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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "From Appleton - The Entertainment Capital of WELS ...":
I contacted Engelbrecht via e-mail expressing my concerns about CORE several months ago. To date, no response. Ditto SE Wis. DP Rutschow. SP Schroeder, however, did respond and has been taking action.
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Light From Light:
At St. Peter’s December 14, 2009 call meeting, our Church Council President announced that the council had amended Pastor Glende’s job description to read “lead pastor,” and that we would be calling an “associate pastor.”
I moved to table the call because I believed that our congregation did not have enough information to ratify Pastor Glende as lead pastor, and call an associate. I believed that the council needed to better communicate with Pastor Christenson to better understand why he left after only seven months. Also, without going into any specifics, I cited a long letter that I had sent to the council and my pastors back at the beginning of November which raised important issues. I did not mention any of the specifics of my letter because I believed that that would be beyond the bounds of a call meeting.
Another layman asked whether there were additional actions or steps that needed to be taken before we issued a new call, and Pastor Glende replied, “If we had to do things, if there was anything that needed to take place before we could call again, then District President Engelbrecht wouldn’t allow us to issue a call.” District President Engelbrecht did provide our congregation with a call list of five candidates that he believed were suitable to be an associate pastor.
The argument against the motion was that neither Pastor Glende, nor our church council, nor District President Engelbrecht believed that any additional steps needed to be taken. District President Engelbrecht did attend and participate in our call meeting. When he was not speaking, he sat in the back, and chatted with Pastor Skorzewski.
The motion to table the call failed. However, it did receive a smattering of timid “ayes.” After the meeting, another layman estimated that the motion to table received about a third of the votes present. (I thought it probably received less than that, but there was no official count). St. Peter congregation did call Pastor Wayne Shevey to be our associate pastor with a unanimous vote. This is a divine call, and it is our prayer that God will bless St. Peter through this call.
On Thursday, December 17, 2009, I met with Pastor Glende, and he provided me with the church council’s official response to my letter. The council’s response was a letter that summarily and unanimously rejected every one of the concerns I had raised as being either false or without merit.
May the Lord be with his Church, his Bride, his Chosen People “to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” (Revelation 22:21).
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GJ - More than one person wonders about the glue that holds this farce together. A layman raises legitimate concerns and finds them batted down by the typical WELS homie attitudes. Engelbrecht is bending over backwards to favor, protect, and promote the worst of Fox Valley, the antithesis of Lutheran doctrine and worship.
But let us take a gander at Engelbrecht's leadership. He has no problem with Parlow's St. Mark Depere cult being a member of another denomination. He has no apparent problem with Parlow, Ski, Glende, Buske, and Bishop Katie worshiping at a Babtist conference (lovin' it). Engelbrecht has no objections, as far as anyone can tell, about Ski and Katie studying at Granger Community Church. How about Dirt or Story or Catalyst. Silence.
Ski will be teaching the district about evangelism again--or--How to turn $250,000 into 9 members, in one year!
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Pastor L has left a new comment on your post "From Appleton - The Entertainment Capital of WELS ...":
Just weeks after coming to the Northern Wisconsin District five years ago I learned the lay of the land. One area pastor even verbalized it when he said to me, "It's a good ol' boys district."
That will not change as long as Doug Engelbrecht remains as District President, a post he's held for upwards of twenty years. While I must respect the office, long ago I lost respect for the man holding it.
A seven-month pastorate is unheard of in the WELS. The district presidents have agreed not to extend a call to a pastor until he's been at his current church FOUR YEARS. As I understand it, Pastor Christenson was spared 3 1/2 more years in Appleton because a more kind-heart DP included him on call lists in his district. It wasn't because DP Engelbrecht was trying to help the ministry!
It amazes me that more lay people at St. Peter aren't asking, "Why did Pastor Christenson leave so soon." Golly, usually when there's a change in pastors it's headline news. Somehow this got buried on page twenty at St. Peter!
Sad to say, we're becoming a synod of cover-ups. I,for one, plan to repent in the new year and ask more questions.
I probably won't ask my district president, though. There are many times in my five years that I've left phone messages and e-mail messages and never received a response from DP Engelbrecht. My circuit pastor has said, "You mean you didn't hear from Doug? He said he was going to contact you."
So, now you know why I'm not too worried about getting in trouble with my district president. I don't think he knows my phone number or e-mail address!
