16 Small Churches Plead With Colorado Megachurches For Help Against Radical Trans Bill, To Dismaying Results

Apr 11, 2025

Over a dozen small to midsize churches in Colorado have joined forces and reached out to some of the largest and most influential churches in the state, asking them to help them in their efforts to defeat a barrage of radical legislation that is threatening to tear families apart and plunge their state into darkness, with dismaying results.

Chris Goble, the Lead Pastor of Ridgeline Community Church in Castle Rock, CO. He recently shared on X “There are about 15 of us Pastors of smaller churches here in Colorado doing all we can w/ what we have to fight HB 1312. But we need reinforcements. We wrote a joint letter to the largest churches in CO 4 days ago, but none have engaged. Can u help share?

The primary object of their ire is House Bill 25-1312, known as the Kelly Loving Act, which recently passed the House and proposes sweeping legislation to radically change the way all citizens interact with and relate to trans people, including teachers with students and parents with their own children.

Erin Lee @Erin4Parents, the Executive Director of Protect Kids Colorado, offers a succinct summary of what the bill entails:

The letter (posted in its entirety below) is directed to “The Pastors, Executive Teams, and Elders of the Largest Evangelical Churches in Colorado” and observes that “our state has been steadily undermined by liberal ideologies that erode our freedoms, threaten our families’ livelihoods, and reject the truth of God’s Word.”

Listing several pieces of legislation that Democrat legislators have proposed, the pastors point out that when it comes to these bills and the appetite of these megachurches to join the fray and throw their considerable resources and people behind stopping these projects, “many of you have chosen silence or neutrality to preserve unity.” They write:

We, the undersigned, stand resolute, like Nehemiah against Sanballat (Nehemiah 4:14) or Elijah against the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:21). Our conviction is unwavering, but your influence is unmatched. You lead Colorado’s largest Bible-believing churches, guiding thousands along the Front Range. We call you now to a clear and urgent task: Join us and others to publicly denounce these bills, rally your congregations to oppose them, and lead a united stand before the Colorado Senate acts. As 1 Timothy 4:12 urges, “Set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

Some of the ways they can do this include:

–Prioritize posts about this issue in all of your messaging. A social media video of yourself imploring your people is preferential, especially including a similar call to action for your people. Let your voice echo Ezekiel 33:6, where the watchman who fails to sound the alarm bears the blood of the fallen.

–Preach about it. Faithfully and boldly apply the powerful truth of God’s Word to this issue, providing leadership to a confused and frustrated people. Clarity is a love language, and your voice from the pulpit is needed now. As 2 Timothy 4:2 commands, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

–Petition our representatives. Immediately contact your local area representatives in the Colorado Senate, and make yours and your people’s voices heard on behalf of truth and sanity.

–Push your people to do the same. Proverbs 31:8-9 calls us to “open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute… defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

While the group did not list which churches they have contacted, Colorado has 32 megachurches in the state, including six with a weekly attendance of over 5000. These include:

Faith Bible Chapel (Arvada). Non-denominational. 5000 members.
Woodmen Valley Chapel (Colorado Springs) Non-denominational. 5500 members.
Timberline Church (Fort Collins) Assemblies of God. 6200 members.
Cherry Hills Community Church (Highlands Ranch) Evangelical Presbyterian Church. 6300 members.
New Life Church (Colorado Springs) Non-denominational. 15,000 members at their main campus.
Flatirons Community Church (Lafayette) Non-denominational. 20,000 members.

We have reached out to all of them for comment and will update the story if we hear back from them.

Full Statement:

The names below are the faithful pastors of several small to medium-sized churches throughout Colorado, doing the best we can with the limited resources God has blessed us with. But while we fight to be faithful, we recognize the dire need for reinforcements.

So, on the evening of Monday, 4/7/25, we wrote and then sent this letter to the Pastors and Elders of the largest churches and faith organizations in Colorado, calling them to action and bring their sizable resources and platforms to bear for the sake of God’s Truth and His people. As of the evening of 4/9/25, only one has responded and none have taken any action.

We share this publicly now — without their specific names or churches — not to shame, but to encourage: Their people to exhort their leaders to lead. Now is the time. Here is the text of our plea to our peers:

—-

Monday, April 7th, 2025

To: The Pastors, Executive Teams, and Elders of the Largest Evangelical Churches in Colorado,

For years, our state has been steadily undermined by liberal ideologies that erode our freedoms, threaten our families’ livelihoods, and reject the truth of God’s Word. As Psalm 11:3 warns, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” We recognize that faithful people may differ on these issues, and many of you have chosen silence or neutrality to preserve unity. That time is over.

