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Covenant Church ends ties with congregation in Portland over LGBT stance

An up-and-coming pastor has been told his denomination will no longer support his church plant in Portland, Oregon, because of his support for gay and lesbian people.

Adam Phillips arrived in Portland in 2013 to start Christ Church, a congregation sponsored by the Chicago-based Evangelical Covenant Church. Phillips, 35, had previously worked in Washington with faith-based advocacy groups.

On February 4, Covenant officials told Phillips they were dropping support for Christ Church because of his “personal convictions and advocacy for the full inclusion and participation of LGBT Christians in the church at all levels of membership and leadership,” he said in a statement.