ELCA

[gtmyers]

So my wife likes the really huge Elca congregation in town. I really liked the worship services that I've been to. They have 3 on Sunday morning one is super early in the chapel, the mid morning one is contemporary and the 11am is traditional with the full liturgy chanting and all. I liked both styles. The contemporary was similar to the non denominational one we visited but had a few Lutheran things thrown in. Really my one and only reservation about the elca is the current trend towards homosexuality. I was brought up in a conservative baptist church and later in life joined a conservative Presbyterian one. We have moved now and are looking again. I am more open to this then what I let on but I still have doubts about if it is ok to have a pastor that could be gay. There is no indication of anyone being gay at this church in fact it seems more conservative than you might think. My wife likes the church and the gay issue is a non issue with her. I guess it's my problem to handle. I can go there without hesitation but joining would be another issue. I want to be more open towards this issue but my whole life I have been taught that is a sin. I know one thing without a doubt though. If one of my children ever came home and said they were gay I'd love them right on like nothing changed. Any ideas how I can come to grips with this issue in the church to be more open towards it?

 

[Tigger45]

Often individual congregations are more conservative than the stances of their synods. I believe its our calling as the 'church' to embrace individuals as they are when they enter our doors but I would take issue with my pastor practicing life styles that are antithetical to biblical principles.

 

[Arcangl86]

Well, I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but the official stance is kinda broad. Essentially we allow people who are LGB, and some synods transgender but that is still very very uncommon, but each individual congregation is allowed to decide if they will call a LGB pastor.

 

[NebraskaLuke]

I guess I would say first and foremost it might be good to figure out where your congregation actually stands on the issue - if it has much of a stance at all. As has been said above, a great many (majority, probably) of ELCA congregations pay little to no mind to the proclamations and stances of the synods and national church.

Second, I frankly think it should be a non-issue if there are gay people attending the church. No matter where you go, everyone is a sinner. In a congregation of 100, there's going to be adulterers, people suffering from various addictions, probably some people with a criminal record, etc. The beauty of the Gospel is that we can come together as sinners and praise the God who frees us from the bondage of sin. Attending church with a sinner in no way means that you personally are condoning the sin (even if the institution itself is somewhat agnostic on the question).

The sticky one for you would be a gay pastor. I can understand why you would be hesitant to accept teachings from someone you believe to be engaged in a life of sin. My personal stance would be to fall back on the Augsburg Confession's assertion that Sacraments administered by "evil men" are nevertheless valid - a necessary stance, as all pastors are sinners, and their ranks are unfortunately not free of bad people. If the teaching is good, but you disagree with the pastor's life choices....it's tough, but I'd encourage you to view the whole picture. I will say that I very much doubt you'll ever have to deal with this issue. Gay pastors are a small minority, and to be blunt, they typically get hired by very liberal, urban churches, where there is little, if any objection to their homosexuality.

 

[FireDragon76]

To be blunt, Lutherans aren't Baptists and Lutheran ethics is not Baptist ethics. Lutherans might seem "antinomian" in comparison to Baptists... but this stems from theology. In my experience, Lutherans are the only Christians that really shape their theology and practice through the doctrines of grace alone and faith alone.

 

[gtmyers]

Thank you for all the responses thus far. I am finding that the local church we have been attending seems to be more conservative at least in the ELCA arena. I find the more I think about all of this issue I am realizing that of course we are all sinners. Those who are LGTB are simply people who have a feeling of love towards the same sex and I can't tell why they have this feeling. I don;t know if they are born with it or what. I am not in their shoes and can't understand why they are this way. I can however love them and be friends like the bible I believe teaches of all of us. So I will not stand judgement on them. If the bible teaches it is a sin then it is (I guess this is debatable) but I too sin in ways that I would rather not but it happens. Only God knows our hearts and knows how we feel and I am not God and do not know peoples hearts.

 

[luthepisc.]

Well, I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but the official stance is kinda broad. Essentially we allow people who are LGB, and some synods transgender but that is still very very uncommon, but each individual congregation is allowed to decide if they will call a LGB pastor.

I'm getting married to my partner in September in my ELCA church. My pastor is already starting to grumble and complain that it might interfere with "Wednesdays with Jesus"(We don't have SS on Sundays that's the reason for Wednesday). My pastor had agreed to marry us, hesitantly.