At their fall meeting in Baltimore, the U.S. Catholic bishops this morning elected Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Diocese of Harrisburg to head a key standing committee.
The 145-93 vote favored the moderate Rhoades -- newly appointed to the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend -- over Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, who is more conservative. Read more about the committee.
Several Yorkers were among a group of midstate Lutherans who left last week for a trip to the Konde Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania in eastern Africa. They'll attend the diocesan assembly there, where a bishop will be elected (or current Bishop Israel-Peter Mwakyolile reelected).
Youth in the regional Lutheran synod have spoken out about the recent change in the ELCA's gay clergy policy and the turmoil its causing in some congregations around the country.
The Lower Susquehanna Synod's Lutheran Youth Organization board drafted a letter, urging church unity in a time of disagreement.
"We understand that people have different opinions, and we as a board were very split in our opinions," Sarah Embley, synod LYO president, told the ELCA News Service. "We think it is more important to look past our differences and keep the unity of the church and keep God in main view."
The board donated to the synod a portion of funds it raised during synod LYO meetings and events.
"We aren't happy with the fact that some people are pulling away from the Lutheran Church because of the decisions made. We know that some churches are withholding their money from the synod and the Lutheran Church," Embley said. "We don't think that's right. ... We would like to step up and do what we can to help."
Later this week (Sept. 25-26), conservative Lutherans involved with the group CORE will meet in Indiana to discuss the possibility of creating a "free-standing synod" that would include members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, along with others that have left, or plan to leave, the denomination, according to RNS:
The leaders of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Reform) are not encouraging fellow believers to bolt from the ELCA for a more conservative denomination, but neither do they want to remain part of one that has "fallen into heresy," they say. ...
"There are lots of congregations that are going to leave, lots of traditionalist congregations that are going to stay, and lots that have already left," said Ryan Schwarz of Washington, a member of CORE's steering committee. "We want to create a churchly structure that gathers all those categories."About 1,200 people have registered for CORE's summit in Indianapolis, according to organizers.
CORE is among those disappointed that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the country's largest Lutheran denomination, voted this summer to lift its ban on noncelibate gay clergy. The church also voted to allow congregations to recognize "publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same-gender relationships."
About 1,200 people have registered for CORE's meeting in Indianapolis, according to the organization. The ELCA has 4.8 million members.
Since the ELCA's decision last month to lift restrictions on gays and lesbians in the pulpit, some Lutherans have worried the move could prompt members or congregations to leave the country's largest Lutheran denomination.
After hearing from local Lutherans and reading reactions from others in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, it's unclear how things will shake out. However, predictions of schism seem premature.
Many Lutherans said the decision won't affect them much, if at all, and don't plan to go anywhere. Congregations won't be required to accept non-celibate gay pastors.
Others welcomed the change. One pastor told me about a gay man in his church who felt God calling him to ministry but wouldn't consider seminary because of his long-time partner. The pastor hoped the man would now reevaluate. Read more at the jump.
Update: Follow the Rev. Cliff Eshbach's blog (Cliff's Notes) for daily reflections on the assembly in Minneapolis. Also, Lutherans using Twitter to comment on the assembly will use the tag "#CWA09." Voting results will be posted here and other multimedia highlights posted here.
Twenty-six Lutherans from central Pennsylvania are headed to Minneapolis later this month to participate in the churchwide assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Among the issues they'll consider Aug. 17-23 are immigration reform, Israel and Palestine, human sexuality, disaster response and full participation in church leadership.
One agenda item asks the assembly to consider a process to change ministry policies to make it possible for Lutherans in "publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gendered relationships" to serve as ELCA ordained ministers and other parts of ministry.
York resident Gary P. Williams has been named controller at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg.
He manages day-to-day financial activities of the seminary's accounting and business and related activities and helps wrestle the school's $6 million budget, student accounting and the seminaries programs and partner organizations.
