SAN FRANCISCO — Seven pastors who work in the San Francisco Bay area and were barred from serving in the nation’s largest Lutheran group because of a policy that required homosexual clergy to be celibate are being welcomed into the denomination.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will add six of the pastors to its clergy roster at a service at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco today. Another pastor who was expelled from the church, but was later reinstated, will participate in the service.
The group is among the first gay Lutheran pastors to be reinstated or added to the rolls of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since the organization voted last year to lift the policy requiring celibacy.
Churches can now hire noncelibate gay clergy who are in committed relationships.
“It’s going to be an extremely glorious and festive ceremony because it’s the culmination of decades of work to welcome [homosexuals] into the [Evangelical Lutheran Church in America],” said Amalia Vagts, executive director of the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, a nonprofit that credentials openly gay people for ministry.
Megan Rohrer, one of the pastors to participate in today’s rite of reception service, said she is hopeful today’s service will be a “symbol” to young people that the Lutheran church is working toward becoming more welcoming of people of all different backgrounds.
Front Section, Pages 11 on 07/25/2010