Presbyterians clear way for ordaining gays, lesbians

FRANKLIN, Ky. -- Non-celibate gays and lesbians will become eligible for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) following ratification of a constitutional amendment that reverses decades of official policy.

The long-debated change came late Tuesday when a Minnesota presbytery, or regional governing body, voted 205-56 to ratify an amendment lifting an effective ban on gay ordination in the church constitution.

That vote by the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area brought to 87 the number of presbyteries approving the change for the Protestant denomination based in Louisville, Ky. -- the majority needed to amend the constitution.

The change, set in motion in 2010 by the denomination's General Assembly, marked the fourth attempt since the late 1990s to overturn a policy that once had solid grassroots support.

But support for the ban had waned in the most recent round of voting in 2008 and 2009. And numerous presbyteries flipped their votes from opposition to support in the current round of voting.

"I didn't actually expect to see this for many more years," said the Rev. Ann Deibert, a co-pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Louisville, which has long supported the change in policy.

The denomination "has talked about, prayed about, worked, discussed, discerned for 35 years," she said. "It feels like an enormous gift and a breath of the Spirit. What it means is we are recognizing the gifts and graces of God in more and more people."

But the Presbyterians for Renewal, a Louisville-based coalition of evangelical churches, lamented "this unfaithful action" in a statement.

"In a lot of presbyteries, evangelical folks didn't show up in enough numbers that it swung some votes," added its executive director, the Rev. Paul Detterman. "How opposing sides can work together without compromising their core identities under the same denominational canopy is the question of the day."

Earlier Tuesday, elders and ministers in the Presbytery of Western Kentucky gathered in the historic red-brick sanctuary of Franklin Presbyterian Church in Simpson County and voted down the amendment.

Virtually everyone knew its national approval was imminent, but one by one, members rose from the wooden pews and spoke in measured but earnest voices, restating arguments in the long-running debate.

Some said the church must follow biblical prohibitions on homosexuality.

"I have searched my heart, I have prayed, I have searched the biblical tradition," said the Rev. James Stahr of Central Presbyterian Church in Princeton, Ky. "There is no scintilla of evidence to support a change in these standards."

Others said sexuality is part of a person's core identity, rather than a lifestyle choice, and that the church should follow in its tradition of being "inclusive" of all races and genders.

The Rev. Kara Hildebrandt of the Presbyterian Church of Bowling Green, Ky. said the change would encourage presbyteries, which ordain ministers, and congregations, which ordain elders and deacons, to be more thorough in examining candidates for ordination.

"Because we are only concerned with who they are sleeping with (at present), we overlook the gifts" that candidates may or may not have, she said.

Opponents, however, pledged to remain united -- and afterward sat together in the church fellowship hall for a lunch of homemade vegetable soup, sandwiches and cookies.

"It's given me hope, that we can sit down and break bread," Stahr said.

The denomination is the latest of a cluster of more liberal Protestant denominations to approve gay ordination, following such groups as the United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

In the late 1970s, the denominations that later merged to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approved formal policies that said "self-affirming, practicing homosexuals" could not be ordained.

In 1996, the Presbyterian General Assembly voted to put that ban into its constitution, requiring ministers, elders and deacons to "live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness."

Presbyteries ratified that measure and rebuffed three subsequent efforts to overturn it.

The new policy says ordination policy should reflect "the church's desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ" and that ordaining bodies should examine candidates for their "calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability."

The amendment takes effect July 10.

The switch follows the defection of dozens of conservative congregations -- some with large memberships and leaders active in resisting changes to ordination standards. Their defection worsened already chronic losses in a denomination whose 2.1 million members are less than half its peak membership of the 1960s.

Leaders of other conservative congregations are floating proposals for reorganizing denominations, such as organizing presbyteries along theological rather than regional lines.

That "might stop the wholesale defections of conservatives," said Beau Weston, a sociologist and Presbyterian elder who tracks trends in the denomination at Centre College in Danville, Ky. "Short of that, though, I think massive losses are likely."

He attributed the vote to shifts among the "moderate majority" of Presbyterians amid a growing acceptance of homosexuality in the wider society.

While they may share the conservative opposition to homosexuality, they are "shifting on whether it is so bad that rejecting it is essential or not," he said.

Denominational polling found that while vast majorities of Presbyterians supported the ban in past decades, in recent years a majority of pastors began supporting gay ordination, with elders and members still opposed, according to Presbyterian Research Services.

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Church constitution changes

Excerpts of the changes in the Presbyterian Church Book of Order, part of its constitution:

•Old language: Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman —1/8 or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers if the Word and Sacrament.

•New language:Standards for ordained service reflect the church's desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life. —1/8The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation—1/8shall examine each candidate's calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. —1/8Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.