Birmingham, USA - The 2.3-million-member Presbyterian Church (USA) is about to drop its ban on openly gay clergy.
A decades-long battle over the ordination of openly practicing homosexuals as clergy reached a major turning point this past week. A national vote among regional bodies of the denomination reached a majority favoring the removal of a ban on ordaining gays and lesbians.
The ordination standard requiring fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness, wording adopted in 1998, will be removed from the denomination's constitution, effective July 11.
The Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, the central Alabama regional body of the Presbyterian Church (USA), will debate and vote on the issue in Birmingham on Thursday, although there are already enough votes to drop the ban. Most of the discussion is likely to be about how big a rift this will cause in the denomination that has argued the issue for decades.
"I am an ordained elder in the church and I am gay," said Kevin Henderson, who was ordained by Edgewood Presbyterian Church in Homewood as an elder in 2008.
The vote opens a door of acceptance to people like him, he said. "It recognizes there are many gifted people who have been excluded from ministry who now have an opportunity," Henderson said.
He said he plans to attend Austin Presbyterian Seminary in the fall and would like to be a pastor. "Our congregation has had a process of never asking about sexual orientation or sexual practice," he said. "There were gays and lesbians ordained under the old standard."
"There have been conservative churches that have left the denominaton; that's one factor," Henderson said. "A larger factor is folks are coming to a new understanding of scripture. The Holy Spirit continues to work and guide our view of scripture, just as it changed 50 years ago on the ordination of women, and before that on the acceptance of slavery."
The Rev. Ed Hurley, senior minister of South Highland Presbyterian Church, said his congregation opposed the change and will continue to abide by its policy of not ordaining openly practicing homosexuals to the ministry. "Not because of any bias against any class of people, but because that's what scripture teaches," Hurley said. "We don't see our local congregation moving off that."
Hurley said South Highland remains loyal to its ties to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and will continue to focus on ministries such as mission work to Kenya. "Some of us get a little weary of the focus on these social issues," Hurley said. "They distract from our evangelistic outreach."
Leaders say they hope to keep the denomination united as the controversial transition takes place.
"I know there are some churches that will be pleased, and some displeased," said J. Harvey Jenkins, interim executive presbyter for the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley. "I'm hoping we won't have any churches leave. There's always a chance."
Jenkins said the policy change reflects change and debate in society.
The fidelity and chastity standard was approved in 1998 in objection to an increasingly open pursuit of equal rights to ministry by homosexuals.
"It was put in in response to gays and lesbians coming out of the closet," Jenkins said. "I'm sure there were gay ministers and elders before. It was kept in the closet. It was not such a public thing. It's become more prevalent."
This latest vote marks a new era in the denomination's evolving view of homosexuality.
"It really does clear the way for people who are openly gay and lesbian, practicing homosexuals, to qualify for the ministry," Jenkins said. "A local church will still decide who they want to ordain. The presbytery cannot require anybody to have a minister they don't want."
Jenkins said he thinks Presbyterians can unify around mission and outreach.
"Hopefully we can get people working together to accomplish the mission of the church without focusing on doctrinal disputes or social issue disputes," Jenkins said. "We can still all serve Christ together as we serve one another."