Posted on 11/15/2010 8:29:53 AM PST by SmithL
CLEAR LAKE — Zion Lutheran Church in Clear Lake voted Sunday to end its affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — but what that means remains unclear.
Those attending approved the measure by just over 85 percent, or 340-59, according to Church Council Secretary Beth Ann Schumacher.
It marked the fifth vote taken by the congregation on the issue.
Sunday’s vote, at least in the eyes of the ELCA, does not count toward disaffiliation, according to Northeast Iowa Synod Bishop Steven Ullestad, Waverly.
Ullestad cautioned the leadership and its pastors earlier this month that any vote taken would be void and unconstitutional since an earlier vote on the same issue fell short.
“The (church) council cannot just keep calling for second votes in the hope of finally getting a resolution passed,” Ullestad said in a letter dated Nov. 5.
But Schumacher said Sunday that “from our point of view we’re done” with the ELCA.
“There is no next step; we are out of the ELCA,” she said.
The controversy was sparked by a 2009 ELCA National Assembly resolution allowing gay pastors who are in committed relationships to serve the ministry. Prior to that time, only gay pastors who were celibate could serve.
The 2009 resolution, however, allowed congregations local control over whether they called gay pastors.
In protest, Zion has not financially supported the ELCA.
The ELCA requires that the first vote taken to disaffiliate must pass by a two-thirds majority. The first vote failed.
Due to a question about a procedure, a second “first” vote was allowed to be taken, which passed.
A second, binding vote failed in August, ending the process of leaving the ELCA. Unless the church started the entire process over again, Sunday’s vote was not valid, Ullestad said.
In late October, Ullestad suspended both Pastor Dean Hess and Pastor Derick Yarian for holding dual memberships in both the ELCA and the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ.
Ullestad said the church constitution does not allow for dual memberships. Although suspended, both have continued to serve as pastors in the church.
Three churches out of the 175 churches in the Northeast Synod have left the ELCA.
Eight other synod churches are in the process of voting, including Fertile Lutheran Church, whose first vote passed, 37-8, on Oct. 17.
St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Belmond failed to pass its first vote on Oct. 10 as did Rock Creek Lutheran Church in rural Osage on Aug. 29.
“The (church) council cannot just keep calling for second votes in the hope of finally getting a resolution passed,”Why not? That's the way the ELCA operates.
“from our point of view we’re done” with the ELCA.Bishop Ullestad is not happy, but seriously, what can he possibly do about this?
Ain't that the truth. The ELCA kept forming "study commissions" and taking convention votes until it finally amassed a majority of like-minded apostates to assert that the Bible doesn't say what it plainly says.
Psalm 126 has a brand-new meaning for Bible-honoring Zion Lutheran parishioners: 1 When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting.
I’m sure the ELCA will do what the Episcopalians have been doing; seizing church property and terminating the pensions of otherwise good pastors.
Unlike the Episcopalians, the ELCA doesn’t have that power. The most that the ELCA can do is kick out a congregation, but in that case, the congregation keeps their property.
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