Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries

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Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) Founded on October 31, 2007, Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) is committed to the full participation of persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the life and ministry of the Lutheran church. ELM stands in opposition to the policies of discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender individuals in Lutheran churches around the world.

Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries was founded in 1990. LLGM empowered sexual minority people to pursue their calls to ministry and worked with congregations and communities to create ordained positions despite social and institutional prohibitions supporting and empowering openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (GLBTQ) pastors and the congregations served by those pastors.

The Extraordinary Candidacy Project was founded in 1993. ECP credentialed openly gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender seminarians, candidates, ordained and commissioned ministers who are preparing for professional vocations in independent Lutheran parishes and congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Our roster currently has 34 ministers, 9 individuals approved for call and 2 seminarians. Discipline for congregations that call pastors from our rosters has varied throughout the life of the ELCA. Members of the ELM Roster are/were members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. ^[1]

On the 490th anniversary of Martin Luther’s historic posting of his 95 theses calling for reform in the Catholic Church, Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries has virtually posted its theology statement urging Lutheran churches around the world to return to their Lutheran core and end the practice of mandated celibacy for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender pastors. ^[2]

Extraordinary Ordinations: Rooted in the extraordinary ordinations that were performed by Martin Luther and the reformers as recorded in the Lutheran Confessions, 13 Extraordinary Ordinations have taken place to date. In the days before the first Extraordinary Ordination, Krister Stendahl, Harvard Professor and Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Stockholm of the Church of Sweden, wrote to Jeff, Ruth, and Phyllis: “Since I cannot be with you at your ordination which—it seems—must take place extra ordinem, I want to send you a greeting affirming my conviction that the steps that your congregations and you are taking stand well before God.”^[3]

1 - 3 Extraordinary Ordination of Jeff Johnson, Ruth Frost and Phyllis Zillhart- January 22, 1990: Pastor Jeff Johnson is called by First United Lutheran Church. Pastors Frost and Zillhart are called by St. Francis Lutheran. This first extraordinary Ordination resulted in a trial and the ultimate expulsion of First United and St. Francis from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. ^[4]

4. Extraordinary Ordination of Donna Simon - October 28, 2000 in Kansas City: Pastor Simon was called by Abiding Peace Lutheran. ^[5]

5. Extraordinary Ordination of Craig Minich - February 18, 2001 in Berkeley: Pastor Minich is called by two Oakland churches and University Lutheran in Berkeley ^[6]

6. Extraordinary Ordination of Anita C. Hill - April 28, 2001 in Minneapolis: Pastor Hill was called to Resurrection Lutheran. The congregation is censured, but the censure is later repealed. Active Bishop Paul Egertson participated in Anita's ordination.^[7]

7. Extraordinary Ordination of Sharon Stalkfleet - May 12, 2002 in the Bay Area: Pastor Stalkfleet is called to the East Bay Nursing Home

8. Extraordinary Ordination of Jay Weisner - July 25, 2004 in San Francisco: Pastor Weisner was called by ^[8]

9. Extraordinary Ordination of Erik Christensen - October 21, 2006 in Chicago: Pastor Christensen was called to St. Luke's of Logan Square. ^[9]

10. Extraordinary Ordination of Megan Rohrer - November 18, 2006 in San Francisco: Pastor Rohrer was called to be the director of the Welcome Ministry with a call from HerChurch; Christ Church; St. Francis and Sts. Mary and Martha in San Francisco.^[10]

11. Extraordinary Ordination of Dawn Roginski - June 16, 2007 in San Francisco: Pastor Roginski was called on March 25, 2007 by St Francis Lutheran Church of San Francisco to serve as its Pastor of Parish Programs.^[11]^[12]

12. Extraordinary Ordination of Jen Rude - November 17, 2007 in Chicago: Pastor Rude was called to Resurrection Lutheran and the Night Ministry in Chicago. ^[13]

13. Extraordinary Ordination of Jen Nagel - January 19, 2008 in Minneapolis: Pastor Nagel was called to Salem Lutheran where she had been serving for four and a half years as a pastoral minister. ^[14]

14. Extraordinary Ordination of Lionel Ketola - May 16, 2008 in Newmarket Ontario: Pastor Ketola was called to Holy Cross where he will serve as associate pastor and Ambassador of Reconcilliation. ^[15]

Each Ordinand since the ordination of Pastor Anita Hill has received a traveling stole: The red stole was presented to Pastor Anita Hill by Pastor Lynne Lorenzen at Anita’s ordination on April 28, 2001. Lynne, a dedicated ally, had received it from Pastor Rebecca Hostetler, a member of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church and a lesbian woman who left the ELCA roster at her bishop’s request when he learned she was in a committed relationship. Lynne passed the stole to Anita with the request that she pass it to the next ordained from the Extraordinary Candidacy Project (now, Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries) roster. Anita passed the stole to Pastor Sharon Stalkfleet when Sharon was ordained a month later. Sharon held onto the stole, presenting it in 2004 to Pastor Jay Wiesner. Jay presented it to Pastor Erik Christensen in 2006. A month later, it was passed to Pastor Megan Rohrer, then in 2007 to Pastor Dawn Roginski, then to Pastor Jen Rude ordained at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Chicago who kept the stole for two months before passing it along to Pastor Jen Nagel. A few months later, it was passed to Pastor Lionel Ketola.