Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Collection (CLGS), 1977-2017

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Summary

Creators:
First United Lutheran Church (San Francisco, Calif.) Saint Francis Lutheran Church (San Francisco, Calif.) Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries Extraordinary Candidacy Project
Abstract:
Extent:
7 linear feet (7 record boxes)
Language:
Preferred citation:

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Collection (CLGS) . Graduate Theological Union

Background

Scope and content:

The arrangement follows the original order: Series 1, Board of Directors; Series 2, Extraordinary Candidacy; Series 3, Outreach; Series 4, Official Statements; Series 5, Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries; Series 6, Newspaper and other clippings; Series 7, Correspondence; and Series 8, Internal Documents; and Series 9, Stoles, t-shirts, and other miscellaneous materials.

Biographical / historical:

The Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) represent the efforts of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Lutherans to support the theology of their denomination and support like oriented ministers. The ELM represents a merger of two organizations, Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries, founded in 1990, and the Extraordinary Candidacy Project. Founded in 1993), in 2007. Two San Francisco Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregations, St. Francis Lutheran Church and First United Lutheran Church, joined together to form Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries (LLGM) in 1990. They requested a gay man and a lesbian couple to become their pastors. However, as these qualified ministers were sexually active, this violated the ELCA rule that same sex-oriented ministers be celibate. After a grueling fight, this led to both churches being expelled from the ELCA in 1996. The Extraordinary Candidacy Project was formed in 1993 to credential openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons to be ministers in the Lutheran Church. The preparation matched the process by the ELCA. The focus was to assist ministerial candidates who had been denied commissioning and ordination due to their sexual orientation or who had been removed because of their sexual orientation. In 2009, the ELCA voted to admit gay and lesbian pastors into the clergy, sending an apology and invitation to reunite with the two San Francisco congregations. St. Francis voted to rejoin in 2009. First United rejoined in 2012.

Acquisition information:
“The Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Collection” ” belongs to the larger archival collection of The Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion (CLGS) at Pacific School of Religion, a member school of The Graduate Theological Union. Materials received in November 2016 from Amelia Vagts, Executive Director of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. The GTU Archives is the designated repository.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to The Graduate Theological Union. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Graduate Theological Union as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred citation:

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Collection (CLGS) . Graduate Theological Union

Location of this collection:
2400 Ridge Road
Berkeley, CA 94709, US
Contact:
(510) 649-2523/2501
archives@gtu.edu
Website