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TechnoratiThe local presbytery or ordaining body would determine whether the gay or lesbian candidate meets those standards.
The vote comes a day after the Assembly approved a proposal to begin revising the Heidelberg Catechism – a document of the Reformed Christian faith – which would include removing the reference to "homosexual perversion" among a list of sinful behaviors.
In recent years, a small but growing number of PC(USA) congregations have voted to disaffiliate with the denomination over its liberal direction on Scripture and theology. While this week's Assembly votes are expected to spark another exodus of churches, one Presbyterian urges conservatives to do the opposite.
"Stay and compete," said William J. Weston, a sociology professor at Centre College in Danville, Ky.
Despite the ongoing attempts to liberalize church rules, Weston says the vast majority of people in the PC(USA) are conservative and believe in the essential tenets of the Reformed faith.
"The future is actually pretty bright for traditional Presbyterian faith. It is just the rules that are getting loosened, not so many of the people," he said in his latest blog post. "So stay and compete. How people vote with their feet matters the most in the end."
Past votes by the people back Weston's claim. In 1997 and 2000, the denomination's presbyteries had overwhelmingly rejected proposals to delete the "fidelity and chastity" requirement.
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