#9: Welcoming Church Database

You might know that GCN already maintains a database at WelcomingChurches.com, but without the funding to actively maintain it, we've had trouble screening new entries or keeping old entries up to date.

Having a database of welcoming churches is extremely important to us, because we know the value of being plugged into a local congregation where you don't have to fear being kicked out for being yourself. Although we're happy that GCN can be part of meeting people's spiritual needs, GCN can't fill all the roles of a local congregation, so this is important.

Many other organizations have lists of welcoming congregations, but none are fully complete and accurate, and many have listings that are outdated, incomplete, or simply wrong.

That's why GCN drafted a proposal for a collaborative church database project that would involve every organization that wishes to participate. The collaborative database will store the same information on multiple servers that talk to one another, allowing any organization or website to accurately list welcoming churches according to its own needs.

GCN is taking the lead in designing this project with open standards, ensuring that information on welcoming churches can be publicized as widely as possible and made available to anyone who wants it. The database will also be accessible to anyone to add or edit information, with basic safeguards in place to prevent vandalism.

In short, this will be a church database unlike any other that has existed so far. GCN is working to make it happen so that every organization will reap the benefits.

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