Watch for WELS/LCMS BMs

LCMS Rev. David Born is encouraging congregational BMs.

People wonder why I dwell on past errors in the Synodical Conference. "The child is the father of the man," as one poet said. The early days predict what will happen in the future. When we go back a few decades, the present debacle is easier to understand.

I have to apologize for being unaware of the Becoming Missional (BM) fad developing out of Fuller Seminary. Here is a quotation from an LCMS site:

LCMS World Mission began working with a dozen LCMS districts in a pilot project for revitalization in 2005. It begins with a process called “Motivation for Mission” that’s designed to shift a congregation’s spiritual paradigm. After completing the course, congregations must decide whether to become missional or continue "business as usual." Participating districts in the 2005 pilot identified 255 declining congregations that were invited to take part in the Bible study and its follow-up component, “GroupsAblaze,” a small-group process for building an outreach-focused congregation. Learnings from this initiative will become the basis for a Mission Revitalization Institute, conducted by the Center for U.S. Missions in Irvine, Calif.

From Donald McGavran we learned that "God wants His church to grow," but the bearded saint never mentioned being faithful to God's Word.

The new incarnation of the Church Growth Movement is Becoming Missional. The LCMS is mouthing the same words with a new twist, as Rev. David Born declares:

God desires all Christians to be missional, and in most cases, people have just forgotten what their first love was and why they existed as a congregation to begin with. The role of LCMS World Mission revitalization ministry is to help declining congregations “get back to where they were in the beginning” of their ministries. As dying congregations once more begin to thrive, their success stories will encourage others in similar situations to seek help, too.

The original Church Growth Movement was horrible enough, with its call for congregations to join a local Planned Parenthood chapter. The Becoming Missional fad will be far more activist, as becomes an apostate seminary. When the BMs arrive in local congregations, left-wing activism like ELCA's will follow. The ELCA uses the term mission to describe its role in redeeming society.

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Response to New Poll by WELS Lay Student":

The comment by WELS lay student is just another example of those "yeah, but" apologies for the CGM. Lutheran doctrine truly has degenerated.

How does the true Church grow? New Poll.

How does the true Christian Church grow?

1. Smells and bells high-church.
   
2. Blitz the community with marketing.
   
3. Seeker Services and cell groups.
   
4. Only through the Means of Grace.

Vote near the bottom of the page. So far, 100% of the votes are for the Means of Grace.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "How does the true Church grow? New Poll.":

Christ spells it out in the Great Commission. Unfortunately many in the ministry feel that they know better, and can dismiss it, not preach it, and not practice it as a church.

GJ - Isn't it interesting that the clearest possible farewell sermon has been turned into Law? Instead of Preach, Teach, and Baptize, we get - Manufacture Disciples or your church will not grow.

That is what happens when Lutherans get their marching orders from the Reformed and their Pentecostal sychophants.

Pastor-Friendly Poll

Which synod is the most pastor-friendly?

ELCA 8 (12%)

LCMS 28 (43%)

WELS 27 (41%)

ELS 2 (3%)


Change your vote

Votes so far: 65

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A person or persons unknown loaded the poll toward WELS at the tail end. The LCMS was clearly winning. Pope John and Gaylin Schmeling got their two votes in. ELCA? OK, I can accept ELCA as pastor-friendly if it is interpreted as anything goes.

Can WELS Be Salvaged?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Fall, 1985 - Do You Know Where Your Doctrine Is?":

Turning WELS around seems difficult to impossible. Are we fighting the ‘Synagogue of Satan?’ In 50 words or less please, why is WELS such a mess? What can members do about it?

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Anything is possible with the Word. However, I doubt whether WELS pastors have the spine to apply the Word and the Confessions to their situation. They would have to confront or boycott all the Church Growth Leonard Sweet-hearts, address the doctrinal issues in public, and support discipline against false teachers and criminals.

Luther faced much worse, but he trusted the Word and applied it consistently, no matter what the cost. Then, when Luther died, the Lutherans came unglued. However, 34 years later, the Formula of Concord united the Lutherans again.

"Since now, in the sight of God and of all Christendom [the entire Church of Christ], we wish to testify to those now living and those who shall come after us that this declaration herewith presented concerning all the controverted articles aforementioned and explained, and no other, is our faith, doctrine, and confession, in which we are also willing, by God's grace, to appear with intrepid hearts before the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ, and give an account of it; and that we will neither privately nor publicly speak or write anything contrary to it, but, by the help of God's grace, intend to abide thereby: therefore, after mature deliberation, we have, in God's fear and with the invocation of His name, attached our signatures with our own hands."
Thorough Declaration, Of Other Factions and Sects, Formula of Concord, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1103.

Why WELS Is an Abusive Cult

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "McGavran Influence on the Synodical Conference":

You wrote:

"I get appreciative emails (signed) from laity every day."

If that were really true, you would post them.

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GJ - As Marge Gunderson said in Fargo, "I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou."

I have posted many emails, without names. Anyone can post a comment with a name, and some do. If I posted emails and their signatures, the writers would be subjected to the abuse many have suffered before.

Believe me or not. I hear from pastors and laity. I have many sources who keep me up to date about many things. Obviously my view is limited, but I do provide plenty of support for my assertions.

I post the nasty comments so people know they are not alone. Missouri and ELCA are no better than Wisconsin, just slicker. The Little Sect on the Prairie is very much like WELS, but they will never admit it.

If someone wants to call me a liar, that individual should point out the deception. The same is true of slander, etc. All I get from anonymous comments is a string of names.

WELS has to pretend it is perfect. Anyone who questions this alleged perfection is ousted. Strangely, the Church Growth knot-heads have made a career out of attacking the former leadership and practices of WELS. They were going to make everything better. They used the WELS KGB (Jack Preus' term) to make sure no one got in their way. They achieved their victory. More in the next post.

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MLS Veteran has left a new comment on your post "Why WELS Is an Abusive Cult":

To call WELS an "abusive cult" I think is a bit out of line. I will admit, though, that our members tend to be some of the "coldest" Christians, on average, I have ever met.

I don't mean everyone has to be huggy-huggy, kissy-kissy with everyone. But we sure could stand to be a bit friendlier.

As a young person I was always struck by the macho posturing that many of the young men felt a need to display that went well beyond what I saw in my experiences outside of the WELS. Perhaps no-one wanted to seem to soft or be accused of being effeminate.

In general, I believe with the core doctrines of the WELS, I just wish we were sometimes a friendlier bunch of people.

GJ - Teaching God's Law would bring about genuine contrition. Then the Gospel would find receptive hearts, prosper, and the fruits of that preaching would be evident. Man-made law will never generate friendliness.

Out of line? No other denomination would accept an extensive hazing system that starts in 9th grade and extends into seminary. (I hear a secret GA still goes on, and my source is good.) A denomination where a tooth is knocked out in GA, a leg is broken, a prep school boy is dropped from the second floor window, a college student is knocked unconscious, a seminarian is thrown into raw sewage, etc - is abusive.

