The Rev. Dan Collison of First Covenant Church Minneapolis.
Posted on 06/28/2019 3:37:27 PM PDT by lightman
(RNS) — For the first time in its 134-year history, the Evangelical Covenant Church has voted to remove a congregation from its roster over its position on LGBTQ inclusion.
The vote to expel the First Covenant Church, a prominent and historic Minneapolis congregation, for being “out of harmony on human sexuality,” took place at the denomination’s annual meeting in Omaha on Friday (June 27).
The Minneapolis church has never performed a gay marriage, though a lesbian couple had an off-site wedding performed by its music director in 2014, which produced a series of conversations about its future over the past few years.
Then last year, the denomination suspended its pastor, the Rev. Dan Collison, after First Covenant said it would treat LGBTQ members as equals, allow married gay clergy and would be open to hosting same-sex marriages.
Both Collison and the church decided to defy the suspension, and he refused to accept the “care and discipline” of the denomination’s board of ministry. Instead the church kept his as pastor.
For the denomination, this was a step too far.
Three-quarters of the more than 1,000 delegates to the meeting voted to remove the church from the denomination, which includes 875 U.S. churches with about 300,000 members. A vote on whether to expel its pastor was pending; a retired pastor was expelled yesterday.
“I’m deeply saddened this ecclesial body doesn’t make room for openly LGBT individuals, other than to say you’re welcome but we won’t treat you equally,” said Collison. “Ultimately, it becomes a question of what is love about and what is inclusion about. It breaks my heart.”
Though far smaller than the United Methodist Church, which this year doubled-down on its ban on LGBTQ ordination and marriage, the ECC vote signals just how divisive the issue of sexuality remains in some Protestant circles. While many denominations, including the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church USA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have opened their ranks to LGBTQ clergy and marriage, many others have not.
First Covenant Church Minneapolis, a 145-year-old congregation whose church building occupies nearly an entire city block, is known for its outreach to the community. Its ministries include a shelter for homeless people and a childcare center. The church is now building a $42 million affordable housing project.
Collison, who has been pastor for 10 years, said the church has about six members who identify as LGBTQ and another dozen who attend but haven’t formally joined. Most of its members might be considered LGBTQ allies.
The ECC’s position on human sexuality states that heterosexual marriage, faithfulness within marriage and abstinence outside of marriage constitute the Christian standard.
“There is now a movement seeking to subvert the historic trust we have placed in the discernment of the Annual Meeting by refusing to live in harmony with our communally discerned position,” ECC President John Wenrich wrote Friday in a letter to denomination members.
“If these groups are successful in such efforts, we will continue to devote time, energy, and resources to conversations we have held now for more than 20 years, diverting our focus away from topics such as immigration, mass incarceration, justice and evangelism—matters that have never needed the presence of the faithful more than they do now.”
In addition to Collison, the denomination voted on Thursday (June 27) to suspend the credentials of the Rev. Steve Armfield, a retired pastor who officiated at the wedding of his son to another man, and later officiated at a lesbian wedding. Armfield is now serving as an interim pastor in another denomination.
Founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants, the denomination defines itself as “evangelical, but not exclusive; biblical, but not doctrinaire; traditional, but not rigid.”
But on the issue of gay rights, the denomination drew a line. “They’re building a wall around it that they’re trying to make impenetrable,” Collison said.
The Minneapolis church has begun a new association to support churches experiencing denominational hostility and assist them in becoming more inclusive. It calls the group the Covenant Collective.
The Rev. Dan Collison of First Covenant Church Minneapolis.
Uhh...Beep...Beep ..Beep...
God personally burned them to death by the city full, and left instructions elsewhere in the bible that they be killed.
I guess they just skip over the parts of the bible they don't like.
Those that accept these are fallen away.
Those that reject these are standing firm.
I don’t get it.
The rules are already written!!
it’s like changing baseball to be played with a basketball.
Nobody is FORCED to join or FORCED to stay.
The only difference is that if someone in the baseball world said they should use a basketball instead, they’d kick him out for the loon that he was :)
Yup. He's pegging the needle.
The governing body of this denomination, showed great courage, in my opinion, to do this. In today’s culture, in which we are supposed to embrace and celebrate homosexuality, this is a gutsy move.
Influenced by the world instead of influencing the world.
Christians have to do a better job of vetting their own schools of theology and from there what are the affirmations of faith a prospective clergy must make.
Also, Christians can counter the false meme of “hate” concerning biblical teachings on sex. It was never out of hate of any person that the pertinent scriptures were written. The biblical adage of loving the sinner and hating the sin must be stressed on both the former point and not just the latter.
Great ending to “Pride Month” IMHO.
And at the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, no less!
I’ve honestly never heard of the Evangelical Covenant Church group, and I grew up surrounded by church in all flavors.
Anyway, good for them. They’ll be attacked mercilessly, now.
Yes, it is a CALL to REPENTANCE and CONVERSION.
They also showed a great deal of longsuffering with the apostates, giving them several years to repent and turn around.
I'm sure there were ample signs of apostasy well in advance of this blatant move to queerify.
He has a wife, Holly.
“Ultimately, it becomes a question of what is love about...”
I think this guy needs to read his Bible more.
1 John 2 excerpts:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.....
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world....
If it like my denomination, not only is the body expelled, but the property is confiscated by the head church administration.
BTW, I have no problem with women preachers.
I wonder if she knows. Or if he knows. :)
Good reason not to be an “evangelical” theyre liberal, so called “progressive”
Gay as a goose.
Rev. Dan of First Covenant Church Minneapolis.
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