On May 15 and 16, the Metropolitan New York Synod (MNYS) will hold its annual assembly. I will attend, as pastor of a member congregation, and Eric Johnson will serve as a lay voting member. Gene Hiigel, in his role as MNYS council member, will also be present, and have voting privileges.

A significant focus of the assembly will be a response to Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, and Report and Recommendations for Ministry, recently completed by the Taskforce for ELCA Studies on Sexuality. Full texts of these documents can be found here.

The statement, and the recommendations, are too extensive to report in full here. The core issue is that the ELCA Taskforce recommended specific resolutions to this summer’s Church Wide Assembly. If enacted, these resolutions would “find ways to allow congregations and synods that choose to do so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships as a necessary first step toward [clergy] rostering;” “find a way for people in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders of this church;” and create “structured flexibility in decision making to allow, in appropriate situations, people in publicly accountable, monogamous, lifelong, same-gender relationships to be approved for the rosters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.”

Plain English: will our denomination formally recognize same-gender relationships, and provided that persons in such relationships, who are otherwise qualified, may be called as pastors in the ELCA? The 2009 MNYS Assembly will be asked to recommend that the 2009 Churchwide Assembly adopt these recommendations.

In our polity, when synods assemble we speak of “voting members.” Eric and I are not “delegates;” we cast our votes according to our conscience and our faith. I will vote in support of these recommendations. I will do so recognizing that many in our synod, and some in our congregation, have a different opinion. There is concern that adopting these recommendations will lead to dissension and even schism. I pray that, whatever is decided, such will not be the case.

I ask that you hold the MNYS Assembly in prayer, especially on May 15 and 16. Pray that we are guided by the Holy Spirit, instilled with a spirit of peace, discernment and reconciliation. May it be so…

Pastor Parsons