ELCA Synod to Censure Congregation in Saint Paul, Minnesota

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- On Sept. 1, the Saint Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will place St. Paul- Reformation Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minn., under "public censure and admonition for willfully violating the ELCA Constitution," unless the church changes its standards for ordination before that date. The congregation called and ordained a woman who was not approved for ordination by the ELCA.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, bishop of the ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod, issued the censure June 12 with the support of the synod's council. The ELCA's 10,851 congregations are organized into 65 synods, each synod headed by a bishop.
St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church extended a call to Anita C. Hill to serve the congregation as an ordained minister. She has served several years as a lay minister for the congregation and received a master of divinity degree in 2000 from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, New Brighton, Minn.
The congregation of about 650 baptized members ordained Hill in a ceremony April 28. A key participant in the ordination, the Rev. Paul W. Egertson, will resign July 31 as bishop of the ELCA Southern California (West) Synod as an outcome of his involvement.
Hill is not in compliance with ELCA policies that require pastors to refrain from homosexual sexual relationships. Hill is a lesbian in a committed relationship with another woman.
"For the past several months our synod has engaged in prayer, public conversation, assembly debate and an online meeting," Hanson began the notice of censure. "One question among many before our synod is, 'What is an appropriate response to the actions of St. Paul- Reformation Lutheran Church in calling and ordaining Anita Hill?'
"As bishop I have sought to find a response that might be faithful to Scripture, the Confessions and our governing documents, while also recognizing the need for bold witness and creative ministry as we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in our growing and increasingly diverse metropolitan community. I am mindful that these decisions hold the potential for greater healing and for deeper division within the synod and the ELCA.
"As bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod I am exercising my constitutional prerogative to publicly censure and admonish St. Paul- Reformation Lutheran Church, St. Paul, for willfully violating the constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America by calling and ordaining Anita Hill. I do so with full knowledge that Anita Hill is not rostered as a pastor in the ELCA and will not be as long as she is not in compliance with the ELCA's standards for ordination," wrote Hanson.
The notice included specific references to points in the ELCA Constitution that the synod said the congregation violated. It also explained the consequences of censure and the rationale for the decision to censure the congregation.
Among the consequences, members of the congregation will not be allowed to serve in positions of synod leadership. It does not exclude the congregation from working with other ELCA congregations in urban ministry nor from the ELCA's conversations about ministry with gay and lesbian people. St. Paul-Reformation remains a congregation of the ELCA.
The censure goes into effect Sept. 1, unless the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in August "would remove the necessity for such censure," said the notice. "The censure remains in effect until St. Paul-Reformation conforms to the constitutional requirements of the ELCA or until the ELCA changes its requirements regarding rostered persons," it added.
In a June 13 news release, Hanson said, "It distresses me that the congregation has risked undermining its relationship with the ELCA, even though congregational leaders have repeatedly spoken of their desire to remain in the ELCA. The congregation's actions threaten the ELCA's unity and sense of common mission."
"I do not suggest that any person by virtue of sexual orientation stands outside the bounds of God's grace and mercy given in Jesus Christ. My response of censure and admonition is not directed at gay and lesbian persons, but comes because of the action of the congregation which has disregarded our agreements in the ELCA," said Hanson.
"We are grateful for the fact that our relationship with the ELCA is not changed," said the Rev. Paul A. Tidemann, St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church. "We remain continually frustrated over the fact that the ELCA appears to value rules (on gay and lesbian ordination) which to us seem unjust and contrary to the gospel."
"We -- St. Paul-Reformation -- are relieved that our partnership with the ELCA will continue. We are disappointed with this action," said Hill.
"Our bishop has determined that we broke the rules," said Hill. "We did break the rules -- thoughtfully, prayerfully and reluctantly."
The congregation feels the ELCA is acting inconsistently with its own emphasis on the full participation of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, said Hill. "For us, it's a matter of justice."
The ELCA "Definition and Guidelines for Discipline of Ordained Ministers" states: "Practicing homosexual persons are precluded from the ordained ministry of this church." The church's "Vision and Expectations" states: "Ordained and commissioned ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships."
The ELCA's 1999 Churchwide Assembly denied a motion to suspend enforcement of these standards. A second motion, asking the ELCA Division for Ministry and the Conference of Bishops to propose strategies leading to the removal of these standards, was also defeated.
With the support of the synod council, St. Paul-Reformation attempted but failed to secure an exception to those standards for Hill. In 2000 the synod council petitioned the church to amend "Vision and Expectations," so the Conference of Bishops could grant exceptions to the ELCA standards for ordained ministers.
The Saint Paul Area Synod Assembly has placed a motion before the ELCA's 2001 Churchwide Assembly to amend "Vision and Expectations" to allow for homosexual ministers in committed relationships, to delete the precluding sentence from "Definitions and Guidelines for Discipline" and to let bishops consider exceptions to the standards until the recommended changes go into effect.
Tidemann said, "We are grateful that the synod's action is consistent with the resolution of the synod assembly passed in April." He said he appreciated that the effective date of the censure is set for after the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, indicating an awareness -- if not a hope -- that the church could change its policies.
Hill will be a lay voting member of the Churchwide Assembly in Indianapolis, said Tidemann.
Tidemann said Hill's ordination was not a "congregationalist" action -- a declaration of independence. "For 118 years, we have been a congregation that sees itself as connected to others, in this case, to the ELCA," he said. "We want to be clear we did everything we could to ordain Anita Hill in the ELCA."
Hill has been a member of the St. Paul-Reformation staff since 1983, said Tidemann. "After 18 years, after every door was closed, we felt we couldn't wait any more."

[*Elizabeth S. Helgen is communication director for the Saint Paul
Area Synod.]

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