had the privilege of working with her for years are excited to see her gifts put to good use at Calvary Baptist Church,” said Sharon Groves, HRC Director of Religion and Faith Program. “Allyson Robinson is a born preacher and pastor who inspires everyone she meets. I have had the privilege of working closely with her and with Calvary Baptist Church, which is leading to new conversations among Baptists and all people of faith. Together they are one powerful combination. As summer comes to an end and families are coming back to church after their summer break, they would do well to check out the prophetic ministry happening at Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.”