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "From Appleton - The Entertainment Capital of WELS ...":
Has Mt. Olive gone CG now too? It's getting very hard to find a good church in Appleton. I agree with the previous poster though: Riverview and St. Paul are conservative. You can add St. Luke, Little Chute to the "safe" list. What a sorry state WELS is in when one has to make lists of safe churches. Appleton does need to wake up. The derelict DP needs to be ousted at the next district conference, and the conservative churches need to get behind a strong candidate who is willing to openly oppose the nonsense going on up there.
By the way, conservative Lutherans in the Milwaukee area may want to look in to Trinity Lutheran downtown, an LCMS congregation that still uses the Lutheran Hymnal.
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GJ - The Shrinkers worked hard for 30+ years to bring the Lutheran Church to this low point. It will take the Word, the Confessions, and time to rectify the situation.
15 comments:
Just weeks after coming to the Northern Wisconsin District five years ago I learned the lay of the land. One area pastor even verbalized it when he said to me, "It's a good ol' boys district."
That will not change as long as Doug Engelbrecht remains as District President, a post he's held for upwards of twenty years. While I must respect the office, long ago I lost respect for the man holding it.
A seven-month pastorate is unheard of in the WELS. The district presidents have agreed not to extend a call to a pastor until he's been at his current church FOUR YEARS. As I understand it, Pastor Christenson was spared 3 1/2 more years in Appleton because a more kind-heart DP included him on call lists in his district. It wasn't because DP Engelbrecht was trying to help the ministry!
It amazes me that more lay people at St. Peter aren't asking, "Why did Pastor Christenson leave so soon." Golly, usually when there's a change in pastors it's headline news. Somehow this got buried on page twenty at St. Peter!
Sad to say, we're becoming a synod of cover-ups. I,for one, plan to repent in the new year and ask more questions.
I probably won't ask my district president, though. There are many times in my five years that I've left phone messages and e-mail messages and never received a response from DP Engelbrecht. My circuit pastor has said, "You mean you didn't hear from Doug? He said he was going to contact you."
So, now you know why I'm not too worried about getting in trouble with my district president. I don't think he knows my phone number or e-mail address!
What are they suppose to ask and from who?
Pastor Christenson didn't offer any answers. There was no "dear members here is whats going on" letter in the mail. Just a "I hope that this doesn't look negative for you" kindof statement after he got the call.
One layman spoke up and the other pastor shot him down with "we don't have problems, answer".
Somebody knows something but is not your average go to church every sunday layperson and the others aren't talking.
This is so sad, but not the worst thing from that district. A few years ago, a faithful, confessional pastor in Oshkosh was forced to retire after serving his congregation for over FORTY years, because a new shrinker associate had been called. Pastor Moll was banished, not allowed to visit his long-time friends in the congregation, not allowed to attend parties, anniversaries, funerals, etc. Many families wanted him to preach or otherwise be involved in funerals. No way. Our church, Bethlehem, sent him letters warning him to stay out of its business every time he had any contact with members. I've left WELS completely over this. The congregation has suffered greatly, losing most of its longtime members. Now, the ladies aid has voted to disband with the pastor's blessing. When Pastor Moll's wife was dying of cancer, the new shrinker NEVER visited her, even though they were still members of the congregation. When she died, Pastor Moll couldn't bear to have her funeral in his beloved church. Maybe it was the giant movie screen now hiding the beautiful altar, or maybe he knew the "sermon" wouldn't talk about the resurrection, or justification, or salvation, but be some garbage about living your best life now, or some such... When confronted with this situation,what did the DP say? "I just don't know what to do!" Bull****! Wake up WELS!!!!
...One layman spoke up and the other pastor shot him down with "we don't have problems, answer".
Purely delusional. What group does not have problems of some kind? To deny it and shoot others are the actions of a control freak -- a specialty of too many pastors.
"I probably won't ask my district president, though. There are many times in my five years that I've left phone messages and e-mail messages and never received a response from DP Engelbrecht. My circuit pastor has said, 'You mean you didn't hear from Doug? He said he was going to contact you.'"
Misdirection, negligence, lies -- they tell you about the quality of leadership and their values.
"Sad to say, we're becoming a synod of cover-ups. I,for one, plan to repent in the new year and ask more questions."
