lead pastor, Winds of the Prairie Ministries

serve a parish comprised of five congregations of the ELCA west of Marshall; St Paul's of Minneota, Peace of Ruthton, Grace of Lake Benton, Bethany of Arco and Bethany-Elim of Ivanhoe. In the past weeks we have had many discussions and forums on the issues facing the ELCA (and all denominations of the church in our present age).

The following article was published in our newsletter for October, and offers a sense of how we, as a Parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, are dealing with the present challenge. The executive committee of the Parish has asked that I offer this article to the readers of the Marshall Independent as a reasoned response to move our portion of the Body of Christ into God's future:

By now all have heard that the ELCA is making provisions for individuals in publicly accountable life-long same sex relationships to serve congregations who sense the need for such individuals to serve. There is more to the story, but that is the heart of it. For some this might come as a long awaited gift. For others it will come as a sign that the ELCA is moving away from their understanding of the intent of the Bible.

Regardless of where you stand on this issue, it does mark a change in our ELCA community worldwide, but will make little effect locally. It all depends on how we respond to this event. I think that there are a few considerations that we ought to keep in mind these days:

1. Our God does not change. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.." (Hebrews 13:8).

2. God's word of gracious forgiveness does not change, nor does our need for forgiveness as individuals, as a church and as a society.

3. We remain a church that calls pastors locally. As congregations we vote on whether or not we prayerfully discern that the Spirit is calling a pastor into our midst, to proclaim the gospel and administer the sacraments. We are not required to call a pastor whom we sense is not right for our ministry.

As your lead pastor, it is important to know where I stand at the present.

1. I will not be leaving the roster of the ELCA. It is my mother church, the community of faith that I have lived in and with which I have both struggled and celebrated. If there are changes to be challenged in the ELCA, I cannot challenge from outside. I can only accuse and create barriers to understanding. I must remain and both listen to those who differ from me and speak the truth as I understand it.

2. I am of mixed mind. I am called to love my neighbor as myself. As the story of the good Samaritan speaks, the one who is my neighbor, who I am called to love, is the very one with whom I most adamantly disagree. And yet I am called to speak truthfully out of my understanding of law and Gospel.

3. I will continue to hold confidential the sexual identities of all who confide in me. In this discussion we must not make public those gifts of confidence entrusted to us.

4. I will continue to welcome to the table of the Lord all who come to receive God's forgiveness. I will not judge. Indeed I cannot, lest all of us, including myself, are found unworthy of receiving the gifts of grace freely given by God without any merit or worthiness within the person upon whom such love is bestowed.

5. I will share with all who contact me everything I know concerning the implementation of these decisions. I will try to become as aware of this process as I can without allowing it to stand in the way of the vital ministry of Word and Sacrament that I am called to do on God's behalf in this parish. I refuse to allow a decision of this type to hinder the important task of sharing the gospel within our communities. People need to hear about Jesus, not only about our sexuality.

6. I have great concern that those whose consciences are bound to a particular understanding of scripture be given the right and responsibility to hold their opinions, deepen them through increased study of the scripture and share them without fear of censure, whether in favor or against the inclusion of any individuals who are in same sex, publicly accountable, monogamous, life-long relationships in a pulpit of an ELCA member congregation.

7. I will expect that congregational responses to these actions might be a part of the agenda of our annual meetings. Until that time I pray that all members might keep informed on the actions of our council of Bishops (who do not speak with one voice on the issue), the Churchwide Church Council and of the Division for ministry of the ELCA.

8. It is my understanding of the office of the ministry that it is a privilege to publically proclaim Christ and Him crucified for the sake of the world and on behalf of a community of faith. It is not a right, but a responsibility. As I and all pastors proclaim the word and administer the sacraments, the validity of the message does not rest on us, who are sinners, but on the Spirit, who opens the hearts of hearers to receive the life giving Word. If who I am, or what I represent, stands in the way of the central message of the Gospel being heard, then Satan rejoices, for the hearer is not brought closer to Jesus, but rather lured away into selfish thoughts and judgments. It is for the sake of the gospel that pastors with particular gifts and characteristics are called to a particular community by the Spirit. In our ELCA, this call of the Spirit is placed on the hearts of the people in the pews. If a congregation senses that it is the Spirit's work that brings a person for consideration as their pastor, then that congregation ought to vote to receive that pastor as the broken, sinful, vessel who may bring the Word into their hearing. If that person is not deemed by the Spirit to be the one to carry that responsibility, then it is wrong for them to vote to call that individual.

The implication of this understanding of the office of ministry for us of the Winds of the Prairie Ministries, ELCA, parish seems clear to me at this time: Our parish will not be calling a rostered individual in a publically accountable, life long, monogamous same sex relationship as a leader in our parish.