I started a new feature because several people wanted some older papers made available again. Searching Ichabod for one of 2050+ posts is rather tedious, even for the blogmeister, so I created a box where useful papers are linked. The list will grow with a little cooperation. Just send me a Word file and I will publish the paper.
The first three papers listed came from the Michigan District. In case someone wonders or would like to accuse, the authors did not stealthily send the papers to me. WELS laymen provided the copies. Others have asked how to find the earlier papers, so I knew the locations were becoming obscured by time.
Comments on 15 Years Under MOV
I am quite sure Manthey wrote the paper. I can almost hear him reading it. He married a Brenner, so that makes him part of that clan: John, son of John, son of John, ad infin. Reading between the lines of his exquisitely polite prose will reveal a very harsh criticism of WELS direction under the Church Growth gurus, whose names I highlighted in red. He has excellent comments about Strategic Planning as well (part of the same toxic waste dump). I know one woman who was extended the Left Foot of Fellowship for daring to criticize SP in WELS.
I thought of putting Gurgel's name in red, but he never was a leader of any kind. He was (don't laugh) the conservative dream candidate when he was elected upon Mischke's retirement. Conservatives were soon praying for Mischke to come back from retirement. Gurgel's team wasted the MilCraft estate when he was District Pope, then ran WELS into the ground after getting the Marvin Schwan money pot - enormous annual grants.
The original author may wince at my format enhancements, even the paragraph breaks, but I tried to break it up in an eye-appealing way, without changing any words. I was happy to see how he eviscerated "making disciples," which is the favored motto of the Church Growth fiends.
I was anonymousely accused of lying, because I wrote that I forgot the name of the WELS pastor who recently thanked me for my work. Soon, an anonymous comment was posted, claiming to be the author. I have Michigan DP memory. I immediately forget something when it is convenient for me to do so. In fact, I can no longer remember that Frosty Bivens bragged about studying at Fuller Seminary.
