In a direct challenge to Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's ( ELCA ) life-long celibacy policy for gay and lesbian clergy, Chicago's Resurrection Lutheran Church and the newly formed nonprofit Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries ( ELM ) has ordained a lesbian minister.
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Pictured: Jen Rude fights for Lutheran acceptance.
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Jen Rude's Nov. 17 'extraordinary ordination' service, called such because it is performed outside of Lutheran guidelines, was the first official challenge to ELCA's new 'refrain and restraint' resolution, and the fourth challenge to the celibacy policy in the past 13 months. The resolution, which was passed in August during ELCA's biennial Churchwide Assembly in Chicago, was a very small step toward LGBT inclusion. The resolution urges bishops to refrain from punishing gay and lesbian clergy members in committed relationships. The celibacy rule, however, has yet to be overturned.
ELM provides support to gay and lesbian pastors and their congregations.
Chicago Bishop Wayne Miller has already gone on the record that he will not discipline Resurrection Lutheran Church for calling a lesbian to be its pastor. Miller replaced former Bishop Paul Landahl, who brought the 'refrain and restraint' resolution to the floor during the August assembly.
The anti-gay policy was a hot issue during the summer assembly, following the July removal of a popular Atlanta pastor, Rev. Bradley Schmeling, from the ELCA roster because of his committed same-sex relationship.
Rude said Miller could have taken a variety of actions if he wanted, ranging from writing a letter of censure to removing the congregation from the ELCA. Congregations have been expelled only a couple of times since 1990.
'He is looking forward to staying in conversation and community with Resurrection,' Rude said. She has been with Lakeview's Resurrection since August 2005, when she started as an intern. Since August 2006, she has served as the church's community minister. Rude is also a youth outreach minister with The Night Ministry.
The congregation voted to call Rude as their pastor in late October. 'It's really exciting,' she said. 'I am honored and humbled to receive this call from a congregation.'
While in college, Rude felt the call to ministry. During that time, she also came out. Despite ELCA's celibacy rule, Rude decided to go through the process of candidacy for ordination. The ELCA candidacy committee indefinitely postponed its decision to approve Rude due to her non-compliance with the celibacy rule.
'I went through, …knowing that I probably wouldn't get through the whole process, but knowing it was important to keep the issue on the table and keep real people's lives in the face of committees and in the face of decisions,' she said.
ELM has already planned to also ordain lesbian Jen Nagel of Minneapolis' Salem Lutheran in January 2008. Twelve 'extraordinary ordination' services have taken place since the first one was performed in San Francisco 17 years ago.
Despite the fact that the discriminatory celibacy policy was not stricken down at the biennial assembly, Rude remains hopeful. 'I believe it will happen eventually,' she said. 'I feel like people are moving and challenging the policy. It's really going to take congregations and pastors stepping up and coming out as either GLBT or as allies and challenging the church.'