January 23, 2011
SARVER (PA) St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sarver has officially severed ties with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Now, the southern Butler County congregation, whose pastor is the Rev. Emery Barnett, is part of the recently formed North American Lutheran Church (NALC).
The change of church body affiliation was in reaction to an ongoing movement of the ELCA away from the authority and teaching of the Bible, fueled in part by the ELCA’s 2009 decision to accept and ordain clergy members who are in same-sex relationships. However, St. Paul’s council president, Bill Boyer, says that the congregation saw the problems in the ELCA as really not about sexual behavior but rather, the central issue being the authority of Scripture, and the membership has chosen to stand upon the Bible as the final authority in all matters of faith and life.
The process required of a congregation to leave the ELCA is specified in the constitution of both the ELCA and the member congregations, and consists of two separate votes of the membership which must pass by a 2/3 majority, with the second vote taking place at least 90 days after the first to allow for consultation with the synod bishop. St. Paul’s held their first such meeting on March 14, 2010, with the vote to leave the ELCA passing by 97 to 6.
The second vote to leave the ELCA occurred on November 14, 2010 and passed by a vote of 87 to 2. A second vote at that meeting was then held to determine which Lutheran body St. Paul’s would join, and the decision was 84 to 1 in favor of the NALC.
The final required step in the process, for churches like St. Paul’s that were members of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) prior to the formation of the ELCA, is approval by the local Synod Council. St. Paul’s representatives met with the Southwestern PA Synod Council on January 22 at Synod headquarters, completing the process.
Visit the North American Lutheran Church's website www.thenalc.org for more information or contact Hobie Kenton with questions.
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