A Webster City pastor says it will take some time for congregations to adjust after a vote by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America to lift a ban on allowing gay and lesbian couples to serve as ministers of the church. Until now, gays and lesbians had to remain celibate to serve as clergy. Reverand Mike Kroona says he is relieved that after eight or 10 years of discussion, the church has at least made a decision.
Kroona says "there’ll be some who’ll be concerned about it." He says the social statement passed with the issue notes that "the church is not of one mind" and there are people on both sides of the issue. Kroona says now that the vote is done, they have to move forward.
He says the important thing to remember is that "we recognize we can be together even though we don’t agree." Kroona says it will be "a struggle" but he says he’s hopeful that "the spirit was a part of that decision, I’m trusting that it was, and as we move along, whether we have some choppy water or not, that the spirit will continue to guide and lead us." The decision was made at the church’s conference in Minneapolis.