Joel Hunter is the pastor at Northland, a Church Distributed.  Northland is a non-denominational church in Longwood, with some 20,000 members.

After the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in June Hunter took time out to reflect on his beliefs and on how the church treats the LGBT community.

“I’ve always thought of myself as being especially inclusive of those who are in vulnerable communities, those who have not been included, those who have been left out,” said Hunter.

Hunter described it as an “awakening moment.”

“I was not aware of the acute vulnerability of the LGBTQ community, of the level of suicide, of the level of disrespect and so forth,” he said.

“I’ve had so many conversations now with so many LGBTQ folks, not just in my own congregation but leaders in the community, that I’ve really gone on a steep learning curve here,” said Hunter.