Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Welcomes In First Wave Of Openly LGBT Pastors

07/25/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
It has been a homecoming of sorts. Seven pastors who once worked in the San Francisco Bay Area have been welcomed back into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America after a policy change allowed non-celibate lesbian and gay clergy to serve. Six of the pastors will be added back into the clergy roster at a service being held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco. The seventh pastor was already reinstated.

This is the first group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender Lutheran pastors to be reinstated to the rolls of the ELCA since the organization voted last year to lift the policy requiring celibacy. Churches can now hire lesbian and gay clergy in committed relationships.

Amalia Vagts, executive director of the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, a nonprofit that certifies openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people for the ministry stated “It’s going to be an extremely glorious and festive ceremony because it’s the culmination of decades of work to welcome LGBT people into the ELCA.”

Megan Rohrer who participated in the rite on Sunday grew up in South Dakota where students at the Lutheran college she attended tried to exorcize her “gay demons” by throwing holy water on her. Some of those students went on to become Lutheran pastors themselves. Rohrer is both transsexual and lesbian. She was ordained by four congregations in 2006, but could not join the ELCA roster until the new policy was enacted. She said “I didn’t really believe the policy was going to change as quickly as it did.” Rohrer is hopeful that the service will be a symbol to young people that the Lutheran church is working towards becoming more welcoming towards people of all different backgrounds.

Jeff Johnson, who was also added to the roster on Sunday, stated “The actions the church is taking on Sunday affirms the decisions of those congregations. The church is respecting our family, our partners, the choices we’re making.” He also felt that the ELCA’s position of not accepting the choice of some congregations to ordain gay clergy was painful and disappointing.

A small number of congregations have voted to leave the ELCA over the vote last August, but both Johnson and Rohrer hope that the service will heal some of those rifts. The special rite is designed specifically to welcome in LGBT pastors.