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| Sam Birner, Martin Luther College (WELS) graduate, December, 2014 |
ELCA Bishops Hold Panel Discussion of Placement of LGBTQ Candidates
Revs. Jason Glombicki and Jen Rude
This past weekend ELM was invited to participate in a panel at the Conference of Bishops to talk about placement of LGBTQ candidates for rostered ministry. The panel included Proclaim pastor, Rev. Jason Glombicki, ELM program director Rev. Jen Rude, Bishop Mark Holmerud, Bishop Ralph Jones and ReconcilingWorks Executive Director Emily Eastwood. The panel was organized and facilitated by Bishop Jon Anderson. Each panelist shared from a unique perspective to further the conversation.
Some of the things we shared from ELM’s perspective:
+ We have 150 members of Proclaim, publicly identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Lutheran rostered leaders, seminarians and candidates
+ 45 synods are represented in Proclaim
+ 39 of our members are seminarians
+ Our community has tripled in size in the past 3 years and we are continuing to grow
+ 2 weeks ago, 8 of our members received assignments. These 8 join 13 other members of our community who are still awaiting first call, some after years of waiting.
+ 15 members of Proclaim are on internship this year and will be looking toward assignment next year.
+ God has indeed blessed our church with an abundance of gifts in these leaders!
+ 45 synods are represented in Proclaim
+ 39 of our members are seminarians
+ Our community has tripled in size in the past 3 years and we are continuing to grow
+ 2 weeks ago, 8 of our members received assignments. These 8 join 13 other members of our community who are still awaiting first call, some after years of waiting.
+ 15 members of Proclaim are on internship this year and will be looking toward assignment next year.
+ God has indeed blessed our church with an abundance of gifts in these leaders!
Things are shifting – the Spirit is moving in our church. During Q & A, bishops asked thoughtful and honest questions about how to best work with LGBTQ candidates. They shared stories of creative ministry, accompanying congregations becoming open to the gifts of LGBTQ leaders, and some bishops even shared parts of their own journey toward becoming more open.
Leading up the panel we shared the topic and collected thoughts from members of Proclaim, asking, “What would you like to say to a room full of bishops?”
Here are some of those thoughts we shared with the bishops:
1. Affirm our whole selves. During the assignment process, candidates want you to be talking about them as whole people, including, but not only, their sexual orientation and gender identity. In call processes, be in communication with candidates about how and when they want to come out to congregations.
2. We are qualified candidates. You are not being asked to take inferior candidates. LGBTQ candidates have fulfilled their requirements and have heard a call as strongly as their straight counterparts and have often endured a different kind of scrutiny in answering that call. LGBTQ candidates are a gift in our church, not a problem to be solved.
3. Help open possibilities. Be open and attentive to the gifts of your congregations, especially the gifts they may not have noticed themselves. We have experienced that some congregations may not have self-identified as being open to an LGBTQ candidate, but with thoughtful and open conversation with a bishop, they realized possibilities they had not imagined before.
4. Help provide access. Be sensitive to the reality that there are more limited call opportunities for LGBTQ people, and, unless there is some clear reason not to, allow a candidate’s paperwork to be seen by congregations, especially if the pastor or candidate has taken the time to review the congregation’s published info and contacted the synod office regarding that specific call.
5. Be aware of the legal landscape. State laws regarding marriage equality and protection for adopted children of gay and lesbian parents may be a factor for a candidate and their mobility. One candidate was assigned a synod where she would have no legal protection as the adoptive mother of her and her wife’s small child. They have since moved to a state that recognizes her family, but she is still awaiting first call after 3 years.
6. Help us do ministry in the waiting. Encourage your candidates to supply preach so they can be better known in the synod and so the church can receive their gifts. One member who was awaiting first call in the New England synod teamed up with a retired pastor – he offered to preside anytime she was invited to preach (and he let her keep the check!).
7. Our prayers are with you. One of our pastors who recently received a first call and will be ordained later this month shared these words for you: “Do not be afraid, but continue to walk with your clergy and candidates as the pastor to the pastors you are called to be, trusting also your call and the Spirit’s presence to guide you.”
2. We are qualified candidates. You are not being asked to take inferior candidates. LGBTQ candidates have fulfilled their requirements and have heard a call as strongly as their straight counterparts and have often endured a different kind of scrutiny in answering that call. LGBTQ candidates are a gift in our church, not a problem to be solved.
