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‘That all may freely serve’

S.F. Presbytery first in PCUSA to use ordination loophole

By Derek Yee

From the May 2008 Print Edition

American Presbyterians are in the middle of a heated debate over the ordination of homosexuals that may come to a head next month when representatives from churches across the country will convene in San Jose.

This convention, called the General Assembly, is the biennial meeting of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. It is at this meeting that Presbyterians will discuss this contentious issue. Though the General Assembly is still a month away, the battle for gay and lesbian ministers in the Bay Area has already begun.

In January, the San Francisco Presbytery paved the way for the ordination process of Lisa Larges, an openly lesbian candidate for the ministry of Word and Sacrament in the PCUSA. According to the Presbyterian News Service, three hours of discussion ended in a vote of 167-151, favoring Larges.

The PCUSA is the denominational home to more than 10,000 churches with 2.3 million members. Like other “mainline” Protestant denominations, the PCUSA has seen a decline in membership since the 1960s. In recent years, these denominations have struggled to remain culturally relevant — one of the hot-button issues has been ordination. One of the PCUSA’s sister denominations, the United Church of Christ, has ordained homosexual persons as ministers since 1972, and the Episcopal Church ordained a gay bishop in 2003. Methodist and Lutheran churches have also grappled with the issue.

In 2006, at the PCUSA’s biennial General Assembly, an “Authoritative Interpretation” was adopted. This gave each local presbytery the option to determine how to interpret G-6.0106b in the Book of Order, which comprises part of the church constitution.

G-6.0106b states, “Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.”

Individual churches in the San Francisco Presbytery have already violated G-6.0106b, to a lesser extent. Larges is currently an ordained deacon at Noe Valley Presbyterian Church in San Francisco.

The Presbytery of San Francisco chose to allow Larges to declare a “departure” from the ordination standard for becoming a minister of the Word and Sacrament. Larges said that she believed that it was not one of the standards of the historic Reformed faith. As a practicing lesbian, Larges has served as a minister coordinator for That All May Freely Serve, an organization that advocates for the inclusion of LGBT persons in the Presbyterian Church. While many supported Larges in her quest for ordination, there was a vocal minority who felt that it was a violation of the PCUSA’s constitution.

The issue of ordination is of importance to Presbyterians across the United States, but Larges’ case hits close to home. Of the 78 congregations in the San Francisco Presbytery, there are three active parishes in Berkeley. These churches, varying in size, ethnic makeup, and religious viewpoints, represent the diversity of the presbytery.

The largest of these churches is the First Presbyterian Church, an evangelical congregation that has about 1,800 members, located adjacent to the UC campus. Calvary Presbyterian Church, a bilingual English and Chinese faith community, is located on the north side of campus, and St. John’s, which is more progressive, is situated on the south side of campus. The Berkeley congregations would be affected in one way or the other if homosexual ordination received the denomination’s approval.

The Reverend Debbie Whaley of First Presbyterian Church chaired the committee that recommended Larges as ready for examination, the first step in the ordination process.

The Reverend Karl Shadley, who is the Senior Co-Pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church, worked with Larges when he served on the Committee on Preparation for Ministry.

“I actually know Lisa. I think she’s an incredible minister, and a phenomenal preacher. She brings both insight and humor — I love hearing her preach. As far as being ordained, I am not advocating for that right now,” Shadley said. “Though I might disagree with some of the things she says, I think she has great integrity.”

Students who identify as Presbyterian also have opinions about Larges’ ordination process. Third-year student Julia Delk, who is a lifelong Presbyterian and currently attends First Presbyterian Church, gave her thoughts on the S.F. Presbytery’s decision.

“I hope that the direction of the church is the will of the Lord,” Delk said.

This year’s General Assembly will be the 218th for the Presbyterian Church. Here, delegates will elect a new moderator, who will lead the Assembly. They will also make decisions that may change some of the provisions in the Book of Order. Some churches have submitted overtures to change the denomination’s policy regarding ordination, in favor of those with different sexual orientations.

“I don’t think these overtures will pass at this time,” Shadley said.

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