DIVIDE
Someone alerted me to a dreadful essay given at the Sausage Factory 2009 Symposium. Here it is.
Pastor Ken Fischer clearly favors the Shrinkers and often quotes Professor of Chicanery at Mequon, Richard Gurgle. Wayne Mueller is another source. And Elton Stroh. And George Barna. Guilty as charged.
I hear the essay was warmly received, as in "tar and feathers." Nevertheless, some people arranged to have this tripe served up as Gospel to impressionable young minds. Let's hope they were sufficiently hung over to miss most of it.
The Chicaneries have been dividing the Synodical Conference for three decades. They march in and dare anyone to dislodge them. Anyone against them is lazy, brain-damaged, senile, or worse.
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Freddy Finkelstein has left a new comment on your post "Divide and Conquer - The WELS Church and Change M...":
I just took some time out to read Rev. Fisher's paper. Where does one begin? "Dreadful" is an apt one-word description. It is nothing but a thinly veiled apologetic for CGM. Then again, maybe it isn't even a veiled attempt at all. I can't believe that WELS pastors still have the guts to publish this stuff. In this paper, the author conspicuously goes out of his way to drop names in a way that lavishes favor on long-known CGM advocates in WELS, even going so far as to indirectly associate them with Lutherans who are revered in WELS, like August Pieper and even Martin Luther himself.
Are there elements of truth in what he writes? Why, yes, of course. But this is the problem with CGM: it's insidious. More often than not, it turns normal gospel-motivated Christian practices into requirements of the Law. It turns the Holy Spirit's work, God's work, into man's work -- a work measured by man's means according to man's timing and according to his limited observational capacity (i.e., external evidence) -- and presumes to give God the credit for man's work. This is blasphemy, if I am not mistaken.
As one might expect, the topic of "congregational health" in this paper is predicated on CGM priorities, namely, the "Great Commission." The author even quotes Rev. Kelm to this effect, naming him as one who sent an email to all symposium authors, presumably as the one seeding their topics. When one filters church practice and evaluation through the filter of the "Great Commission," the result is imbalance. Truth out of balance leads to error.
Rev. Fisher clearly begins and ends with imbalance, with the "Great Commission, " i.e., "Going and Growing," as the prime indicator of congregational health. For example, he so defines a healthy church on pg. 17, "We seek to heal by putting plans in place that will lead to a healthier church – meaning a church that makes plans to seek the lost." Is it wrong for a congregation to seek the lost, or to plan to do so? I can't possibly think that it is. But is this the sole measure of a healthy church? Hardly. Is it even the primary measure of a healthy congregation? How can that be?
What is erroneously taken for granted is that methods of "outreach" fundamentally maintain the centrality of the Means of Grace; it is assumed, without qualification, from organizational growth that the true Means, not man's means, are responsible for that growth. Rev. Fisher even goes so far as label as "naive" those who think that faithful use of the Means of Grace alone are sufficient to result in Church growth. He is consumed with congregational growth, with organizational growth, not at all with true Church growth, which is accomplished by the Holy Spirit alone, through our faithful and consistent use of Word and Sacrament, alone.
Dr. Jackson, I hope you are correct, that this "warmly received paper" is one that in reality "tar[ed] and feather[ed]" the author.
Freddy Finkelstein
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CONQUER
Excel in the Grace of Giving
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Team
Jeff Davis (Co-Founder) [GJ - Church and Change Board]Lake Mills, Wisconsin Jeff's 28 years of experience in administration, ministry and consulting, coupled with a strong desire to serve Jesus, have helped form his servant characteristics. Jeff enjoys teaching, directing and leading God's people. His personal commitment to stewardship is a reflection on his beliefs and thankfulness to Jesus. He has written extensively on stewardship, guiding and challenging God's people to live lives of thanks. Recently, Jeff co-authored Heart in Focus, a faith focused financial course (www.heartinfocus.com). Jeff and Sally, his wife, reside in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. They have been blessed with 5 children and 1 grandchild.
Tom Grunow (Co-Founder of CSM, MEd, CFRE)Portland, Oregon Tom Grunow is a 33-year veteran in Christian Education, Fund Development and Strategic Planning having served with Lutheran educational ministries in Florida, Texas and Oregon. Following in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Robert A. Grunow, known throughout the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) for his estate planning and fundraising expertise, for the past 14 years he has served as a consultant to Lutheran churches and schools throughout the U.S. Previously he served as Vice President of the Concordia University Foundation Portland and on the National Board of Directors of the Association of Lutheran Development Executives (ALDE). He currently serves Trinity Lutheran Church, as Volunteer Minister of Stewardship & Gifts, is an active member of ALDE, a member of the Christian Stewardship Association (CSA), and serves as Board Chair of the Lutheran Education Association (LEA). Tom resides in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Karin, a commissioned Lutheran schoolteacher. They have 3 children and 3 grandchildren.
Ron Roth (Director) [GJ - WELS CG Founding Father]Hales Corners, Wisconsin Ron loves to teach and encourage God's people to respond to God's grace with thankful and generous gifts. He has served four congregations as pastor, leading three of them through capital expansion programs. As administrator of Christian giving for an international Lutheran church body, he developed a major gifts ministry and led three national campaigns. He was instrumental in developing a planned giving ministry which after twelve years is blessing various ministries with annual gifts of $10-12 million in current donations and matured bequests. Another $400+ million in estate gifts for the Lord's work have been completed. Ron and his wife Arlene live in the Milwaukee, WI area and are blessed with three children.
Wayne Baxmann (Associate)Colgate, Wisconsin Wayne's forty plus years in public ministry have provided him with numerous opportunities to practice servant-leadership. He eagerly applies his spiritual gifts in working with God's people, particularly in the areas of organization, teaching and administration. He strongly believes in and models the attitude that Christian Stewardship is a manifestation of one's love and gratitude for what God has done. Wayne and his wife Renee live in Colgate, Wisconsin, just northwest of Milwaukee, and are active members of Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. Their three adult children and their families live in Washington and Texas.
Jon Mahnke (Associate)Round Rock, TX One of Jon’s strengths is that of teaching where he has opportunity to personally connect with God’s people. Jon has served as pastor of a church plant, a medium size congregation, and the lead pastor of a large multi-staffed church and school ministry. He led his congregations through four highly successful major building programs. Throughout his ministry he implemented annual, congregation wide stewardship programs and emphases. Synodically, Jon has served on the Mission Board, Evangelism Commission, Synodical Council, Conference of Presidents (COP) as well as numerous sub-committees of the same. Jon and his wife Myrna live in Round Rock, TX. They have been blessed with four children and nine grandchildren.
Leesburg, Florida Mel is "Mr. Lutheran" throughout Florida having served as a layperson in various Lutheran churches and in
every capacity both during his work as an independent electrician and later in his retirement years. He has served as both paid and volunteer for Thrivent (formerly AAL) in fraternal assistance and is well versed on the Biblical concepts of Christian stewardship.