Whenever someone contacts me about being thrown out of WELS, I say, "That is a blessing."

Sound Doctrine versusFalse Doctrine

"'If there ever was a strictly conservative body, it surely is the Missouri Synod. Nevertheless, this growth!...It is a mark of the pastors and leaders of the Missouri Synod that they never, aye, never, tire of discussing doctrine on the basis of Scripture and the Confessions. That is one trait that may be called the spirit of Missouri. People who thus cling to doctrine and contend for its purity are of an entirely different nature from the superficial unionists who in the critical moment will declare five to be an even number. God will bless all who value His Word so highly.'"
Dr. Lenski, Kirchenzeitung, May 20, 1922)cited in W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 515f.

"We should not consider the slightest error against the Word of God unimportant."
What Luther Says , An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 637.

"Error and heresy must come into the world so that the elect may become approved and manifest. Their coming is in the best interests of Christians if they take the proper attitude toward it. St. Augustine, who certainly was sufficiently annoyed by wretched sectaries, says that when heresy and offense come, they produce much benefit in Christendom; for they cause Christians industriously to read Holy Scriptures and with diligence to pursue it and persevere in its study. Otherwise they might let it lie on the shelf, become very secure, and say: Why, God's Word and the text of Scripture are current and in our midst; it is not necessary for us to read Holy Scripture."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 639.

“You cannot of a truth be for true doctrine without being unalterably opposed to false doctrine. There can be no 'positive theology' where the God-given negatives have been eliminated from the Decalog."
Norman A. Madson, Preaching to Preachers, Mankato: Lutheran Synod Book Company, 1952. Preface.

Proclaiming the Word - A Stone in the Pond

"The preaching of this message may be likened to a stone thrown into the water, producing ripples which circle outward from it, the waves rolling always on and on, one driving the other, till they come to the shore. Although the center becomes quiet, the waves do not rest, but move forward. So it is with the preaching of the Word. It was begun by the apostles, and it constantly goes forward, is pushed on farther and farther by the preachers, driven hither and thither into the world, yet always being made known to those who never heard it before, although it be arrested in the midst of its course and is condemned as heresy."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 202. Ascension Day. Mark 16:14-20.

McGavran Influence on the Synodical Conference

"In the light of church growth principles as they are promulgated in many mission schools these days, the question naturally arises as to whether or not our approach to world mission work is in need of reassessment or improvement."
Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly,
April, 1981, 78, p. 108.

"Recently we had opportunity to read a book written by Dr. George W. Peters, Professor of World Missions at Dallas Theological Seminary, who is also a leading spokesman for the Evangelicals."
[Note: Peters is Who's Who in Church Growth]
Ernst H. Wendland, "Missiology--and the Two Billion," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly,
January, 1974, 71, p. 14.

"THIS QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED AS A RESEARCH INSTRUMENT, PART OF REV. DAVID LUECKE'S INVESTIGATION INTO THE NEED FOR PASTOR DEVELOPMENT. HIS HYPOTHESIS, WHICH WAS CONFIRMED BY THE RESEARCH FINDINGS, WAS THAT PASTORAL EFFECTIVENESS RELATIVE TO CONGREGATIONAL GROWTH WAS PREDICTABLE FROM THE
ATTITUDES OF THE MINISTERS...THIS TOOL HAS BEEN PREPARED AS A CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING DEVICE TO HELP MINISTERS ASSESS THEIR OWN NEEDS FOR CONTINUED TRAINING IN CHURCH GROWTH AND OTHER ADMINISTRATIVELY FOCUSED AREAS.
Fuller Evangelistic Association, Copyright, 1981, MINISTERIAL ATTITUDES DESCRIPTION QUESTIONNAIRE, Sent to congregations using the Spiritual Renewal Consultant program, headed by Rev. Paul Kelm, 1990, p. 1.
(The consultants were trained at Fuller Seminary, which may surprise no one. David Luecke was the LCMS pastor who was a dean at Fuller Seminary, then took a CG congregation in the Cleveland area.)

"Marketing churches to reach people is consistent with biblical principles and doesn't mean the message needs to be watered down or compromised, according to researcher George Barna...Church growth is primarily accomplished by word of mouth. Barna advised clergy to see themselves as cheerleaders rather than leaders, as laypeople carry out the practical marketing of the church."
News From Around the World, The Northwestern Lutheran, November 15, 1991, p. 395. (George Barna is a favorite of CG types.)

"Types of Groups...This table relies on information from Eddie Gibbs. I Believe in Church Growth, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982, pp. 275-279."
School of Outreach IV, Notebook, WELS Evangelism Commission, p. 51.
Eddie Gibbs is Who's Who in Church Growth

"How do we get there (Resources)...1. Book (3 ring binder): Facing the Facts for Church Growth by Diane Barber and Kent R. Hunter, a step by step manual for understanding 'all you ever wanted to know and more' about the nature of graphs...This is a very good resource...Order from the Church Growth Center."
School of Outreach IV, Notebook, WELS Evangelism Commission p. B-5.
Kent Hunter is (Who's Who in Church Growth

"PRINCIPLES OF GROWING CHURCHES - APPLIED TO THE LARGE CHURCH. 1. Church growth begins with a desire, commitment, and expectation for growth on the part of the pastor and lay leadership. The pastor and congregation must want to grow and be willing to sacrifice for growth. The congregation has a mission statement."
School of Outreach IV, Notebook, The Large Church, WELS Evangelism Commission
p. 45.

"Every congregation of the WELS was provided a TRACT CATALOG reviewing tracts from CTM, ATS, ACTS and IBS at the 'Getting Everyone Involved' District Evangelism Worships held in '89." [Note: George Barna, Who's Who in Church Growth, is on the board of ACTS. Faith, Prayer and Tract League, recommended on
the same page, offers decision theology: Grand Rapids, 1-616-453-7695]
WELS, Notebook, School of Outreach IV, p. 223.

"RESOURCES AVAILABLE...CALLING IN LOVE; A HANDBOOK FOR THE TELEPHONE OUTREACH. Order from Church Growth, Inc...Monrovia, CA, 1-800-423-4844...Evaluation: It offers almost everything you will need to know when it comes to using the telephone for outreach."
WELS Evangelism Workshop IV, LOCATING THE LOST, p. 53.

"THE EXPANDED PHONE'S FOR YOU! by Norman W. Whan. Order from Church Growth Development International...Cost $229."
[The original version, which was copied verbatim by WELS mission congregations,
had a deceptive dialogue script for phoning and brochures which suggested joining the church "to meet new friends, develop self-confidence..."]
WELS Evangelism Workshop IV, LOCATING THE LOST, p. 55.

"The role of worship seen by the Church Growth movement is not the same role of worship understood by the Lutheran Confessions. This must be said from the beginning in order to be fair to both the Lutheran Confessions and the modern Church Growth movement. My paper is indebted to Dr. David Leucke on this point and I am confident that his Evangelical Style and Lutheran Substance will be an invaluable aid to this discussion. Leucke has offered an indepth review of what principles can be identified in the newer, faster growing churches which have been studied by the Church Growth movement."
WELS Evangelism Workshop IV, LOCATING THE LOST, Larry A. Peters, "Lutheran Worship and Church Growth," LCMS Commission on Worship, p. E-1.

