Lutheran Coalition for Renewal (CORE) members announced today they plan to form a new body for those leaving the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Many Lutherans have been leaving the ELCA over a policy allowing practicing homosexuals to serve as clergy.
The Rev. Mark Chavez, a CORE director from Landisville, Penn., said the gay-clergy issue is just one of many reasons for the split.
"It's a question about the authority of God's Word and especially the authority of the Bible in the life of the Church," he said. "And the disagreement over sexuality is merely a symptom."
— Josh Montez
