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Evangelical denomination expels entire congregation over LGBT policy
Religion News Service ^ | 28 June A.D. 2019 | Yonat Shimron

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.


TOPICS: Current Events; Mainline Protestant; Ministry/Outreach; Moral Issues
KEYWORDS: analfetish; collinson; ecc; firstcovenantchurch; homosexualagenda; minneapolis; sodomandgomorrah; sodomites; sodomy
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To: ravenwolf
Neither. The confusion is coming because it was supposed to be a reflection on Grits; not you!


 

 

 

To: ravenwolf

Saying “the stupidity of religious people” is not informing people.
And yes you did say you’d run and hide.

61 posted on ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2019‎ ‎3‎:‎45‎:‎40‎ ‎PM by ProudGRITS (Proud GRITS. Girl Raised In The South)

101 posted on 06/30/2019 1:37:55 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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Comment #102 Removed by Moderator

To: Elsie

Ok, if i was up to par I would still only be half bright.

Thanks.


103 posted on 06/30/2019 3:05:29 PM PDT by ravenwolf
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To: ProudGRITS

Ok, if you want uphold the
queers that is your business but please stay away from me because
I do not believe in it.


104 posted on 06/30/2019 3:16:16 PM PDT by ravenwolf
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Comment #105 Removed by Moderator

To: ProudGRITS

I think FR folks are head & shoulders above media.

I’m sorry if you perceive me as a holier than thou type.

Lord knows I make enough gaffes here.


106 posted on 06/30/2019 4:26:59 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Bulwyf
They will eventually just join up with Islam.

Since Catholics won't be Catholics if they give up the Nicene Creed, and Muslims won't be Muslims if they embrace it, that's quite impossible.

107 posted on 06/30/2019 4:28:23 PM PDT by Campion ((marine dad))
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To: Campion

I am not going to be the one to say revelations is wrong.


108 posted on 06/30/2019 5:08:21 PM PDT by Bulwyf
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To: lightman

Bung bandits in the crowd


109 posted on 06/30/2019 5:33:49 PM PDT by okie 54
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Comment #110 Removed by Moderator

To: ProudGRITS

Ok, since you put it decent I will explain,
in the first place in my last comment to you
I meant to say uphold religion not queer.

That is because most of the gay marriage issues,
the gay pride marches the church discussions
on it either comes from the religious institutions
or is embraced by them so to me any one who upholds
religion is upholding all of those things.

I have been to serveral bible believing churches that
I liked but so many of them has incorporated with a world
wide religious institution.

Two different things to me, I hate to hear some one refer
to a good church as a religion a I also hate for some one
to refer to christianity as a religion it is an abomination.

Is God a religion? hell no, God is a fact, is his son a
religion? no he is also a fact.

Jesus never said anything good about religion but he told
the religionnests that they were of their father the devil.

If religion was of the devil then it is certainly of the devil
today.

In rev 18:4 g God says come out of her my people be not partakers
of her sins.

God was talking to his people, where would God’s people be that they may
would have to be told to come out?.

Most likely where they thought they was supposed to be but ain’t.

Jesus said let your yeas be yea and your nays be nay in other words tell it
like it is..

And my handle Raven wolf comes directly from the tribe of Benjamin so
hopefully not a witch.

You sound like such a sweet thing and young, I am 82 but if you can cook
grits maybe we could get together an have a grits eating contest as I also
love grits.


111 posted on 06/30/2019 8:21:19 PM PDT by ravenwolf
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To: Campion; teppe
Since Catholics won't be Catholics if they give up the Nicene Creed,

And Mormons will NEVER admit their Articles of Faith is a creed; but it is.


 

creed
/krēd/
noun
noun: creed; plural noun: creeds
  1. a system of Christian or other religious belief; a faith.
    "people of many creeds and cultures"
    synonyms: faith, religion, religious belief(s), religious persuasion, religious conviction, religious group, faith community, church; More
    persuasion, affiliation, denomination, sect, body, following, communion, order, school, fraternity, brotherhood, sisterhood
    "jobs should be available to all, irrespective of race or creed"
    • a formal statement of Christian beliefs, especially the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed.
      noun: Creed; noun: the Creed
      synonyms: system of belief, set of principles, statement of beliefs, profession of faith; More
      doctrine, teaching, ideology, ethic, dogma, tenet, catechism, credo;
      beliefs, principles, canons, articles of faith, maxims, rules, laws
      "the godparents will swear that they believe in the creed"
    • a set of beliefs or aims which guide someone's actions.
      "liberalism was more than a political creed"

112 posted on 07/01/2019 6:30:17 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: ravenwolf

I like ‘em; too.

When they come with my wife’s Cracker Barrel meal; she gives them to me.


113 posted on 07/01/2019 6:31:53 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: ProudGRITS
And ravenwolf is a witch name.

HMMMmmm…

I had assumed it was more inline with Native American culture.

Ravens and wolves are big spirit animals.

114 posted on 07/01/2019 6:34:26 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

Yep just eggs and grits with lots of butter, and if they don’t taste right just add a little salt.


115 posted on 07/01/2019 8:44:01 PM PDT by ravenwolf (I)
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To: ravenwolf

I take mine with sugar.


116 posted on 07/02/2019 4:20:45 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Flaming Conservative
"No they’re not! Did you not read it? They threw that whole congregation out."

Man..! I just got up and my little pea brain is still a little fuzzy, but this whole article makes no sense at all... They are or they ain't, they will or they won't....???

117 posted on 07/02/2019 4:48:31 AM PDT by unread (Joe McCarthy was right.......)
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To: Elsie

I like it like that also.


118 posted on 07/02/2019 6:32:23 AM PDT by ravenwolf (I)
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