American lutheran church gay pastors

Donate Today. A California-based synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has elected its first-ever openly gay bishop, over a year after the regional body removed its first-ever trans-identified bishop from office. Social Statements set policy for the ELCA and guide its advocacy and work as a publicly engaged church.

Love conquers hate. While the Churchwide Assembly has not come to agreement on the issue of marriage equality, the ongoing debate has prompted a policy that gives autonomy to individual ministers and their congregations, resulting in the celebration of same-sex marriages at many ELCA churches across the country.

The question of whether the Lutheran Church accepts or rejects homosexuality has been a point of contention for many years. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with approximately 3. Formed in with the merger of three smaller Lutheran organizations, the ELCA is based in Chicago and encompasses nearly 10, congregations and more than 3.

Churchwide Assemblies are held every three years, with elected representatives establishing policy and addressing the concerns of the larger church body.

The Lutheran Church and

To learn more, please read our Privacy Policy. Shop Now. You are leaving HRC. InRohrer and six other Bay Area gay and transgender pastors were reinstated into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, after the national assembly voted to allow partnered gay people to serve as clergy.

Women have been ordained in the church since its founding in and were ordained in the Lutheran churches that formed the ELCA beginning in By clicking "GO" below, you will be directed to a website operated by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, an independent c 3 entity.

Largest US Lutheran denomination

Inthe Churchwide Assembly passed a resolution stating that, "Gay and lesbian people, as individuals created by God, are welcome to participate fully in the life of the congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Lutherans Concerned for Gay People [or Lutherans Concerned], a group comprised of laypeople, pastors and congregations, forms in order to promote tolerance and acceptance among members of the Lutheran churches.

Accept More Information. In this article, we will delve into the historical perspective, theological basis, current stance, controversies, and impact of the Lutheran Church's position on homosexuality. However, church policy, like that for same-sex marriage, gives individual congregations autonomy in calling ministers to serve.