LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "Devaluing a Position":
I was appalled when I spoke to my Dad recently (WELS) who lives in Wausau, WI that there are two parishes that he is aware of have pastors who are divorced/separated still serving churches. Back in the day it didn't matter what the reason for divorce...you were out of the ministry based on the scripture declaration of 'husband of one wife'.
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GJ - I was shocked that Ft. Wayne was saying that verse meant "one wife at a time" as a guard against polygamy! That was around 1987. Next I heard WELS DP Robert Mueller say the same thing.
At one time the ALC and LCA had the same rule: divorce meant leaving the ministry. Now a man can have a mistress, divorce his wife, and take his mistress as his wife to his new call, with the blessings of the synod. That does not just happen in WELS, the ELS, and Missouri. Even ELCA does that.
There are also the cases where a permanent mistress is overlooked.
As 29a said, "The guys I work with are no angels. They are a rough bunch, really crude. But they really get disgusted with ministers who play around."
