The
Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage by the Minnesota Legislature
Some Implications
for Pastors and Congregations of the Northwestern Minnesota Synod
A working document by Bishop Lawrence
R. Wohlrabe, NW MN Synod ELCA
On May 14, 2013 Governor Mark Dayton signed into law a
bill[1]
that had been passed by the Minnesota House and Senate to legalize same-sex
marriage in the State of Minnesota. The
law goes into effect in August, 2013.
Congregations, church councils and pastors in our synod are
now wondering, “What does this mean for us?
How will we respond to requests for same-sex marriage ceremonies in our
church buildings or, if off site, to be presided over by our pastors?” In this document I hope to offer some guidance
for important local conversations that will be happening in congregations of
our synod.
Some Considerations to Keep in Mind:
1.
Lutherans
understand marriage to be one of God’s gifts bestowed on the whole
creation. For Lutherans marriage has
never been a sacrament of the church as it is in, for example, the Roman
Catholic Church. An ordained pastor who
conducts a religious wedding ceremony for two persons who have obtained a valid
wedding license and are legally eligible to marry, simultaneously functions
under Minnesota state law to solemnize the civil marriage between these
two parties.
2.
Pastors
minister with couples seeking marriage as part of their calls to serve
congregations. Most pastors, wisely, do
not see themselves as “Marrying Sams” who have “hung out a shingle” to marry
anyone who shows up at a church. At the
same time, some pastors view their work with couples approaching marriage as
one of the ways they can open the door to invite persons into the Christian
life. As we approach this issue it will
be important for pastors to be in conversation with the congregations that call them, regarding how congregations may or
may not change their marriage policies in response to the legalization of
same-sex marriage.
3.
The same-sex marriage legislation provides
exemptions to religious organizations and/or ministers whose beliefs prevent
them from being able to officiate at same-sex marriages (see the text of the
legislation under footnote 1)
4.
The ELCA
Social Statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust (2009), declares
“Marriage is a covenant of mutual promises, commitment, and hope
authorized legally by the state and blessed by God. The historic Christian
tradition and the Lutheran Confessions have recognized marriage as a covenant between
a man and a woman, reflecting Mark 10: 6–9: ‘But from the beginning of
creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his
father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined
together, let no one put asunder.” (Jesus here recalls Genesis 1:27;
2:23–24.) p. 15
5.
Concerning same-sex marriage, the social
statement goes on to say:
“Recognizing that this conclusion differs from the historic Christian
tradition and the Lutheran Confessions, some people, though not all, in this church
and within the larger Christian community, conclude that marriage is also the
appropriate term to use in describing similar benefits, protection, and support
for same-gender couples entering into lifelong, monogamous
relationships. They believe that such accountable relationships also
provide the necessary foundation that supports trust and familial and community
thriving. Other contractual agreements, such as civil unions, also seek to provide
some of these protections and to hold those involved in such relationships accountable
to one another and to society.” P.
18
The social statement seems to be
open-ended regarding the question of same-sex marriage. Such open-endedness is
further reflected in the ministry policy recommendations that were passed at
the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The
first two of these recommendations committed our church body to “bear one another burdens, love the neighbor,
and respect the bound consciences of all,” and to find “ways to allow congregations that choose to
do so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable lifelong,
monogamous, same-gender relationships.”
6.
Members of our congregations will want to seek
ways of discussing these questions with love, respect and regard for issues of
conscience that persons on all sides of the question may bring to the
table. The pastor and his/her conscience-bound
reflection regarding same-sex marriage needs to be taken seriously in such
conversations.
7.
As you discuss this issue, one way to frame the
question might be: “How might our congregation and pastor(s) recognize, support and hold
publicly accountable same-sex couples, with valid Minnesota marriage licenses,
who request to be married in our church building or on our church grounds, or
who request our pastor to preside at an off-site marriage ceremony?” This is essentially a local,
congregational question—as has always been the case with non-sacramental rites
of the church such as marriages, funerals and confirmations. We who serve you on the synod staff will be
available to consult with pastors and congregational leaders, but we will not
be proposing synodical policies
regarding what has always been a matter of congregational discernment.
8.
If your congregation is led toward being open to
same-sex marriage ceremonies, please note that the ELCA does not have an
“official” rite or liturgy for marriage, blessing, or union of same-gender
persons. Some ELCA congregations and
other church bodies have produced liturgical resources that may be helpful to
us.
9.
It goes without saying that pastors will continue
to bless marriages involving opposite-sex partners. This is important for us to remember as we
hear strong opinions expressed that suggest the Minnesota Legislature has
“demolished” or “abolished” traditional male-female marriage. That has not happened, and the church needs
to be a thoughtful voice in such discussions.
Having Good Conversations About this Topic
The kinds of conversations that need to happen will play
out differently in each congregation.
Here are a few ideas to guide you as you approach the conversation that your congregation needs to have:
·
Take ample time for prayerful, careful
conversations in your congregation.
Because congregations and pastors may soon face requests for same-sex
marriage ceremonies, your council might want to consider adopting an interim (short-term) policy that can be
reviewed and refined following fuller discussion within the congregation.
·
Ponder the question of which leadership group in
the congregation might most appropriately address this question. For example, if the church council normally
adopts marriage policies and procedures, it might be best for the council to
take the first steps in addressing the question of same-sex marriages (and the
council will probably be the appropriate body to draft an interim policy in
this regard).
·
Two resources that have been developed in our
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America might be helpful:
Talking Together as Christians
About Tough Social Issues available
for downloading at http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Moral-Deliberation.aspx;
Report of the
Communal Discernment Task Force is available
at http://swmnelca.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/exhibit-i-part-2-with-appendices.pdf
Such resources can help shape congregation
council discussions and open forums among church members. They can also help you move into small-group discussions that
intentionally bring together folks with differing viewpoints.
·
As members of the Body of Christ, let us not
lead with threats or ultimatums: “If our
congregation permits (or does not permit) same-sex marriage ceremonies,
I will leave.” As we discuss possible
courses of action in our congregations, let us also avoid hasty approaches that
immediately create winners and losers, e.g.
demanding a congregational meeting to “take a vote” on a proposed policy.
·
Try to think about this issue not in the
abstract, but with real live people in mind.
Chances are the persons who will request a same-sex marriage in your
congregation are persons you will know and love--or the sons or daughters of
persons you know and love.
Jesus makes a wonderful promise in Matthew 18:20: “For
where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” What makes this promise even more comforting
for us right now is that Jesus’ promise focuses on times when we’re dealing
with conflict and tough issues (Matthew 18:15-19).
God be with you!
Lawrence R. Wohlrabe
Bishop, Northwestern Minnesota Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God’s work. Our hands.
Date of draft:
May 22, 2013
[1]
Unofficial text of the bill is available at https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/?id=74&doctype=Chapter&type=0&year=2013. The final form of the bill will be posted on
this website during the summer of 2013.