Cover-ups prove necessary with all the unchristian behavior, incompetence, negligence, and laziness. These are not attractive qualities to members and prospects.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71201015#/photo.php?pid=10082382&id=810560397
Pastor Jackson - Here's one for you while you're on Facebook...What church is this event for? The people (and pastor) are from St. Matthew Appleton, yet Ski is delivering his "Christmas message." Why is he meddling in another church? Or did they go to his event (unlikely...no popcorn or movie screens in sight.)
Ski is a clown, but he's a dangerous clown because he aids and abets false doctrine. From what I've heard of his sermons, he does not preach Christ; instead, he preaches Ski. He preaches himself more egregiously than any other pastor I've heard, and yet he keeps popping up in so many different places. Why has no one confronted him about his unspiritual self-aggrandizement and lack of true doctrine? Get him away from the church I grew up in!
My father, a layman in the Fox Valley (once dedicated but now burnt out by Shrinker mismanagement and obfuscation), has had similar experiences with DJ Engelbrecht. He was tardy in responding to complaints/requests for information and all but lied to and deceived my father. If the WELS is having problems, we have no one to blame but ourselves if this is the kind of synod we've built for ourselves.
In response to Pastor L,
Merry Christmas! If you are a friend of Michael Schottey, then I respect your statements. Why is it that the shrinkers and such demand all the attention. I like to see confessional pastors stand up. Down here, in the SCD, ex-SP Gurgel is hiding out.(Gurgel man, Gurgel..of all the people)Teachers salaries were cut, but he gets paid. Some body had to take him in. Now GJ has said that their are warm hearted people in the WELS, but I don't think he was talking about this paticular sitiuaton.
In Christ,
from WELS church lady
Alas, people see that the DPs and pastors only conform to the code of conduct and standards that they set. More of the subjective relativism that the truth is whatever I believe it to be, or simply want it to be.
One thing is becoming extremely obvious. Sustaining the holy mother synod comes first and foremost. Everything else including the Word is secondary.
Rev J,
I'm not trying to tell you how to run your own blog, but could I suggest that you also put this under the "sticky post" for why the pastor left St. Peter?
People in the Fox Valley need to know about these things, wake up, and GET OUT OF THESE CHURCHES (St. Peter, Bethany, Eternal Love, Mt. Olive, the CORE, St. Matthew). They are all either totally church growth or headed fast in that direction. Even the pastors at Mt. Olive, the biggest of the WELS churches, are total Ski supporters, including Robb Raasch, who leads the clownish circuit. The only safe havens left are my church, Riverview, and St. Paul's. Get out of these churches and support the ones who aren't church growth! WAKE UP APPLETON!
Has Mt. Olive gone CG now too? It's getting very hard to find a good church in Appleton. I agree with the previous poster though: Riverview and St. Paul are conservative. You can add St. Luke, Little Chute to the "safe" list. What a sorry state WELS is in when one has to make lists of safe churches. Appleton does need to wake up. The derelict DP needs to be ousted at the next district conferece, and the conservative churches need to get behind a strong candidate who is willing to oppenly opposse the nonsense going on up there.
By the way, conservative Lutherans in the Milwaukee area may want to look in to Trinity Lutheran downtown, an LCMS congregation that still uses the Lutheran Hymnal.
I contacted Engelbrecht via e-mail expressing my concerns about CORE several months ago. To date, no response. Ditto SE Wis. DP Rutschow. SP Schroeder, however, did respond and has been taking action.
KATY PERRY AND RUSSELL BRAND TO LIVE TOGETHER?
Jan 20 2010. Posted by Adam
* katy perry
* russell brand
Katy Perry and Russell BrandKATY Perry and her fiance Russell Brand have fueled speculation they’re set to move in together — after they were seen paying a visit to Bed, Bath & Beyond in Hollywood earlier this week.
The I Kissed A Girl singer and the British comedian got engaged on New Year’s Eve after a whirlwind romance.
Russell — who owns a $3 million home in Los Angeles and recently put his North London pad on the market — was pictured loading up a trolley with the kind of necessities most couples would require when they move in together.
The trolley contained items such as a Bialetti Moka Express 9-Cup Espresso Machine priced $39.99; a Cuisinart Griddler Panini and Sandwich Press, $49.99; and a Cuisinart Stainless Steel Microwave Oven, priced at $149.99.
Katy recently revealed that she and Russell are yet to set a wedding date.
“We love each other and we desperately want to be with each other, so we’re going to take it as we come,” she said.
“I think the right time will be the right time.”
Guess Ski's evangelism efforts toward Katy Perry were fruitless
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