10/27/2009 8:20:01 AM

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By Matt Russell

Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

There are plenty of questions being asked in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America following a decision in August to allow pastors to be involved in committed, same-gender relationships.

	Dissent A group of more than 30 pastors from the local synod, called the Faithfulness Group, opposes the change in the gay clergy policy, said the Rev. Dan Baker of First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. "They're looking into their options at this point," Baker said. "They're not ready to go anywhere because they don't know where to go." Options being looked at include withholding financial contributions to the ELCA, changing church constitutions to oppose the changes and leaving the ELCA, Baker said.

In response to the decision, there will be a series of meetings at churches in the ELCA's southeastern Minnesota synod during the coming weeks, including a three-week series starting Sunday at Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester.

Bishop Harold Usgaard recently recorded a videotaped message to prompt discussion about the fundamental questions raised by this issue. The questions include: Who is welcome in ELCA congregations and who is not?

Usgaard also wrote a letter to synod members that addresses procedural questions that have come up following the vote. The points he addressed include:

What happens now that the vote has happened?

Policies are developed by administrative units of the ELCA, reviewed by the conference of bishops and voted on by the ELCA church council. It could take months to finalize these policies.

What changes in the meantime?

Nothing. The ELCA church council meets in November, when it will approve the actions of the Churchwide Assembly. Nothing will change until new policies are developed, and in the meantime the ELCA will continue to follow its previous policies.

Can congregations change their constitution to prohibit calling pastors in same-sex relationships?

Yes. Usgaard encouraged congregations to wait for the policies to be finalized. One of the amendments added to the resolutions voted on by the Churchwide Assembly stipulates that the policies themselves would include provisions for people who disagree, he said, so there might not be a need to change individual church constitutions. Usgaard also reminded congregations that whether they change their constitutions or not, it is still the congregations themselves that will decide who their pastor will be.

Who were these voting members at the churchwide assembly?

They were 1,045 members of ELCA congregations: 60 percent were laity and 40 percent were clergy. They came from all 65 ELCA synods, with representation determined by the size of the synod. There were 27 voters representing the southeastern Minnesota synod. Each of the five regional conferences in the synod nominated voting members, who were then elected at the synod assembly. Conference assemblies in February 2010 will nominate voting members to the 2011 Churchwide Assembly.

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