Beginning last Sunday, gays and lesbians can now be ordained as elders and pastors, according to change approved by Presbyterian Church U.S.A… “This meeting reaffirmed that the Korean-American community would not support this and we will try to help local churches strongly reaffirm our conviction…”

The national assembly, which represents 11,000 congregations, approved the change to the ordination standards in May. The new amendment allows the ordination of a person in a same-gender relationship but churches will continue to retain the right to determine membership, officials say…

But some groups in the assembly, including the National Council of Korean Presbyterian Churches, which held a three-day conference in Anaheim last month to discuss the change, are speaking out in opposition. The Korean council, the second largest racial ethnic caucus in the denomination, represents 430 Korean-American churches with about 55,000 active members, group members say.

“We would not ordain active homosexuals,” said Pastor Tae Young Ko, senior pastor at Good Shepherd Presbyterian in Rowland Heights and the conference moderator. “This meeting reaffirmed that the Korean-American community would not support this and we will try to help local churches strongly reaffirm our conviction…”

Collins said his church supports the amendment but is not surprised that the Korean council, among others, is not happy.

According to Allen, various Presbyterian churches have already left the denomination.
“The denomination is opening a door that will affect the future,” Allen said. “It will be difficult for some to stay in the denomination.”

Presbyterian congregations that decide to leave the denomination could lose their church property, which is similar to what happened to Episcopalian churches that left that denomination over the same issue in recent years, said Jin Kim, English ministry national director for the Korean council.

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