WELS Terminations Will Shock Everyone

Thank Church and Change for growing the synod.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "WELS Terminations Will Shock Everyone":

Funny how once WELS decided church growth was the way to go, the numbers actually started a decline. I can see the handwriting on the wall.

Anonymouse Grouses Over His Lack of Phone Calls

Anonymouse has left another clueless comment on your post "Conversation with a Layman":

Poor guy. You're the last person I would ever ask advice from. I bet that really feeds your ego when someone who doesn't know you calls, seeking your "wisdom."

---

Kit from Wisconsin has left a new comment on your post "Anonymouse Grouses Over His Lack of Phone Calls":

Veritas odium parit.

[GJ - "The truth makes enemies," a favorite saying of Walther.]

Conversation with a Layman

Mark 4:1 - Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow.

I had a long conversation with a Lutheran layman. Here are some points:

1. I think there is hope for the Wisconsin Synod.
   
2. Interested laity will need to show up for the convention, because the Church Shrinkers will be there in force, trying to regain control.
   
3. The Holy Mother WELS syndrome has been a major problem but the financial meltdown may sweep away a lot of bad attitudes.
   
4. I sense widespread support for heading the synod in the right direction.

Twenty years ago, when I began eviscerating the Church Growth Movement, most of the interested people were retired women, who were baffled about the apathy of fellow members and spineless pastors. Now younger men from all over are studying Lutheran doctrine and discussing the issues.

Many people are the source of information on Ichabod. Before this, Church Growth buddies could control the information and do damage control. Now everyone is free to check out the facts through the links provided.

WLC graduates remember Archbishop Weakland, Martin Marty, and the anti-Lutheran teaching of Paul Kelm (required course for graduation).

PS - I fixed the Tendrils paper so it is easier to read.

WELS Keynote Speaker Admits His Homosexuality

Archbishop Weakland was the widely advertized keynote speaker at a series of lectures at Wisconsin Lutheran College (WELS only when raising funds). Several priests also spoke in that series. WELS went into cover-up mode and tried to say it was a "private luncheon" that Weakland addressed. Needless to say, someone worked hard to coordinate this series. Don't worry - WLC is rolling in dough and starting new graduate programs. [GJ - An anonymous source said WLC is short and cutting staff. See comment below.]

Former Catholic head of Milwaukee admits he's gay

Archbishop Rembert Weakland, at the Cathedral of … .By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll, Ap Religion Writer – 1 hr 2 mins ago

NEW YORK – A Roman Catholic archbishop who resigned in 2002 over a sex and financial scandal involving a man describes his struggles with being gay in an upcoming memoir about his decades serving the church.

Archbishop Rembert Weakland, former head of the Milwaukee archdiocese, said in an interview Monday that he wrote about his sexual orientation because he wanted to be candid about "how this came to life in my own self, how I suppressed it, how it resurrected again."

Called "A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop," the book is set to be released in June.

"I was very careful and concerned that the book not become a Jerry Springer, to satisfy people's prurient curiosity or anything of this sort," Weakland told The Associated Press. "At the same time, I tried to be as honest as I can."

Weakland stepped down soon after Paul Marcoux, a former Marquette University theology student, revealed in May 2002 that he was paid $450,000 to settle a sexual assault claim he made against the archbishop more than two decades earlier. The money came from the archdiocese.

Marcoux went public at the height of anger over the clergy sex abuse crisis, when Catholics and others were demanding that dioceses reveal the extent of molestation by clergy and how much had been confidentially spent to settle claims.

Weakland denied ever assaulting anyone. He apologized for concealing the payment. The Vatican says that men with "deep-seated" attraction to other men should not be ordained.

In an August 1980 letter that was obtained by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Weakland said he was in emotional turmoil over Marcoux and that he had "come back to the importance of celibacy in my life." He signed the letter, "I love you."

The revelations rocked the Milwaukee archdiocese, which Weakland had led since 1977. He was a hero for liberal Catholics nationwide because of his work on social justice and other issues,

The archbishop, now 82, said he seriously considered the potential pain for the archdiocese of renewing attention to the scandal and thought about waiting "until I was dead" to have it published. But he decided to move ahead with the project.

"What I felt was that people who loved me as bishop here, when they read the book will continue to love me. The people who found it difficult, I hope will be helped a little bit by the book," he said.

In a sign of the deep emotions still surrounding Weakland and his departure, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has released a public statement alerting local Catholics to the upcoming book.

"Some people will be angry about the book, others will support it," the archdiocese said.

Weakland also writes about his failures to stop sexually abusive priests. In a videotaped deposition released last November, Weakland admitted returning guilty priests to active ministry without alerting parishioners or police.

"Any deposition is just a part of a whole picture and that picture has not been painted yet. And anybody can take out of that any sentence they want," Weakland said in the interview.

"I try to deal with this, I hope in an honest way, admitting my weaknesses in not being able to see this earlier, but at the same time doing what I could confront it."

Advocates for abuse victims said that Weakland's cover-up of his own sexual activity was part of a pattern of secrecy that included concealing the criminal behavior of child molesters.

Weakland, a Benedictine monk, served in Rome as leader of the International Benedictine Confederation and also worked on a liturgy commission for the Second Vatican Council, which made reforms in the 1960s meant to modernize the church.

Weakland said he wrote in the memoir that he was unprepared for "how lonely it is" to be a bishop and how difficult it can be to get the "feedback and support you need."

U.S. Catholics have long debated whether the priesthood had become a predominantly gay vocation. Estimates vary from 25 percent to 50 percent, according to a review of research on the issue by the Rev. Donald Cozzens, author of "The Changing Face of the Priesthood."

Weakland said Christians needed to speak more openly about gays in the priesthood without the "hysteria" that often characterizes the debate.

The archbishop has been living in a retirement community near the Milwaukee archdiocese and plans to move to St. Mary's Abbey in Morristown, N.J., this summer. He said he was not bitter about how the scandal had eclipsed his decades of work in the church.

"I refused to let myself become a victim and refused to let myself become angry," he said. "I want to take responsibility but I want to move on."

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "WELS Keynote Speaker Admits His Homosexuality":

Hmmm, who didn't see that coming?

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "WELS Keynote Speaker Admits His Homosexuality":

"WLC is rolling in dough and starting new graduate programs."

This statement is, unfortunately, inaccurate. In fact, the opposite is true.

WLC's recent staffing cuts, including eliminating the Political Science major show that the institution is in financial trouble.

The addition of new graduate programs do not show an excess of money as no new staff will be hired. These programs are designed to be money makers and follow the trends in higher education: MBA, undergraduate nursing, graduate education; these are all popular degrees that may bring in much needed tuition $'s.

