Gay Pastor Refuses to Leave Pulpit

ATLANTA, GA -- An openly gay pastor of the oldest Lutheran church in Atlanta says he has no intention of leaving the pulpit even though church officials announced Thursday that they have relieved the pastor of his duties.

Rev. Bradley Schmeling told the 350-member St. John's Lutheran congregation and his bishop, Ronald Warren, that he is gay before he was chosen as pastor in 2000. When he announced that he had found a lifelong companion, Warren asked the pastor to resign. Schmeling refused and Warren started disciplinary proceedings against him.

A disciplinary committee ruled that Schmeling should be allowed to remain in his position until after ELCA's churchwide assembly in August. The committee also recommended that ELCA should remove its policy of demanding celebacy from gay pastors and to reinstate gay clergy who were removed or resigned because they were in a same-sex "lifelong partnership."

However, the Committee on Appeals on Monday said the first committee exceeded its authority by suggesting the church should change its policies and said Schmeling should be removed immediately.

Bishop Warren wrote in a response Thursday, "My decision to seek Pastor Schmeling's removal from the ministry of this church was difficult because of my deep respect for the pastor and the congregation at St. John's, but the policy of this church is clear."

St. John's members have backed Schmeling and the effort for the denomination to change its rules about sexually active gay clergy. Schmeling's decision to remain in St. John's pulpit could open the congregation to disciplinary action.