Delegates of the Evangelical Church in America (ELCA), meeting in convention in Minneapolis, voted Friday to permit homosexuals to serve as leaders, including pastors, in the church. The ELCA has for many years been moving ineluctably toward this position and it was just a matter of time before they could muster the votes to get it passed.
The resolution carried 559 to 451 and states that people in "publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships" will be allowed to serve as rostered leaders of the church, i.e. they'll be allowed to serve in pastoral ministry.
The fear among many Lutherans who believe that legitimizing gay relationships is a repudiation of the scriptural teaching on homosexuality is that this step will trigger a mass exodus from the ELCA. It remains to be seen whether it will in fact have that result, but it seems certain that the denomination will be forever changed by this vote.
RLC
