A lesbian lay preacher's application to become a minister has been rejected by the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand.
The church is refusing to reveal the reasons behind its decision – even to Deborah Gordon, a 40-year-old librarian and lay worker at St Andrews on The Terrace in Wellington, whom it rejected.
Two months ago, Ms Gordon was celebrating after the church's highest court overturned a decision made last year that barred her from training to become a minister. The church's National Assessment Workgroup had said she could not attend the annual assessment weekend because she was a lesbian.
The workgroup announced yesterday it had rejected her application to train as a minister.
Ms Gordon confirmed the group refused to say why her application was rejected. It was difficult to deal with being told she had been turned down for "some unspecified reason", she said. She believed she was the first person to apply openly as a lesbian. Though "pretty discouraged", she planned to apply again next year.
Presbyterian Church Moderator Michael Thawley said sexual orientation was not a factor in the "normal criteria" against which Ms Gordon's application was rejected.
"The normal criteria include factors such as a candidate's life and experience in the church, their education and their abilities in areas such as communication and leadership," he said.
The workgroup had more than 20 members, representing the church's "wide diversity". Mr Thawley could not say if any were gay.
A dozen people applied and eight were successful.
St Andrews minister Margaret Mayman said she understood the decision was based on a high voting threshold and Ms Gordon had been very close. The workgroup's silence was general practice but unhelpful.