What makes an Oasis Church?

Oasis churches have four characteristics, which, when combined, we think makes us distinctive:

• a commitment to social justice

• full inclusion (particularly regarding those who identify as LGBT+)

• an open, progressive theology

• an informal, accessible church service style.

We currently have four church communities which meet regularly on Sundays - find out more below.

Full inclusion

All our churches are committed to being places where everyone is included and can make a contribution. That means our goal is always full inclusion, especially in relation to the LGBT+ community. We’re proud to have LGBT+ people involved at every level of what we do, including senior leadership.

If you identify as LGBT+, please know that you are fully welcome at all of our churches, where you will find support and acceptance not only from a number of LGBT+ Christians but also from a vast number of straight allies.

We’re passionate about growing in all areas of inclusion. We aim to be a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, as well as sexuality and gender identity.

An open, progressive theology

We’re always trying to learn more about what it means to love God and love our neighbour as ourselves. This means we don’t apply our Bibles literally but work hard at understanding the context, time and genre that passages were written in, viewing scripture through a Christ-lens where all things are reconciled and all people are included. We wrestle with what it means to talk about God and develop a Christ-centred approach to our original goodness and a theology of being loved.

While we value difference and welcome people with all kinds of theological beliefs, the leadership of our Oasis churches are committed to this progressive direction and we hope that is lived out in all we do, from Sunday services and how we treat one another, to our community projects and partnerships.

A commitment to social justice

We’re committed to local community transformation. This looks different in every neighbourhood in which we have a church, but they share a common vision: we’re striving to help people of all ages and situations feel included, to know that they can contribute and realise a deep sense of belonging. We’re building a movement of volunteers, parents, churchgoers and more who work together to radically transform our society, creating a community where everyone is in, where everyone is valued, where everyone thrives and enjoys life in all its fullness. And there’s room for everyone to get involved.

An informal church service style

We believe church should be a place where you can come as you are. You don’t need to dress up or know anything before you come to one of our services. You won’t find complicated routines and we’ll always try to explain what we’re doing during the service and how you’re invited to participate. Often we will offer bread and wine/juice to practice communion, and if we do, everyone is welcome to take part.