A pastor in Fort Worth, Texas has withstood an effort to oust him from the pulpit, although it may be a Pyrrhic victory. Brett Younger prevailed by a vote of 499-237, meaning nearly a third of the congregation voted against him.

The brouhaha, which had been building for a few months, revolved around a dispute over whether gay couples ought to be included in a members' photo directory. Members voted last month to compromise and have a directory with group photos, as opposed to family pictures.

The issue arose after the church cast itself as "welcoming" of homosexuals, though not necessarily "affirming" their lifestyle. Critics of Younger claimed he was pushing for the latter stance and had led the church in too liberal a direction theologically.

Uncomfortable discussions

One could argue whether the church invited these problems by dancing too close to the line of compromise, but that is an issue for another column. What it points up is the prevalence of sexual issues and how they may likely visit your congregation soon.

No matter how uncomfortable such discussions may be, your church should prepare to hear them aired. Nowhere did this become clearer than in a recent story in Christianity Today on the transgender movement and its increasing presence in church.

"There will be more and more people who are transgendered making themselves known," said Jimmy Creech, the former United Methodist pastor who made headlines a few years back for trying to bless gay unions. "Evangelical churches need to be motivated by understanding, not fear."

Added Matt Barber, policy director of Concerned Women for America, "It's here to stay. They have attached themselves to the well-funded, powerful homosexual lobby that is fighting for the same things."

Sticky situations arise

One couple featured in the story included a former Baptist pastor who began taking female hormones in 2004 and now goes by the name, Julie. He and his wife remain married, so that union is still legal.

The sticky part of the situation comes from the lawsuit he filed against his employer, Spring Arbor University, after the Free Methodist-affiliated school cut his pay and reduced his job responsibilities.

When the business professor started wearing a wig, makeup, fingernail polish and earrings on campus, the university decided not to rehire him. A year ago the school settled the case out of court to resolve it and permanently end his employment.

Remarkably, this story appeared less than two weeks after I read of a similar situation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. There, a 1998 graduate of requested his name be changed on his diploma because since then he had undergone surgery and become a woman.

Southern refused the request, citing seminary policy. However, it did reissue a diploma including the middle initial rather than the middle name. Ronnie Elrod now goes by her middle name, Elise, rather than the former Eugene.

As with the couple portrayed in CT, Elrod is still married to her spouse of 37 years.

Ministering in tough circumstances

How would your church react if a couple legally married years ago, but looking like a pair of lesbians, came to Sunday worship?

The CT story illustrates one reason to not quickly show them the door. It mentioned an Assembly of God church in Orlando that accepted a man who had sex reassignment surgery and allowed him to do volunteer maintenance work.

One day, the man showed up in a staff member's office, weeping. He said after extensive counseling he realized that God didn't make mistakes and resumed a male identity.

Would your church be able to minister to such a person and withstand the inevitable whispering that would greet his presence? Don't look now, but in the coming months or years you may find yourself forced to answer the question.