Gay Ministers in Protestant Churches

Gay Ministers in Protestant Churches 1

Gay Ministers in Protestant Churches

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Gay Ministers in Protestant Churches

When one thinks of the word minister they think of purity, of wisdom, of someone who understands the will of God, and of an interpreter of that will. They do not think of the word gay and automatically associate it with the word minister. However there are ministers who are gay. Some churches accept those ministers openly, there are even churches that cater to gays specifically, while others do not and think that being gay is a horrible sin and an act against God. Mainstream protestant churches are wrestling with the question of accepting openly gay ministers. Gay ministers should be allowed within churches because their personal decisions on whom to spend their life with does not have an impact on their spirituality or ability to preach to their congregations.

The question of whether or not to accept gay ministers is being handled differently in different churches. Thompson states “The 2.3 million members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the 4.7 million members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are weighing constitutional changes that could sanction the ordination of homosexuals in open same-sex relationships,” (2009). Within the Presbyterian church it is stated within their “Book of Order” (bylaws) that the “ordained ministers, elders and deacons "lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church,” (Thompson, 2009). This includes living either within a marriage of a man and woman, or being celibate while single. The Presbyterian Church is currently voting to change that specific to “pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, striving to follow where he leads through the witness of the Scriptures, and to understand the Scriptures through the instruction of the Confessions. In so doing, they declare their fidelity to the standards of the Church," (Thompson 2009). This language would allow the elders, deacons and ministers of the Presbyterian Church to be openly gay because they have declared themselves to the church itself. The vote is required to be passed by a two thirds majority. This alteration will allow ministers to keep their private life private and their public life public. It is important that our spiritual leaders have as much freedom in their lifestyle choices as we do.

The aforementioned church is under the Presbytery of St. Augustine, which encompasses roughly 64 churches. Those churches voted on this same issue and the vote was very close. This is how most accounts are expected to beconcerning the subject of allowing gays within the church. It is a close call. Many people are of a sentiment that it does not matter as long as they are good people and are good at their job and love God. Other people see gay marriages and relationships as sinful. The amount of supporters on either side is fairly even. However were one to take away the ability to choose their loved ones from those on the opposite side of this debate, they would most likely have a different response to the question of allowing gay ministers within the church.

In an older debate, “A disciplinary committee of the EvangelicalLutheranChurch in America ruled yesterday that a gay pastor in Atlanta must give up his pulpit, saying it was reluctantly enforcing a "bad policy," (Cooperman, 2007). This sparked off a resurgence of a debate that has been happening for over 30 years. The debate will continue as long as there are those who will judge others for their lifestyle choices. The decisions of the individual have no impact on their ability to speak the word of God to their congregations.

In conclusion, does it really matter if the minister behind the pulpit is gay? Each person within a congregation must make that choice for themselves. The bottom line is if the person behind the pulpit is gay and that offends someone, they need to find a different place to worship or the minister is forced to move on to a church that will welcome them regardless of their lifestyle choice. This is the country of religious freedom after all.

References

Cooperman, A. (February 9, 2007). Lutheran panel votes to expel gay minister. Washington Post, n.d., n.d., 1.

Thompson, B. (March 8, 2009). Protestants to wrestle with issue of ordaining gay clergy. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from