Consensus has been elusive, a point readily acknowledged by those who developed the sexuality statement and ministry proposals.
Lutherans Concerned/North America, a gay rights group, praised the sexuality paper for extolling the importance of committed relationships but criticized it for failing to include a marriage blessing for same-sex couples.
"We have . . . a blessing of liturgical furnishings, including chairs and kneelers. Surely we can find our way clear to have a rite of blessing for two people, good Christians, who wish to commit themselves to each other until death do they part," said Phil Soucy, a spokesman for the group.
Conservatives, meanwhile, argue that the any such shift in policy will alter fundamental biblical teachings about homosexuality.
A coalition of Evangelical Lutheran members and congregations issued a letter last week to voting members of the upcoming Churchwide Assembly meeting, urging them to defeat proposals they believe would put the denomination at odds with fellow Lutherans in Asia and Africa.
"There are going to be some congregations that leave," said the Rev. Mark Chavez of the Lutheran Coalition for Reform, a group that supports traditional Lutheran positions on marriage and other issues.
The church's presiding bishop, Mark S. Hanson, said he believes the Evangelical Lutheran tent can accommodate a spectrum of views, even as he laments that the debate has obscured the other works of the church and the common faith shared by Lutherans.
"I'm not naive about the possibilities that those who do not support the decisions will find it difficult to stay in this church body, but I'm committed that we will engage one another," Hanson said.
"I don't think the diversity we're experiencing is a problem to be solved. Diversity is a gift of God, just as unity is a gift of God."
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duke.helfand@latimes.com
