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CENTERVILLE — The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s social statement regarding gay clergy has spurred one of the biggest churches in the area to consider division as it teeters on the edge of financial collapse.
In his Nov. 2 letter to the congregation, Senior Pastor John Bradosky at Epiphany Lutheran Church said he and its Congregational Council recommended the proposed division of the congregation “to acknowledge and validate” two distinct groups within the church.
“I know this recommendation will come as a shock to many of you who may not be informed regarding a growing sense of division within our congregation and the resulting struggles with finances, attendance and participation in ministry,” Bradosky wrote.
ELCA ruling
In August 2009, the ELCA approved a social statement on human sexuality that reached no conclusion on whether homosexuality is sinful. Then the group lifted the celibacy requirement for gay ministers.
Epiphany, which started as a mission church in Centerville in 1959, is a member of the ELCA — a less conservative Lutheran denomination.
This social statement, although it has been discussed by the ELCA for years, has proved to be a divisive element for many Lutheran churches.
“It was kind of forced on us,” said the Rev. Roger Herrick, whose Trinity Lutheran Church in Springfield decided to leave the ELCA and join the traditionally focused National American Lutheran Church. “If you are going to remain faithful to the scripture, you’ve got to make a decision.”
At Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Kettering, however, the Rev. Tom Prochaska said he and other members of his church leadership are just trying to stay the course.
“How we are handling it here is we are just personally talking to people who are concerned,” Prochaska said, adding that Good Shepherd has not adopted the ELCA change. “The church wants us to live together.”
At Epiphany, the challenge of living together is at the heart of its dispute.
The congregation passed a resolution in February to stay with the ELCA and “agree to disagree” regarding the gay clergy issue.
But, since that time, Bradosky wrote: “Resistance to that ruling deepened as financial support continued to decrease.”
Bradosky and council leadership members did not return calls seeking comment for this story.
Other issues
Some within the congregation see the ELCA ruling as a catalyst for a division that already existed.
At a Nov. 7 meeting held to discuss the recommendation to split the congregation, Gary Shooter, the chairman of the church’s finance committee, asked if the vote should instead be about whether the senior pastor should resign.
“My heart is deeply saddened by this move by our leadership for division,” Shooter said later. “It appears that our council and leadership have an opinion about this matter that is running contrary to the majority of our congregation.”
In the council meeting minutes from Oct. 19, council president Roseann Costantino listed the ELCA issue as just one of Epiphany’s concerns; also listed were lack of unity on the council and Bradosky’s leadership and theology.
According to the meeting minutes, congregant Tom Gariety said he supports the ELCA but “that the current ELCA issues are analogous to cow patties in a farm pasture. They are necessary but we should avoid stepping on them or throwing them at each other.”
Congregant Rob Miller called the division an old-fashioned power struggle.
“The great mass (of the congregation) is sort of unaligned,” Miller said. “But because they have to vote to change things from the way they are, it scares the bejeebers out of them. The militant (members) use them as a hammer to beat on John (Bradosky).”
Finances also disputed
Despite the council referring to “a crippling financial deficit which will have devastating effects on the viability of Epiphany,” Shooter claimed that the church is financially strong.
“That misinformation was sent in a letter by our council,” he said. “As a member of the finance team and the chairman of the Austin Pike building team, the financial condition of Epiphany is solid. To buy land, build a second campus in a recession is a testimony to our strength. Our assets far outweigh our debt.”
However, according to the Oct. 19 council minutes, Shooter noted that the church plans to cut $229,557, of 15 percent, from the 2011 budget.
In the Sept. 21 council minutes, it was noted that Epiphany staff salaries would be cut by 10 percent as of Oct. 1.
What’s next?
The council said the purpose of the straw poll is to assess the opinions of all disciples before moving forward. “The next step or steps will be determined once the straw poll results have been tabulated,” it stated.
If the congregation does support the split, it would take approval of two-thirds of the congregation in an official vote to take action.
“My wife and I voted for the split in the straw poll,” Miller said, “because we don’t know what it looks like. No one knows what will happen.”
Shooter said that Epiphany is an asset in the community, and a force for good to a wide range of people.
“Separation will greatly diminish this asset, therefore I will fight separation with every inch of my being,” he said.
The council noted that it would not have made this recommendation if the situation wasn’t as dire.
“We also understand that if dramatic steps are not taken that Epiphany will not survive,” it said.
Staff writer Tom Beyerlein contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7325 or jikelley@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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