Wellington lay preacher Deborah Gordon has again been rejected by the Presbyterian Church in her application for ministry. The church's National Assessment Workgroup had previously said Ms Gordon could not attend its annual assessment weekend because she was lesbian, but two months ago the church overturned a decision that barred Ms Gordon from applying to become a minister purely because of her sexual orientation. Presbyterian Church moderator Michael Thawley said that applicants were judged against various criteria, including life and experience in the church, their education, and abilities in communication and leadership areas. He said that sexual orientation was not a factor in candidate assessment. Eight out of twelve applicants were successful this year. Ms Gordon said she was “pretty discouraged” but will apply again next year.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 9th December 2003 - 12:00pm