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Lutheran leaders push for broader focus than gays

They say dwindling membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is a greater concern.

ORLANDO - Divisions over homosexuality threaten to overshadow other major concerns within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, its leader said Monday as a churchwide assembly began that will take up the issue of gays' role in the clergy.

Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson said the 4.9-million-member denomination has many other pressing problems: It is aging, nearly all white and facing flat or declining membership in its congregations.

"One of my concerns is that we do not become so turned in on ourselves" that the internal fight cripples the denomination's efforts to diversify and rebuild, he said.

Turmoil over what the Bible says about homosexuality has torn at Protestant denominations for years. The global Anglican Communion is struggling to stay together after its U.S. province - the Episcopal Church - confirmed its first openly gay bishop two years ago.

The ELCA also belongs to an international association - the Lutheran World Federation - which Hanson leads. Its 138 member churches in 77 countries differ on gay issues, and Hanson said overseas leaders have told him a vote to give gays a broader role this week would "strain" but not sever relations among them.

The key proposals before the 1,018 delegates in Orlando are based on years of work by a denominational task force on sexuality that tried to find a compromise.

The measures would:

--Affirm the church ban on ordaining sexually active gays and lesbians, but allow bishops and church districts called synods to seek an exception for a particular candidate if that person is in a committed relationship and meets other conditions.

--Uphold the denomination's prohibition against same-sex blessings, but give bishops and pastors discretion in deciding how to minister to gay couples.

--Call for unity, even though congregants disagree on the issue.

Hanson has repeatedly declined to say how he will vote on the proposals, which could be amended before reaching the floor for a vote, possibly on Friday.

Advocates for full inclusion of gays oppose the proposals. They say the measures would create a second-class category for homosexuals in the church.

Conservatives are also against the measures, but for different reasons. They say the proposals would effectively overturn prohibitions against noncelibate gays in the denomination's ministry.

Public hearings on the proposals are set for tonight.

Lobbying on the issue began hours before the meeting officially opened.

Supporters of Goodsoil, which advocates for removal of all obstacles to gay participation in the church, donned rainbow sashes and distributed leaflets outlining their views as voters arrived.

Conservative Lutherans walked through the halls wearing stickers with a black cross over a red heart - a symbol known as the Luther Rose - which they are using to signal their opposition to changing church policy.

[Last modified August 9, 2005, 05:09:31]