c. 1996 Religion News Service
(RNS)-Bishop Mark W. Menees of the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has resigned as a bishop and from the Lutheran ministry following allegations against him of sexual misconduct, the denomination announced Wednesday (May 29).
Menees’ resignation was effective May 25.
A statement from the denomination’s Chicago headquarters said the Rev. H. George Anderson, the church’s presiding bishop, confronted Menees with the allegations of sexual misconduct. Menees acknowledged their accuracy and immediately resigned, the statement said.
Anderson said the complaint involved an adult woman for whom Menees had”a pastoral responsibility”and that his relationship with the woman lasted for a number of years before he was elected bishop.
ELCA policy prohibits identifying those making complaints in such cases.”Before I became bishop, I violated my accountability to the Triune God, to the whole church, and to my wife and family,”the 46-year-old Menees said in a prepared statement.”Because of this transgression, I have resigned my positions in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I believe in the power of redemption that comes from confession and an earnest plea for forgiveness,”he said.
Menees was elected bishop of the North Carolina Synod in 1991 and re-elected in 1995. He served as an assistant to the bishop from 1982 to 1991.
He was ordained in 1979 and served as a pastor in Hickory, N.C., from 1979 to 1982.
The North Carolina Synod has 237 congregations with 89,679 members.
Anderson, in a statement, expressed concern for all those affected by the incident.
He said a decision on interim leadership for the synod is pending. The synod’s annual assembly is scheduled to meet May 31-June 2, and Anderson is expected to attend.”The ELCA has taken significant steps to protect the integrity of its ministry and make the church a safe place,”Anderson said in his statement sent to church leaders. He said policies and procedures are in place to respond to complaints of clergy sexual misconduct.
MJP END ANDERSON