A barrage of legislation—House Bill 25-1312, Senate Bill 183, House Bill 1309, and Senate Bill 129—marks a brazen assault on our God-given rights and biblical values. HB 25-1312 redefines misgendering as child abuse and discrimination, stripping parents of their authority (Ephesians 6:4) and exposing businesses, schools, and even churches to legal peril. SB 183 forces taxpayers to fund abortions, defying the sanctity of life knit together in the womb (Psalm 139:13). HB 1309 mandates “gender-affirming care” in all health plans, and SB 129 expands access to out-of-state telehealth abortion pills. These bills are a direct attack on the created order—“male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27)—and the sanctity of life.

The cultural tide of gender dysphoria and its aggressive advocates has surged, often because God’s people have remained silent—silenced by fear, pressure, or a misplaced sense of civility. As Isaiah 5:20 declares, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,” yet some of you may still believe neutrality is prudent. We implore you: that path is no longer viable. California and Minnesota have already walked this road with bills mirroring these—California’s AB 3129 and Minnesota’s HF 4206—and the consequences have been disastrous. In California, mandating gender-affirming care and overriding parental consent has driven up healthcare costs, bankrupting small businesses unable to comply and straining an already overburdened system. Families have fled the state, unwilling to surrender their children to state overreach. In Minnesota, similar laws redefining parental roles have sparked legal battles, fractured communities, and left schools in chaos as educators grapple with unfunded mandates and conflicting rights. These states now

reel from economic decline, eroded trust, and a deepening cultural divide—all traceable to the silence of those who knew better. Proverbs 29:25 cautions, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Silence has ensnared us long enough.

The hour demands your voice—bold and unapologetic. Use your platforms to defend parents, protect our institutions, and resist this tide. Silence is no longer neutral; it is surrender. The desire for popularity must yield to principle. HB 25-1312 has passed the House; the Senate could follow soon. The time to act is now—before parents lose their children to state control, before businesses and schools collapse under coercion, before abortion becomes a taxpayer burden we cannot escape. Your people need you to lead in this fight. If not now, when? James 4:17 reminds us, “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Therefore, we call you to join us in the following proactive and prophetic actions:

● Prioritize posts about this issue in all of your messaging. A social media video of yourself imploring your people is preferential, especially including a similar call to action for your people. Let your voice echo Ezekiel 33:6, where the watchman who fails to sound the alarm bears the blood of the fallen.

● Preach about it. Faithfully and boldly apply the powerful truth of God’s Word to this issue, providing leadership to a confused and frustrated people. Clarity is a love language, and your voice from the pulpit is needed now. As 2 Timothy 4:2 commands, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

● Petition our representatives. Immediately contact your local area representatives in the Colorado Senate, and make yours and your people’s voices heard on behalf of truth and sanity.

● Push your people to do the same. Proverbs 31:8-9 calls us to “open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute… defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Edmund Burke warned, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” We appeal to you as men and fellow co-laborers for the Kingdom: Stand, and do something.

To stay silent is to speak; to refrain is to act. Cast aside fear and join us as faithful under shepherds, wielding the rod and staff for our flocks (Psalm 23:4). History—and our Lord—will judge us by what we do next. Matthew 25:40 echoes in our ears: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Will we stand for the least—the unborn, the confused, the oppressed—or shrink back? Now is the time. If not now, when?

Respectfully, and in Christ alone,

J. Chase Davis, Lead Pastor, The Well Church (Boulder)

Matt Patrick, Pastor, The Well Church (Boulder)

Chris Goble, Lead Pastor, Ridgeline Community Church (Castle Rock)

Matt Johnson, Pastor, BRAVE Church (Englewood)

Josiah Todaro, Pastor, BRAVE Church (Westminster)

Jared Nield, Campus Pastor, BRAVE Church (Englewood)

Jon Helvoigt, Lead Pastor, New Covenant Church (Lakewood)

Tom Thiessen, Teaching Elder, Gospel Church (Durango)

Bryan Fields, Lead Pastor, Grace Chapel (Castle Rock)

Justin McKay, Lead Pastor, The Local Church (Arvada)

Sean Cole, Lead Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church (Sterling)