Lutherans Allow Sexually Active Gay Priests

CHICAGO, IL -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church, which is the largest Lutheran body in the US, said Saturday that it will allow clergy members who are in homosexual relationships to serve as pastors.

The ELCA, which has 4.8 million members and already allows sexually abstinent gays to serve as pastors, passed a resolution at its annual assembly asking their bishops not to discipline pastors who are in "faithful committed same-gender relationships."

"The Church ... has just said, 'Do not do punishments,'" said Phil Soucy, spokesman the gay rights group Lutherans Concerned. "That is huge."

At the conference, the church also instructed a committee that is developing a social statement on sexuality to further investigate the issue. The statement is expected to be released in 2009.

Just as recently as last month, ELCA's committee on appeals voted to remove an openly gay pastor from St. John's Lutheran Church in Atlanta.

The resolution passed by a vote of 538-431.