Cloaking of the Church and Chicanery Board:
- Pastor Ron Ash (sponsor of The CORE) - bio and photo.
- Fundraiser Jeff Davis (takes a percentage) - photo but no bio.
- Sarah Owens - bio and photo.
- Barry Spencer (St. Marcus) - bio and photo.
- Pastor John Huebner - bio and photo.
- Pastor James Skorzewski - Ski - (fomerly St. Marcus) - no bio and no photo.
- UPS Driver Brian Arthur Lampe - no bio and no photo.
- Pastor Bruce Becker (St. Marcus/Time of Grace) - no bio, no photo, no listing.
Half the Church and Change leaders have chosen to hide their identities on their own board member listing!
We can ascertain the substance of Church and Chicanery from their conferences featuring Leonard Sweet (WELS approved) and Ed Stetzer (Conference of Pussycats finally put their paws down and nixed Ed).
We can also determine their direction from Chairman Ron Ash sponsoring board member Ski to build the Popcorn Cathedral of Rock in Appleton - one block from a large, downtown WELS congregation.
Church and Chicanery leaders like VP Don Patterson deny their C and C membership, but take leadership roles in their meetings, participate in their secretive listserve, and gather WELS workers for Schwaermer gatherings like Exponential.
Some Exponential speakers are linked up with The CORE Twitters or training:
Mark Batterson,
Craig Groeschel (writes all of Ski's sermons for him, even does the graphics),
Ed Stetzer.
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Even though no synod funds are available to start missions, the Arizona District Mission Board is continuing to forge ahead in the South Mountain/Laveen area of Phoenix.
Author: Gary Jeffers
“We can’t just do nothing!”
That’s what Arizona District Mission Board Chairman Dan Baumler said about the opportunity to do mission work in one of the fastest-growing and diverse areas of the country, the South Mountain/ Laveen area of Phoenix. Despite the recent funding difficulties that the Board for Home Missions is facing, Baumler is urging us to start a church here. The population of this area surrounding Arizona Lutheran Academy (ALA), Phoenix, our WELS area Lutheran high school, is projected to increase from 50,226 in the year 2000 to 147,270 in 2010.
The idea for a mission in the South Mountain/Laveen area originated in 2001. Members of ALA’s long-range planning committee asked the Arizona District Mission Board how they might start an exploratory mission in the community. The board suggested that a committee be formed to plan for an eventual start-up.
Interested individuals began meeting in September 2002. This South Mountain Exploratory Community Mission Committee surveyed the community and local churches. We also held meetings with the pastors of Emmanuel, Tempe, Ariz., a nearby WELS congregation, to solicit their support.
Even though there are no synod funds available to start missions, we are continuing to forge ahead. The goal is to raise $25,000 and call a “tent minister” who would receive a partial salary for his ministerial work and be employed part time in a secular position to help support himself.
As the Lord has blessed the efforts of this ministry according to his good and gracious will, the following milestones have been achieved:
• ministry plan completed and approved,
• initial budget written,
• orientation with potential core members (WELS members in target area), and
• Bible studies scheduled with potential core members.
Other blessings include
• a facility to meet in (ALA),
• a part-time job for a pastor,
• a great leadership team,
• a committed core group,
• $6,000 cash in hand, and
• WELS members of various congregations along with ALA students working together to further God’s kingdom.
More is needed—volunteers, offerings, prayers, a willing tent minister. We proceed confident of God’s continued blessings.
Gary Jeffers is a member of Grace, Glendale, Arizona, and chairman of the South Mountain Community Exploratory Mission Committee.
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“We can’t just do nothing” part two
The Lord is blessing a local effort to start a church in the South Mountain/Laveen area of Phoenix.
Author: Gary Jeffers
As you may recall from the winter edition of Mission Connection, “We can’t just do nothing“ is what Arizona Mission Board Chairman Dan Baumler said about the opportunity to do mission work in one of the fastest growing and diverse areas of the country, the South Mountain/Laveen area of Phoenix. Despite recent funding difficulties facing Home Missions, Baumler urged us to gather people and start a church here.
The population of this area is projected to increase from 50,226 in the year 2000 to 147,270 in 2010. One sees evidence everywhere that the projection is solid. Future neighborhoods are being prepared. New houses are being finished every day.
