Inclusivity index

The aim of the Rainbow Index of Churches in Europe (RICE 2020) research project is to rate the inclusivity of churches by country in regard to LGBTI people in Europe. The European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups has cooperated with the Protestant Theological University in The Netherlands in order to carry out this research using a 'Rainbow Index'.

The ‘Rainbow Index’ itself is an index that rates the inclusivity of churches and presents the situation by country in regard to LGBTI people. The data this research produces are the values (no point, half-a-point, full point) of the 47 presented indicators of inclusivity per church. The indicators fall into four categories: institutional equality and non-discrimination, language and speech, church practices and public policy. Co-researchers then evaluate each indicator and assign a value to it. These values are calculated to produce a final score which will indicate the inclusivity of that church. This research could not have been possible without the collaboration of these co-researchers, who volunteered their time to assess their local and national church(es) according to: their own experiences, websites, social media, newsletters, church journals, legal documents, informational material, educational material, liturgies of public worship, book of prayer/worship, liturgy, newspaper reports, public interviews, information provider, polls, research results.