Beware of False Profits

Penguins have been promoted into the teaching office of the church at Victory of the Lamb Movie Theatre. Watch the precious Victory of the Penguins. Come for the cute animal pix, stay for the popcorn. Check out the Bible Babes.

From Bailing Water:

Tim Niedfeldt said...
As a reference example for Anon 11:38am. Victory received $20K from WELS BHM...$15K the 1st year and $5k the 2nd. That accounts for all our WELS money as a level two mission. Most "R&R" churches are level 1's or level 2's only... meaning minimal or NO synod money.

These churches exist mostly as a daughter effort of a larger mother congregation and have a very short time to become self-sufficient. We are currently at 85% self-supporting and should be 100% by January 1st. (3 years time to achieve)

---

Anonymous said...
Back to the original question: will the rock and roll churches have their grants cut...

There are no "rock and roll churches" receiving grants directly from WELS. They tend to be supported from organizations that agree with their methods. That probably won't change much. For all the talk on this blog about WELS' "rock and roll" ways, it is actually a very traditional church body.

***

GJ - The financial situation is more complicated than some claim. Outside funds come from:

1. Direct synod subsidy.
   
2. Various mission enrichment grants. Doebler and Patterson have their hands out for those at the moment.
   
3. Synod organization grants, such as Kingdom Workers. Church and Change has a plant on the board.
   
4. Foundations, such as Siebert, Antioch, and Schwan.
   
5. Thrivent ecumenical programs at the local, district, and national levels.

Grantsmanship comes from having a chokehold on all the sources of loot, such as planting Ski on one of the Siebert Foundation oversight committees. (He is in charge of bringing the popcorn.)

Large congregations are the source of most synod offerings. All the large congregations are cutting costs where they can, two different ways. They usually shed one or more full-time positions. They also cut back on giving to the synod. WELS is shedding all kinds of pastoral positions at the same time.

Wild hair mission projects may not feel so secure and smug in the future. If the money situation looks bad now, wait a year. In 2010, this year will look like one of the fat years.

---

Discipline for Drive 09? - Only at the Top of the Food Chain

Guardian of the Emerald City Gates: Well, that's more like it! Now, state your business!
Dorothy: We want to see the Wizard!
Guardian of the Emerald City Gates: [gasps] The Wizard? But nobody can see the Great Oz! Nobody's ever seen the Great Oz! Even I've never seen him!
Dorothy: Well, then how do you know there is one?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Lo, How Honest the Church and Change Pastors Are":

Hmmm...interesting that you feel one should react differently depending on the degree of doctrinal difference we may have with various groups. I suppose that could be a thread all it's (sic) own.

Why do you feel that going to the Drive conference has been a covert operation? Anybody in-the-know knows.

I think the issue that you are having is that you, and others, feel that what the pastors have done is wrong and you want them to face discipline. My suggestion is that you let WELS chain of command work its course. If you don't like the results then you go further up the food chain. At some point you have to accept what comes down whether you like it or not.

***

GJ - This comment is so typically WELS that a pastor, likely a Love Shack denizen, probably wrote it. Every point is counter-intuitive. The people who will discipline the Drive 09 Eight have:

1. Studied at Fooler Seminary, Willow Crick, Trinity Deerfield, or all three.
   
2. Promoted one Church Shrinker after another to teach at The Sausage Factory.
   
3. Watched with closed eyes while Kelm, Olson, Huebner, Valleskey, Bivens, Roth, Radloff, Hagedorn, and many others attacked the Biblical doctrine of the efficacy of the Word.
   
4. Let Kelm preside as the Waldo Werming Professor of Church Growth, in one botched position after another.
   
5. Hailed We Believe, Therefore We Speak as a great work of theology, required reading for everyone with an IQ smaller than his belt size.
   
6. Did nothing about Drive 08.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "More WELS By the Numbers":

Chop Patterson, Jeske, Galeske, Kelm, SKI, and all the apostates. It's time to get back to the just the pure Word of God, taught in truth and purity.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Discipline for Drive 09? - Only at the Top of the ...":

The commenter says, "Anyone in the know, knows."

That's half the problem. Those that are "in-the-know" really ought to know better and put their foot down.

The other half is that the faithful in those afflicted congregations did not know what their pastor was up to. Why else would they fail to openly identify and celebrate it in the bulletin?

"Pastor Schmuckenschwaermer will be gone this week to a Babtist conference to learn how church should really be done. The Board of Stewardship congratulates Pastor Schmuckenschwaermer on the wise use of his time and our congregational gifts.

"The Board of Elders, though, regretfully apologizes for the confusion that has resulted for insisting all these years that we are called to the one true faith by the Holy Spirit, instead of a more powerpoint- and praise band- friendly Decision Theology."

+Diet O. Worms

---

JR has left a new comment on your post "Lo, How Honest the Church and Change Pastors Are":

I don't feel that one should react differently based on the degree of doctrinal difference. I merely was comparing the perceived severity of the offense in a more concrete example. I don't see degrees of difference-- either you are in doctrinal agreement or you are not.

If "anybody in the know" knows about going to the Drive conference, then I'd like a report on it posted somewhere online. If the information provided is so wonderful and proven at getting the unchurched to hear the Word, then it would be extremely selfish of those who attended not to share it with as many other pastors as possible that could not attend.

I want this entire process to be above board. I would like those who attended the conference to stand up and state their case as to why they did so and to have the chance to defend themselves from the allegations of engaging in inappropriate fellowship.

I pray that our pastors and WELS leaders would shine a bright light on this issue and resolve it in a way that is both biblically-based and loving to all involved. If this is done, I am fine with accepting the outcome, whatever it may be. I hope that everyone else would do the same.

The divisions caused by not addressing these things causes all sorts of problems in our synod and is destroying its unity from within.

To see this happen to a church body that I love dearly is painful to me.

Do We Need One More Babtist Denomination?

Learn dicipleship (sic) from Stetzer, English tutor for Church and Change.
Ed Stetzer 1st tweet from Tweetie on my IPhone. If getting my iMac Pro was being born again, having the IPhone is total sanctification!

