MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Voting members of the biennial assembly of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America turned back a motion that would
have required a two-thirds majority for changes in policies related to the
rostering of clergy, associates in ministry, diaconal ministers and
deaconesses. The vote, with 57 percent in opposition, came late in the
evening of the first day of the gathering, Aug. 17.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority 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.”
The defeat of the requirement of a two thirds “super majority” makes
it less difficult for proponents to get approval for a proposal to open
the ministry to same-gender candidates living in committed same-gender
relationships.
In a spirited two-hour debate, voting members were divided on the
merits of requiring a two thirds majority for what has become a
contentious issue for the nation’s largest Lutheran church body. The Rev.
Gregory Pile, bishop of the ELCA Allegheny Synod, said that the gravity of
the vote facing voting members required a super majority.
Said Ronald Pittman, voting member from the ELCA Oregon Synod, “We
only required a simple majority to exclude same-gender candidates from
ordination. Only a simple majority should be required to overturn that
action.”
“We have no unity among us on the issue [of same-gender clergy living
in relationships],” said John Gates, voting member from the ELCA Florida-
ahamas Synod. But Jay McDivitt, voting member from the ELCA Rocky Mountain
Synod, made reference to shifts in conviction, in both the church and the
wider culture. He said, “The issue is settled. That may be unsettling to
many of us.” He urged voters not to yield to fear. “Christ is our center,
and the center will hold,” he said, speaking in favor of using a simple
majority for the vote.
A vote on whether to allow people living in same-gender relationships
to be on the professional rosters in the ELCA is scheduled for Friday,
Aug. 21.
Voting members approved the rules of procedure as originally proposed
by a 979 to 24 margin.
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Information about the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at
http://www.elca.org/assembly/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
