A church in New York state says it will sever ties with the Presbyterian Church (USA) after the denomination approved gay marriage last week.
According to the Webster Post, Tim Luddy, the lead pastor of the Brighton Presbyterian Church in Rochester, said that the issue boils down to the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s interpretation of what the Bible says about marriage, which they disagree with.
Luddy said his congregation of 29 very conservative members believe that it is wrong to change doctrine to keep up with changes in society.
God's word does not change, he said.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) voted last week to change the wording in its constitution in order to allow marriages between same-sex individuals. Instead of stating that marriage is "between a man and a woman," the Church's marriage contracts now state that marriage is "between two people, traditionally a man and a woman."
The church's council had already voted to allow same-sex marriages, but it was only on March 17 when the regional councils had approved the decision with a majority vote among 171 member churches, that the change was made official.
The Presbyterian Church (USA)'s decision also sanctioned the ordination of ministers who are in a same-sex marriage. According to NBC, the first same-sex ministers were ordained in the First & Central Presbyterian Church in Delaware in a ceremony conducted by ministers from the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Luddy clarified that his church is not against the LGBT community.
"We're not an anti-gay congregation. We love all people. All people that come here are welcomed and loved and we do that because we believe that is Jesus' model for us," the pastor told the Webster Post.
"Where we draw the line is when it comes to marriage and leadership."