From Wikipedia:

A
Alliance of Baptists
American Baptist Association
American Baptist Churches USA
Association of Independent Baptist Churches of Illinois
Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America
Association of Regular Baptist Churches
B
Baptist Bible Fellowship International
Baptist Convention of Western Cuba
Baptist General Association of Virginia
Baptist General Conference
Baptist General Convention of Texas
Baptist Missionary Association of America
Black Primitive Baptists
C
Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists
Central Baptist Association
Central Canada Baptist Conference
Christian Baptist Church of God
Church of Christ, Instrumental
Conservative Baptist Association of the Southeast
Continental Baptist Churches
Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Covenanted Baptist Church of Canada
E
Baptist Convention of Eastern Cuba
Evangelical Free Baptist Church
F
Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada
Free Will Baptist
Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association
Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International
G
General Association of Baptists
General Association of General Baptists
General Conference of the Evangelical Baptist Church, Inc.
General Six-Principle Baptists
H
Hard-shell Baptists
I
Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist Church of America
Independent Baptist Fellowship International
Independent Baptist Fellowship of North America
Institutional Missionary Baptist Conference of America
L
Landmark Missionary Baptist Association of Quebec
Liberty Baptist Fellowship
M
Missionary Baptists
N
National Association of Free Will Baptists
National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.
National Baptist Convention of Mexico
National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
National Baptist Evangelical Life and Soul Saving Assembly of the U.S.A.
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America
National Primitive Baptist Convention of the U.S.A.
National Union of Baptist Churches
N cont.
New England Evangelical Baptist Fellowship
New Testament Association of Independent Baptist Churches
North American Baptist Conference
O
Old Regular Baptist
Old Time Missionary Baptist
Original Free Will Baptist Convention
P
Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church
Primitive Baptist
Primitive Baptist Conference of New Brunswick, Maine and Nova Scotia
Primitive Baptist Universalist
Progressive National Baptist Convention
S
Separate Baptists
Separate Baptists in Christ
Southwide Baptist Fellowship
Sovereign Grace Baptists
Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada
T
Template:US baptist denominations
Triennial Convention
Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian Baptists
U
Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention of Canada
Union Baptists
United American Free Will Baptist Church
United American Free Will Baptist Conference
W
Wisconsin Fellowship of Babtist Churches [GJ - This one shows some promise for a merger with WELS. However, John Parlow and Paul Kelm may favor the Willow Creek Association, where they are on the roster.]

St. John LCMS in Ellisville is also a member of the Willow Creek Association. McCain-Barry did nothing about Ellisville, preparing Missouri for the glorious advent of Kieschnick.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Do We Need One More Babtist Denomination?":

He even misspelt "discipleship" on the graphic!

As hard as they try to purposefully twist up the great commission in Matthew 28, you'd think he of all people would spell it right on his own promotional materials.

It's like Homer Simpson misspelling "doughnut."
Or a socialist misspelling "tax increase."
Or a C&Cer misspelling "grants and endowments."
Or Anonymouse misspelling "you're not loving!"

+Diet O. Worms

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Day at Martin Luther College":

Don't you feel this is misleading to copy the MLC Evangelism Day speakers list, label it as Church and Change Day at MLC, and post it with this sign? "Get rid of all bitterness" Eph 4:31

***

GJ - You are right. I should have labeled it - Crypto-Babtist Day.

What happened to "mark and avoid," or "beware of false prophets," and false doctrine being like gangrene or cancer?

Kissing A. Cutie, Priest

Priest in trouble over woman defends celibacy
May. 11, 2009 06:49 AM
Associated Press.

MIAMI - A popular Miami priest and media personality said Monday he is thinking about leaving the Roman Catholic Church for a woman he loves after a magazine ran pictures of the couple kissing and hugging.

Rev. Alberto Cutie told the CBS "Early Show" on Monday he supports the church's stand that priests should be celibate and said he does not want to become the "anti-celibacy priest."

"I think it's a debate that's going on in our society, and now I've become kind of a poster boy for it. But I don't want to be that. I believe that celibacy is good, and that it's a good commitment to God," Cutie said.
Cutie was removed last week as head of the Miami archdiocese's international radio network and as head of his parish after the Spanish-language magazine TVnotas ran photos of Cutie embracing a woman at a bar and at a beach.

Cutie headed the archdiocese's Radio Paz and Radio Peace broadcasts, heard throughout the Americas and in Spain, and earned the nickname "Father Oprah" for his relationship advice.

The Cuban-American priest was born in Puerto Rico and previously hosted shows on Telemundo. He is also a syndicated Spanish-language columnist and author of the book "Real Life, Real Love: 7 Paths to a Strong, Lasting Relationship."

Cutie told CBS he has been romantically involved with the woman in the photos for about two years after being friends for much longer. He said he is still deciding whether to leave the clergy and get married.

"I'm now in the process of thinking about all those things, of making decisions," Cutie said. "And my bishop has given me the time to think about it. This is a difficult time. It's a time of transition, it's a time of thinking about the future."

"I believe that I've fallen in love and I believe that I've struggled with that, between my love for God, and my love for the Church and my love for service," Cutie said.

He appeared on CBS wearing a suit jacket and white shirt, not his priest collar.

Last week, more than one hundred people gathered outside St. Francis de Sales parish in Miami Beach, waving posters and chanting their forgiveness for Cutie.

"I think we all have ideals and we have ways of living," Cutie said on CBS. "We want to do things right, but sometimes we fall short. And I fell short."

WELS Church and Change Follower Violates the Eighth - No Surprise

Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "More WELS By the Numbers":

Who appointed GJ to be the conscience of the WELS? He hasn't been a member of the synod for over a decade. He publishes his site simply because he has an axe to grind.

***

GJ - Who required Mouse to read this blog daily? Who held him at gunpoint and made him comment daily? Perhaps VP Don Patterson needs a minion to do his work for him. Kudu Don Patterson's only communication was limited to name-calling (You are a fool and a liar) and denying his safari guy was still a congregational president.

Who taught Mouse mind-reading? I know the Church and Chicaneries specialize in long-distance diagnosis of everyone who is onto them. Corky wrote his essay (posted on the left) because "he was brain-damaged." The former seminary president was against amalgamation because "he was senile." And so forth. Who is the first to say, "That's not loving"? Answer - the Church and Chicaneries.

If they loved their brother pastors as much as they love money, the world would take notice instead of yawning at the way they ape the Babtists.

I have been writing about apostasy for several decades. Otten published Out of the Depths of ELCA, which embarrassed all the WELS leaders caught in bed with ELCA. A little later, the WELS publishing house chose to print Liberalism Its Cause and Cure. Northwestern Publishing House also distributed Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant and heavily promoted it. NPH is selling the new version of CLP, too.

I am trying to think of someone in Church and Change who has published a good, worthwhile theology book. No, Valleskey's We Believe is not a serious book. It is a hodge-podge of Justification without Faith and Church Growth slobbering. A better name for the UOJ-CGM book would be: We Don't Believe, So We Copy Fuller Seminary.

