This training session takes place on September 20, 2025 from 19:00h to 20:30h from the Espacio Annette Cabelli in calle Ribera de Curtidores 2, 1st floor and mezzanine, 28005 Madrid. It will be broadcast by videoconference through the following LINK. This talk will take place in English but will be simultaneously translated into Spanish. In this talk Ines-Paul shares the experience of his ministry as a trans pastor for more than 10 years as part of the Metropolitan Community Church in Cologne (Germany). He briefly shares his background as a trans person and how he became a pastor from a non-religious family (not even baptized as a child). He talks about this ministry of diversity in the margins of the normative church and what it means as a continuous and enriching exchange process with people. He speaks about the church he is leading, the activities they carry out as a common journey with each person where it is possible to express the views of each one getting out of the standard way and how this customization comes from his trans background. He addresses his own non-binary experience of gender identity along with a view of Jesus with many genders to allow us better understanding ourselves and God. Ines-Paul shares his views and experiences about the normative churches in general, how they develop from inside and how some people need to grow in God’s love outside them. He finally shares his view of ecumenism as a community space of respect and listening of different beliefs beyond church limits, where all churches are needed to learn and develop in God’s love.
Reverend Ines-Paul Baumann is a pastor of the MCC (Metropolitan Community Church) in Cologne (Germany), where he has developed a ministry of diversity for more than ten years. His name reflects his non-conformity in assuming any assigned gender. He earns his living as a web designer for a secular company. He has come out of so many closets that he doesn’t care about assigned labels. He nurtured his faith among Jesus, MCC people, books, drag-king parties and queercore-punk rock bands. Doubts and failed experiences in Bible schools and evangelical missions have also nurtured his faith. She has extensive experience in radio, television and print interviews, addressing issues of faith and gender. Together with his partner and a third person he assumes the paternity/maternity of two daughters. She/he was the first gender non-conforming woman/man to be nominated as a bishop in the MCC.
Click here for the Spanish version