If only Presbyterian Ministers in Presbyterys committed to removing sexual behavior standards from the Presbyterian Church could marry....

From the Layman:

Chicago Presbytery, a recognized leader among those seeking to remove sexual behavior standards from the Presbyterian Church (USA) constitution, has a new claim to fame: It is now hamstrung by an estimated $11 million debt arising from a sex offense lawsuit.


Complainants alleged that the presbytery’s youth ministry director, the Rev. Douglas R. Mason, sexually abused four minor boys repeatedly over a period of nine years, including taking them out of school during the day to have sex with them. The activities allegedly occurred in various places, including the presbytery office, the youth ministry van and during youth field trips.

Sealed settlement

The presbytery approved a settlement with the victims in 2007, but details were sealed and online access to presbytery reports, minutes and financial records have been password protected.

Although presbytery officials initiated an inquiry after the allegations were made public, the presbytery did not bring charges against Mason. The presbytery’s investigation found “no tangible evidence or third party testimony that would corroborate the plaintiffs’ stories,” said Robert C. Reynolds, the presbytery’s executive in a statement released shortly after the civil suit was filed.

And:

Having escaped ecclesiastical and criminal prosecution in Chicago, Mason headed for Miami, Fla., where he found work as an interim associate pastor at the Miami Shores Presbyterian Church for a year, followed by short-term employment with a South Florida academy where he taught a class of learning-disabled teenagers.


Mason died in Florida at the age of 46, according to PCUSA records. The Sunny Isles Police Department reported Mason’s death as unknown causes. Because of his death, he was never a defendant in a civil, criminal or ecclesiastical trial. But that didn’t take Chicago Presbytery off the hook for a lawsuit that appears to have resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement

  And here is the most important part of the article:

Opposing sexual behavior standards


In 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2008, Chicago Presbytery voted to remove the “fidelity/chastity” standard that is part of the PCUSA constitution. The Rev. John Buchanan and other presbytery leaders played a prominent role in organizing The Covenant Network, a denominational lobbying group that seeks the full inclusion of lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) persons in church leadership positions.

In 1997, after the Covenant Network’s campaign to do away with the denomination’s sexual behavior standards was launched, attorney Robert L. Howard, who was then chairman of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, authored a Layman article in which he warned that failure to uphold ordination standards could pose serious legal liability issues for the denomination. Howard said that the church is best protected by having a clear, unambiguous moral standard firmly embedded in its constitution, along with a demonstrable history of enforcement.

Chicago Presbytery has defied that counsel on two counts: It has repeatedly and vigorously acted to remove the standard (Book of Order G-6.0106b) from the constitution, and its leaders have supported “local option” policies that undermine enforcement of the standard, while giving aid and counsel to persons who openly violate it.

Just remember that sexual preference has nothing to do with this problem, but mandatory celibacy for clergy does!