And how many Church and Chicaneries have a real doctorate in theology? Paul Kelm's DMin from Our Lady of Sorrows in St. Louis does not qualify. Nor does Larry Olson's drive-by DMin from Fooler Seminary, via Trinity Deerfield. Steve Witte's DMin from Gordon-Conwell? Have you read that classic, Mouse? Witte's title is: "Hope and a Future - The Death of Confessional Lutheranism." That is like reading a book about crime - published from Death Row.

The Chicaneries cannot stand and fight for their Babtists rights when dealing with real academic preparation. They have their typical sissy-boy comments about the Book of Concord, and dispense the word "adiaphora" to prove they do not grasp the Formula of Concord at all, since adiaphora are anything but that during a time of confession. Oh, I forgot, Witte and Company killed it - with glee.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "More WELS By the Numbers":

That raises a good question. Does WELS have a conscience given it behavior?

---

Anonymous has left a clueless new comment on your post "Lo, How Honest the Church and Change Pastors Are":

JR,

Like I said in an earlier post you will not change my opinion and I will not change yours. I know the pastors you guys are railing on and you don't. You don't want to know them. All you want to do is rant and follow your leader Jackson. I'm glad to see that you realize this site is no longer needed and that Jackson can shut it down. You wouldn't know compelling evidence if it bit you. Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Lo, How Honest the Church and Change Pastors Are":

The Type A Personality Ruins Organizations

A retiring General Motors worker made a good point about all the organizations wanting the Type A personality - dominant, goal-oriented, hostile, aggressive. Jack Welch at GE encouraged that with his use of the Six Sigma system. This worker, one of the best read people I have known, added, "Those Type A people are the ones who have ruined so many businesses. They plunge ahead, never listen to anyone, and pursue their goals."

That prophet pointed this out before the mortgage companies, banks, and rating agencies tanked.

The parallels with church organizations are obvious. For example, The Love Shack filled up with people who were sworn to uphold certain goals. No one was allowed to continue if he doubted the wisdom of Fuller, Willow Creek, and Management By Objective. The synod got itself talked into ridiculous goals, because they were "fresh and exciting," according to H. Hagedorn. Nothing sensible could be done because that would have violated the Mission Vision goals which the Type A Church Shrinkers forced on the synod.

Anyone who objected to wild spending or delusional goals was denounced as "negative" and "not a team player." Instead of mission creep, WELS suffered from delusion creep. One delusion fed another. One Schwaermer church after another was pursued as having all the answers, because they also chanted the mantras of Management By Objective. Money was seen as The Means of Grace - sow abundantly (spend lavishly) that ye may reap lavishly (get promoted).

Web designers have a joke:

How do you know when a website is finished?

Answer - The funds are all spent!

Living on a real budget has a sobering effect on spending. When churches have no money, they rely on the Word. When they have abundant grants, they whine for even more money, because "we need it to do God's work." The students at Martin Luther College could not worship properly because they suffered from having a chapel-auditorium. Ditto Our Lady of Sorrows in St. Louis. Did the lovely Copper-top Chapel at The Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie aid them in denouncing Church Growth?

The apostates in WELS are takers, not givers. They want the faithful to fund their playpens so they can concentrate on God's work - grantsmanship. Church and Change conferences teach grant writing. Chicaneries hire grant writers.

More WELS By the Numbers

The Wisconsin Synod is shutting down mission congregations, terminating world mission calls, and cutting positions at prep schools (two left) and the college.

Perish Services is facing the chopping block.

Congregations are starting to eliminate positions too, and there was already a shortage of calls.

In the midst of all this, The Appleton group spent (my estimate) $5,000 of someone's money to attend a Babtist worship gathering, but they revealed another set of four who also attended. Let's say $10,000 was spent.

By the way, Andy Stanley charged as much for Drive 09 as I paid for a business conference.

The Church Shrinkers are the ones who spent WELS into the financial hole, only to have WELS discover that a deep recession was sinking the entire world in an equity meltdown.

ELCA and Missouri will be facing similar catastrophic cuts but they probably have more cash available.

The WELS Shrinkers borrowed designated funds and further depleted the WELS coffers.

There are two budgets proposed for the WELS convention. One will take $1 million from education and give it to missions.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "More WELS By the Numbers":

Don't members see how they are being played or used?

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "More WELS By the Numbers":

To Anon of 6:41 PM -

I do.

--

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Lo, How Honest the Church and Change Pastors Are":

I was not at the conference. I know some of the attendees and I am confident that there was not a violation of fellowship.

---

JR has left a new comment on your post "Lo, How Honest the Church and Change Pastors Are":

Well, since "Anonymous" knows some of the attendees and s/he is confident that there was not a violation of fellowship, then that settles it! Let's shut this site down now; it obviously isn't needed. GJ has been barking up the wrong tree.

Forgive me if that doesn't provide compelling evidence.

Happy Mother's Day

Cantate, The Fourth Sunday after Easter

Close up, pink rose, by Norma Boeckler

Cantate, The Fourth Sunday after Easter

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 8 AM Phoenix Time


The Hymn #197 Where wilt thou go 1:2
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual James 1:16-21
The Gospel John 16:5-15
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 192 Awake, My Heart 1:22

Holy Spirit Convicts Us – Of Unbelief

The Hymn #195 Christ Jesus Lay 1:46
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #187 Christ Is Arisen 1:45

Fourth Sunday After Easter
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst through Thy Son promise us Thy Holy Spirit, that He should convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment: We beseech Thee, enlighten our hearts, that we may confess our sins, through faith in Christ obtain everlasting righteousness, and in all our trials and temptations retain this consolation, that Christ is Lord over the devil and death, and all things, and that He will graciously deliver us out of all our afflictions, and make us forever partakers of eternal salvation, through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

KJV James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

KJV John 16:4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Holy Spirit Convicts Us – Of Unbelief

The Epistle and the Gospel both teach a lesson so significant that either one should embarrass Lutherans into teaching the original message of Christ instead of trying to market a produce.

Epistle of James lesson
There are two gems in this short lesson. Both teach the same unified message of truth, but in different words. James has been called weak on the Gospel and more law-oriented than any other epistle. The Gospel message is subtle but not watered down. The language is different from the Pauline epistles.

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth,
The non-Biblical language of the non-Lutherans will always makes us think in terms alien to that of the Scriptures. Y’all hear things like, “I won souls for Christ,” or “We need disciples because disciples are soul-winners.” And – “I decided to dedicate my life to reaching 1 million souls for Christ.”

The effectiveness of God’s Word is based upon God’s will alone. God has determined what He will do, and that will be only through His Word. This verse says that He gave birth to us, that He did this according to His own will. This verse glorifies God alone and proves once again that the Word alone is effective in accomplishing God’s will.