"Some in the Church Growth movement have challenged Lutherans to give up their 'style' while keeping their 'substance.'...How can we utilize the Church Growth movement to help us reach out with the Gospel without changing the basic definition of what it means to be Lutheran?"
WELS Evangelism Workshop IV, LOCATING THE LOST, Larry A. Peters, "Lutheran Worship and Church Growth," LCMS Commission on Worship, p. E-2.

"Neither things I shared with you nor any of my writings, published or not, substantiate the implications that I am an advocate of Church Growth theology. I did attend a Pasadena forum on Church Growth featuring Win Arn and others...I therefore request a public apology from you for making an unfounded accusation against me based on the fact that I attended a Church Growth conference. My attendance is no greater proof (by association) of my alleged Church Growth advocacy than your attendace at and degree from Notre Dame is proof of your acceptance of Roman Catholic heresy!"
Rev. Norman W. Berg, WELS, former mission board chairman, Letter to Gregory L. Jackson, 3-27-96. GJ - So why was Berg promoting Felt Needs and associating with TELL, which was started specifically to promote the Church Growth Movement?

"What do people mean when they talk about effective church growth principles? Do we make God's kingdom come? 'God's kingdom certainly comes by itself,' Luther wrote. Ours is to sow the seed. We hamper the kingdom if we sow carelessly or if we do not sow at all. But we do not make it grow."
Mark Braun, The Growing Seed, What Do People Mean When They Talk about Effective Church Growth Principles? The Northwestern Lutheran, September 1, 1991, p. 300. Mark 4:26-29. GJ - Braun's article repudiated Biblical doctrine, especially the parable he pretended to teach.

"Types of Home Groups, by Karen Hurston (Church Growth Assoc.), from material by Bob Fulton."
WELS Campus Pastors, Small Group Training Conference, Jan. 7-9, 1991, Madison. p. 10.
GJ - Yes, they were promoting Pietistic Cell Groups.

"Incidentally, during my mission counselor days in California during the 80's, I did take a course at Fuller from Carl George and Peter Wagner. I am grateful for the opportunity to have done so because it helped me to see through the lousy theology espoused by David Luecke in "Evangelical Style and Lutheran Substance" a book, by the way, which has been roundly criticized in WELS circles as your own columns have noted." no date
Rev. Joel C. Gerlach (WELS) to Pastor Herman Otten. GJ - Gerlach hated Fuller theology so much that he constantly promoted Manufacturing Disciples Who Manufacture Disciples Who Manufacture Disciples. .
[Gerlach taught at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. Like Wayne Mueller, he left the faculty.]

"TELL has served the church faithfully for 15 years. Three editors have served; Ronald Roth (1977-84), Paul Kelm (1985-88), and the undersigned since 1989...The lead article in the first issue of TELL was titled 'Church Growth - Worthwhile for WELS.'...The author of this article in April 1988 issue of TELL concludes, 'It's obvious by now that I believe we in WELS can profit greatly from the writings of the church-growth leaders.' ... TELL as a separate publication ends with this issue. Nevertheless, the focus of The Evangelism Life Line will continue for years to come as an integral part of the new Board for Parish Services journal - PARISH LEADERSHIP.
Rev. Robert Hartman, TELL (WELS Evangelism) Summer, 1992.

"'Church growth.' I've seen people cringe when they hear those words. I think I know why. They react negatively because they feel 'church growth' implies an obsessive fixation with numbers and statistics."
Pastor James Huebner, Spiritual Renewal Consultant, Notebook, School of Outreach IV,
Seventeen Ways to Keep Your Church from Growing, p. 178.
GJ - #18. Hire a CG consultant trained at Fuller. Hey, that one really worked well!

Huebner's Reformed Doctrine - Now He's a WELS VP
"We can't do a thing to make his Word more effective. But surely we can detract from its effectiveness by careless errors and poor judgment. It just makes good sense to utilize all of our God-given talents, to scour the field for
appropriate ideas, concepts, and material (sic), to implement programs, methods,
and techniques so that we do not detract from the effectiveness of the gospel we
proclaim. Church growth articles, books, seminars, and conferences can offer
such ideas and programs."
Pastor James Huebner, Spiritual Renewal Consultant, Notebook, School of Outreach IV,
Seventeen Ways to Keep Your Church from Growing, p. 178.

"Church growth theory suggests the need for seven fellowship groups for every 100 members."
Pastor Paul E. Kelm, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Winter, 1985, p. 4.

"Non-Christians usually become good prospects for personal reasons or as I like to say: 'They come for sociological reasons and stay for theological reasons.'"
[Note: this is the felt needs approach of Fuller, also endorsed by Pastor
Forrest Bivens, now a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary: "I went to
Fuller Seminary and I happen to believe we can use sociological methods to bring
people to church so we can apply the Means of Grace." Midland circuit get together, attended by Pastor - now DP - John Seifert.]
Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects,"
p. 4.

"In an article on the small group movement, J. A. Gorman notes that 'both the Church Growth Institute of Fuller Seminary and the American Institute of Church Growth became centers for influencing the use of this means for evangelizing." (Christian Education, Moody Press, 1991, pp. 509, 510)
Prof. David Kuske, "Home Bible Study Groups in the 1990s," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1994. p. 126.

"Several of our brothers have been warning us to be careful about the leaven of The Church Growth Movement and the insidious Reformed doctrine contained within. Not a few of us have heard their warning and have thought to counter the danger by saying we will weed out the erroneous material and use only that which is proper and beneficial to the Lord's work in our congregations. Fellow-shepherds, there is some evidence to show that that is exactly what the devils wants us to think. That seems to be used to lull us and our members into sleep, and without our intending it, the soul-harming false doctrines creep in undetected, under the guise of religious printed materials and programs."
Michigan District President Robert Mueller, (WELS),
"President's Report to the Conferences, Spring, 1991, p. 2.

"There is no Church Growth Movement Program in our synod. Our church body is opposed to the false theology of the Church Growth Movement. We have no programs inside or outside the budget with that name. Nor do we have any programs with a different name which utilize Church Growth theology."
Wayne D. Mueller, Administrator for the BPS, WELS, "A Response to 'Saving Souls vs. New Programs,'"
The Northwestern Lutheran, November 1, 1991, February 1, 1992 p. 50.

"There may be pastors or congregations which use methodology which church growth people use. This does not mean they have adopted the theology of the Church Growth Movement. Our Lutheran Confessions allow complete freedom among our churches in methodology that does not conflict with the gospel."
Wayne D. Mueller, Administrator, Parish Services, "A Response to 'Saving Souls' vs.'New Programs,'" The Northwestern Lutheran, February 1, 1992, p. 50.

"...and in the process we got a look at the inside of his study. [WELS pastor David Reichel, Mandan, ND] He's got all the standard reference works you'd expect to find in a confessional Lutheran pastor's office. But the handiest shelf, right at chest level, was reserved for a long row of binders from annual seminars at Fuller."
Source: Pastor Paul Naumann, CLC. April 1, 1996, e-mail.

"Please stop exaggerating the amount of study that I have done at Fuller. After four years of study at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, which involved sixty-two different courses and a year of vicarage, I graduated in 1983. From 1987 to 1989 I took four courses where I was in a classroom with a Fuller instructor. That is the extent of my Fuller coursework...In addition, I have taken two courses at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and one at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. Because of Fuller's liberal (would you expect anything else?) policy on transfer of credit, and because of two independent studies I undertook, I could complete the degree by simply writing a dissertation."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23

"You may reply that by 'Fuller-trained' you mean anyone who has attended a worshop presented by the Charles E. Fuller Institute of Evangelism and Church Growth, an agency which is independent of the Seminary. If that is the case, your attribution of 'Fuller-trained' is still simply not true. It would surprise me if even half of the two dozen people on your 'WELS/ELS Who's Who' list have attended a Fuller workshop; I personally know of only five who have."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23.

"Donald C. McGavran died at home home in Altadena, California, on July 10, 1990. He was 92 years old. Dr. McGavran is widely recognized as the founder of the church growth movement, a movement which has sought to put the social sciences at the service of theology in order to foster the growth of the church. In August of 1989 I borrowed a bicycle and pedaled several miles uphill up from Pasadena to Altadena. I found Dr. McGavran in his front yard with a hose in hand, watering flowers."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growthand the Church,"
EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Professor, Martin Luther College (WELS), p. 1.

This Explains WELS and Missouri BMs
"The church growth movement has made inroads into nearly every denomination in America. Once considered only the turf of conservative evangelicals, you will now find church growth practioners in the United Methodist Church, in the Presbyterian Church in the USA, and among the Episcopalians. The LCMS has more pastors enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary, the seedbed of the movement, than are enrolled in the graduate programs at their Fort Wayne and St. Louis seminaries combined, and most of them include church growth as part of their studies."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Parish Consultant for the WELS Board of Parish Services and his district's Coordinator of Evangelism. p. 1.

"When Frederick Horn faced that situation, the Holy Spirit moved him to accept the call, and for the last few years he has served as the [lay] Minister of Discipleship for Grace Lutheran in downtown Milwaukee." (Pastor James Huebner Fuller alumnus)
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary,, "Another Kind of Minister, There's a lot to do in a church, and a staff minister can do a lot of it,"
The Northwestern Lutheran, March, 1994, p. 9. Olson is director of staff ministry at MLC.

"In the autumn of 1985 and the winter of 1985-1986, a truly momentous step was taken by the five Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) congregations in the metropolitan area of Columbus, Ohio. The five pastors and lay representatives of those churches organized and incorporated Lutheran Parish Resources, Inc., the first Church Growth institute in the WELS."
David G. Peters, "Lutheran Parish Resources: Pilot Program in Church Growth,"
Mequon: Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, April 27, 1987, p. 1.

"Lutheran Parish Resources, Inc. (LPR) is dedicated to the concepts of the Church Growth movement only insofar as they agree with the Scriptures and as taught by the WELS--that is, Church Growth with Lutheran theology rather than Evangelical, and without the typical Church Growth emphasis on quantitative measurement of growth. Kent R. Hunter's definition of 'Church Growth' justifies the use of this term in describing LPR: 'Church Growth: That science which investigates the nature, function and health of Christian churches as they relate specifically to the effective implementation of God's commission to make disciples of all peoples (Matt.
28:19). Church Growth is simultaneously a theological conviction and an applied
science,....' Foundations for Church Growth, p. 187.
David G. Peters, "Lutheran Parish Resources: Pilot Program in Church Growth,"
Mequon: Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, April 27, 1987 p. 1.

"Please display this [Team Evangelism, Church Growth] prominently. The WELS is more committed to the church growth movement than LCMS."
Note from Robert Preus to Herman Otten, Church Growth Institute, P. O. Box 4404, Lynchburg, VA 24502, 1-800-553-GROW

"Resources mentioned in this 'Bulletin' are available from CHURCH GROWTH,
709 E. Colorado Blvd. #150, Pasadena, CA 91101. Or call 1-800-423-4844."
Pastor Jim Radloff, Mission Counsellor Newsletter, Austin, Texas, May, 1988

"Types of Home Groups, by Karen Hurston (Church Growth Assoc.), from material by Bob Fulton. Copied with the permission of Charles Arn."
Pastor Jim Radloff, editor, WELS Mission Counselors' Newsletter, Oct., '91,
2929 Mayfair Road, Milwaukee, WI 53222, p. 11.

"The dynamics of assimilation into active church membership have very little to do with theological issues. Rather, a new members' class should focus primarily on relational issues of involvement and belonging." (Defining an Assimilated Member, by Charles Arn, copied with permission from EVANGELISM, 12800 North Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, WI, 53092. Annual subscription rate for EVANGELISM is $12...Charles Arn is Vice President of Church Growth, Inc. in Monrovia, Ca.)
Pastor Jim Radloff, editor, WELS Mission Counselors' Newsletter, Oct., '91, 2929 Mayfair Road, Milwaukee, WI 53222, p. 150.

Mocking Word and Sacrament, the Means of Grace
"Not that Word and Sacrament are ineffective in incorporating new souls into our fellowship. Not at all! But according to some serious Church Growth studies, as many as one-third of the people gained for protestant church
membership today do not feel they really belong."
David N. Rutschow, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Winter, 1985, p. 3.

"A number of experts on church growth principles added muscle to the conference. Among the experts were George Barna, George Gallup Jr., Lyle Schaller, and Tom Sine--icons in the church growth movement...Of the four church growth experts mentioned above, I have heard three of them speak at some length." [On opposing page, letter about Church Growth which Wayne Mueller answered]
James P. Schaefer, The Northwestern Lutheran, October 15, 1991, p. 363. GJ - Why do these things happen on my birthday?

