Sitting in sight of her father and grandfather, both Lutheran ministers, Jen Rude on Saturday became the first ordained lesbian pastor since the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America urged bishops to not penalize congregations who violate the celibacy requirement for gay clergy.<\/p>\n
Several of the more than 100 congregants present wept as the 27-year-old stood before them, a beaming smile drawn across her face.<\/p>\n
Under church policy, homosexual ministers are required to make a vow of celibacy before they can be ordained. But heterosexual ministers are not, and Rude, who is not in a relationship, refused to make that vow because she considers the policy discriminatory.<\/p>\n
“We all realized that sexual orientation has nothing to do with how well a person can minister a congregation,” said Kathy Young, a member of the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Lakeview, where the ordination was held.<\/p>\n
Young was absolute about the decision to violate church policy by ordaining Rude: “This is who we are and this is what we do.”<\/p>\n