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"I regret whatever hurt and division this has caused in the church, but somehow out of hurt and division can come new insights that can enable us to become stronger as a community and more clear in our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus today," Dunn said yesterday.

In April 2002, the Provincial Elders' Conference of the Southern Province of the Moravian Church sought to remove Dunn from Messiah Moravian Church for his statements and writings on salvation. But when members of the Messiah board complained, the conference agreed to table the matter for a year, during which time Dunn would meet with church leaders to discuss his beliefs. Some conservatives said that Dunn should have been removed without a grace period, and some liberals called for the denomination to leave him in place.

Yesterday, the conference said that Dunn should continue his pastorate.

"In our conversations, Truman has affirmed his belief in Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, and the unique self-revelation of God whose saving grace was given in Christ for the whole world," conference members said in a letter to ministers.

The Rev. Bob Sawyer, the conference president, said in an interview that Dunn changed as he talked to denomination leaders.

"He has very clearly said that the Moses lectures no longer clearly represent his position."

In those lectures, given at Salem College and at Moravian Theological Seminary in 2001, Dunn said that Christ is not the only way.

Yesterday, he said, "In my year of time with the bishop and the Provincial Elders' Conference, I have come to the place where I believe I can affirm the Ground of the Unity."

The Ground of the Unity, the Moravian statement of faith, includes lines saying "there is no salvation apart from" Christ.

His friends said that, rather than undergoing any radical transformation, Dunn simply listened to denomination leaders and they listened to him.

"I think it was a way of clarifying for them what he actually meant, what he actually believed, and how that related to the Ground of the Unity ... and really trying to help them see they weren't as far apart as they initially thought they were," said Cyndie Tomlin, one of the Messiah members who fought to save Dunn's pastorate.

As Moravian leaders have noted, there is wide consensus among area Moravians that Jesus is Lord.

But what remains on the table is a troubling question faced by Moravians and many other Christians, one seen here in numerous arguments since Dunn made his original statements on salvation. The question: Should those who profess Christ believe that members of other religions are hell-bound?

Sawyer said, "We do feel the urgency of Christian evangelistic missionary efforts for all people, but it is not part of our teaching that people of other faiths are condemned by God."

Dunn, who apologized yesterday to his fellow Moravian ministers for the controversy over his statements, declined to comment on the salvation issue.

But several of his fellow liberals have said that those who embrace other religions may also have a space in heaven, while conservatives have said that's not true.

The Rev. Craig Atwood, the theologian in residence at Home Moravian Church, said that there will be conflict over the decision to let Dunn stay at Messiah. But he said the way that the decision was reached was just as important as the decision itself. In addition to Dunn's meetings with bishops, he said that members of the Provincial Elders' Conference met with Dunn and the rest of the local pastors.

"I think through this year-long process we rediscovered what it means to be Moravian," Atwood said. "That's more than just doctrine, it's a way of doing things. Being in community, in honest conversation, expressing our differences in love and always looking toward how to best serve Christ in the world."

There were several rough spots. At Messiah Moravian, both Dunn's supporters and his critics stopped putting money in the collection plate. His supporters formed a group to persuade the denomination leaders to let him remain at Messiah, while several of his critics left the church.

Everybody anxiously awaited the denomination's decision, and nobody, including Dunn, had a good sense of which way it would go. "I clearly realized the possibility that my ministry would come to an end," he said. "That greatly saddened me, and I wasn't certain what direction I would take beyond ministry, because my sense of call to ministry is so strong I wasn't certain what I would do after that."

Sawyer called Dunn with the decision last weekend.

"It was so low-key," Dunn said. "I think I just said, 'Thanks a bunch.' I was pleased."

Now, said Charles Cornelius, one of the Messiah board members, the congregation must move on - less those who left over the controversy.

"It's certainly my hope that they will return, but that's of course between them and their hearts. Right now, we want to concentrate on the faithful who remained."

• John Railey can be reached at 727-7288 or at jrailey@wsjournal.com