For those who wonder how we fit in – God has given us the privilege of handling His Word so we see its power and how God accomplishes His will. God gave birth to us through His Word. Human involvement is not mentioned because this is a reminder of God’s work, which we always want to turn into our work. One reader said to me, “I don’t think that…” I responded by saying it is not for us to judge. God does His work through His Word. When we stop to judge whether that is effective, we are tempted to start trusting in our own wisdom.

Many have said to themselves, “This is alienating people. Look how angry they are. I should be gentle and never rebuke false doctrine.” They are correct in saying this always works best – at first. But it is like leading sheep to pasture to fatten them for the wolves, without protecting them from the wolves. The disturbances people are facing now are all God’s judgment for the failures of the past. The price must be paid, and it will be worse if few learn from it.

On a national scale, someone mentioned that our last three presidents (Clinton, Bush, O.) have had major problems with illegal drugs. Is it any wonder the country is awash in the violence and corruption caused by the illegal trade?

On a synodical scale, since this audience is Lutheran, the old institutions are failing rapidly. Well established pastors are facing unemployment right now, and schools are closing (right now at the parochial level). God is punishing people for loving false doctrine and wolf-preaching. As Luther said, the people who resent giving Christ a penny will be forced to give the wolves a dollar, because they are always flailing their disciples for more.

And it revolves around these simple passages. First of all, without any possibility of contradiction, God alone gives birth to us through His Word alone. The only possible conclusion is to offer the Word in abundance and to teach the Word with perfect clarity – as it is and not tamed or watered down by human wisdom.

I used to read the Luther sermon set (the cheapest theology set in the world, available for almost nothing) and say, “There he goes again, ranting about the pope.”

Now that I see how the Antichrist has invaded the Lutheran Church, with the help of Lutherans, in the name of peace and harmony, I no longer resent those passages. Rome and Constantinople teach that Christ did not do enough when He died on the cross for our sins. Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox teach that we must appease God with our good works to earn a chance for heaven, after being tortured in Purgatory for centuries.

People adore and worship visible institutions, but did those institutions give birth to Christians? No, the Word alone can do this and continues to do this. However, people abandon the Word for the institution and prop up the institution by abandoning the Word alone.

NKJ James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Our temptation is always to say – Stop being bad – staying with the Law alone. Don’t do this. Don’t do that. This verse is quite different. It says, Stop sinning and believe in the Gospel which is grafted onto your body and able to save your soul.

Most gardeners work with grafted plants all the time. Our favorite flower is the rose, and almost every rose has at least one graft. The wild rose roots below are grafted onto the hybrid rose above. This gives the plant the vigor of the wild rose and the beauty of the hybrid. We never say, “This is a Peace/wild rose,” or “This is a Queen E./wild rose.” We say, “This is a Peace rose.” And “That is a Queen Elisabeth, created (in a manner of speaking) by a Lutheran creationist.”

Faith alone has the power to fight against sin. The Law rebukes and damns us. The Law crushes our pride and breaks our bones. But the Law alone stirs up wrath and increases temptation. The Gospel is alive and grows in us. Receive with meekness is another way, a concrete way to say – Believe in the Gospel, which alone saves your soul. Sin and pride go together quite well. Faith and meekness are also companions. When we see what God has done and can do, we are meek rather than proud. Believing in Christ displaces the temptation to sin, just as sin displaces Christ.

Gospel Lesson

Why is this text so important? This passage tells us in one verse what the Holy Spirit will do. The world is filled with books about the working of the Holy Spirit. Everyone seems to have an opinion without consulting the Holy Spirit Himself. The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John, inspired by the Holy Spirit. To use the analogy of one pope, the Gospel has two natures, the human nature of the author and the divine nature of the Holy Spirit, and yet it is without error or contradiction. We should listen to these simple words with complete confidence that God is speaking to us through the Fourth Gospel, accurately transmitting the words of Christ about the future work of the Holy Spirit.

Also, if we have problems with the text, we should ask that the Holy Spirit inform our reason with faith in the Scriptures, and not judge the Word of God with our human reason.

These are the key verses:
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

“Reprove” the world is a little old-fashioned. We are more likely to say “convict” the world. It is more than simply accusing or indicting the world. The Holy Spirit will bring judgment against the world for its unbelief.

I would like to digress on this topic a little. Notice that God Himself is judging on the basis of unbelief. Many false teachers and their fellow-travelers will say, “I do not believe all of the Scriptures, and I interpret them my way, but that is fine, because I am doing good work. Christians do not have the time and energy to agree on doctrine. It is better for them to work together and be tolerant of minor differences in belief.” This feeble excuse is nonsense. Man may say it does not matter if people deny baptismal grace, or the Real Presence, or the efficacy of the Word, but God does not tolerate and overlook doctrinal indifference. How can someone baptize a baby one week and pay money to learn from those who deny infant baptism the next? There are two stories being told by the same person – which one is true? If the Baptists can teach Lutherans about evangelism and the Gospel, then the Baptists are also correct about babies not having faith, about Holy Baptism being an ordinance for adults who “make a decision for Christ.” Two approaches to the Word are incompatible and at odds with each other.

The passage destroys any notion that the main issue in God’s judgment is whether we are good people. This plea is common among those who have no belief. For instance, in a Biography show about the Rat Pack, the head of the Atlantic City mafia was defended because “he was the nicest guy you would ever want to meet.” To be in the Mafia, he had to be a killer who also ordered the murder of opponents. Similarly, Frank Sinatra was also defended as someone who was kind and gentle, although he would “throw you out the window and over the roof if you were on his bad side.” Today we often hear that false teachers are “nice guys.” As more than one pastor has said, “He is not a false teacher; he is a nice guy.” The opposite of false teacher is “orthodox teacher” and not “nice guy.”

Knowing that our flesh is weak, Satan tempts us to judge on the basis of appearances rather than substance. In the short run, appearances always win. Being nice and compromising will always be more charming than rebuking false doctrine.

The movement called Pietism was very devious in getting people to measure others in terms of outward characteristics rather than upon what they believed and taught. We live in a country and an age largely defined this way and not according to God’s Word. The Pietists say, “We have to overlook his attacks against God’s Word because he works hard and he is a nice guy.” The proper attitude is, “We will overlook his human frailty because he believes in the Word and teaches only in harmony with it.”

Not surprisingly, the self-styled nice guys make sure that the orthodox are driven away, silenced, and shunned as lepers for being “unloving, divisive, and judgmental.” But here in this text, God does the judging and His judgment is final, even if man messes around for a period of time.

When the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, because it does not believe, God is saying, “Give away billions of dollars. Work among the poor. Establish quotas. Endow foundations. All of this is sin without faith in Christ. The more upright you are in your own eyes, the more sinful you will be, even if the entire world admires you. However, if you believe in Christ, your sins will be erased and forgotten. Then everything done in faith will glorify God.”

