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Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Collection (CLGS)
GTU 2017-11-02
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Title: Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Collection (CLGS)
Dates: 1977-2017
Collection Number: GTU 2017-11-02
Creator/Collector:
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
Extent: 7 linear feet (7 record boxes)
Repository:
Graduate Theological Union
Berkeley, California 94709
Abstract: The Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) Collection documents the efforts of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Lutherans
to support the theology of their denomination and like oriented ministers. The collection is owned by the Center for LGBT
and Gender Studies in Religion and managed by the Graduate Theological Union Archives.
Language of Material: English
Collection open for research.
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.
Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Collection (CLGS) . Graduate Theological Union
“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.
Biography/Administrative History
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.
Scope and Content of Collection
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.
Homosexuality -- Religious aspects -- Lutheran Church
Single people -- Sexual behavior
Lutheran Church – Doctrines
Sex -- Religious aspects -- Lutheran Church
Ordination -- Lutheran Church
Gay clergy
Lesbian clergy
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America -- Clergy
San Francisco, Calif.
Clergy