West Hollywood Church Cites 'Core-Level Homophobia' As Reason For Split With Presbyterian Church

WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBS) — "Core-level homophobia in the Presbyterian Church" has forced the West Hollywood Presbyterian Church to split with its parent church and join the United Church of Christ.

The small congregation, which worships just off the Sunset Strip, was the faith's first to hire an openly gay pastor, 27 years before the Presbyterian Constitution allowed homosexuals to be ordained.

That pastor, Rev. Daniel Smith, is still head of the West Hollywood church.

The small church held its inaugural service as part of the United Church of Christ three weeks ago.

Hundreds of congregations have left or have begun the process of leaving the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in the past five years, joining denominations that abide by a stricter interpretation of Scripture.

West Hollywood is the first to leave for the opposite reason – because of what Smith told the Los Angeles Times is "the core-level homophobia in the Presbyterian Church."

The West Hollywood Presbyterian Church has embraced its gay membership for decades, starting Los Angeles' first gay men's rap group in 1965 and launching the Lazarus Project in 1977, in which gay men and lesbians shared their stories of faith and family in Presbyterian churches.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)