Lutheran Church

Lutheran Church (ELCA)

Garrison Keillor comments on Lutheran sexuality report: "Don't, unless you do."

Maybe you have to live in Minnesota to appreciate a Minnesotan's quasi-cultural analysis of the recent ELCA committee report on gay ordination and marriage. This is not the last word in theological analysis, but it's fun - and not entirely without truth.

He sums up the report in best Minnesota-nice fashion: "Nothing has changed essentially, we don't approve, though in a sense we do but probably not, but if you go ahead and do it, don't feel bad about it, we understand."

Garrison Keillor is host of "A Prairie Home Companion," and is author most recently of Homegrown Democrat. [1-31-05]

Cutting-edge Lutheran mission under attack for calling a lesbian pastor

[9-16-04]

Central City Lutheran Mission, in San Bernardino, CA, describes itself as "a cutting edge ministry which assumes both delivery of a wide variety of social services and development of a Word and Sacrament ministry." Their simple style focuses on neighborhood leadership in a multilingual ministry, "where the poor and oppressed become subject in a pastoral project for neighborhood transformation and are not simply the objects of the church's charity or social services."

The Mission recently called the Rev. Dr. Jenny Mason as an Associate Pastor. Mason was ordained in 1991, served for ten years in urban ministry in Chile, and has already been serving for some months on the CCLM staff. While the Lutheran Church (ELCA) exercises considerable latitude in matters of ordination and sexuality, this call has been challenged and is now under review by a special committee, and some economic sanctions have already been imposed on the Mission.

You can learn more of the situation in this statement from the CCLM:

I What is Central City Lutheran Mission?

Central City Lutheran Mission is a cutting edge ministry which assumes both delivery of a wide variety of social services and development of a Word and Sacrament ministry. In our short ten year history, CCLM has developed a unique model for urban ministry. Its style is stark and simple centering around neighborhood leadership development and the Eucharist, which is celebrated eight times a week at the Mission. Working in English, Spanish and Ebonics, Central City Lutheran Mission has established a unique trust with neighbors. Central City Lutheran Mission functions as a non-congregationally based, denominationally rooted, community based pastoral project.

Central City Lutheran Mission has become nationally known as a site where the poor and oppressed become subject in a pastoral project for neighborhood transformation and are not simply the objects of the church's charity or social services. Central City Lutheran Mission is in a unique position within the ELCA as it partners in ministry with the Division for Outreach, the Division for Church in Society, the Division for Ministry, the Division for Congregational Ministries, the Commission for Women and several seminaries as an internship site for theological students seeking a learning experience in urban ministry. In many ways, the pastoral work of Central City Lutheran Mission prefigures a trend within the Division for Outreach which is to combine social services with the celebration of the Sacraments.

II. The Call of an Associate Pastor

Central City Lutheran Mission began a process with the Pacifica Synod in August 2002 to call an Associate Pastor. In an urban context, CCLM needed a pastor who is organizer, administrator, social worker and spiritual leader, however no appropriate candidates were presented by the synod. In November of 2003 the Rev. Dr. Jenny Mason was approved by the roster of the Extraordinary Candidacy Project, and in December, the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Central City Lutheran Mission recommended to the full Board that she be called as Associate Pastor at CCLM.

At the time Pastor Mason was called as an Associate Pastor, she had already worked at Central City Lutheran Mission for seven months. Board members and staff were well aware of both her sexuality and her work habits and qualifications. Dr. Mason is theologically trained at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, and has a Doctorate in Ministry from Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. She has studied in Argentina and did a year of internship in Chile. Following her ordination in 1991, she worked in Chile in an urban working class community for more than ten years.

Central City Lutheran Mission hired a qualified, theologically trained and experienced pastor coming from the tradition of the Lutheran Confessions. Until her forced resignation from the roster of the ELCA in 2002 due to non-compliance with Vision and Expectations, she had served the ELCA well through its Division for Global Ministries. The Board of Directors of Central City Lutheran Mission was aware that the ELCA has a policy against calling persons who are lesbians and gays in committed relationships or who are not committed to celibacy. Central City Lutheran Mission and its leadership, who are committed to biblical principles of justice and cultural values of tolerance and diversity find this policy to be unjust and inconsistent with the teachings of our evangelical confessions. The Board and Executive Committee were also aware they had found a uniquely qualified candidate in the person of Pastor Mason who brings personal gifts as well as years of training and experience in ELCA- related ministries.

While it was not the motivation of Central City Lutheran Mission's leadership to openly defy or resist ELCA policy, when faced with the need to call a qualified candidate in the absence of any other candidates, the disobedience of this unjust ELCA policy did not prohibit CCLM's leadership from making the solid decision it made. The intent was to call a qualified and experienced candidate for pastoral services. Our search led us to one candidate: The Rev. Dr. Jenny Mason.

III. Current Situation

Central City Lutheran Mission is also aware that the constitution of the ELCA and the current practice of synods provide for tremendous leeway in its application. Different synods respond differently to ministries in non-compliance. There is no uniform approach to the application of discipline. It ultimately becomes a synodical decision. There are no recent cases showing punitive acts or actions of retribution that have crippled or damaged ministries which have their own integrity and merits based on a common commitment and conviction to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Central City Lutheran Mission is a unique point for ministry within the ELCA. On the cutting edge for theological education, urban ministry, outreach and social justice, Central City Lutheran Mission represents a unique Word and Sacrament ministry committed to the health and education of not only the community it serves, but the church at large. Central City Lutheran Mission is not asking for any special favors or treatment, but rather for a fair review of our positions and pastoral practice. We ask for that review in the context of the policies and the practices of the ELCA as they are currently being implemented, which allow for a glimmer of hope that justice can be observed, respected and will be served. With some economic sanctions against the Mission already in place, a consultation committee has produced a non-public report that was shared with the Synod Council the end of August. The Synod Council is calling a special all-day meeting on October 29^th to continue the discussion that was started. The conversation needs to be broader than closed board rooms and non-public reports.

IV How you can help

· Pray for Pastors David Kalke and Jenny Mason, the Board, staff and all those served by CCLM's ministries. Pray for the leadership of the Pacifica Synod and its Synod Council as they determine on October 29, 2004, what disciplinary actions if any be taken in response to CCLM's calling of an ECP-rostered pastor.

· Contribute financially to enable us to continue our diverse ministry programs.

· Sign up for our e-mail action alert and let the ELCA know that programs such as ours are vital to the community and the larger church.

· Come visit us.

· Place a service learning program at our site.

· Please keep in touch with us and check our website for regular updates: www.cclm.org

· Write Bishop Murray Finck and Synod Council Vice-President to express your thoughts to them.

Bishop Murray Finck Rod Anderson
Pacifica Synod-ELCA Vice-President, Synod Council

23655 Via del Rio, Suite B 15691 Clarendon Street
Yorba Linda, CA 92887 Westminster, CA 92683

mdfinck@aol.com randerson1@socal.rr.com