wfn.org | Lutheran Pastor Sees People Returning to Church Following Assembly Actions

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

Title: Lutheran Pastor Sees People Returning to Church Following Assembly Actions
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>September 9, 2009  

Lutheran Pastor Sees People Returning to Church Following Assembly Actions
09-196-MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Bradley E. Schmeling has been receiving
letters and stories of Lutherans returning to church after many years
away, given actions taken at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in August.

"Even my own partner's sister's family intends to return to an ELCA
congregation after many years of worship in other denominations,"
Schmeling said. "People write to me about their experiences with church
issues. (They) know my name because of the trial a couple of years ago."

In 2007 Schmeling was removed from the ELCA clergy roster for being
in a committed, same-gender relationship while serving as pastor of St.
John Lutheran Church, Atlanta. A disciplinary committee ruled that
Schmeling was in violation of an ELCA policy regarding the sexual conduct
of pastors. ELCA ministry documents state that "ordained ministers who
are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from
homosexual sexual relationships."

Schmeling's case gained significant attention across the church and
in the news media.

Voting members at the 2009 assembly approved a series of proposals
to change the denomination's ministry policies, including a policy to
allow Lutherans in lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to
serve as ELCA associates in ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal
ministers. The ELCA churchwide organization is working on revising the
ministry policies to reflect the assembly's actions, a process that may
take several months.

"I hope the story of people returning to the church gets told,"
Schmeling said. "We hear a lot about those who are in pain because of the
changes and talk about leaving" the church.

Schmeling said he understands how it feels to be on a side where the
church moves in a direction "that you don't want to see it go. But I
continued to participate in the church for all these years. It's
important for us to figure this out together. When St. John was going
through the trial experience and thought there could be disciplinary
action against the congregation for keeping me as their pastor, we chose
to increase our benevolence as a way of making clear our commitment to
participating in the ELCA, even though it was acting against us and our
ministry at the time," Schmeling said.

"I'm not saying that it was easy. It was hard, and people had
questions about increasing our funding, but in the end it was about
faith" and "connecting with the different ministries of the ELCA that we
felt enthusiastic about," he said.

Given the number of ELCA members who disagree with the assembly's
actions, Schmeling said he remains hopeful about the future of the ELCA.

"I understand that we'll enter a difficult period in the church,
discerning how to move forward through these changes. I know there are
many people who feel hurt. But I feel that, in the end, it will
strengthen the church. Since the founding of the ELCA we have struggled
with this issue and have used an enormous amount of energy and resources
discerning our pathway through this. Now that we've made a decision, we
can move on," he said.

As the ELCA begins its work to modify ministry documents to reflect
the assembly's actions, Schmeling will continue to serve as pastor of St.
John. His partner, the Rev. Darin Easler, may seek reinstatement on the
ELCA clergy roster. Since being dropped from the roster, Easler
transferred to the United Church of Christ working in hospice care as a
bereavement coordinator.

Schmeling began his ministry with St. John in 2000. Although single
at the time, Schmeling told the congregation about his sexual orientation
from the very beginning. "It never stood as a barrier to my ministry with
the congregation," he said. Five years later, he met Easler and the
congregation "threw us a party."

Schmeling reported the relationship to the ELCA Southeastern Synod,
Atlanta. The synod's bishop at the time, the Rev. Ronald B. Warren, filed
charges against Schmeling. Warren said the decision to file charges was
difficult because of his respect for Schmeling and the congregation.

Schmeling said one of the most powerful moments for him at the
churchwide assembly, when votes about changing ministry policies had
passed, is "when Darin turned to me and said: 'Now I can come home.'"

>---

A "Brief Summary of Actions" about the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly
is at http://www.elca.org/summary/assembly on the ELCA Web site.

Information about St. John Lutheran Church is at
http://www.stjohnsatlanta.org on the Web.

For information contact:

John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog