As the Church of the Brethren prepares to reconsider the details of its teaching against same-sex partnerships, some church leaders voiced their views as they modeled the kind of hearing on the topic the denomination plans to hold nationwide this fall.

"What these brothers and sisters practiced tonight was not scripted. These brothers and sisters were being vulnerable for you," standing committee member Larry Dentler from Central Pennsylvania said after some of his colleagues had spoken about their gay relatives or their desire to uphold traditional church teaching.

The 125,000-member denomination ended its annual conference in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. The model hearing was held Tuesday at 9 p.m., with about 300 delegates and observers attending. Nine members of the standing committee -- which will eventually draft a response to concerns that have been raised about the sexuality teaching -- took the part of church members at a hearing.

At issue is a 1983 statement that supports gay civil rights in matters such as jobs and housing but says that covenantal relationships between persons of the same sex are "not acceptable" for Christians. Last year, the denomination received one formal request to reconsider that statement and another upholding the 1983 paper but calling for greater civility among church members as they discuss the issue. The 2009 conference voted to spend two years considering a response.

Participants were advised to give only their personal views and not to engage in debate. They were to answer specific questions. The first of those was "what jumps out at you?" in the proposed statement about civility and love amid differences.

For Ron Nicodemus, a committee member from Indiana, it was the description of church discussions about sexuality "marked by disrespect, meanness and anger."

"We as Christians are the only Bible that a lot of people are going to read. If we are fighting among ourselves and going to be very bitter, how will other people want to join our group?" he asked.

Nelda Rhoades Clarke from Minnesota reacted strongly against the line affirming the 1983 paper on sexuality.

"I hear it saying that my homosexual brothers and sisters are sinners and they need to change. I don't believe they're sinners. I believe their sexuality is as much a gift from God as mine is," she said.

Asked if they could understand the viewpoint of those who disagreed with them, all who spoke said they could.

The most pointed responses concerned what they wanted the drafting committee to know.

Steve Sauder from Maryland, who supports the 1983 statement, said that it, too, was drafted in a divided church and made "a strong effort at finding common ground." Given current divisions, he doubted the committee could improve on it.

Eileen Wilson from Oregon said she could not accept the proposed document calling for better attitudes because it upheld the 1983 paper. "I'm the mother of a gay child. When someone says to me that homosexuality is a sin, that's personal. They're calling my child a sinner and my child is not a sinner. She was born exactly as God intended," she said.

Joe Detrick, a district executive from York, Pa., said the hearings are emblematic of Brethren tradition. "Brethren are people of the word who take seriously the call to discern the will of God through community conversation and discussion," he said.

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