It was a close vote, but the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) has approved recognizing and rostering gay and lesbian pastors who are in committed relationships. (They had previously OKed such people in ministry if they were celibate.)
For the full text of the news release, and some commentary on why this is huge, join me below the fold.
ELCA Assembly Opens Ministry to Partnered Gay and Lesbian Lutherans
Voting members prayed frequently during debate on the ministry policies proposals.
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) - The 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted today to open the ministry of the church to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships.
The action came by a vote of 559-451 at the highest legislative body of the 4.6 million member denomination. Earlier the assembly also approved a resolution committing the church to find ways for congregations that choose to do so to "recognize, support and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same gender relationships," though the resolution did not use the word "marriage."
The actions here change the church's policy, which previously allowed people who are gay and lesbian into the ordained ministry only if they remained celibate.
Throughout the assembly, which opened Aug. 17, the more than 1,000 voting members have debated issues of human sexuality. On Wednesday they adopted a social statement on the subject as a teaching tool and policy guide for the denomination.
The churchwide assembly of the ELCA is meeting here Aug. 17-23 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,045 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "God's work. Our hands."
Before discussing the thornier issues of same-gender unions in the ordained ministry, the assembly approved, by a vote of 771-230, a resolution committing the church to respect the differences of opinions on the matter and honor the "bound consciences" of those who disagree.
During the hours of discussion, led by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, voting members paused several times each hour for prayer, sometimes as a whole assembly, sometimes in small groups around the tables where the voting members of the assembly sat, debated and cast their votes.
Discussion here proved that matters of sexuality will be contentious throughout the church. A resolution that would have reasserted the church's current policy drew 344 votes, but failed because it was rejected by 670 of the voting members.
Pastor Richard Mahan of the ELCA West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod was among several speakers contending that the proposed changes are contrary to biblical teaching. "I cannot see how the church that I have known for 40 years can condone what God has condemned," Mahan said, "Nowhere does it say in scripture that homosexuality and same sex marriage is acceptable of God."
But others said a greater acceptance of people who are gay and lesbian in the church was consistent with the Bible. Bishop Gary Wollersheim of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod said, "It's a matter of justice, a matter of hospitality, it's what Jesus would have us do." Wollersheim said he had been strongly influenced by meetings with youth at youth leadership events in his synod, a regional unit of the ELCA.
Some speakers contend that the actions taken here will alienate ELCA members and cause a drop in membership. But Allison Guttu of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod said, "I have seen congregations flourish while engaging these issues; I have seen congregations grow recognizing the gifts of gay and lesbian pastors."
During discussion of resolutions on implementation of the proposals, Bishop Kurt Kusserow of the ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod asked that the church make clear provision in its policies to recognize the conviction of members who believe that this church cannot call or roster people in a publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationship. A resolution that the denomination consider a proposal for how it will exercise flexibility within its existing structure and practices to allow Lutherans in same gender relationships to be approved for professional service in the church was adopted 667-307.
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Information about the 2009 Churchwide Assembly is at http://www.elca.org/... on the ELCA Web site.
For more information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/...
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/...
The ELCA is one of the largest Protestant churches in the United States. They are the most liberal of the Lutheran denominations (see also the Lutheran Church-MIssouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.).
A little Lutheran history:
Lutherans come from a tradition of trying to make change from within. Martin Luther did not start out to break away from the Roman Catholic Church, but rather to reform it from within. Only when that failed did he and his followers strike out on their own.
Lutherans have a tendency to be "neither fish nor fowl" in a lot of ways. They maintain liturgical worship, so you will see lots of vestments and stained glass and fancy altar ware, candles, pipe organs, and well-rehearsed choirs with professional directors (if the church can afford it). There is a great deal of ceremony and respect for tradition. They are orthodox in the extent of believing the traditional creeds (Nicene, Apostles, etc.). On the other hand, they are not adverse to getting involved in social justice issues in a pro-active, prophetic way. (Check out the stained glass at Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, D.C.) At least two of my former pastors were arrested for civil rights activities back in the Sixties. There may have been more, but Lutheran clergy don't tend to brag about such things--just do them.
Lutherans tend to actually get their Bibles out and READ them. Which makes the Matthew 25 Network pretty popular among the politically active ELCA members. They are not prone to citing "proof texts," but rather will put a particular passage into historical context.
Lutherans also have a history of requiring thought from their laypeople, rather than discouraging it. They prefer to have the pew sitters be educated people who are willing to talk about issues and reason them out together.
There are great differences, however, in how Lutheranism is practiced from one broad group (ELCA, LCMS, WELS--see above links) and region-to-region and even congregation-to-congregation. In parts of the country with a large Lutheran presence (upper midwest), you will find a variety of churches in a given city, each one emphasizing one part of the faith over others. So you may have, in Minneapolis, a very gay-friendly ELCA congregation not too far from a more reserved, more conservative, more likely to stick to old intepretations type of ELCA church that may be the go-to congregation for immigration rights. Where Lutherans have less of a presence (Kentucky or Utah), one pretty much has to take pot luck. (And Lutheran pot lucks tend to be very good!)
What this decision means is that 30 years of back and forth conversations about sexuality have finally come to a binding decision by the whole assembly. Some congregations are likely to split away* and affiliate with the LCMS. But doing that will mean that they will lose their female clergy. And female clergy have become a big part of the ELCA, not easily ignored or pushed aside.
The vote was close, and the next few months will see a lot of talking on the local congregational level about what can, should, and/or will be done.
On a personal note: I know a gay man, in a committed relationship, who was a pastor in a church group that has "full communion" with the ELCA. And he is a wonderful person, a great choir member, and an occasional substitute pastor when our own pastor is out of town.
*The ELCA is a federation of those who broke away, united, broke away, and got together again, especially during the 1970s: previous groups have been the Lutheran Church in America, the American Lutheran Church, American Evangelican Lutheran Church, and the United Lutheran Church. Just to complicate matters.