Even though we had no synodical funds to assist us, we continued to forge ahead. We established a goal to raise $25,000 and to call a “tent minister“ before the end of 2003. A tent minister is a pastor who is willing to work a part-time job to help support himself financially while he reaches out with the gospel. As a result of the overwhelming support, generosity, and undeterred nature of WELS people in our area, the Lord has blessed these efforts. The monetary goal was exceeded, and a call was extended and accepted by Jeffrey Gunn early in 2004.
Gunn was installed in a service at Emmanuel, Tempe, and Baumler preached the sermon. Praise God for directing our people to share their gifts to support this mission and to show us that new openings can happen, even if the synod doesn’t have money for them.
Another significant blessing is that the Board for Home Missions favorably reviewed what has been accomplished, and they approved the Mission Establishment Phase for this endeavor without any promise of financial subsidy. Now a core group of WELS members living in the area meets for weekly Bible classes and fellowship. They recently named the mission “CrossWalk Lutheran Church.“ They have begun to formulate short- and long-range plans for their mission endeavors in this expanding part of Phoenix.
Please keep tent minister Jeffrey Gunn and all of us in this new mission in your prayers. Together we forge a new path in reaching the unchurched in South Phoenix.
Gary Jeffers is chairman of the board of directors for the development phase of CrossWalk Lutheran, Phoenix, Arizona.
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“We can’t just do nothing ” part three
New ministry in South Phoenix keeps growing. Weekly Bible classes and three summer worship services were well attended.
Author: Gary Jeffers
Blessings continue to abound for CrossWalk Lutheran Church in South Phoenix. As mentioned in previous editions of Mission Connection, this North American outreach ministry was formed by a group of WELS members who saw a need for outreach to the unchurched in the South Phoenix area.
The population of this diverse area surrounding Arizona Lutheran Academy, a WELS area Lutheran high school, is projected to increase from 50,226 in the year 2000 to 147,270 in 2010. Even though there are no synodical funds to support the effort, Pastor Jeff Gunn accepted the call as a tent minister. (A tent minister is best described as a pastor who is willing to work a part-time job to help support himself while he also does outreach ministry.)
Currently, weekly Bible classes are being held both at Arizona Lutheran Academy and at Gunn’s home. Because of the summer heat that sends many in Phoenix out of town and also because of the desire for excellence in our worship services, regular Sunday worship has been put on hold until after Labor Day. However, three preview services were held during the summer months in the gymnasium at Arizona Lutheran Academy. This gave the new mission time to become comfortable in its surroundings and to prepare for guests in fall. We also challenged each current member to invite 10 unchurched people to our official start-up in September. The first of the three preview services was held on June 20. It was an unadvertised service attended by 110 people—another blessing and surprise from the Lord!
Please keep CrossWalk’s members and Pastor Gunn in your prayers as we forge a new path in reaching the unchurched in South Phoenix.
Gary Jeffers is chairman of the board of directors of CrossWalk Lutheran Ministries, Phoenix, Arizona.
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Volume Fall 2004, Category: BHM
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GJ - Forward in Collusion ran a three-part series on Church and Chicanery hero Jeff Gunn. Why would anyone think the synodical magazine is in cahoots with the Shrinkers?
The three-part series managed to leave out a ton of facts about CrossWalk, such as plagiarizing false teacher's confessions, ditching the word Lutheran, pretending to be generic Babtist. What a success - crating a non-Lutheran congregation in a non-Lutheran town, then spreading the Staff Infection to others.
Meanwhile, the WELS DP extended the Left Foot of Fellowship to one pastor after another. One dared to criticize the Yoda of Church Growth in WELS. Horrors! Bonk, out. Ichabodians, did you know that one requirement for joining WELS is removing criticism of CG from a website? And you think there is no doctrinal discipline. Not in the Arizona-California-Las Vegas District.
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Ken Schmidt has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Board Members Learned Secrecy an...":
I realize that "tent ministers" time is limited but putting regular Sunday services on hold till after Labor Day seems a bit odd to me. Note the church growther emphasis on "excellence." These birds would rather cancel services than perhaps hold a simple service. This attitude borders on abandoning the flock. This guy would rather abandon Sunday services if they can't be a full blown church growth hootinanny (sic). What a contrast to the early church who would rather meet in the Roman catacombs than forsake the assembly of the saints. They feel if you can't get the proper penetecostal style emotional tone by having a large crowd then you might as well stay home and watch Joel Osteen on the idiot box! The angels must weep!
