For one area church, discussion of dropping an affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has resulted in a determination to leave. In others, it's stayed a discussion, church officials said this week.
Both Singsaas Lutheran Church in rural Hendricks and Christ Lutheran Church in Cottonwood held votes over the weekend to determine whether to leave the ELCA.
The vote passed at Singsaas, but narrowly failed at Christ Lutheran.
Ending ELCA affiliation is a multi-step process. If a congregation passes a motion to leave the ELCA by a two-thirds majority, they must hold a second vote at least 90 days later. If the second vote passes by a two-thirds majority, it becomes official.
Singsaas church president Trygve Trooien said his congregation's vote passed by a two-thirds majority, although he declined to give exact results. The ELCA may require a second vote, he said, but Singsaas members were still determined to drop the affiliation.
"Our goal is to leave by the end of the calendar year," Trooien said. At this time, he said, the church hasn't made any decisions about finding a new affiliation.
Christ Lutheran president Joel Dahl said 118 church members attended a congregational meeting Oct. 18. They voted 74-44 in favor of continuing the process of changing affiliations, Dahl said, but missed a two-thirds majority by four or five votes.
"It's something that will probably continue to be discussed," Joel Dahl said, but there will not be a second vote. An informational meeting on affiliation issues was planned for early November, he said.
Joel Dahl said he thought the high voter turnout, and even the number of people voting to continue the affiliation change, were a positive sign. A 'yes' vote was essentially a vote to keep exploring the issue in Christ Lutheran's case, he said.
"It's encouraging, as it shows a very high percentage of interest," Joel Dahl said.
Rev. Linda Pedersen, an ELCA synod minister for southwestern Minnesota, said the number of congregations who have held or are planning to hold votes on affiliation have stayed about the same - four out of more than 260 churches, including Singsaas and Christ Lutheran. One church had decided to hold an informational meeting instead of a vote, she said, while a congregation from the Hutchinson area had come forward with plans for an affiliation vote.
Trooien and Joel Dahl said a decision by the ELCA's national assembly to allow gay people in committed relationships in the ministry was one part of church members' concerns at recent meetings. But it wasn't the only one, Joel Dahl said.
"(The meeting) dealt with many issues," Joel Dahl said.
At Singsaas, Trooien said, "It was just the general direction the ELCA seems to be taking on various social issues . . . In some ways they had just gotten too liberal for us."
Pedersen said she had heard rumors about churches in Marshall planning to hold affiliation votes, but they turned out to be false. Officials at Marshall ELCA churches said they had no plans to vote, although the subject of affiliation is being talked about.
"There's really nothing major at St. Stephen's," said Carol Moseng, president of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Marshall. "We had a forum where people were able to express their thoughts, but we're not having a vote."
Rev. Bob Dahl, the pastor of First Lutheran Church in Marshall, said the congregation has had one informational meeting and is planning another, but not a vote.
"About three weeks ago, we had a Q and A session," Bob Dahl said, and about 60 members of the congregation attended. "It's an opportunity for people to be heard," he said, and to learn more about the options available to the church.
The national assembly's statement on sexuality is likely a concern for some members of the congregation, Bob Dahl said, but not as an issue whether to be welcoming of gay people.
"It's a change in terms of an ordained office," Bob Dahl said, and what would be considered acceptable for a minister.
Wayne Skaar, president of Hope Lutheran Church in Minneota, said their congregation hasn't held any formal meetings or votes on the subject either.
"We're waiting for more information," Skaar said. He knew there were some church members who were interested in learning more about the process of breaking affiliation, but recently Hope Lutheran has been focusing on priorities like filling a vacancy for pastor.
Bob Dahl said his hope is that area residents stay open and respectful in discussing the assembly's decisions and affiliation issues.
"I hope people have compassion during a difficult time, that we don't end up taking shots at each other," he said.
"I think it will take a while to digest," Moseng said of the ELCA assembly's decisions. "The main thing is to keep talking."