The campaign against faith has been stepped up lately. In the secular world, all faith (Judaism included) is interpreted as hatred, insensitivity, and narrow-mindedness. In the visible Church, the same attitude prevails. Someone who persistently argues for the Word of God will find himself shunned as an unloving bigot.

Notice what a difference there is. In the eyes of the unbelieving world, excessive public charity is the only virtue, especially when it is trumpeted around through paid flacks. (Note to English user: flak is a hostile response, based upon the acronym for the German anti-aircraft “kanon.” A flack is a public relations professional.) The news media will never take notice of the woman who drives a school bus, cares for her mother with old age dementia, takes care of her children, and helps others. Nor should we expect unbelievers to honor what God honors. We should only smile that the most virtuous public servants of this age—Ted Turner and Jane Fonda—could barely remain on the same stage with each other, even though it was the love of their lives when they first married. Be silent with your doubts. No pair has done more for the United Nations, the Viet Cong, and cellulite than Ted and Jane. Ted lost his faith when his sister died of lupus, so he tells us. God’s Word teaches us that all of his public charity is a sin because it is done without faith. Ted pledged a billion dollars to the United Nations, then saw his empire become almost worthless, so his pledge dwindled to far less money.

Faith is not such a small thing, because God teaches us that only faith matters. Faith receives the power of God in His Gospel promises. Those promises are fruitful in the life of the believer. We do not need to measure or plan, only to enjoy the abundance of the Means of Grace.

Once a visitor said I was the strangest gardener he had ever seen at work. He said to a visitor, “He plants all kinds of seed altogether all over the place.” I admit to sowing seed according to Mark 4 rather than Martha Stewart. And yes, I carve a shallow row and throw all kinds of seed together. But what were the results. I had hundreds of sunflowers blooming outside the chapel, zinnias in bloom all over the yard, scarlet runner beans climbing the pool fence, followed by warty gourds. This is exactly how a believer bear fruit in his daily life. In spite of all the problems that arise, faith in Christ yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

Fruit does not mean apple or orange in the Bible, but “yield”. A plant fruits when the flower gives way to the seed or seed pod. The fruit may be grain, vegetables, or rose hips. The Gospel promises always produce a yield that we can anticipate in some way but never determine for ourselves. We can be confident in the results coming along, but never in how God will apportion them or when He will distribute them. Missionaries have worked in pagan lands to convert one single person to Christ in a lifetime of work. Who are we to speed up results by telling unbelievers, as one Fuller professor of missions did, “You may not be able to believe or accept the atonement of Christ. And that’s ok.” (Why pay a supposed Christian to reinforce unbelief by teaching unbelief as a virtue?)

Therefore, when the Holy Spirit convicts someone of unbelief, (Law preaching), He is paving the way for the Gospel. This is what happened to the wife of the founder of Fuller Seminary. Mrs. Fuller was a proud, virtuous Unitarian. Her friend used the Word of God to slay her unbelief and plant faith in the Gospel. It happened all at once and it still gives me goose-bumps. If only the Lutheran graduates of Fuller Seminary could state their confidence in the Word alone as beautifully as Grace Fuller did.

"Mrs. Barnhill looked at me and said, with such a loving look in her gray eyes, 'Oh, Grace, Christ said, 'No man cometh unto the Father but by Me,' and, my dear, you have no way of approach to a holy God unless you come through Christ, His Son, as your Saviour.' "The Scripture which she quoted," Mrs. Fuller continues, "was the Sword of the Spirit, and at that moment Unitarianism was killed forever in my heart. I saw the light like a flash and believed at that moment, though I said nothing. She had quoted God's Word, the Spirit had used it, and, believing, I instantly became a new creation in Christ Jesus. She might have talked and even argued with me about it, but instead she just used the Word."
J. Elwin Wright, The Old Fashioned Revival Hour and the Broadcasters, Boston: The Fellowship Press, 1940, p. 54. [Old man Fuller founded the seminary. His son turned liberal while studying under Karl Barth. And now the school is as Unitarian as Grace Fuller was before her conversion.]

The second phrase seems to be strange and needs some study. I have to admit that I look this passage up every year, so I understand what Luther saw in the text. The Holy Spirit speaks very plainly and clearly to us, but there are just enough difficulties to make us study the text and become very sure of the Word in time, as long as we approach the Scriptures with humility and a willingness to learn.

Second phrase:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

Conviction still governs this phrase. In other words, the Holy Spirit is saying, “You thought THAT was righteousness. No, I tell you, THIS is righteousness.” So what is this righteousness – that Jesus is going to the Father and will be seen no more. As Luther explains, this phrase is a reference to the resurrection and ascension of Christ. The preaching of the resurrection of Christ was the foundation of the apostolic Church. The eyewitnesses of the crucifixion and burial of Christ said, “No, He is dead.” The apostles were those who witnessed the risen Christ. They said, “We have seen Him risen from the dead. He is the Savior and the true Son of God.” In this sense the resurrection of Christ was for us and not for Him. His empty tomb proclaimed to them and still teaches us that death has no dominion over the believer. So we see the complete meaning of Romans 4:24-25, which is often misinterpreted today by advocates of Kokomo justification (forgiveness without faith; the world absolved of sin without the Means of Grace):

KJV Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

“If we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.” The righteousness of God is imputed or charged to our account if we believe in Him and His resurrection. There is a common test for this today. Most mainline or liberal theologians do not believe in the resurrection, deny its importance, and desire to teach us their wisdom. They do not receive forgiveness because they do not believe and work hard to murder souls through their false doctrine.

In contrast, whenever the resurrection of Christ is taught, people believe in Him and receive the declaration of forgiveness. Therefore, Jesus is raised for our justification.

The third phrase may also stump people a little - 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

We seem to hear two messages. One is that Satan is the prince of this world.

KJV Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Satan is called the Prince of this world three times in John. He does rule over this world, but he is also condemned and defeated. A defeated and cornered army group can still fight back and do enormous damage. In fact, that has often happened at the end of a war, when the fighting gets more furious simply because the end is near.

Satan was defeated through the cross and resurrection of Christ, but he still has some time to work his will on earth before the end. To use an expression from Revelation, he is tethered, like a horse, on a short rope, but dangerous still. I knocked on a door when a guard dog was tied to a chain. I didn’t worry. The chain obviously did not reach where I was. The dog snarled madly nearby. But he also knew how to stretch the confining chain enough to connect with my leg. He was limited in his work but not harmless. In case you are worried – the dog did not get rabies from biting me.

