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Wisconsin Church Votes to Stay with ELCA, Pastor Resigns
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
WAUSAU, WI--With gay clergy issues continuing to rip apart the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and congregations voting to leave the denomination at a rapid pace, members of First English Lutheran Church in Wausau, WI have voted to stay affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
In this case, however, the Rev. Scott Mann, will resign, effective Friday. Mann said he disagreed with the ELCA's decision last year to allow people in lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as pastors and other leaders. The resolutions, passed at the 2009 National Churchwide Assembly, also allowed individual congregations to make their own choices on the matter.
Mann said he's forming a new Lutheran congregation in the area with others who reject the ELCA decision.
First English members voted 153-64 on Sunday to stay with the ELCA.
Bishop Jim Justman,leader of the ELCA's East Central Synod of Wisconsin, which includes Wausau, said similar votes in other congregations have been much closer.
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