Dancing Around the Doctrinal Issues

No church growth here. The kids have been tagging again.

WELS AnswerMan

Q:	I would like to be pointed to information that the WELS synod has done regarding the insurgence of the "church growth" movement throughout the Lutheran synods and specifically the WELS synod. I have read much information put out by the LCMS synod relating to this topic but I do not find much information on this website or through any other sources. I am beginning to believe that the WELS synod as a whole is confused about the importance of studying this matter and how it impacts the doctrine that our churches practice under. The lack of intelligent discussion on this topic can be seen in the amount of contemporary material being used in our churches and the lack of discussion at the recent convention on any topics other than budget concerns. I am concerned that the synod is directly being guided by a buisness (sic) model and not focusing on the direct practice of delivering the Word and Sacraments. I also believe that the work of missions is the responsibility of each individual member and not the synod. The synod and each individual church should be working on the preservation of each individual member and those members are the ones who are called to do the work of the great commission. This is why I believe that the synod is beginning to loose sight of the return to scriptural truth that Luther set in motion during the reformation. I find myself lost in a synodical distortion of scriptural purity.
A:	It is hard to respond to your question since it is too big a question for an email, since you fail to give any specifics to support your allegations, and since you say nothing about the sources of your information, which for the most part appear to be inadequate or misleading. There have been a lot of studies of Church Growth. When Church Growth became the trendy fad more than a decade ago, we published a number of evaluations for pastors conferences and for the synod. You can find a number of them by looking under the topic "Church Growth" in the online essay file of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. The studies by Koester, Valleskey, and Wendland would be a good place to start. Much more of the relevant material does not directly address Church Growth as a phenomenon, but deals with the proper antidote to the errors of Growth Growth, which is a proper emphasis on the means of grace as the source of growth in the church. You will find these studies under topics like the mission of the church or the means of grace or the doctrines of church and ministry. If you search the term "Church Growth" (in quotation marks) on this Q & A , you will find more than 80 discussions of the topic. Including the following one. ______ What exactly is the "Church Growth Movement"? I read on a LCMS website that we, along with the ELS and CLC, embrace this movement. The site stated that LCMS condemns the approach but gave no more details than this. The "Church Growth Movement" teaches a set of principles for doing mission work and evangelism. Some of them are good, common sense suggestions for reaching out to people in a way that will get their attention and interest. Some seem to place excessive emphasis on statistical growth. Some seem to place a greater emphasis on "what works" rather than on "what's right." Others seem to suggest reshaping the church's message so it won't offend people. It is difficult to respond to the second part of your question without seeing the site that you refer to. I doubt very much that it was an official LCMS site since everything it says is wrong, including what it says about the LCMS evaluation of Church Growth. It may have been a site developed by an individual who has or claims affiliation with the LCMS. Though there are a number of disagreements between the WELS and the LCMS, it has been our experience that official LCMS sites accurately report those differences. The site you refer to is inaccurate both about the LCMS and the WELS. The official LCMS evaluation of the Church Growth movement which appears on their site comes to the following conclusions. AN EVALUATION WITH RECOMMENDATIONS "Church Growth principles have been described as universal truths. That is, they are in a general way acceptable to all. Christians. Examination of these missiological principles reveals that some of them are indeed Biblical principles which have been used in Christian churches, including The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, for many years. Others are new and have their origin in sociology, anthropology, and psychology, but they too have been found to be useful, also by numerous congregations in The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. Still other principles have caused some concern in Lutheran circles chiefly because they are perceived as coming into conflict with Scriptural teaching, especially with the doctrine of the means of grace. "As we attempt to evaluate Church Growth principles, two important questions need to be kept in mind: Do these missiological principles reflect a theology which is non-Scriptural to the point that their application in Lutheran congregations is unacceptable? Or, can they be modified so that they are consistent with Lutheran theological presuppositions, providing new missiological techniques acceptable to Lutheran pastors and congregations as they strive to carry out the great commission? "Lutherans are concerned not only that missiological principles themselves be in accord with Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. They must also be used and applied to human needs in a manner that is consistent with the clear teachings of the Bible." You can read this report in its entirety on the LCMS web site. Even the brief section quoted here shows that the LCMS does not make a blanket rejection of the Church Growth Movement, but does caution against aberrations and errors that occur in many writings produced by the movement. I believe that any unbiased observer would say that the WELS, ELS, and CLC are all much less influenced by the Church Growth Movement than the LCMS and are more blunt in their rejections of the Church Growth Movement than the LCMS. A WELS evaluation Halleluia Chorus for the Church Growth Movement appeared in the Spring 1991 issue of the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly. [Valleskey's spoiling the Egyptians] You may be able to obtain a copy of this from your pastor or from the library of one of the synodical schools. If you have correctly understood the site you refer to, it is either sadly misinformed or malicious since none of its statements that you report in your question are correct. ________ The statement that this has not been studied is simply untrue. Your view of what is happening in the LCMS also does not seem to be based on reliable information but on the sort of information referred to in the previous answer. Most of the stronger writings against Church Growth coming from Missouri Synod sources, such as the writings of men like Robert Preus or Kurt Marquart, are not from the synod as such, but from indivduals seeking to counter what they see as too strong of an inclination toward Church Growth in the Missouri Synod. There are many other inadequate general statements in your message which you did not support with any evidence. "The lack of intelligent discussion on this topic can be seen in the amount of contemporary material being used in our churches and the lack of discussion at the recent convention on any topics other than budget concerns." The very considerable amount of discussion is listed above. Your statement about the convention is also not correct. There was considerable discussion of other issues including the mission of the church. In fact, the recent letter from the new president of the synod focused on the statement on the mission of the church adopted by the convention. Is everything contemporary Church Growth? "I am concerned that the synod is directly being guided by a business model and not focusing on the direct practice of delivering the Word and Sacraments. " Again you ignore the fact that the convention voted against centralization of power along a business model. You do not seem to have a good source of information of what is actually happening. Certainly, some have such ideas, but the synod has not endorsed them. "I also believe that the work of missions is the responsibility of each individual member and not the synod. " You have set up a false dichotomy here. Certainly, every Christian should share the gospel whenever there is opportunity, but Christians have also always sent out missionaries to do this work on their behalf. Missions along with the education of missionaries has always been a key purpose for the synod. "The synod and each individual church should be working on the preservation of each individual member and those members are the ones who are called to do the work of the great commission. " Again you set up a false contrast. It is not a members or missionaries situation. "This is why I believe that the synod is beginning to lose sight of the return to scriptural truth that Luther set in motion during the reformation. I find myself lost in a synodical distortion of scriptural purity. " It is wrong to make such statements without basis in fact. What has the synod that speaks through its convention done that enables you to say it has lost sight of the scriptural truth? I was a delegate at the convention and I did not see that in the actions of the convention.