WINNIPEG, MB—Following hours of emotional discussion, delegates attending the biennial convention for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) defeated a resolution to allow blessings for same-sex unions.

If passed, the resolution would have given each congregation the freedom to decide if it would or would not bless same-sex relationships. Authorization to perform such blessings would have required the consent of the pastor and a two-thirds approval vote from the congregation. A rite of blessing was yet to be developed.

However, the vote failed to come close to the two-thirds majority required for approval. Meeting in Winnipeg July 21-24, 408 delegates voted by secret ballot, with 45 per cent in favour of the motion, 54 per cent against and five abstentions.

That outcome culminated hours of passionate, respectful debate as dozens of delegates lined up at microphones to express their views. Most spoke in favour of the motion.

“I see it as the middle way, the middle course,” said a pastor from New Hamburg, Ontario. “There are two theologies broadly reflected in the hearts and the minds of our people.

“Both take the scriptures seriously. Both are true to the confessions in their own way. Both [views] are held by…Christians and by grace-filled people and people of good will…. Both are Lutheran [but] have different responses to the blessing of same-sex couples in committed relationships.”

The pastor said he was asked to preside at the blessing of a gay couple in his church seven years ago. While he declined at that time, he says he has since studied the issue extensively and “might be willing to cross that threshold should it come again.”

Other delegates were not as willing to consider the idea. Doing so would “condone and embrace a sinful act,” said one, who called the motion a “take over of the ELCIC by a special interest group.

“Many delegates are duped into believing this is an act of caring, compassion and inclusiveness,” the delegate continued. “I don’t believe it is…a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Meanwhile, a gay pastor from Selkirk, Manitoba told delegates “we feel the rightness of this motion with every cell in our bodies…. I don’t think we’re blessing sin; I think we’re blessing justice, achieving righteousness.”

Another pastor from Lutheran Church of the Cross (Victoria, B.C.) expressed his appreciation for the special “listening circles” held prior to the vote. There, delegates gathered in small groups to discuss the issue and to share personal perspectives, although it did lead him to wonder, “How can the same Spirit lead us in such a different directions?”

A local option would allow congregations to make their own decisions on the issue, he said, adding that for many young people, the rite of blessing is a “non issue” although the “impact on them will be significant” in determining “if this is a church for them or not.”

Not everyone agreed that the local option would be beneficial, however.

While homosexuals should be made “welcome in our midst,” said one pastor from Cold Lake, Alberta, the ELCIC would be “bowing to the pressure that does not come from within ourselves,” should it allow pastors to bless same-sex unions.

“I believe that we as Lutheran Christians have the duty to uphold what we have held true and valued for centuries,” he said, and that the church needs to take more time to “come to a solution that helps us grow stronger, not weaker.”

Others warned of a possible mass exodus from the church if same-sex blessings were approved. “If this resolution passes, it will mark the end of this convention for many,” one delegate said.

The ELCIC’s National Church Council brought the resolution to the convention after extensive study and input from a broad range of groups. An attempt to table the motion for further study and a vote at the next biennial in 2007 was also defeated.

However, Raymond Schultz, who was re-elected as the ELCIC’s national bishop for another term, says the issue is likely to resurface at the national level.

“The vote was almost a 50-50 split, which means half of our church is not satisfied with the outcome,” he said in a press release. “I can’t imagine this going on for very long without people in the church starting another initiative.”