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ROY -- A church in Roy may end up affiliated with a different Lutheran congregation because of a split with national church leaders over gay priests.
Last summer the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America voted to allow openly practicing gay and lesbian pastors to preside over congregations instead of requiring gay pastors to practice celibacy, as had been the previous policy.
The Standard-Examiner reports that vote has caused concern for at least one Utah congregation. Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Roy will hold a forum on Thursday to talk about the possibility of joining a different Lutheran congregation, the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. The paper reports the church in Roy did not receive the two-thirds vote needed to secede from the ELCA.
Another church, The Ascension Lutheran Church of North Ogden, tells the paper it has increased membership since the policy change.
