Earlier decision
withdrawn; gay Lutheran pastor asked to step down

The gay pastor of Atlanta's oldest Lutheran church has been asked to leave his post after an appeals committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted Monday to remove his name from the denomination's clergy roster. The decision ends a case that began when the pastor announced that he was in a non-celibate same-sex relationship, which is forbidden by the denomination.

Yet the Reverend Bradley Schmeling said he will not leave the pulpit of St. John's Lutheran Church, the Associated Press reported Thursday. This act of defiance could subject his 350-member congregation to punitive measures from the ELCA.

"The congregation issued a call to me in 2000, and as far as we are concerned, that hasn't changed," Schmeling said. "I'm disheartened [the decision] gives the impression the church is more interested in rules than in compassion."

The appeals committee decision overturns a ruling from an earlier panel, which had permitted the pastor to stay on the roster until August 15.

Schmeling came out to St. John's and his bishop before he was appointed as pastor in 2000. When Schmeling announced he had found a life partner last year, Bishop Ronald Warren of the ELCA's Southeastern Synod asked the pastor to resign. He refused, and the bishop began disciplinary proceedings, culminating in Monday's decision. (The Advocate)