So we should take Satan, not as all powerful but still as ready and willing to capture a few more souls before his work is done. The fury and success of his work now should warn and comfort us. It is a warning that he will leave no believer alone. It is a comfort because his time is drawing to a close.

The Holy Spirit works to teach us these lessons in a clear, plain manner, so that anyone with an elementary reading ability can study the Gospel of John. At the same time, the Gospel is so profound that any scholar can spend a lifetime with the Gospel and never complete his learning from the Word.

KJV John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.




Luther Quotations

[Some people think righteous means doing good works and reconciling God] "But now comes the Holy Spirit and says: No so. You err and are mistaken. Your judgment is wrong. Therefore there must be another judgment. You should judge thus: Everything your reason concludes is erroneous and false, and you are a fool and a simpleton."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., III, p. 119. John 16:5-15.

"But now, since the prince of this world and the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the devil, are directly opposed to one another, and the Holy Spirit is not willing that anyone should parade his own deeds and praise himself on account of them, the holy cross must soon follow. The world will not consent to be reprimanded for its blindness. Therefore one must willingly submit and suffer persecution. If we have the right kind of faith in our hearts, we must also open our mouths and confess righteousness and make known sin. Likewise we must condemn and punish the doings of this world and make it known that everything it undertakes, is damned."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., III, p. 120. John 16:5-15.

"However, here the Lord speaks quite differently, and says: 'The Holy Spirit will convict the world in respect of sin, because they believe not on me.' Unbelief only is mentioned here as sin, and faith is praised as suppressing and extinguishing the other sins, even the sins in the saints. Faith is so strong and overpowering that no sin dare put it under any obligation. Although sins are present in pious and believing persons, they are not imputed to them, nor shall their sins condemn them."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., III, p. 127. John 16:5-15.

"Godly and believing persons know their sins; they bear all their punishment patiently, and are resigned to God's judgment without the least murmur; therefore, they are punished only bodily, and here in time, and their pain and suffering have an end. Unbelievers, however, since they are not conscious of their sins and transgressions, cannot bear God's punishment patiently, but they resent it and wish their life and works to go unpunished, yea, uncensured. Hence, their punishment and suffering are in body and soul, here in time, and last forever beyond this life."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., III, p. 131. John 16:5-15.

"This is the province of the work, which the Holy Spirit is to begin in the kingdom of Christ. It is the teaching office of the apostles, which is to be of such a character that it must convict the world, as it finds it outside of Christ, and nobody is to be excepted, great, small, learned, wise, holy, of high or low condition, etc. This means in short, to bear the world's anger and to begin strife, and to be struck in the mouth for it. For the world, which rules on earth, will not and cannot endure its course to be disapproved; therefore persecution must arise, and one party must yield to the other, the weakest to the stronger. But, as the office of the apostles is to be only a teaching office, it cannot use world power and the world retains its external kingdom and power against the apostles. But, on the other hand, the apostles' office of conviction of the world shall likewise not be suppressed, because it is the office and work of the Holy Spirit, but shall overcome all and triumph; as Christ promised to them: 'I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand.' Luke 21:15"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., III, p. 136. John 16:5-15.


"It breaks in not piecemeal on certain works and actions, but reduces to nothing and condemns everything that reason and worldly wisdom propose. In short, He convicts and censures them in and for the very things they do not wish to be convicted in, but rather praised and lauded, as teaching and doing well and right."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., III, p. 138. John 16:5-15.

"For the heart is ever hostile to the law and resists it with inward disobedience."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., III, p. 140. John 16:5-15.

"Therefore the Holy Spirit rightly and justly convicts, as sinful and condemned, all who have not faith in Christ. For where this is wanting, other sins in abundance must follow: God is despised and hated, and the entire first table is treated with disobedience."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., III, p. 141. John 16:5-15.

"Lo, how the dragon's-tail of the devil and all hell must follow unbelief! The reason is, that he who does not believe in Christ, has already turned away from God and quite separated himself from Him."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., III, p. 142. John 16:5-15.

Lil Mike at The CORE

"This is just a little video i (sic) put together showqin (sic) me recording sum (sic) tracks in my bedroom" [GJ - After spelling lessons from Ski? The absence of a period is in the original.]

Lil Mike in MySpace

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Lil Mike at The CORE":

A preppie pretending to be urban,
in a movie theater pretending to be a church,
in front of Babtists pretending to be Lutherans.


+Diet O. Worms

Thank God McCain Set the Pope Straight and Witnessed about Missouri's Rock-Ribbed Orthodoxy!

"The Holy Spirit will not let the Holy Father err." Wait, I thought that saying applied exclusively to the WELS District Popes.


Through clenched teeth: "Move the web cam a little to the left. I can tell from the mirror that is just about right. A little more. Is my hair OK? Good. Now press the mouse button."


LCMS leaders attend ecumenical meeting with pope
"Christ, Our Hope for Unity" was the theme for an April 18 prayer service led by Pope Benedict XVI at St. Joseph Parish, a German Roman Catholic congregation in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, N.Y., with some 350 ecumenical guests in attendance.

Among the 30 Lutherans invited to attend this "ecumenical meeting" with the pope, as it was referred to in the invitation, were Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod President Gerald B. Kieschnick and Dr. Samuel H. Nafzger, one of the LCMS participants in the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue and executive director of the Synod's Commission on Theology and Church Relations. Also attending were local LCMS pastors and officials in New York City.

Representatives from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) included Dr. Lowell G. Almen, Lutheran co-chair of the U.S. Lutheran–Roman Catholic Dialogue, and Dr. Donald McCoid, director of the church body's Ecumenical Office.

The service was led liturgically by Benedict XVI, who delivered the "Address." All worship assignments were carried out exclusively by Roman Catholics. After the benediction, greetings were exchanged with the pope by 15 of the ecumenical guests -- 11 were chosen from among national leadership participants, and four were from New York, including Dr. David Benke, president of the LCMS Atlantic District. In his response to Benke's greeting, the pope specifically requested, "Please greet all in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod for me."

Nafzger said the Synod's local and national leaders appreciated being invited to the ecumenical event.

"Especially meaningful," he added, "was the inclusion in the worship program of the following quotation from the pope's 2005 address at the World Youth Day: 'Among Christians, fraternity is not just a vague sentiment ... it is grounded in the supernatural reality of the one Baptism which makes us all members of the one Body of Christ.'"

Posted April 25, 2008

***

GJ - As we know from McCain's blog, Father Neuhaus pulled the right strings and got Missouri in touch with a real pope. To this day, according to Paul, the Antichrist just shakes his head about the obstinate Lutheran orthodoxy of the LCMS.

We all join the pope, in shaking our heads.

At least McCain-Barry disciplined Benke, putting him on ice forever and a day.

