Valleskey, Bivens, Olson, Huebner, Roth, Werning, Kelm, Hunter:Behold Your Work

Doctrine of Fellowship Misapplied?

February 17th, 2006 | 12:45 pm | Posted in General

Church Door Symposium Cancelled!

Due to the brotherly concerns expressed by numerous clergy and Synod officials around the issue of church fellowship, the 3rd Annual Church Door Symposium has been cancelled. Although the Executive Director and the members of the CHARIS Board of Directors disagree with the judgments that hosting non-WELS speakers represents a violation of Scripture and WELS doctrine, concern for maintaining harmony in the church, coupled with concern for the continued success and vitality of CHARIS and Wisconsin Lutheran College, override any reasons for taking a stand on this issue at this time.

Moose Commentary: I’m not quite sure how hosting non-WELS speakers constitutes prayer fellowship and a violation of Scripture. Pretty soon we’ll get to the point where just talking to people who are non-WELS will be breaking fellowship.

It is an unfortunate fact that great confusion exists among clergy and laity alike around applications of the church fellowship principles.

Moose Commentary: “Confusion” is an understatement.

Rather than contribute to this confusion, the leaders of The CHARIS Institute have decided to cancel this year’s symposium. Our prayer is that we will find a way to resolve this confusion about church fellowship so that CHARIS can again host outstanding scholars on relevant subjects in the future without controversy.

May God guide us to live and work in the freedom of His Gospel so that we can be salt and light to a dying world.

Moose Commentary: This symposium was on evangelism. Apparently it is breaking fellowship by bringing in those who have effective evangelism programs that actually work because they are not WELS. Our synod is losing members faster than they are gaining them. You’d think they’d be open to new ideas. There is a serious danger here in this fellowship misapplication. Those planning to attend have lost the opportunity to learn about other evangelism methods to win souls for Christ.

Here is the link I have quoted.

7 Responses to “Doctrine of Fellowship Misapplied?”
The Rev. David M. Juhl
February 17th, 2006 at 6:50 pm
Kent Hunter and Waldo Werning are two Missouri Synod pastors who are far from being Confessional Lutherans.

See Kent Hunter’s work for yourself here:

http://www.churchdoctor.org

Jon
February 18th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
I quote from: “A Tale of Two Synods: Lessons from the Dissolution
of the Synodical Conference” by Dr. Mark Braun.

“Do the previously mentioned allegations [referring to other topics mentioned in Braun’s document] actually violate scriptural passages on fellowship and the 1959
WELS “Statement on fellowship?? Or do they demonstrate our discomfort at stepping outside the busy, all-encompassing “WELS–world? we have created of congregation, school, social activities, familiar customs, and extended family and friendship
networks? Rather than risk the censure of our ministerial “brothers,? it may be safer and simpler for us to avoid any such contacts with other Christians entirely, even though they offer us opportunities to encourage others in their faith, testify to the truth, and—most controversial—even learn something
useful from them.”

Elle
February 18th, 2006 at 9:24 pm
It’s interesting that it was cancelled because of the cited fellowship reasons as opposed to the expected content of the presentations. Why did they say that listening to someone who isn’t WELS is a bad thing when what they perhaps ought to have said was that they took issue with what would have been presented?


Daniel Sellers
February 18th, 2006 at 9:30 pm
Dr. Wearing isn’t exactly a guy you want to hang around with. There are accusations floating around that he has taught false doctrine about the Trinity and a faulty Christology.

Mike Thom
April 26th, 2006 at 8:50 am
For a better understanding of the Scriptural basis for not inviting men such as Werning and Hunter, you might read some of the articles posted at www.welsincrisis.blogspot.com.


Mike Thom
May 18th, 2006 at 4:55 pm
The basic idea of Romans 16:17 and 2 John 10 is that God does not want Christians sitting at the feet and learning from false teachers. The passages do not say that we should avoid them only when they are teaching their false doctrine. To invite them to speak at events sponsored by WELS groups is ignoring this word of God.

***

GJ - The original Moose Report did not distinguish between the inspired words of CHARIS and the blog commentary (norma normata). I have copied the CHARIS passages reverently in italics.

I still marvel at the feigned sorrow of CHARIS, the prayerful hopes. Apparently the breach has been healed by all the Church Growth disciples bending their knees. The 2009 Church and Change Conference is approved and planned. Eager hearts await Brian Lempe delivering another one-two punch to the devil.

Here are some boasts from Church and Change:

Innovation in methodology is yesterday's news in the WELS. Pastors, teachers, synod administrators, worker training leaders, home and world missionaries, worship leaders, computer buffs, and countless local laymen and laywomen, have been tweaking (and/or radically changing) ministry methods for years. In every WELS generation God has raised up men and women, for reasons known only to Him, who are interested in pushing the envelope of "gospel delivery systems." And this, long before concepts like "English" or "radio ministry" or "Parish Assistance," or "paradigm" or "long distance learning" entered WELS thinking or culture.

No surprise - Church and Change was artificially inseminated with WELS offering money:

History of Church and Change

In 1995, a group of about 10-12 men gathered at Wisconsin Lutheran College to discuss current methods of sharing Jesus which were commonly being used in the WELS at that time. Many at the first meeting felt that those methods of sharing Jesus were not “keeping up with” the rate of change in society. The message of the Bible was not, therefore, penetrating society very well.

In 1998 two men who had attended the first meeting planned a Church and Change conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The next year there was a second conference in Green Bay. About 20 people attended each year.

In May 2001, WELS Parish Services applied for and received a Forward in Christ grant to conduct a three-year pilot program to address the issues surfaced by the previous two Church and Change conferences. The three-year pilot program was designed to be a grassroots gathering of individuals who were pioneering new innovative methods of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a changing culture.

Church and Change is known for its hilarious goofs, which they never seem to catch. Here is a two-fer:

Everyone in this directory has give (sic) their (sic) approval to be listed here.

Illiterate in theology. Illiterate in English.


Just Plain Funny:

Gifts of Talent

Church and Change is seeking to compile a list of WELS singers, instrumentalists, songwriters, comedians, jugglers, entertainers, groups and others who are serving their Savior with their personal gifts. If you are such a person and would like to be featured on this website, please click here.

GJ - WELS jugglers? Do they refuse to juggle with LCMS jugglers? Do they walk away from the stage and juggle behind the curtain? Do they invite ELCA and Willow Creek jugglers to teach them how to juggle?

I Know This Makes Sense to Someone...

Strategy - Conference Breakout 111.... Develop the Courage Not to Plan Your Ministry
Dr. Steve Witte

Do you carefully plan your ministry and invite God to bless those plans? Do you find it difficult to say “no” to our own “great” plans, while waiting for God to reveal his own perfect plan which he has prepared in advance? It is not always easy to determine which ideas or strategies are based on our own selfish ideas and passions—and which ideas come from God himself. Consider your ministry planning model. How much room is there for God in it? In this workshop consider a planning model based on prayer, patience and preparation—mixed with a healthy dose of common sense.