More Insubordination To Come

The Love Shack staff (WELS Headquarters) has shown its colors by their acts of open insubordination, ever since their security was threatened by the election of SP Schroeder, two years ago.

FIC Spin for Church and Change
Some items are well known. FIC has continued to be the synod-funded printing press for Church and Change, with the recently fired Jim Aderman--a former Chicanery board member--slotted to teach WELS about the Ten Commandments. Each issue of FIC has featured articles by Shrinkers. Why? Because Church and Change = Synod Staff, and Synod Staff = Church and Change. Who started Church and Change? The Synod Staff did, with synod offering money. How nice.

FIC featured one of the more outrageous Shrinker congregations, Randy Hunter's Latte Sect, with the cross blasphemously resting in a coffee cup as their logo. As I recall, the logo was not printed with the article. Too bad - that might have made some DPs wake up.

Paul Calvin Kelm Call
Bruce Becker's Perish Services insisted on calling a new person, in spite of the obviously budget crisis. They were admonished by the SP not to spend more money and not to hire a polarizing figure. When everyone opened the call report that fateful morning, they all learned Paul Calvin Kelm had a call from St. Mark Willow Creek Lutheran to The Love Shack - thanks to defiant Becker and Perish Services. No one told the duly elected Synodical President that the call was issued. I have been at The Love Shack. Walking down the hall is not much of a struggle, even for an overweight staffer. The appointment was clearly arranged as a kick to the ribs. Kelm, who turns 65 in December, was not exactly a symbol of youth and energy.

So what did the Shrinkers do? They cried out with one voice that this was not so. I checked two different trustworthy sources (as others did). My version was verified - Kelm was hired behind the back of the SP, against Schroeder's clearly expressed counsel, and the news slipped out in the official WELS call report. Bruce Becker was being paid as the head of Perish Services while leading Church and Change. When his position was threatened, he left for - Time of Grace with Mark Jeske, one of the founders of Church and Change.

Stetzer Conference Invite
In keeping with their sneaky, deceptive methods, the Shrinkers invited Babtist Ed Stetzer to be their keynote speaker at the November, 2009 Church and Change conference. This happened after District VP Don Patterson took a bunch of WELS workers to the Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida, where Stetzer spoke. At about that time, Stetzer announced he was speaking for Church and Change. He put it on his Twitter first. He blogged about it, making fun of the Lutheran Confessions in the process, and also added the gig to his official calendar. Thus, Stetzer affirmed his speaking engagement for Church and Change three different ways.

The Church and Change websty announced the conference but not the speaker. Why so deceptive?

The Chicaneries went wild denying Stetzer, in spite of the published evidence. I wonder if Stetzer got the message - "We love you, Ed. Be our speaker. But we will deny you three times before the cock crows." At some point the Conference of Pussycats actually stomped their paws and demanded a dis-invite.

The Chicaneries were not happy. I never got their listserve messages on this, but I heard they were hissed off, the snakes that they are. Several of their leaders were invited to a Come-to-Jesus meeting with the SP. They were also told to keep him informed. Why would an official organization of WELS have to keep the SP informed? Who does he think he is?

Now we finally have the agenda of Church and Change for November. But first they will have a stealth meeting in August, at The Sausage Factory, with Bruce Becker speaking under the cover of the WELS Prayer Pietism Institute. They also have a women's ordination lobby called Jars of Clay. Shrinkers are like bunny-rabbits. Leave them alone for a few days and they have babies. They cannot grow the Church, because they do not know how, but they can reproduce if left alone in the dark.

Howling Mad When Exposed
Various people have given me links and documents. The Shrinkers did not like having their secret listserve published. Most believers would ask, "Why is a discussion group secretive?" One discussion showed how no one could dissuade Paul Calvin Kelm from having Leonard Sweet as the Church and Change keynote speaker. (I actually thought Sweet was canceled.) The Shrinkers say, "Come to us and talk to us," but Kelm said he wasn't even going to discuss the issue with anyone.

Earlier, when I was learning about Church and Change, EastCoast told me the group was finished, gone, shut down by Gurgle. So I said, "Really? Then why is their next conference registration being linked right from the WELS.net website, via the jumpwords?" That was for 2007. Like I said, Church and Change = Synod Staff, and vice versa. The 2007 conference was limited to Lutheran Shrinkers, but they went back to the roots of pure Enthusiasm for 2009, until stomped again.

Ski and The CORE
Lenski pointed out (in Acts, I believe) that Lutheran pastors should not innovate unless they discuss proposed changes with brother pastors. Instead, some people decided to spend a boatload of money ($250,000 already) on an alleged mission placed one block from a large, established WELS church with a downtown ministry.

Ski and Bishop Katie do not hesitate to display their study with Groeschel, Stanley, Beeson, Driscoll, and others deliberately copying Groeschel's sermons.

Ski is on the board of Church and Change. Ski and Bishop Katie were previously at St. Marcus, Pastor Mark Jeske. Questions? Buehler? Buehler? Anyone?