LGBTQ+ Inclusive Faith Groups in London: Congregations, Services and How to Attend

How this guide was put together

This guide lists congregations and faith-based groups in London that state on their own websites that LGBTQ+ people are welcome, or that exist specifically for LGBTQ+ people of a particular faith. It covers Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist groups. It is not a complete list, and leaving a congregation out says nothing about its welcome.

Every time, address and statement below was read from the group's own site on 14 October 2026. Where a site did not give a time or a venue, we say so rather than fill the gap. Service patterns change around festivals and holidays, so check the group's page before you travel. Quoted descriptions are the groups' own words about themselves, not our assessment of how welcoming any group is in practice.

Christian congregations with weekly services

MCC North London is part of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Its site says the church began in 1981 and focuses on including minorities, especially LGBTQI people, who have often been excluded from Christian churches. It describes itself as a church for all people, and says its members come from many religious backgrounds. Sunday worship is listed at 6pm, in person or online, at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church on Shaftesbury Avenue, with an online small group on Thursdays at 7:30pm.

St James's Church, Piccadilly, is a Church of England parish at 197 Piccadilly. Its home page calls it a welcoming and inclusive church, and its social justice section says it speaks out on injustice, including LGBTQ+ issues. The Sunday service page lists the main Eucharist at 11am, with music, a service sheet posted online a few days before, and a YouTube stream. It also lists a Taizé service at 5pm on the third Sunday of the month and an online Sunday Forum from 12:30pm to 1pm. The What's On listing has an LGBTQ+ category, which is the place to look for specific events rather than relying on this guide.

Neither church asks visitors to book for ordinary Sunday worship on the pages we read. If you want to talk to someone before you go, St James's lists a phone number and administrator email on its site, and MCC North London has a contact page.

• MCC North LondonChurch (Metropolitan Community Churches)

  Covent Garden

  Sunday worship 6pm in person or online at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8EP; online small group Thursdays 7:30pm, per its site.

• St James's Church, PiccadillyChurch of England parish

  Piccadilly

  Sunday Eucharist 11am, also on YouTube; Taizé service 5pm on the third Sunday, per its Sunday service page.

Christian networks: Quest and OneBodyOneFaith

Quest describes itself as offering fellowship to LGBT+ Catholics, through a website, a member bulletin, social media, an annual conference and regional groups for worship, retreats and community activities. Its regional groups page lists a contact address for Quest in London but does not give meeting times or a venue. The site says taking part in regional group activities or the conference does not require membership, so you can make contact before deciding whether to join.

OneBodyOneFaith is a charity that says it enables LGBTQ+ Christians and advocates for change within the church, working across denominations. Its stated aims include education and leadership programmes, ending conversion practices through the Ban Conversion Practice coalition, and encouraging LGBTQ+ spirituality. The site has a join page, a meetings section and a spiritual community called Rhythm, but the pages we read did not list London dates. At the time of checking, the home page also carried a notice to members about a period of transition for the charity and a data breach at an external membership system, which is worth reading before you sign up.

• QuestNetwork for LGBT+ Catholics

  Regional groups for worship and social activity; London group reached by email from the regional groups page; membership not required to take part.

• OneBodyOneFaithCharity for LGBTQ+ Christians

  Ecumenical charity with membership, meetings and a spiritual community; no London dates listed on the pages read.

Jewish communities

Beit Klal Yisrael calls itself the UK's all-embracing Liberal Jewish community. Its home page lists the people it especially welcomes, including LGBTQ+ Jews, Jews committed to gender equality regardless of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, non-Jewish partners of Jews and people who feel distanced from Jewish community life. It is affiliated with Liberal Judaism and the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jews. The site says it holds regular services and celebrates the major festivals, but its home page did not give an address or service times when we checked; it points to its calendar for dates and its contact page for location.

The Liberal Jewish Synagogue is at 28 St John's Wood Road. Its site describes an inclusive, diverse and egalitarian community and says it welcomes Jewish and non-Jewish partners and families; the page we read did not carry a specific LGBTQ+ statement. Services are listed on Friday evening at 6:45pm and Saturday morning at 11am, and are also streamed on YouTube. For security, visitors are asked to fill in the visitor form before 2pm on Friday, and first-time visitors to tell the office and bring photo ID. The office is open Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 3pm, closed at weekends.