"I share the judgment of Prof. David Valleskey that one 'can probably pick up a few helpful hints' from the church growth folks."
[On opposing page, letter which Wayne Mueller answered]
James P. Schaefer, The Northwestern Lutheran, October 15, 1991, p. 363.
e May 15, 1991 NWL Valleskey article

"For several years I've been a Pete Wagner fan. Although I don't see eye to eye with him on many important theological points (he approves of faith healing and speaking in tongues as long as it promotes church growth and he comes from a Billy Graham decision for conversion doctrinal background), he is the most eloquent spokesman of the Church Growth Movement. A prolific author on mission/evangelism/church growth subjects, Wagner is also an excellent teacher and a crystal clear writer."
Reuel J. Schulz, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS) Winter, 1980,

"We have discovered that the Early Church was an institution that unknowingly saw its world through Church Growth eyes. We have some benefits they did not have in that we can look back today and analyze their successes and failures."
Floyd L. Stolzenburg, "Church Growth - the Acts of the Apostles,"
Taught at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio

"As you read, pick out the principles of Church Growth in this "FOCUS ON
A GREAT CHURCH" (Acts 11:19-30)...11:26 tells us this studies the Word 'in great
numbers.' How can we improve our numbers?"
Floyd L. Stolzenburg, "Church Growth - the Acts of the Apostles," Taught at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio, January, 1986

"CHURCH GROWTH. This program was basically the beginning of L.P.R. at St. Paul's. Certainly a church growth consciousness exists in all of the congregations which was not there four years ago. It is also evident that most of the congregations are not really willing to make church growth a major priority of their ministry. Some new people who visit our churches are turned off by the comments of church members. It would seem that many members will 'tolerate' growth if it does not upset the church's traditions."
Floyd Stolzenburg, Consultant's Annual Report, 1-12-89.
Lutheran Parish Resources

"This downplaying of the importance of the means of grace on the part of many in the Church Growth Movement would seem to stem from several factors."
[That is like saying that many Lutherans downplay the infallibility of the
pope.]
David J. Valleskey, "The Church Growth Movement: An (Enthusiastic) Evaluation," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1991 88, p. 105. Holidaysburg, 10-15-90.

"Yet this writer is confident we won't go astray in adopting a 'spoiling the Egyptians' approach to the various Church Growth Movement sociological principles and the research that produced them."
David J. Valleskey, "The Church Growth Movement: An Evaluation," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1991, 88, p. 116. Exodus 12:36.

"Useful Ideas for My Ministry from the Church Growth Movement...The Church Growth Movement--Strengths and Weaknesses...The Church Growth Movement--An Evaluation...Church Growth Sounds Good, But...Dangers of the Church Growth Movement...Friendship Evangelism...Rationale for Friendship Evangelism..."
Prof. David J. Valleskey, Class Notes, The Theology and Practice of Evangelism, PT 358A.

"Assignments:...2. Prepare a term paper on the subject of evangelism and/or church growth."
Prof. David J. Valleskey, Class Notes, The Theology and Practice of Evangelism, PT 358A, p. 3.

"David Hubbard, president Fuller Seminary: 'Not all of us have the gift of evangelism. I admire people who can lead others to Jesus Christ right on the spot...."
Prof. David J. Valleskey, Class Notes, The Theology and Practice of Evangelism, PT 358A, p. 52.

"Introduction to the Church Growth Movement by Lutheran authors, Hunter, Kent R., Foundations for Church Growth (New Haven, MO: Leader Publishing Co.,
1983) - the author, an LC-MS clergyman who has now set up his own church growth
consulting service, performs the valuable service in this 204 page book of
presenting an introduction to church growth goals and terminology. Werning,
Waldo, Vision and Strategy for Church Growth, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1977) - Werning, active for years in LC-MS stewardship work, explains the foundations, presuppositions and principles of church growth and then shows how a
congregation can benefit from making use of certain church growth principles -
of the two books listed in this category, Werning's is the more practical."
Prof. David J. Valleskey, Class Notes, The Theology and Practice of Evangelism, PT 358A, p. 6.

Bob: "..I'd like to share with you a book I came across the other day. It's interesting, easy to read, and may be the answer to our problem..." [Could this be the Bible, The Book of Concord, What Luther Says?] "Its title is Your Church Can Grow, and it's filled with all sorts of practical hints that could help us turn things around here."

Author: "Bob didn't realize it at the time, but in his browsing he had stumbled upon one of many similar books written from the perspective of the church growth movement, books with such titles as How to Grow a Church, Ten Steps for Church Growth, Church Growth: Strategies that Work, and Leading Your Church to Growth."
Prof. David Valleskey, "The Church Growth Movement, Just Gathering People or Building the Church?" The Northwestern Lutheran, May 5, 1991, p. 184.

Lutheran members of the North American Society for Church Growth: Harold S. Drageger, Grace Lutheran, Visalia, CA; Bradley Hoefs, King of Kings Lutheran,
Omaha, NE; Kent Hunter, Church Growth Center, Corunna, IN; Elmer Matthias,
Emeritus Concordia St. Louis, MO; Dale Olson, Cross of Hope Lutheran, Ramsey,
MN; Waldo J. Werning, Stewardship Growth Center, Ft. Wayne, IN; Gregory L.
Jackson, Columbus, OH.
Doris M. Wagner, Fuller Theological Seminary, December 10, 1991. GJ - I joined to get the list. Otherwise it was TOP SECRET!

"A half-hour film entitled 'See You Sunday' shows the problem and solution in a credible case history. Anguish and humor accompany the efforts of Church and Diane Bradley to keep their newly-won friends from dropping out of the church. This is one film in a series of six available from:
Church Growth
709 E. Colorado Blvd. #150
Pasadena, CA 91101.
It rents for $42.00.
"On the Subject of Incorporating Members,"
The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Winter, 1985, p. 8.

"For the Love of Pete is an excellent overview of the entire friendship witnessing process and is recommended for use with the workshop or as a follow-up too...from Church Growth, Pasadena, California."
School of Outreach IV,
Notebook, WELS Evangelism Commission, p. B-5.

Lutheran Worship a Downer
"Some active in the Church Growth movement have allowed that Lutheran worship is at best a neutral factor; and more often, a hindrance to the growth and outreach of a Lutheran congregation."
WELS Evangelism Workshop IV, LOCATING THE LOST, Larry A. Peters, "Lutheran Worship and Church Growth," LCMS Commission on Worship, p. E-4.

"The publication TELL ('The Evangelism Life Line') has been inaugurated to promote the cause of church growth."
Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, April, 1981, 78, p. 105.

"There are other church growth programs which have been developed along more conservative lines. Here we are thinking of adaptations of McGavran's principles such as developed by Waldo J. Werning of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In his study entitled "Vision and Strategy for Church Growth" Werning has modified some of McGavran's extreme positions. Using some of his own adaptations Werning has conducted many seminars and workshops in applying church growth principles to a local congregational setting in America."
[Werning is Who's Who in Church Growth]
Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, April, 1981, 78, p. 117.

"Dr. Donald McGavran, Dean Emeritus and Senior Professor of Mission at the Institute of Church Growth, Pasadena, California, is very much concerned about the Two Billion. He severely censures the leaders of the World Council of Churches as having 'betrayed the Two Billion.'
Ernst H. Wendland, "Missiology--and the Two Billion," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly,
January, 1974, 71, p. 9.

"I would not say this publicly, but I will tell privately that I received a phone call from a WELS pastor who said that some claim that there are several WELS pastors in your Circuit who are into church management and some kind of church growth (and possibly even funded by some agencies) and that some believe that you are trying to get at them and a few others in WELS, and that is why you are writing the articles. Whatever the facts are, your entering into this fray, it seems to me, will not open up channels for God to use your very good talents in WELS in profitable ways."
Waldo J. Werning, Letter to Gregory Jackson, August 23, 1989, (Letter stamped in red: CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL)

"In the light of church growth principles as they are promulgated in many mission schools these days, the question naturally arises as to whether or not our approach to world mission work is in need of reassessment or improvement."
Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, April, 1981, 78, p. 108.

