The WELS income freefall is so steep that perhaps 100 positions will be eliminated. Some may see that as a catastrophe, but what is the advantage of paying a full-time salary and benefits to a Lutheran who promotes the empty doctrine of Fuller Seminary?
I would love to discover some DMin from Fuller, a Baptist or Pentecostal, secretly advising his followers:
The Lutherans have more followers than any other Protestant group. I think we should copy the Means of Grace, the liturgy, the Creeds, and their hymns. I have had with Fanny Crosby hymns - up to here! I cannot sleep at night reading the Book of Concord. There is nothing like it in all of Schwaermerdom.
Of course, we have to ease people into this. If anyone says, "You have been reading Luther," deny it three times, with curses.
We will get our people trained at...Wait at minute. There aren't any Lutheran seminaries left. How did that happen?
We will have to form our own Luther study groups and Book of Concord societies. I got the legal papers together to form the North American Society for the Means of Grace.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "One Hundred WELS Positions To Be Eliminated":
So, where does a WELS reject get that bit of news from? Those of us in the trenches haven't heard anything like that, yet.
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GJ - An information maven is supplied with plenty of data. If the anonymous writer is always so rude and full of misinformation, he may be short-circuiting any chance to learn anything real, relevant, and relational.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "One Hundred WELS Positions To Be Eliminated":
The parties seeking handouts show no empathy for those losing their jobs. Surely they have a convenient rationalization for their attitudes and behavior. After all, rationalization has been, is, and will continue to be their modus operandi.
15 comments:
So, where does a WELS reject get that bit of news from? Those of us in the trenches haven't heard anything like that, yet.
Cuts are happening all over. Yet the BHM meets next week and Patterson and Doebler are the first ones at the door with their hands out.
Give us Free money
Yet the BHM needs a grant to stop from withdrawing missionaries that aren't hunting zebra.
together newsletter
Is there any chance WELS will merge with ELCA?
100 positions - that is a start.
Dr. Jackson,
Do you predict some (many?) of the Mequon Seminary graduates this spring will NOT get a call.
With all the cuts you cite, will some of these be reassigned to open pulpits?
Will we be greeted by a Master of Divinity student at McD's asking:
"Would you like fries with that"
or
"Would you like to justify...er...supersize that order?"
For the Second Great Depression:
Once I built a synod,
And made it fun,
Religious "Entertainment" all the time,
Once I built a synod,
But now its a setting sun,
Brother, can you spare 220 million dimes? *
Once I built a synod,
Where politics ruled,
The "players" got the goodies all the time,
Once I built a synod,
That's now in decline,
Brother, can you spare 220 million dimes?
* 220 million dimes = 22 million dollars
Bailing Water comments, "The WELS constitution requires the SC to submit a budget proposal that is balanced and in line with the anticipated financial support from all sources."
"anticipated financial support" ~ Other than perverting the central doctrine of Christian faith this is WELS' major error. Spending money they think they'll get on projects that they think God wants them to do. If the Lord in His gracious will and mercy would have something done He will provide the means to do it.
WELS has been bitten by the Methodist Pentecostal bug in which their spiritual gifts and wisdom determine the will of God.
That first anonymous comment left @ 3:09 pm is the paragon of the WELS thinking, attitude, worldview, etc. This is precisely one of the main reasons the WELS is shrinking and not growing. The writer of this blog did not have to post your comment, yet he did. It amazes me that you're willing to read this material but then attempt to tear down the writer; for what purpose exactly? Are you making an informed criticism/remark or is it another stereotypical WELS move of not knowing what you're talking about? Another large problem with the WELS is that anyone "outside" is of no concern, only the "insiders." Again, a direct reason why the WELS is shrinking and has a major lack of $$. These and many other things are all contributing to the exact thing the WELS claims to be doing, growing God's kingdom.
There was a typo in my last message. What I meant to say at the end is that the behaviors and attitudes of the WELS is contributing to the exact opposite thing that they claim to be doing.
Once again we see the payoff on high risk practices. This holds true in good and bad economic times.
When will members learn that the leaders really do not know what they are doing?
What do you expect when an organization refuses to learn from experience? God did not spell out everything in the Bible. Some things must come from learning in this world. Refusal is simply delusional.
Synod should thank God if it is only 100 positions eliminated. They are reaping what they sowed.
Obviously the trenches do not have the need to know like the "insiders."
The parties seeking handouts show no empathy for those losing their jobs. Surely they have a convenient rationalization for their attitudes and behavior. After all, rationalization has been, is, and will continue to be their modus operandi.
The WELS needs to implement some sort of transition package/plan for all the "called workers" they will let go. This should be figured in the budget, I wonder if it is, probably not. A good way to not urk people is to treat them as they would want to be treated. If any of the guys in charge could begin to imagine losing their job, maybe a severance type package would be in place. If you're gonna run things like a business, be ready and capable to handle affairs as business-like as possible. Otherwise the words incompetent and hypocritical creep up........
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