Pastor's credentials suspended after officiating same-sex marriage ceremony

The Executive Board of the Mennonite Church has suspended the credentials of a pastor for officiating the wedding of two women.

Pastor Isaac Villegas of Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship in North Carolina expressed his intention to perform the same-sex wedding during a February board meeting, but the board members advised him that it would put him at variance with the church's Membership Guidelines. He was told to resign if he insists on pushing through with it.

However, despite the board's counsel, Villegas officiated the wedding of two women from his community on May 21. He turned in his resignation from the executive board on May 23.

"As a member of my congregation, as a minister of this gospel, I would be denying God's call in my life if I were to reject our discernment of the Spirit's leading," he said in his resignation.

Two days after his resignation, Villegas received an email from the Virginia Mennonite Conference telling him that after a brief investigation confirmed what he did, his credentials as pastor have been suspended "effective immediately on the basis of a breach of trust with the Conference."

"We are saddened by the necessity of this action and pray that our unity in common mind (2 Cor. 13:11, Phil. 2:2) and shared ministry will be restored by Christ," the Conference said in the email.

The Conference also told Villegas that a support team will work with him in the process of healing the breach of trust and restoring the "mutually agreed understandings and expectations of credentialed ministry."

Villegas said he never regretted what he did, and that he would officiate another same-sex wedding if he has the chance.

"I sensed the Spirit at work when I pronounced the couple wife and wife in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit," he said.

Members of the Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship have not left the side of their pastor and are planning to hold a celebration marking his 10th year in ministry.