"The publication TELL ('The Evangelism Life Line') has been inaugurated to promote the cause of church growth."
Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, April, 1981, 78, p. 105.

***

A. Nony Mouse has left a new comment on your post "McGavran Influence on the Synodical Conference":

Greg, this is the same kind of crap you plastered the pages of Christian News with. Look at the dates--this is all old news. What are you trying to prove? Some of these quotes go back to the 70's. So what? The CGM was just getting started, and guys like Wendland were simply trying to figure out what it was all about. And the way you write about Valleskey is simply absurd. For those who really know him (obviously you don't) he is not some sort of CG demon with horns. He is an Evangelical Lutheran confessional pastor and professor who wants to share the gospel with others. All I see you do is tear down, criticize, mock, and slander. I would much rather emulate Valleskey as my role model than you.

GJ - Don't you emulate Valleskey already? - striking in stealth mode? Here's a clue, Mouse. Church and Change just got done meeting. Remember, the group that was dissolved, over, finished? All the quotations posted show how it was beginning 30 years ago. Your mentor, Paul Kelm, is an example of your kind of Lutheran leadership.

Mouse, you have established your low level of reading comprehension. This is the only blog with a vast collection of orthodox Lutheran quotations. You may recall from seminary classes--or was that you sleeping?--that one must have rejection statements as well as positive statements. Read the post below. He signs his name.

***

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "McGavran Influence on the Synodical Conference":

My response to Wayne Mueller's official denial of CG programs in the WELS: Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire. The nose length reference in this childhood limerick may be a reference to Pinnochio, whose nose increased in length with every lie told.
To paraphrase the Great Oz: "Pay no attention to that Church Growth Guru behing the curtain".
It seems like many of the apologies for CG in the WELS are always those conditional statements - the "yeah, buts". Their meanings come through like, "yeah we know the Word is effective, but we can hinder the Word with improper methods". Another one could be translated as, "yeah we know that the CG comes from the heterodox Reformed, but we can Lutheranize it".

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Greg Jackson = Space Waster has left a new comment on your post "McGavran Influence on the Synodical Conference":

If that isn't the biggest waste of space, filled with out of context quotes, I don't know what is. For a professor and pastor, you sure have a lot of time on your hands.

***

GJ - Another way of expressing yourself, Pixel Waster, would be, "Greg, you sure have worked hard to get information past the synod minders and into the hands of laity and pastors." Perhaps I make enough money to give me free time to post and publish books. Maybe I stay up late and get up early.

I get appreciative emails (signed) from laity every day. They know how the CG gurus have destroyed WELS and Missouri. If the facts are so unpleasant, go back to your BMs (Becoming Missional).

Leonard Sweet-hearts are a nasty bunch, repetitive too.

***

Greg Jackson's a Liar has left a new comment on your post "McGavran Influence on the Synodical Conference":

GJ wrote:

"Perhaps I make enough money to give me free time to post and publish books. Maybe I stay up late and get up early. I get appreciative emails (signed) from laity every day."

Please, don't make me laugh.

Donald McGavran, Theologian of the Synodical Conference

Donald McGavran, liberal Disciples of Christ minister, sociologist, founder of the Church Growth Movement



Quotations from McGavran and About McGavran

From MEGATRON, the Database

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

"Donald A. McGavran, who has been called the father of the modern church growth movement, states in Understanding Church Growth, 'Men and women do like to become Christians without crossing barriers' (p. 227). This experienced scholar and missionary states many examples of the homogeneous principle working in his research throughout the world."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 46.

"There is no doubt the Body rightly understood, reverently discerned, and scientifically described assists Christian leaders in being better stewards of the grace of God and effective communicators of the gospel of Christ."
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 110. 1 Corinthians 10.

"To acquire more expertise in Church Growth thinking, I visited the School of World Mission and Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary. When I inquired concering resources and materials for American Church Growth, I found that Dr. Donald McGavran and C. Peter Wagner were team-teaching a course applying world principles of Church Growth to the American scene. I immediately became a part of that group. As I listened and learned, I realized here was the effective approach to evangelism for which I had been searching. In those hours, I experienced my third birth--'conversion' to Church Growth thinking." [Winfield C. Arn]
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 12.

"For the Love of Pete,"...presents "The Master's Plan for Making Disciples"...."Planned Parenthood for Churches"...Church growth principles are communicated with warmth and humor.
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 132.

"A Church Growth principle is a universal truth which, when properly interpreted and applied, contributes significantly to the growth of churches and denominations. It is a truth of God which leads his church to spread his Good News, plant church after church, and increase his Body."
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 15.

"Discover new ways of thinking about your church and community, develop Church Growth eyes that see more accurately the various parts, the homogeneous units, the responsive segments of the community which can be won."
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 17.

Church Growth Eyes Blinded Me with Science
"As we begin developing Church Growth eyes and see the possibilities, as we discover methods that prove effective and discard methods that are clearly ineffective, we will find ourselves in a new age."
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 19.

"As Christians refine their methods, develop Church Growth eyes, feel church growth responsibility, communicate the Gospel, and educate those who are won until they become responsible Christians, the church as a whole will receive the abundant blessing God wants to give."
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 21f.

"God wants his church to grow!"
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 22.

"They must not only believe in Jesus Christ but must become responsible members of his church The Bible requires that. If we take the Bible seriously, we cannot hold any other viewpoint."
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 30.

"If a person claiming to be Spirit-filled is not evangelizing, one must doubt how full he or she is and wonder what kind of spirit he or she is full of."
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 58.

"As we consider various factors and principles relating to Church Growth we need abundant, accurate information about the members of our churches. This basic principle of Church Growth is called Discerning the Body [in italics]. Pastors and lay people need to discern the Body in the congregation in which they are serving. For this, Church Growth eyes are essential."
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 61. 1 Corinthians 10.

Fuller Will Give Y'all CG Eyes
"Discerning the Body begins with Church Growth eyes. Unfortunately, this is what many leaders, many Christians, do not have."
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 63. 1 Corinthians 10.

"I was thinking some hard thoughts about my Presbyterian friends when the Lord said to me, 'Donald, you sat on the executive committee of the Indian Mission of the Disciples of Christ for twenty-five years, didn't you?' I said, 'Yes, Sir.' He said, 'How much time did you spend describing the growth or nongrowth of your church?'"
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 65.

"How can my congregation develop Church Growth eyes?"
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 72. 1 Corinthians 10.

"Churches grow as they reproduce themselves through planned parenthood." [Title of chapter 8]
Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, New York: Harper and Row, 1977, p. 93.

"Winning the winnable while they are winnable seems sound procedure."
Donald A. McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1980, p. 291.

[McGavran became a professor of missions in Indianapolis in 1957, at the College of Missions, where he got his M.A. in 1923. He began teaching at Northwest Christian College in Oregon in 1961. McGavran was invited to move his Institute of Church Growth to Fuller and become the founding dean of Fuller's School of World Mission.]
Delos Miles, Church Growth, A Mighty River, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981, p. 10f.

