A pastor who ranted against the LGBT community has stepped down from his local church position, after screenshots of his Grindr conversations were posted online.
Reverend Matthew Makela was an associate pastor at St John’s Lutheran Church in Midland, Michigan.
Married with five children, the pastor has now quit his job after messages and pictures he sent on the gay hookup app were published on Queerty.
The pastor had previously expressed views against LGBT communities on Facebook, and wrote anti-gay comments on a story about resisting sexual temptation.
In the since-deleted comment, Makela said: “I love people who have same sex attraction, and so does God. The proof is in the sacrifice He made for all of us.
“We don’t tell a person born with tendencies to abuse alcohol to keep on giving in to his innate desires because he can’t help it. We try to help him in his struggle.”
He also wrote about his worries towards transgender men “who want to prey upon girls and women in their restroom or locker room” on his personal Facebook page.
But in screenshots sent to Queerty, the pastor was seen messaging another Grindr user, saying he loves to “make out naked”, enjoys “oral and message” and would love to “mess around with a bicurious guy.”
Following the story, Makela resigned from his position, and pastor Daniel Kempin wrote to the church’s congregation about his actions, saying: “Pastor has acknowledged that there was sin and repentance, and I have testified that there is indeed forgiveness through the same Lord who forgives all our sins.
“Nevertheless, it is an end of our time together in ministry, and we ask for your continued prayers and support for the Makela family.
“I write this to you to warn you that you may be confronted with the details of the sin, and to remind you that sin is never pretty.
“Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. See you in Church.”