Affirming GLBT ministry: A call to Presbyterians
Two policies* of the Presbyterian Church (USA)--statements written and adopted nearly 30 years ago--promote outdated, polemical and condemning language about homosexuality.No surprise.
But this year, recognizing how social and scientific understandings of sexual orientation have shifted since the 1970's, a regional body (the Presbytery of Cincinnati) asked the General Assembly, the national decision-making body of the denomination, to strike the most strident statements from these documents.
The denomination's Committee on Church Orders, the group responsible for recommending how the assembly should respond to the request, voted 28-27 last weekend (with one abstention) to maintain the outdated language. It was the narrowest vote the committee made this year.**
In response, 24 committee members of the committee signed a minority report asking the assembly to adopt a pastoral statement recognizing and affirming the ministry of LGBT people.
But commissioners declined to hear the minority report and declared the issue settled by two previous votes about ordination standards--even though the original overture and the new minority report had nothing to do with ordination.
Here is the statement the minority report asked the denomination to adopt:
This statement has nothing to do with ordination standards. It does not change authoritative interpretations of the church constitution. It does not amend the 1978 and 1979 statements that contain outdated information and polemical language.We recognize that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have served faithfully and nurtured others in the faith across the history of the church. Baptismal identity supercedes sexual identity.
Therefore, we make the following affirmation: All people are created in the image of God, and God calls each Christian by name to a vocation in the world, gifting them for their work on behalf of the gospel. Statements that denigrate the worth, personhood, and/or status of people based on sexual orientation are inconsistent with the mercy of God, the life of Jesus, and the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. The Presbyterian Church (USA) values and affirms the work and ministry of gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual persons.
But it does broaden and enrich what the denomination already says about the value of non-heterosexual people, their participation in the life of the church, and their Christian responsibility for the work and witness of the church in the world, as stated in the denomination's constitution.
If you are Presbyterian, I hope you will ask the Session of your congregation to adopt the pastoral statement offered by the minority report.
Further, I hope your Session will ask your presbytery to overture the 218th General Assembly, asking that this pastoral statement be adopted in 2008.
Taking these actions would be a small gesture of hope and gratitude for the thousands of lesbian, bisexual, transgender and gay members and officers of the PC(USA) who serve us with energy, intelligence, imagination, grace and love. Their witness and Christian vocations in the world make the whole church stronger.
It is time to acknowledge this.
Local adoption of the statement would be an act of pastoral care toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons and their families, contributing to the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God, enhancing our life together, and fostering reconciliation with long-alienated brothers and sisters.
*The 1978 Policy Statement and the 1979 Position Paper, portions of which have been elevated as an "authoritative interpretation" of the church's constitution.
** You can view the business item, including the minority report, here. Click on (04) Church Orders and then click on item 04-04 "On Amending the 1979 Policy Statement and the 1979 Position Paper from the PCUS by Deleting Certain Statements."
.: Posted by Duane Bidwell on Thursday, June 22, 2006
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