(CNN) — A Pennsylvania minister was found guilty in a church trial on Monday for officiating his son’s same-sex wedding, according to church officials.
Frank Schaefer, 51, the pastor at Zion United Methodist Church of Iona in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was found guilty by a jury of 13 ordained clergy members on two counts: officiating a same-sex wedding and being disobedient to the discipline and order of the church, according to Cathy Husid-Shamir, a Schaefer family spokesperson.
Schaefer told CNN’s Zoraida Sambolin that his son, Tim, asked him to officiate his wedding seven years ago, and he decided to do it “out of love for him.”
Despite at one point believing that homosexuality was incompatible with his Christian beliefs, Schaefer told CNN his views on the controversial topic began to change over time.
“By the time our son came out I was ready to embrace him,” Schaefer told Sambolin on November 14.
The complaint was filed by one of Schaefer’s church members and the church leadership decided to act upon it, according to Schaefer.
The church told Schaefer he could avoid a trial if he agreed never to perform another same-sex marriage again, but he refused.
“I can’t commit to a statement like that,” Schaefer said. “Especially in light of the fact that I have two more children that are gay.”
“We want to express care and concern for everyone involved in this difficult process,” Michele Bartlow, district superintendent of the United Methodist Church, said in a statement following the guilty verdict. “We ask for prayer.”
The penalty phase of the trial begins on Tuesday and new witnesses will be heard, Husid-Shamir told CNN.
The jury has full power to determine Schaefer’s penalty, which can range from a reprimand or suspension to a full defrocking, Husid-Shamir said.
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