KeshetUK is not a congregation but a Jewish LGBT+ education and training charity. Its site says its mission is that LGBT+ Jews and their families are included throughout Jewish life in the UK, and that it works with Liberal, Masorti, Orthodox and Reform communities. It was running a National Jewish LGBT+ Survey when we checked.

• Liberal Jewish SynagogueSynagogue (Liberal Judaism)

  St John's Wood

  Friday 6:45pm and Saturday 11am services; register by 2pm Friday and bring photo ID on a first visit, per its site.

• Beit Klal YisraelLiberal Jewish community

  Names LGBTQ+ Jews among those it welcomes; services and venue by enquiry, per its contact page.

• KeshetUKJewish LGBT+ education charity

  Training and support for Jewish communities; volunteering and updates sign-up on its site.

Muslim and Sikh groups

Imaan describes itself as a grassroots organisation supporting LGBTQI+ Muslims through faith, love and community, and as the UK's oldest community group for LGBTQI+ Muslims, established in 1999 and based in East London. Its site says events are open to friends, family and allies too. Recent gatherings listed on the site, including an iftar, an Eid celebration and its annual general meeting, were held at Positive East, next to Stepney Green station, which Imaan says is wheelchair accessible and has a quiet room. The site also lists a helpline, a section for parents and families, an online membership form and a newsletter.

Sarbat is a group for LGBT Sikhs. Its site says it aims to raise awareness, challenge homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and build connections within and beyond its communities. It does not list regular meetings; events are posted on its events page and through Eventbrite, and it can be reached through a contact form.

• ImaanCommunity group for LGBTQI+ Muslims

  East London

  Events, mostly at Positive East, open to friends, family and allies; helpline and membership form on its site.

• SarbatGroup for LGBT Sikhs

  Awareness, support and resources; events listed on its site and Eventbrite.

Buddhist practice

The London Buddhist Centre is at 51 Roman Road in Bethnal Green. Its home page links to an LGBTQIA+ group under its section on supporting your practice, though the page itself carries no inclusion statement and we could not load the group's own page, so we cannot give its meeting times. The centre lists paid courses with full, low-income and 18 to 25 prices, for example £130, £85 or £65 for one course on the home page. Drop-in class times were not on the page we read; the centre lists an email address and phone number for questions.

• London Buddhist CentreBuddhist centre

  Bethnal Green

  51 Roman Road, E2 0HU; links to an LGBTQIA+ group; courses priced on a sliding scale, per its site.

Faith communities and meeting people

None of these groups is a dating service, and it would be a mistake to treat a service or a support meeting as a place to look for a partner. What they can offer is a regular community where your faith and your identity are both acknowledged, and that kind of steady belonging is a good foundation for everything else, relationships included.

If faith matters to you, it is reasonable to say so early when you are getting to know someone, and to ask how they feel about it. Inviting a partner to a Friday evening service or a Sunday Eucharist can be a clear way to share something important, provided you check the group's visitor arrangements first, as the Liberal Jewish Synagogue's registration step shows.

Before you go

• Check the group's own page on the day: times move for festivals and holidays, and several groups post events only on their events pages.
• For the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, fill in the visitor form before 2pm on Friday and bring photo ID on a first visit.
• Where a group lists no venue or times, as with Quest in London and Beit Klal Yisrael, email first rather than turning up.
• Several services are streamed: St James's, MCC North London and the Liberal Jewish Synagogue all mention online options, which can be a lower-pressure first step.
• If you want support rather than worship, Imaan lists a helpline, and its events are open to allies, family and friends.

Questions people ask

Is there an LGBTQ+ church in central London?

MCC North London belongs to a denomination founded to include LGBTQ people. It lists Sunday worship at 6pm, in person or online, at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Do I need to book to attend a synagogue service?

At the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, yes in effect: its site asks visitors to register by 2pm on Friday for the guest list and to bring photo ID on a first visit. Beit Klal Yisrael asks people to enquire by email.

Is there a group for LGBTQ+ Muslims in London?

Imaan, founded in 1999 and based in East London, describes itself as the UK's oldest community group for LGBTQI+ Muslims. It runs events, a helpline and a membership scheme.

Do I have to join Quest to go to a London group?

No. Quest's site says taking part in regional group activities or its conference does not require membership. Its London group is reached by email from the regional groups page.