The actor pictured above just died.
Kevin Cortez, pastor of St. Paul (WELS) in German Village, Columbus, Ohio, has resigned.
Kevin Cortez Bio.
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GJ - The announcement was - "for cause" - with no details added. Of course, communicating the announcement was a good excuse for someone to violate the Eight Commandment by citing the Eighth Commandment.
Someone wrote, anonymously of course - "How very sad that so often on this blog the worst is assumed. Sorry for you scandal-lovers, but there is none here."
The worst is often hidden away. This blog only reports some of the stuff that floats to the top.
A pastor resigned in Columbus. I know nothing more than that.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Pastor of St. Paul German Village (Columbus, Ohio)...":
To Pastor Cortez if you read this, May your God bless you in whatever you do and wherever you go. I'm sure you had your own reasons for doing what you did and I hope you can find peace with yourself and God.
Comments like the above, though unintentional, tend to make things even worse.
"you had your own reasons for doing whatever you did"
Because no charges are explicitely (sic) made, people can imagine all kind of things...
Did he change the worship format?
Did he ask for too much money?
Did he through (sic) little puppies into heavy traffic?
The secrecy breeds even more wild rumors...
Now, if it was (sic) a layman, we could publish the information...
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GJ - I would ask how much Floyd Luther Stolzenburg is in contact with members of St. Paul. After Kuske and Schuman wrote letters of recommendation for Floyd to be hired at Emmanuel, a sister church (former ALC, independent) nearby, Floyd was known for showing up at St. Paul's in his Roman collar.
Newly divorced, Floyd blew into Columbus, after being forced out of the LCMS ministry for cause, landing at St. Paul, German Village. He taught Church Growth at St. Paul. Paul Kuske set up LPR just for Floyd, a five year plan to make Stolzenburg a WELS pastor while he pretended to be a pastor anyway. Floyd came to all the WELS pastoral meetings and acted as if he were in charge. His finest moment came when he told the late Keith Roehl to start a gay ministry at St. Paul.
When LPR finally fell apart, Floyd got his gig at Emmanuel and WELS got Schuman to be assistant at St. Paul's. Wally Oelhafen was more excited about Schuman than a girl from convent school on her first date. Why? Schuman was crazy for Church Growth, hotter than Georgia asphalt for all things Fuller. Pastor Roehl died and Mike Nitz became the junior pastor. Soon Schuman had St. Paul polarized around the issue of whether he was Satan Incarnate or God Incarnate. When Schuman resigned over doctrinal issues, his acolytes preserved his office, intacta, as a shrine for when he came back. Instead he became a Thrivent agent and then vanished (from Google, at least).
Kuske and Company argued that I caused all the trouble in Columbus. True, I criticized the Church Growth Movement and emphasized the Means of Grace. I also thought a pastor should be "the husband of one wife." The Columbus group was 50-50. I did not think adulterers belonged in the pastoral office, but that also made me a legalist, a trouble-maker. I questioned Mike Nitz having a woman teaching men, which was a sin (for me to ask).
Floyd would not have been an issue if WELS had shown some spine and said, "You had your chance at marriage and ordination, and you threw both away." But no, they coddled him, financed him, and promoted him as a teacher of the Word. The Michigan District officially promoted him for WELS colloquy - the candidate's name offered up by DP Mueller at a COP meeting. This happened either once or twice. Floyd was divorced for cause, not a member of WELS, and clearly a false teacher. Yet Mueller and Kuske could not live without him. WELS apologists kept saying - "Money is the reason. Floyd is friends with the Donor."
Stolzenburg is prime evidence of the doctrinal rot caused by the Fuller and Willow Creek gang in WELS.
St. Paul's members are victims of that rot. They should have pelted him with vegetables on their own, but they mistakenly trusted in the synodical leaders. It is better to trust in the Word.
