Meet Amanda
Hey there! My name is Amanda Pence, and I grew up in sunny southern California. I am a lifelong member of Fullerton Free Church (also known as EV Free Fullerton).
I am a:
Bible Teacher,
Biblical Scholar, and
Evangelical LGBTQIA+ Advocate.
I LOVE the Bible, and have spent my life devoted to studying and following it. I felt called to ministry from a young age, and, since I was a girl in a “soft complementarian” community, I believed my ministry options were limited because of my gender. Additionally, starting in jr. high, I started noticing that I was attracted to other girls, but never acted on my attractions.
In undergrad, I earned a BS Business Administration from Biola University with a double emphasis in Accounting and International Business and a minor in Biblical Studies. I have served in a wide variety of ministries throughout my lifetime, including children’s ministry, missions, accounting/business support for ministries, adult Sunday School classes, church orchestra and on the deacon board. I served as a missionary intern with SEND International in Central Asia for several months. I had my own CPA business, where I prioritized not-for-profit entities. In 2020, I renewed my CPA license as “inactive” to stay home with my young children. I was living a picture-perfect life of “biblical womanhood” as a stay-at-home wife and mother and committed church volunteer.
In 2021, I began to change my views on women in ministry, and felt called to seminary at Talbot School of Theology. At Talbot, I took Joe Hellerman’s paradigm shifting class, Church as a Family. I discovered that Jesus broke the boundaries that set the People of God apart from others. Jesus made a way for anyone to become full members of the family of God. When I started the class, I had been considering egalitarianism (the theological belief that women can be pastors). By the end of the class, I was firmly convinced that anyone, of any gender, could serve in any ministry role. I became affirming of gender minorities in church leadership.
Through further studies, I determined that the arguments for excluding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community were feeble. The implications of Joe Hellerman’s robust scholarship on the church as a family demand full inclusion for all.
When discerning my call, I was led by the Holy Spirit to do two things: to come out of the closet as same-sex attracted/lesbian/gay and to become an Evangelical LGBTQIA+ Advocate. I am a Gay Christian in a mixed orientation, heteronormative marriage. While my personal relationship fits into a “Side B” mold, I do not teach “Side B” solutions. I fully affirm all siblings of faith in all levels of the church. This includes all genders and those in any type of relationship, whether they be single or in a consensual relationship rooted in mutuality. I do have a biblical sexual ethic that denounces exploitative relationships such as clergy sexual abuse, rape, coercion, incest, pedophilia, and any relationship rooted in abuses of power.
It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for your interest!
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