ELS Pastor Nathan Krause gave a presentation at the last Church and Change shindig.
Trouble in Paradise by ELS Bad Boy
September 22
Abiding Shepherd's website-A review
I spent a bit of time looking over the website for Abiding Shepherd in Cottage Grove, the first congregation of the ELS to implement (and bold enough to call them) contemporary services.
In assessing the site the only thing Lutheran about it is they at least maintain the name Lutheran in their church name. That's more than many WELS congregations, periodicals, etc. do. At one LWMS rally I actually heard one report from the national rally that it is more advantageous to not use the name Lutheran and if we insist on retaining the name Lutheran, we are being selfish.
The name of Jesus is mentioned once on the site (at least I could find no other mention). This is on the "mission statement" page, and the mention of Jesus Christ is found in the now defunct mission statement. This is only one of two places the name Christ is mentioned (on this page as "Jesus Christ") The other mention is on Family Education Night under the Bible Study link. Here it mentions "Christ's sacrifice" as part of the study on the Chronicles of Narnia movie. This will probably be an interesting study, even if led by a layman instead of the called shepherd, er, spiritual administrator. Ugh. Business models for the church. Yuck. Ick.
If the contemporary service is anything like this contemporary church website, I don't think there is much of substance here. Hopefully the website is incomplete and the good stuff is coming right around the corner.
contemptible service again
A real quick note. The fact that many do not see the connection to the 1 Corinthians verses I quoted in the previous post and the Divine Service is exactly why we have a problem in Lutheranism today. Those verses have everything to do with the Divine Service. Typically (admittedly, I can't speak to Krause's service, I've never been to it) the "service" of contemptible services focuses on man's service to God rather than God's Service to man through the Means of Grace. It is based on a theology of glory rather than the theology of the Cross. I would expect this of the reformed, but the Lutheran Confessions make it clear that even a sanitized version of a heretical service does not make it right to use it. More when I have more time.
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Krause's Mission Statement:
BRING THEM IN!
LIFT THEM UP!
SEND THEM OUT!
[GJ - A plastic surgeon in Scottsdale has the same mission statement.]
Our mission statement until January, 2003 was "As God's children, united by faith, we are committed to praising God with our worship and our Christian lives, and to use the Gospel of Jesus Christ to nurture fellow believers and to reach out to others, all to the glory of God."
While this statement is still true and at the very core of our ministry here at Abiding Shepherd, the church leadership developed this simple statement that our friends and members could carry in their hearts as we meet throughout the week with each other and our community.
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GJ - Confidential to Norm Teigen. The ELS is directly involved in Church and Change.
PS - Norm Teigen has been told this is "an experiment," so aping the Reformed is fine in an "experiment." WELS has been experimenting with Church Growth for three decades. Even with common law marriage, living together for seven years constitutes a marriage enforceable by law. I think the Little Sect has watch the common law marriage of WELS and Fuller/Willow Creek with envy and awe. Now they want to shack up with Deformed theology, too.
