A Pastoral Letter to the Ministerium

of the Lower Susquehanna Synod

Concerning Same-Gender Marriage

 

May 30, 2014

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In a turn of events that took nearly everyone by surprise, last week it became legal for same-gender couples to obtain a marriage license in Pennsylvania. Same-sex marriage became legal after a federal judge ruled unconstitutional the state's 1996 ban on same-sex marriage, and then our governor announced that the Commonwealth would not appeal the ruling.

 

This has caused much discussion within our church, and many Lower Susquehanna Lutherans have contacted my office for clarification on what this means for us.

 

First, I acknowledge that within our Synod there are differing reactions to this news. Some of us are joyful and welcome this news as an example of God's love sweeping away discrimination and injustice that has harmed some of our brothers and sisters.

 

Others of us are disappointed that a centuries-old norm of church and society has been overturned so suddenly, changing our cultural environment for witness of the church.

 

There is room in our Synod for both opinions. Our Lutheran church has made it clear that faithful Christians may, at times, disagree on important matters. As a result, we will listen to, honor and respect our brothers and sisters who hold different viewpoints on same-gender marriage and who have chosen different responses in their ministry contexts.

 

In conversation with many of you since this news broke, I have been impressed by and appreciative of your desire to be faithful. I give thanks to God for each of you and your commitment and fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Many have asked, "May I -- or must I -- now preside at same-gender weddings?" The state provides a straightforward answer:  You may preside at a same-gender wedding, but you are not required to do so.

 

However, our church provides a more nuanced answer, given the ecclesial context in which we live and minister.

 

We look to our denomination's 2009 social statement, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust," which provides common language for our church's continued deliberation about marriage.  Our social statement reflects the wider legal and divine interest in marriage in its brief definition: "Marriage is a covenant of mutual promises, commitment, and hope authorized legally by the state and blessed by God."

 

Our social statement recognizes that the historic Christian tradition and the Lutheran Confessions have viewed marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman, reflecting Mark 10:6-9. At the same time the statement acknowledges that many have concluded, "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."

 

It is always a challenge to bear witness to the Christian faith. Pastors do not act on their own authority, but by Christ's authority, which is entrusted to them by the church in the rite of ordination.  But pastors do exercise their charge contextually, in a particular local expression of the Church, in cooperation and conversation with the people they serve. What might the legality of same-sex marriage mean in your context?

 

For Lower Susquehanna Lutherans, our Synod Council has adopted a statement that we hope will provide clarity and guidance for how we approach same-gender marriage in our varied ministry contexts. As you will read from the statement, which accompanies this letter, our Synod does not proscribe a one-size-fits-all policy, but rather empowers and encourages the faithful of each congregation and ministry setting to determine their own best path forward. We invite rostered leaders and those in their ministry settings to discuss the issue - prayerfully, honestly, respectfully and faithfully - in order to discern whether and how their existing policies and procedures on weddings might be revised in light of same-gender marriage in Pennsylvania.

 

To the faithful Lower Susquehanna Lutherans who question "What's next?" I must step out of the common language that our church has given for this conversation and draw on pastoral responses that seem authentic to me.

 

First, trust your people, and listen to them. Engage them in patient and honest conversation. Live with them in such a way that your words and actions evoke questions for which the Gospel is the answer. I have found that yielding the self in pastoral care for others can at times be a higher value than holding firmly to personal conviction. As St. Peter wrote, "Tend the flock of God that is in your charge, not under compulsion but willingly, not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:2-3) 

 

Second, be careful with language. Although our liturgical rites are subject to refinement in every generation, they do embody the wisdom and discernment of many hundreds of years of Christian thought and practice. Take the words that your church has given you and use them in faithful administration of the charge entrusted to you. And if you find that your church has not given you language that fits the context of your pastoral care, turn first to liturgical language that your sister churches have developed and refined, so that your contextual work may be as expressive of the catholic faith as possible.

 

And finally, live and serve as a ministerium, respecting each other and counting on each other the more fully to bear witness to Christ together. Because you are differing members of one body, your gifts for ministry and pastoral care may well complement and supplement the gifts that your brothers and sisters bring to the same office. Your thoughts and those shared with me by my sisters and brothers in the conference of bishops have provided valuable insights and reminders that, left to me, I most certainly would have overlooked. The office we share is wider than any one of us alone can adequately exercise.

 

St. Paul prayed, "May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."  (Romans 15:5-6)  Let us make this our prayer as well.

 

+ James S. Dunlop

 

Click here to access the guidelines for same gender marriage endorsed by Synod Council.

Click here to access a PDF document of this pastoral letter.