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Abstract: Heavy-hearted Canadian bishop threatens discipline against congregation for ordaining married gay man.
The ordination extra ordinem of Lionel Ketola at Holy Cross in Newmarket, Ontario is scheduled for Friday, May 16. Pr. Ketola is the first pastor from the roster of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) to be called and ordained by a congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). Throughout the call process, the congregation has consulted with Bishop Michael Pryse of the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). On April 30th, after the vote to call Pr. Ketola, Bishop Michael Pryse of the ELCIC's Eastern Synod informed the congregation that he intended to pursue disciplinary proceedings:
On April 20, 2008, your congregation voted to issue a call to a candidate who has not been approved for ordination through the candidacy processes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). This action marks a serious breach of the constitutional obligation of all congregations and rostered persons to "abide loyally by the constitution, administrative bylaws and enactments of this church and those of the synod of which it becomes a part." -- ELCIC Constitution Article VI, Section 3...
When I met with you earlier this year, I clearly detailed the processes I would be obliged to administer in response to this proposed action. Should the service on May 16, 2008 proceed as planned, I will have no choice but to initiate those processes, albeit with a deep and profound sadness.
Unlike the ELCA, the ELCIC has not yet recommended that its bishops refrain from discipline or exercise restraint in working with congregations who feel the church's refusal to acknowledge LGBT clergy is unjust.
In a letter to Bishop Pryse, the congregation responded that it's actions were not undertaken lightly, that they were mindful of their accountability to the ELCIC, and that they were not unprepared to accept the consequences of its decision. The congregation reiterated that it would "faithfully disobey," trusting that it was preferable to "err on the side of grace."
