CHICAGO — A blue-ribbon panel recommended Feb. 19 that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) lift its ban on partnered gay and lesbian clergy but only after the church agrees in principle on gay relationships and respecting the consciences of those who dissent.
A majority of the 15-member Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality believes that “it is possible to devise guidelines and policies that would allow … some flexibility” in the denomination’s ordination standards.
The 4.8 million-member ELCA currently allows gay or lesbian clergy who pledge to be celibate; partnered or sexually active homosexual clergy are technically not allowed in ELCA pulpits, though some buck the rules without punishment.
The task force also released a 30-page statement outlining the church’s thinking on homosexuality but, citing a lack of consensus, did not offer a recommendation on whether to adopt rites for blessing same-sex couples.
If adopted by the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly in August, then the proposals would remove the blanket ban on noncelibate gay and lesbian clergy members, empowering local congregations and governing bodies to make their own decisions on whether to allow them. (TAB)
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