Pastor Marc Schroeder should not be confused with SP Mark Schroeder. No relation.
No, this Schroeder is the son of the DMLC professor, Morton Schroeder, nicknamed Salty Schroeder. Mark's lovely second wife is the daughter of a former WELS missionary to Japan.
District VP Paul Kuske embraced the Church Growth methods of Mark Schroeder, Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Roger Zehms, and that missionary to the unwashed barbarians in the Ukraine - Roger Kovaciny. Wally Oelhaven thought the doctrine of Columbus congregations was not corrupt enough yet, so he excitedly brought in Schumann, who apostatized to Thrivent.
POPLUTHERAN is Kuske's greatest achievement, after Pilgrim Community Church. All that WELS mission money went down the drain when they lost POPLUTHERAN. District Pope John Seifert extended the Left Foot of Fellowship to Mark Schroeder, who had once undermined Barb Seifert's teaching novitiate. POPLUTHERAN followed Mark out of WELS and into the perfumed bosom of Missouri. The perfidy! We all know that the Wisconsin Synod's mission is to save people from the Missouri Synod.
Not all is lost. WELS kicked the congregation out for sticking with Schroeder, but they kept the money. Check out the Sausage Factory's website. George Skestos is still funding the smokey-links as they are processed, each one identical as they roll out, prepared to do battle against Missouri. The Salem Foundation, funded by Skestos, provides a subsidy for them. How many LCMS members are named and honored at the WLS website?
Just one.
"In a typical school year a strong majority of our student body (about 90%) receives financial assistance from school funds. In addition to this, students are eligible to apply for grants from the Salem Lutheran Foundation."
