Rev. Paul Whiting

Paul was raised in the British Pentecostal Assemblies in the small Northamptonshire town of Rushden, and in the Montpelier district in the heart of Bristol. His parents separated when he was in his teens and he moved to Bedford, of John Bunyan fame, to work in the hospital as a nursing support worker. It was his local church in Bedford, and especially his pastor Douglas Quy that encouraged him to apply for a place at Mattersey Bible College in Nottinghamshire.

Paul traces his paternal family back to the English Civil War of 1642 and a village of Burton Latimer. The family was already divided as supporters of the Crown and Non Conformists. It seemed inevitable that he would be descended from the Non Conformists, with an early family member attending William Bull’s school for Non Conformist ministers in Newport Pagnell in 1784, just a year after the academy opened with the support of hymn writers John Newton and William Cowper.

Paul was ordained to ministry on Epiphany 1979, by the only remaining founder of the Assemblies of God Movement, John Carter. However, he had already met Rev. Richard Kirker while serving an internship in Hitchin. Richard introduced him to the recently formed Gay Christian Movement. On completion of his internship, Paul became a member.

Paul’s first church as pastor was Derby Hall Assembly on West Green Road, North London. With his curiosity sparked about living openly as gay and Christian, he first turned to True Freedom Trust, a group that accepted homosexuality but encouraged celibacy. After just a few months with TFT Paul was encouraged to contact Metropolitan Community Church. It was still 1979 but he had co-founded The Evangelical Fellowship for lesbian and gay Christians, the first of its kind in the UK. He also attended several MCC meetings at the invitation of Rev. Jean White. It was inevitable that people from these groups should find there way to Paul’s church in North London. It could have been a dream church, had its pastor been a little wiser, but someone reported it to the Assemblies of God hierarchy. Paul was removed as a heretic and sent away for conversion therapy.

Paul left the program after six months and in 1982 was confirmed as an Anglican. He committed himself to Christian activism serving on the board of the Gay Christian Movement where he was involved in the name change to include “Lesbian” and also the legal case with the government Customs and Excise of the sale of “The Joy of Gay Sex.” As LGCM’s international liaison he attended the first full meeting of the European Forum for Lesbian and Gay Christian Groups in 1984, being elected to their inaugural board the following year, a role he served until 1992, the last two years serving as co-president.

As early as 1980, Paul had visited Centre du Christ Liberateur in Paris where he became acquainted with it’s founder Pastor Joseph Doucé who was also involved in the European Forum, being the first elected male co-president. When Pastor Doucé was murdered in 1990, Paul was one of those who provided support for CCL, bringing them under the care of MCC.

In 1987 Metropolitan Community Church accepted Paul’s credentials and he began a ministry journey with them, serving his internship with Rev. Jean White at MCC London. He went on to start an inclusive gathering in Manchester which joined MCC in 1991. MCC founder Rev Troy D Perry visited Manchester the following year, beginning a career long friendship. In 1995, Paul emigrated to the USA to work with MCC full-time, serving congregations in Iowa, Florida, Kansas and Ontario, Canada. He has served as Regional Network leader for Eastern Canada, and for the US states of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. In 2019 he was elected to MCC’s Global Governing Board.

Reflecting on his local ministry, it was an honour to be Grand Marshall at the Pride parades in Gainesville Florida (2004) and London, Ontario (2013) each being testimony to the work of the local church. Also to be able to support the lgbt community in Topeka KS, having Westboro Baptist in the parish.

At the end of 2021 Paul returned to live in the UK where he continued to enjoy connections with MCC and the European Forum. Having had his initial book “Sacred Journeys” published in 2004, he has become more focused on writing and research. He has an ongoing project researching poets from the Romantic era until World War 1, who had they lived today would be considered gay, lesbian or queer. He provides creative mentorship to an artist in Colombia with who he collaborates on writing fantasy stories; as well as providing spiritual mentorship at home where he co-founded Derby Inclusive Fellowship. He tries to live simply, but regards it as an impossibility. He is inspired by all genres of music but especially gospel and jazz. He credits Rev. Grant Lynn Ford as his inspiration for many things. His favourite preacher is J.D. Jakes.

“More than my passion for the queer community, I am indebted to many people from different heritage, from my childhood at Ivy Church in Montpelier through every turn of life, and therefore seek to passionately oppose racism, and support those affected by it.”

(This biographical statement provided by Paul Whiting.)

Biography Date: September, 2005; rev. August 2025

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