Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "I Give Up: WELS Pastors Write Better Satire Than I...":
"We have a rockin' music team that leads us in worship every week with familiar Christian rock songs right off the radio. Our music volunteers are all talented musicians who have gone through an audition process to keep the quality of our worship experience one that will keep you wanting to come back."
I personally listened to auditions at a WELS congregation, (not this one) where the person that was chosen to be the "lead singer" in the praise band revealed that she was LCMS! I spoke up and said that this would disqualify her because it was a fellowship issue, especially when she did still consider herself aligned with "her church" - an LCMS congregation. The pastor over-rode my thinking and vote because she was good and had definte (sic) charisma. She was given the gig despite her very clear testimony that "her church" was not the one where she was now going to be leading worship. I no longer see any justification for the "praise band" thing and have stepped away from the "Church Nouveau."
I now feel as though I have to be very cautious and careful at which WELS congregation I align myself. A sad commentary on what used to be a very homogenous lot. But Christ himself did talk of the narrow and wide path didn't he? Choose wisely bretheren (sic).
***
GJ - This is not new to WELS. The Kuske-Stolzenburg-Zehms Lutheran Parish Resources ("the first WELS CG agency")sponsored Soter, an ecumenical rock group, for an Ohio youth gather in Jenera. The same group performed badly at the national WELS youth rally in Columbus, 1989, where Kuske was clearly in charge. One Soter member was Greek Orthodox because The Donor was Greek Orthodox (and many other denominations, not to mention c-notes). Given the make-up of the WELS clergy and pseudo-clergy, Satyr would have been a better name.
Soter was ecumenical and pretty bad. I really cannot define a bad rock group since they range from mediocre to horrible. I shocked a college class by saying it takes no talent to be a rock performer. I struck my imaginary guitar, "Twang!" and screamed. They enjoyed my brief rock career and laughed. However, many were scandalized at my claim. They eventually agreed that the members of the Boston Orchestra could all be rockers if they wanted to, but almost no rockers could be seated in the Boston Orchestra.
Where are they now?
Richard Stadler was the main speaker at the communion service. Jon Balge thanked me for not puking on him during the sermon, which was an extended children's talk done in a lispy voice. Stadler left WELS with his congregation.
Mark Freier was another speaker. After visiting destruction on a number of congregations, Mark served CrossRoads in S. Lyons, Michigan, which is now Evangelical Covenant. Mark will perform your wedding whether you are Hindu or atheist. He is also a life-coach.
Mark Schroeder (POP-Lutheran, married to Johne's daughter: Johne hunts in Africa with Patterson) was kicked out of WELS, and his congregation left with him.
Wayne Mueller spoke, too. This was a proto-Church and Change rally.
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Roger Zehms, and Paul Kuske were in charge of the rally. Kuske and Schumann endorsed Stolzenburg for a job at Emmanuel, Columbus, an independent Lutheran-Masonic congregation. Floyd promised to commune Masons in a letter he wrote to his prospective employer. Kuske wrote a letter of recommendation for Floyd and denied having anything to do with Floyd's new job.
The Michigan District voted Kuske out of office, an event as rare as a Book of Concord study-group at The Love Shack...or The Saussage Factory.
PS - Church Growth Enthusiasts are bolded in red.
