S.F. Lutheran
church to ordain noncelibate lesbian

A Lutheran congregation in San Francisco is scheduled to ordain an openly gay minister June 16 who is not celibate--a move that directly challenges the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's policy of requiring lifelong celibacy of its gay and lesbian clergy while imposing no such restrictions on heterosexuals. The ceremony will mark the third such challenge to the policy in eight months.

Dawn Roginski will be ordained at St. Francis Lutheran Church in an "extraordinary ordination" service. The ceremonies, which run outside the usual guidelines of Lutheran ordinations by certifying the credentials of openly identified sexual minorities, have been fashioned by the Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries. Fourteen ECLA and two independent Lutheran congregations are now served by openly gay pastors who have gone through the "extraordinary candidacy project."

As it faces increased pressure to overturn the policy, ELCA will revisit the issue at its biennial assembly August 6-11 in Chicago. (The Advocate)