Birmingham, USA - The nation's largest Presbyterian group, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), opened its national meeting Thursday by electing a Georgia minister to lead the 2.3 million-member denomination.
The Rev. Joan S. Gray will serve as the titular leader and spokeswoman for the church, which will grapple with issues including homosexuality and Mideast peace during the eight-day General Assembly.
In addressing the question of whether to ordain gays, Gray said she was torn between her desire to respect all people and the fact she "can't get my mind" around the idea that homosexuality is part of God's plan.
Gray said she has no specific plan for healing rifts within the church, but said members must "recapture our spiritual energy."
"I really believe God will lead us," said Gray, who was elected on the third ballot.
The church, like other mainline U.S. denominations, is trying to reverse years of membership declines. It announced last month that 75 employees would lose their jobs because of more than $9 million in budget cuts.
Gray replaces Rick Ufford-Chase, who supports including gays in the ministry, one of several contentious issues on the meeting agenda.
Convention attendees will consider how the denomination should handle churches that want to ordain openly gay ministers. A task force proposal could result in some congregations ordaining non-celibate homosexuals.
Attendees also will reconsider a 2004 decision to begin divesting from companies that do business with Israel. Supporters of the move claimed multinational corporations wrongly profited from the construction of the security barrier in and around Palestinian territory.
The denomination, based in Louisville, Ky., is the largest of several U.S. Presbyterian groups, including the more conservative Presbyterian Church in America, which pulled out in the 1970s. It has almost 11,000 congregations.