c. 1997 Religion News Service

UNDATED _ When delegates to the General Synod of the United Church of Christ _ one of the most liberal mainline Protestant bodies _ gather in Columbus, Ohio, next week, they will be asked to consider a”fidelity and chastity”proposal similar to one that has embroiled the Presbyterian Church (USA) in controversy for more than a year.

But church officials say the proposed resolution, to be debated during the July 3-8 meeting, is less specific in its content than the Presbyterian rule and would have a less-authoritative impact in the life of the church.

The Presbyterian rule, adopted by its General Assembly in 1995 and ratified by the church’s local governing bodies this spring, requires church officers _ ordained clergy elders and deacons _ to”live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness.” But rather than settling the volatile sexual issues involved _ especially that of non-celibate gays and lesbians _ adoption of the amendment caused even more turmoil among Presbyterians. At this year’s General Assembly, delegates adopted a sharply modified version requiring”fidelity and integrity”of its church officers.

The UCC proposed standard cites”lack of clarity about expectations for godly behavior on the part of pastors and ministers in their sexual and relational behavior”and would encourage local ordaining bodies to adopt”fidelity within the covenant of marriage or chastity in singleness”as a”normative”standard for clergy.

The resolution requires approval of two-thirds of the 700 voting delegates to the general synod.

However, given the UCC’s decentralized form of government, the proposal could not be enforced by church trials as could the Presbyterian law. It would, instead, be advisory to local ordaining boards, called associations in UCC polity. Each of the UCC’s 200 associations sets its own policies for authorizing and reviewing ordained ministers.

The notion of fidelity in marriage is not a new concept in the UCC. The Order of Marriage in the church’s Book of Worship contains vows of faithfulness, and those associations who use the”Ordained Ministers Code”in the church’s Manual on Ministry promise to”live a life which honors my commitments to my family.” Yet a”chastity”recommendation would be new, according to church officials, who say the denomination has generally avoided urging specific”normative”sexual behaviors on the part of either clergy or laity.

Additionally, while the Presbyterian rule was widely viewed _ by both supporters and opponents _ as meant, among other things, to bar the ordination of non-celibate gays, the UCC already affirms the ordination of gays and lesbians.”There is a burgeoning crisis of sexually related moral failure among clergy and civil leaders,”said the Rev. David Runnion-Bareford, whose Candia, N.H., congregation is one of nine submitting the resolution. Runnion-Bareford is also executive director of the Biblical Witness Fellowship, a conservative group critical of the what it calls the UCC’s theological and moral drift.”Our hope is that whatever the outcome, the resolution would assist in calling a generation that has been part of the destructive and abortive `sexual revolution’ to return to holy living,”he said.

Also high on the agenda for the five-day meeting is a vote on the Formula of Agreement,”a”full communion”between the UCC, two other Reformed denominations and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The Formula, if adopted by all four churches, will draw followers of two separate Reformation leaders _ John Calvin and Martin Luther _ closer together by allowing the sharing of sacraments, the exchange of ministers and closer cooperation in mission, evangelism and social service activities.

Earlier this summer, the two other Reformed bodies _ the Reformed Church in America and the Presbyterian Church (USA) _ overwhelmingly approved the agreement. The ELCA will vote on the proposal when it meets in Philadelphia in July.

MJP END DEA