"The bulletin to which I refer is the Global Church Growth Bulletin, which McGavran began in 1964...One should not confuse McGavran's Global Church Growth Bulletin with Church Growth: America, a magazine edited by W Charles Arn and published by the Institute for American Church Growth."
Delos Miles, Church Growth, A Mighty River, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981, p. 11.

"Church Growth Eyes Sometimes the term is used in conjunction with the phrase, 'discerning the body.' Professor McGavran uses the terms almost synonymously. Both phrases are examples of how church growth science appropriates the medical model to express itself. Church growth eyes are 'a characteristic of Christians who have achieved an ability to see the possibilities for growth, and to apply appropriate strategies to gain maximum results for Christ and His Church.'" [McGavran and Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, p. 127.]
Delos Miles, Church Growth, A Mighty River, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981, p. 51.

Where WELS/LCMS Got MBO
"Church growth theorists are not opposed to applying Management by Objectives (MBO) in their work. McGavran is bold to advocate planning as much as fifty years in advance."
Delos Miles, Church Growth, A Mighty River, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981, p. 79.

Cloaca Magna of CG
"The fountainhead and headwaters of the church growth river are to be found in a man, an institute, a bulletin, a school, and a book." [But see C. Peter Wagner, "Church Growth, More Than a Man, a Magazine, a School, a Book," Christianity Today, December 7, 1973, pp. 11ff.]

"The man is Donald Anderson McGavran, the son of missionary parents, born in India on December 15, 1897, who was himself a third-generation missionary in India for more than thirty years under appointment of the United Christian Missionary Society (Disciples of Christ). He has a Ph. D. in education from Columbia University."
Delos Miles, Church Growth, A Mighty River, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981, p. 9f.

Olson (WELS): Our Hearts Beat as One
"Donald C. McGavran died at home home in Altadena, California, on July 10, 1990. He was 92 years old. Dr. McGavran is widely recognized as the founder of the church growth movement, a movement which has sought to put the social sciences at the service of theology in order to foster the growth of the church. In August of 1989 I borrowed a bicycle and pedaled several miles uphill up from Pasadena to Altadena. I found Dr. McGavran in his front yard with a hose in hand, watering flowers."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Professor, Martin Luther College (WELS), p. 1.

"McGavran leaned toward me and said, 'The fields are white unto harvest. But you can't harvest a field of wheat with a penknife--you need a sickle, you need a scythe. Harvest intelligently."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Parish Consultant for the WELS Board of Parish Services and his district's Coordinator of Evangelism. p. 2.

"But perhaps church growth's greatest challenge in North America comes from research that shows that more than 80 per cent of all the growth taking place comes through transfer, not conversion. The statistic strikes at the heart of McGavran's brainchild, now come of age. Whether by computer or spiritual power, the church growth movement must improve on those numbers. For if it does not, it will stand to lose the credibility and acceptance it has worked so long to gain."
Ken Sidey, "Church Growth Fine Tunes Its Formulas," Christianity Today, June 24, 1991, p. 47.

"In 1963 he [McGavran] planned to add to the Institute of Church Growth at Eugene an American Division headed by an American minister of church growth convictions, but the plan did not mature. In 1967 the annual Church Growth Seminar at Winona Lake, Indiana, drew in about 20 American ministers and heads of Home Missions Departments."
C. Peter Wagner (study questions by Rev. John Wimber), Your Church Can Grow, Glendale: G/L Regal Books, 1976, p. 14.

How Norm Berg Got Fullerized
"The conscious attempt to apply church growth philosophy to America was stimulated in the fall of 1972 by Pastor Charles Miller, then a staff member of Pasadena's Lake Avenue Congregational Church. At Miller's urging, I organized and asked McGavran to team-teach with me a pilot course in church growth designed specifically for American church leaders. We did it only as an experiment, but the results were remarkable: One of the students, Win Arn, left his position with the Evangelical Covenant Church and founded the influential Institute for American Church Growth."
C. Peter Wagner (study questions by Rev. John Wimber), Your Church Can Grow, Glendale: G/L Regal Books 1976, p. 15.

"The basic responsibility for the seminar is mine, but I am also assisted by Donald McGavran, Win Arn and John Wimber of the Fuller Evangelistic Association." [Two week Doctor of Ministry seminar every winter at Fuller School of Theology, on church growth]
C. Peter Wagner (study questions by Rev. John Wimber), Your Church Can Grow, Glendale: G/L Regal Books, 1976, p. 15.

"I know these questions are real because I was asking them myself when I first came, during my second missionary furlough from Bolivia, to study at Fuller under McGavran. Frankly, I entered his program in 1967 as a skeptic. But I emerged an enlightened person."
C. Peter Wagner (study questions by Rev. John Wimber), Your Church Can Grow, Glendale: G/L Regal Books, 1976, p. 35.

Kuske's Agenda for CG Institute in Columbus
"Church growth is that science which investigates the planting, multiplication, function and health of Christian churches as they relate specifically to the effective implementation of God's-commission to 'make disciples of all nations' (Matt. 28:19-20 RSV). Church growth strives to combine the eternal theological principles of God's Word concerning the expansion of the church with the best insights of contemporary social and behavioral sciences, employing as its initial frame of reference, the foundational work done by Donald McGavran." [Constitution, Academy for American Church Growth]
C. Peter Wagner, Church Growth and the Whole Gospel, New York: Harper and Row, 1981, p. 75.

"In 1980 the Church Growth Movement celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. The historical even now regarded as the beginning of the movement was Donald McGavran's publication of The Bridges of God in 1955."
C. Peter Wagner, Church Growth and the Whole Gospel, New York: Harper and Row, 1981, p. x.

WELS/ELCA Both Loved Lyle Schaller, not John Schaller
"Lyle Schaller, for example, now characterizes the emergence of the Church Growth Movement as 'the most influential development of the 1970's on the American religious scene." [In the Foreword to Donald McGavran and George G. Hunter III, Church Growth Strategies that Work (Nashville: Abingdon, 1980) p. 7.]
C. Peter Wagner, Church Growth and the Whole Gospel, New York: Harper and Row, 1981, p. xi.

"Donald McGavran is the founder of the Church Growth Movement. See chapter 1, 'A Tribute to the Founder.'"
C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth: The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 248.

"C. Peter Wagner is the Donald A. McGavran Professor of Church Growth at the Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Missions in Pasadena, California. The School of World Mission became a part of Fuller Seminary in 1965 when Donald McGavran, father of the Church Growth Movement, moved his nonacademinc Institute of Church Growth to Pasadena from Northwest Christian College in Eugene, Oregon. Since that time, Fuller Seminary has been the institutional base for the Church Growth Movement, first in its global expression and later in its North American expression."
C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth: The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 271.