3. Help open possibilities. Be open and attentive to the gifts of your congregations, especially the gifts they may not have noticed themselves. We have experienced that some congregations may not have self-identified as being open to an LGBTQ candidate, but with thoughtful and open conversation with a bishop, they realized possibilities they had not imagined before.
4. Help provide access. Be sensitive to the reality that there are more limited call opportunities for LGBTQ people, and, unless there is some clear reason not to, allow a candidate’s paperwork to be seen by congregations, especially if the pastor or candidate has taken the time to review the congregation’s published info and contacted the synod office regarding that specific call.
5. Be aware of the legal landscape. State laws regarding marriage equality and protection for adopted children of gay and lesbian parents may be a factor for a candidate and their mobility. One candidate was assigned a synod where she would have no legal protection as the adoptive mother of her and her wife’s small child. They have since moved to a state that recognizes her family, but she is still awaiting first call after 3 years.
6. Help us do ministry in the waiting. Encourage your candidates to supply preach so they can be better known in the synod and so the church can receive their gifts. One member who was awaiting first call in the New England synod teamed up with a retired pastor – he offered to preside anytime she was invited to preach (and he let her keep the check!).
7. Our prayers are with you. One of our pastors who recently received a first call and will be ordained later this month shared these words for you: “Do not be afraid, but continue to walk with your clergy and candidates as the pastor to the pastors you are called to be, trusting also your call and the Spirit’s presence to guide you.”
The conversation continues. ELM continues to be a resource for synods, candidates, rostered leaders, and congregations working to celebrate the gift of LGBTQ people called to rostered ministry in the Lutheran church. Thanks for your partnership in this Spirit-filled work!
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Proclaim
One of ELM’s main programs is Proclaim, the professional community for Lutheran pastors, rostered lay leaders, candidates, and seminarians who publicly identify as LGBTQ.
ELM & Proclaim: Interested in knowing more about the roots of ELM and Proclaim? Read this interview on the history of ELM and how Proclaim became a program of ELM.
Photo by Emily Ann Garcia
Proclaim is a living witness of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries’ core belief that ministry by people who publicly and joyfully identify as LGBTQ is one way to change the church and society to become a place more fully inclusive of all people. We believe God’s Great Welcome Table is open to all, and that all kinds of people, including those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, are called to receive and share God’s gifts.
Proclaim gathers annually in retreat (usually 2 weeks after Easter). We move the gathering around the country and alternate between dates over a weekend and dates during the week. More information about the retreat HERE.
Seminarian Gus Barnes, Jr. and Rev. Angela Nelson leading worship. Photo by Emily Ann Garcia.
Proclaim was officially launched April 2, 2011 at a gathering of nearly 60 LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leaders, seminarians and spouses. The 2nd Proclaim retreat was in April of 2012 in Stony Point, NY. The 2013 Proclaim Retreat was April 12-15, 2013 at the Bishop’s Ranch in Sonoma, CA (group photo above). The 2014 Proclaim Retreat was May 4-7, 2014 at Heartwood Retreat and Conference Center in Trego, WI.
The 2015 Proclaim Retreat will be April 17-20, 2015 at Stony Point Retreat Center in Stony Point, NY.
Proclaim is open to rostered leaders, candidates, and seminarians, all Lutheran denominations and rosters (for example, ELCA,ELCIC, LCMS, ELM). This community welcomes all who fit this criteria and who wish to join.
Proclaim is funded by individual donations and through dedicated support from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the Phillip N. Knutson Endowment.
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Joseph Graumann featured in Living Lutheran
Wednesday, November 28th, 2012
Joseph Graumann, an MDiv candidate at Gettysburg, Fund for Leaders recipient, and Proclaim member is featured in a Living Lutheran article, and on the home page of the ELCA. Read his full article ” Called Through Love” here. Joseph writes offered this reflection on Proclaim & the importance of community:
As a gay future pastor in the church, I am so proud to be a part of Proclaim. Without the work of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, my education — let alone my participation in the Fund For Leaders program — would not be possible. While in Chicago, I met with Amalia to discuss how best to further Proclaim at Gettysburg seminary, and I was happy to find that there was such a vital community to be found in the organization. Even better, I was able to connect some LGBTQ-identified classmates with Proclaim’s resources and meet a fellow Proclaim-er at our annual Luther Bowl football tournament. Because of your work, I have found a welcome place both at Gettysburg and in the wider church.
For more on ELM’s Proclaim program go here: http://www.elm.org/proclaim/