CLEAR LAKE, IA - A north Iowa church congregation is preparing to potentially change affiliations.
Zion Lutheran in Clear Lake will vote in two weeks about whether they want to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The discussion about their future started last fall when the ELCA decided to allow gay and lesbian clergy in faithful, monogamous same-sex relationships to serve as pastors.
"Everybody that has an opinion on this is working out of love," said Mark Schumacher.
Schumacher has been a member of Zion for 30 years. He says his congregation's desire to disassociate with ELCA is deeper than the issue of homosexuality.
"The interpretation of the scripture is really what the issue is and it just happened to be on this particular issue of homosexuality," said Schumacher.
He says the ELCA’s decisions at the national level over the past year are causing problems for his congregation.
"It’s divided the church, both on the national level and certainly on the congregational level and we have of course people that feel both ways,” said Schumacher.
And the upcoming vote to decide whether or not to leave the ELCA is creating mixed emotions.
"Relief for some, a sense of relief will be for some, sense of frustration will be for others no matter which way the vote goes," said Schumacher.
"We’ve been going through a long multi month process of discerning," said Dean Hess, senior pastor.
Parishioners took their first vote last December. Pastor Hess says his church is taking its time with the issue because they want to make sure all opinions are heard.
"We’ve tried to surface all the different points of view, we have had open forums where anyone could speak we've had the bishop visit here twice to present the ELCA point of view on it," said Hess.
And Schumacher knows it's a decision that will affect not just Zion Lutheran, but the entire community.
"Some people will leave Zion and I expect some will come to Zion because there are other churches that have elected to stay," said Schumacher.
Through it all, Zion members say they are trying to do what they believe is best.
The August 22 vote will be the second of two required for disassociation. A two-thirds majority vote is required to leave.
Over the past year, about 140 churches out of a little more than 10,000 congregations nationwide have voted to break away from the ELCA.
