INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Anxieties about how Christians can overcome disagreements on homosexuality emerged during a session attended by 700 delegates at the national legislative assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

"This is certainly a highly charged issue, and a volatile issue. That is why we are approaching it carefully," the Rev. Joseph Wagner, executive director of the Division for Ministry, said Thursday.

The Lutherans' policy bars homosexual clergy unless they are willing to practice celibacy. Some congregations have installed actively gay and lesbian pastors anyway.

Each bishop and synod - a regional church unit - decides how to handle such cases. Earlier practice was to expel congregations from the denomination, but recently several defiant congregations have been allowed to remain under mild restrictions, though their pastors are not recognized.

The Rev. Darla Kincaid of Newport News, Va., said her state's synod called for a year of study and prayer but at its meeting this year "we heard again and again that this issue was never discussed" because of the upheaval it causes in congregations.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church is the nation's fifth-largest Protestant denomination, with 5.1 million members in 10,816 congregations.

Liberal synods have petitioned this legislative assembly to allow actively homosexual clergy and to authorize the blessing of same-sex couples.

In 1993, the denomination's bishops advised congregations that "there is basis neither in Scripture nor tradition" for blessing same-sex couples. But that policy is not law, and some synods and congregations provide blessings.

The legislative committee here said it wants to maintain the status quo on homosexual clergy while discussion continues.

Also Thursday, the assembly named seven finalists from among 168 nominees for the next presiding bishop who will succeed the retiring H. George Anderson as head of the denomination.

The new leader will be elected Friday or Saturday.