"C. Peter Wagner is the Donald A. McGavran Professor of Church Growth at the Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Missions in Pasadena, California. The School of World Mission became a part of Fuller Seminary in 1965 when Donald McGavran, father of the Church Growth Movement, moved his nonacademinc Institute of Church Growth to Pasadena from Northwest Christian College in Eugene, Oregon. Since that time, Fuller Seminary has been the institutional base for the Church Growth Movement, first in its global expression and later in its North American expression."
C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth: The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 271.

"Wagner invited McGavran to team teach with him, and the course was a success. Among its students was Win Arn, who almost immediately stepped out in faith and established the Institute for American Church Grwoth, also located in Pasadena. Both Wagner and McGavran were members of the founding board of directors. Arn has given brilliant leadership to the Institute for American Church Growth and ranks as the premier communicator of the Church Growth Movement in North America."
C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth: The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 271f.

"Wagner was instrumental in the organization of the North American Society for Church Growth, and became its founding president in 1984. In the same year he was honored by Fuller Seminary with the Donald A. McGavran Chair of Church Growth."
C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth: The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 273.

Acknowledgments to: Donald McGavran, Win Arn, John Wimber, Paul Benjamin, Dennis Oliver, Harold Lindsell...Jack Hyles...Robert Schuller....
C. Peter Wagner, Study Questions by John Wimber, Your Church Can Grow, Glendale: Regal Books, 1976, p. 9.

"There are other church growth programs which have been developed along more conservative lines. Here we are thinking of adaptations of McGavran's principles such as developed by Waldo J. Werning of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In his study entitled "Vision and Strategy for Church Growth" Werning has modified some of McGavran's extreme positions. Using some of his own adaptations Werning has conducted many seminars and workshops in applying church growth principles to a local congregational setting in America." [Werning is Who's Who in Church Growth]
Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, April, 1981, 78, p. 117.

Wendland (WELS) Helped Soften Resistance to CG
"Dr. Donald McGavran, Dean Emeritus and Senior Professor of Mission at the Institute of Church Growth, Pasadena, California, is very much concerned about the Two Billion. He severely censures the leaders of the World Council of Churches as having 'betrayed the Two Billion.'
Ernst H. Wendland, "Missiology--and the Two Billion," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, January, 1974 71, p. 9.

CG Eyes Werning Worked with WELS/ELS/LCMS
"Donald McGavran offered us the following essay on 'The Unique and Radical Nature of the Church Growth Movement.'"
Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 159.

"Dr. McGavran offers the following 'Ten Prominent Emphases in the Church Growth School of Thought.'" [Six and one half pages of direct quotes from McGavran follow.]
Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 160.

"Dr. McGavran offers the following 'Ten Prominent Emphases in the Church Growth School of Thought.'" [Six and one half pages of direct quotes from McGavran follow.]
Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 160.

"Waldo Werning has made an outstanding contribution to the church growth movement in America with Vision and Strategy for Church Growth...Working out of the models established by Donald McGavran and the School of World Mission at Fuller Seminary, Waldo Werning breaks new ground in developing ways that church growth principles can be applied directly to American churches." [Foreword by C. Peter Wagner]
Waldo J. Werning, Vision and Strategy for Church Growth, Second Edition, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, p. 5.

More Bilge from WELS Church Growth Stars

The following is a verbatim quotation from Motley Magpie. Wisconsin Synod gave the Left Foot of Fellowship to the the Berg brothers, sons of Fuller veteran Norm Berg:

In businessman-like fashion, businessman Eberle predictably gets to the bottom line - the bottom line, “our outflow is greater than our inflow” (p. 8). While giving the Spirit his due he argues, “but numerous verses in Scripture can be quoted showing that the Lord expects results” (p. 10) that is, net growth. Given that he states, “I submit that any WELS congregation can grow as fast, or faster, than the fastest growing congregation in its community” (p. 9). He then adds the sweeping appraisal of an unidentified (and evidently well informed) WELS pastor,

Most [WELS pastors] are loathe (sic) to even consider that mega-churches in our area grow because they are well-led, high-performance, high-expectation, high-quality organizations. The fact that these [mega-churches] are theologically more conservative than us and more demanding of their members is conveniently ignored (p. 9)

- to which Mr. Eberle adds, “Since this is the case, it begs the question - Why aren’t there any WELS mega-churches?”

To state it syllogistically: conservative churches grow; the WELS is conservative; therefore, WELS churches should grow, and their “conservatism” should not be used as an excuse for “failure” (p. 11). Mr. Eberle is not the first to make this argument in the Wisconsin Synod. It was made in an 1985 essay with the admittedly improbable title “How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects” by the Rev. Paul Kelm and in a 1987 essay, “The Call into the Discipling (sic) Ministry” by the Rev. Joel Gerlach who cites, then WELS executive secretary of evangelism,

Kelm, who noted that it requires 103 WELS communicants to enlist one new adult confirmand per year… [for] the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod… 73 communicants for each new confirmand, [and] the figure for the Assemblies of God (currently the fastest growing Protestant denomination in the USA) is 20 for each new member2 (see the footnote examination of this “statistic”).

Rev. Gerlach concludes,

Thereby hangs the tale. Apparently WELS Lutherans (sic) are not as determined as members of other denominations to become involved personally in sharing their faith with others.

For himself Kelm dismisses the heterodoxy-is-why-the-heterodox-grow factor this way,

True, [fast-growing conservative, biblical churches] may not be fully orthodox; but I fail to see where baptism by immersion and assorted other Protestant departures are any drawing card. In fact, growing churches are typically those whose doctrines and expectations of members are strict” (p. 2).

As if reading from the same script, Mr. Eberle dismisses the “rationalization” that only the apostate grow,

Churches identified as fundamentalist or orthodox have grown, often at an amazing pace. For these churches, orthodoxy seems to be an asset that assists growth, rather than hinders it. Surely you and I don’t believe that the pure Gospel, as taught within the WELS, is an impediment to growth (p. 9)?

So - this naïve definition of “orthodox” aside - a commonality of conservatism (strictness!), a few “assorted Protestant departures” aside, shows that conservative WELS ought to grow, “citius, altius, fortius” - contingent, I suspect, on whether it ingests new church growth hormones, the methods of growing churches.

***

GJ - I know a WELS pastor who dared take issue with Eberle. Soon District Pope Jahnke fired him this way. "I can fire you on the spot or you can voluntarily resign and get three months pay."

Let us consider the solemn declarations of Mr. Eberle, an expert on all churches due to his experience in mass mailings. Kelm is now at the mega-church of Eberle's dreams. Is it Lutheran? No. Is it conservative? No. The congregation appears to be a clone of Robert Schuller's generic, liberal pan-Protestant congregation in California.

Studies have shown...I love to use that phrase. Studies have shown that mega-churches simply take people from other congregations, the way mega-stores take people from Mom and Pop stores. The Church Growth Movement has done nothing to increase the total number of Christians in America. The four-letter synods (ELCA, LCMS, WELS) have slavishly followed Church Growth for decades and they have failed. Once healthy denominations are strangled by high costs, membership decline, low clergy morale, and lawsuits from adulterous Church Growth pastors.