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In addition to Halloween, this Saturday is also a special date of historical significance for many Christians. October 31 is celebrated by Lutherans as Reformation Day, for it is the date Martin Luther is believed to have nailed his 95 Theses, or grievances against the Roman Catholic Church, on the door of The Castle Church in Germany. This act marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, which ultimately led to Lutheranism itself.
As many Lutherans look back to their Reformation heritage over the weekend, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are doing some reforming of their own these days. With over 4.7 million members, the ELCA passed a resolution in August that took a more open stance on the issue of homosexuality in the church.
The last few months since this vote have been filled with headlines about churches who are considering leaving the fellowship because of this decision. Thus far, the ELCA has counted six churches that have officially chosen to remove themselves from the denomination.
However, many believe that this initial split is just the beginning. “There are meetings happening all over the place as to what churches will do,” Pastor Jerry Wirtley of First English Lutheran Church of Victoria, Tex., told the Victoria Advocate. “It is something that is being discussed.”
The resolution passed by the church-wide assembly was a broad statement on human sexuality that dealt heavily with the issue of homosexuality. The piece of this resolution that has received the most attention since August has to do with the calling of gay and lesbian pastors.
The statement resolves that the church will “allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.” It later states that the ELCA will seek to find ways for these members “to serve as rostered leaders of the church.” This resolution was passed by a slim majority of 68 percent of the 1,000 delegates at the national assembly.
Despite the attention that has been given to this issue in the media, the Rev. Keith Ainsley of Trinity Lutheran Church said this vote has been a long time coming. He explained that the passing of a resolution like this isn’t something the church takes lightly. The sexuality statement was first brought up in the mid-1990s, but faced some bad publicity in the media, so it was put to rest for several years.
Six years ago, church leaders decided to approach this topic again as they felt the need to take a firm stance on homosexuality. Several churches had already affirmed openly homosexual pastors who were in lifelong relationships, and while this technically went against denominational rules at the time, bishops were hesitant to bar these congregations from fellowship.
“Seminarians sign a statement which says if they are single, they will remain celibate, and if they are married, they will not commit adultery,” Ainsley explained. Thus, in a state like Minnesota that does not allow any sort of same-sex marriage, this issue had gotten quite complicated to regulate.
“When the majority of the members of a congregation are gay, a gay pastor is not an issue to them,” said Ainsley. “This may be a burning issue in rural Minnesota, but it’s not an issue in downtown Minneapolis.”
At Trinity, Ainsley explained that members of his church fall on both sides of this issue. Most important to Ainsley, he emphasized that this resolution is by no means a mandate. “There have been lots of people concerned that we now have to call a homosexual pastor,” he said. “But that's not the case.”
Ainsley explained that unlike some churches, the ELCA has a very bottom-up leadership style. “Trinity makes the decisions for the clergy we have here,” he said. However, this is still an issue the Sleepy Eye church takes seriously. “Trinity understands our autonomy, but also has a commitment with the wider church.”
Ainsley explained that homosexuality is a very complicated issue involving orientation, genetics and biblical interpretation. He emphasized that the core of his message on sexuality will not change. “I am not endorsing any behavior that is anything less than total commitment between two individuals,” he said.
In addition to Halloween, this Saturday is also a special date of historical significance for many Christians. October 31 is celebrated by Lutherans as Reformation Day, for it is the date Martin Luther is believed to have nailed his 95 Theses, or grievances against the Roman Catholic Church, on the door of The Castle Church in Germany. This act marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, which ultimately led to Lutheranism itself.
As many Lutherans look back to their Reformation heritage over the weekend, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are doing some reforming of their own these days. With over 4.7 million members, the ELCA passed a resolution in August that took a more open stance on the issue of homosexuality in the church.
The last few months since this vote have been filled with headlines about churches who are considering leaving the fellowship because of this decision. Thus far, the ELCA has counted six churches that have officially chosen to remove themselves from the denomination.
However, many believe that this initial split is just the beginning. “There are meetings happening all over the place as to what churches will do,” Pastor Jerry Wirtley of First English Lutheran Church of Victoria, Tex., told the Victoria Advocate. “It is something that is being discussed.”
The resolution passed by the church-wide assembly was a broad statement on human sexuality that dealt heavily with the issue of homosexuality. The piece of this resolution that has received the most attention since August has to do with the calling of gay and lesbian pastors.
The statement resolves that the church will “allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.” It later states that the ELCA will seek to find ways for these members “to serve as rostered leaders of the church.” This resolution was passed by a slim majority of 68 percent of the 1,000 delegates at the national assembly.
Despite the attention that has been given to this issue in the media, the Rev. Keith Ainsley of Trinity Lutheran Church said this vote has been a long time coming. He explained that the passing of a resolution like this isn’t something the church takes lightly. The sexuality statement was first brought up in the mid-1990s, but faced some bad publicity in the media, so it was put to rest for several years.
Six years ago, church leaders decided to approach this topic again as they felt the need to take a firm stance on homosexuality. Several churches had already affirmed openly homosexual pastors who were in lifelong relationships, and while this technically went against denominational rules at the time, bishops were hesitant to bar these congregations from fellowship.
“Seminarians sign a statement which says if they are single, they will remain celibate, and if they are married, they will not commit adultery,” Ainsley explained. Thus, in a state like Minnesota that does not allow any sort of same-sex marriage, this issue had gotten quite complicated to regulate.
“When the majority of the members of a congregation are gay, a gay pastor is not an issue to them,” said Ainsley. “This may be a burning issue in rural Minnesota, but it’s not an issue in downtown Minneapolis.”
At Trinity, Ainsley explained that members of his church fall on both sides of this issue. Most important to Ainsley, he emphasized that this resolution is by no means a mandate. “There have been lots of people concerned that we now have to call a homosexual pastor,” he said. “But that's not the case.”
Ainsley explained that unlike some churches, the ELCA has a very bottom-up leadership style. “Trinity makes the decisions for the clergy we have here,” he said. However, this is still an issue the Sleepy Eye church takes seriously. “Trinity understands our autonomy, but also has a commitment with the wider church.”
Ainsley explained that homosexuality is a very complicated issue involving orientation, genetics and biblical interpretation. He emphasized that the core of his message on sexuality will not change. “I am not endorsing any behavior that is anything less than total commitment between two individuals,” he said.