Mrs. Ichabod just interrupted my reverie.

"They did nothing to Benke. Read the part about Benke in there."

I see. Benke participated.

Nevermind.

WELS and the Little Sect are a lot tougher. They make the Church of Rome leaders come to them - such as teaching at Wisconsin Lutheran College, marching in a religious procession at Bethany Lutheran Seminary, etc.

---

follow @tomplay for more updates on the platform. @pastorski and @kstrandlund are still in ATL through Wednesday
1:54 PM May 5th from web

What Are We Learning About Babtist Drive Conferences and WELS?

Thanks to Bishop Katie's Tweet, we know that four unnamed WELS pastors joined Ski, Glenda, Buske and her at Drive 09. Sfunny how those four names never came up in the Tweets. A staff member at Northpoint/Buckhead--Carlos Whittaker--was and is a constant on their Tweets, but those mysterious four WELS pastors are not even mentioned in the chatter.

The Drive Conferencess are primarily worship/entertainment events. At 09 they had a communionn service. At 08 Ski said he worshiped with the Babtists and loved it. In fact, it was more of "we worshiped with them." -
"The final Main Session with Andy Stanley was just phenomenal. We began with awesome worship."

Like the fabled Don Patterson pilgrimage to Exponential last year (with a bevy of WELS workers) this trip looked carefully organized, down to their cover stories. Tim Glende was going to a "pastor conference" without any details in the church bulletin about where it was or what denomination led the confab.

Some think the Anything Goes Northern Wisconsin District is loose, but Patterson-Glaeske are no different in the Southern Central Babtist District (aka The Safari Subsidy District).

Exactly how long can WELS preserve the illusion that it is a Lutheran church body?

Pente-Babtist Input, Pente-Babtist Output

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Wisdom of Drive 09: Orchestrated Spontaneous Danci...":

This is nothing new really. WELS let 3 missionaries go in the Tiawan field back in about 1992 because they became Petecostal/Charismatic. And how did that start you ask? By flirting around with them in the first place and not clearly maintaining a distance and avoiding them.

Does anyone remember the place in the Bible where God told Lot and his family to flee from Sodom and Gomorrah? Don't even look back they were told, but guess what, it was too aluring for Lot's wife. Just one look, is all it took.

Keep sneaking a peek straying friends and get swept away with all of the rest who are falling to seducing spirits.

Tico

***

GJ - The Sausage Factory faculty was asked about tongue-speaking when this was developing. Wobbly to a man, they responded that tongue-speaking was OK. I was told never to mention Taiwan - that was a forbidden subject - in the ELS too.

Four Horsemen and a Bean-Counter

Benny has left a new comment on your post "Wisdom of Drive 09: Orchestrated Spontaneous Danci...":

Wanted: bean counter at St. Marcus

http://epic.cuir.uwm.edu/entech/jobs/index.php?cmd=viewposting&id=3632

Donor Records Coordinator
Posted by: St. Marcus
Date Posted: 04/21/09
Deadline to Apply: May 8, 2009
Job Description:

The position first and foremost serves as a member of development and finance teams for the overall purpose of cultivation, solicitation and recognition of St. Marcus’ various constituencies. The role of this position is to provide information, support, and services to advance the fundraising and community support building mission of the organization.

The position administers the St. Marcus constituent database, to maintain detailed records, and to process donations and gift acknowledgments in a timely manner. Supports COO, Financial Services Manager and Director of Development by generating constituent reports to support all department operations/fundraising programs and reconciliation with finance department.

Location: Milwaukee, WI

Peterson Finally Indicted

Peterson (left) and Cowardly Lion

Indicted in third wife's death.

Wisdom of Drive 09: Orchestrated Spontaneous Dancing, "Balling" During Communion

Gay Activist Andy Stanley and Ski,
who was recently given lavish funds from WELS, 2012.

http://twitter.com/Aflynt
RT @loswhit
: Yup. That was pretty much one of the dopest times
of communion I've had. Wow. Powerful. #drive09 // for real y'all... Dope

His blog:
4. I went to the Drive’09 Conference this week. It was aaaaamazing! I loved connecting with friends. It was solidly biblical, off-the-chain creative, and intensely practical. I loved communion on night one, the Breakskate group, and a breakout session with Dian, Andy’s assistant. It was just more confirmation that I am on the team that I need to be on at Access.



Thursday, May 07, 2009

The Spontaneous Dance at DRIVE '09

Before one of the sessions at Drive there were people in the audience that were strategically sitting and spontaneously starting dancing. This is how they taught the dance to the staff and volunteers involved. It was awesome.

http://micahanderica.blogspot.com/2009/05/spontaneous-dance-at-drive.html
Before one of the sessions at Drive there were people in the audience that were strategically sitting and spontaneously starting dancing. This is how they taught the dance to the staff and volunteers involved. It was awesome.

Snapshots of Drive 09

http://www.kriegs.org/page25/page25.php
Just experienced Drive Conference '09, Day 1. And, yes, experienced is the right verb. Wow. Excellence at every level. Typography (modern, sans serif, all caps), color scheme (aqua, black, white)(even taffy and mints in the lobby were matched), smooth admin, teaching (it's Andy Stanley. And even he was more honest and vulnerable than usual), media (informative, hilarious, and looked good), music, and really, experiential worship (I was balling (sic) during communion as they led you through the Last Supper, crucifixion, and resurrection with a full orchestra). It reminded me of why I am doing what I do.

I will include my random notes from Andy's first talk. But some takeaways for me included the fact that despite the fact that I am in charge of media at a small church..media is just a tool. I need to be strengthening my spiritual man if I am going to be able to feed and lead others. I love, love, love media stuff so much that sometimes I think I focus too much on technique (learning the next effect in photoshop or motion or whatever) and don't continue to nourish my soul so I have things to say. My wife wisely pointed out tonight that perhaps this is due to the fact that the technique is tangible. If I create a cool graphic, I can immediately see it. Ministry, building something spiritual, is much more slippery and often takes years to see fruit bud above ground. It brought to mind and inspired me to re-read Eugene Peterson's Under the Unpredictable Plant...which is what half of Andy's message was tonite....uncertainty.

Anyways, enough drivel. Here are the notes. :)

FLEXIBILITY
no one knows what to do. not even the president. he’s just a person.
i will always be uncertain. i’m certain of it. (made us repeat 3x)
uncertainty
a leader is sometimes the only person who has an idea
i don’t have all the answers, but i’m going to pray hard and lead hard.

all the stories that happen in the Scriptures deal with uncertainty
Jesus’ death was very uncertain
God, what are you doing?!
I’m redeeming the world. Be quiet.

You don’t grow spiritually when things are going incredibly
When do you learn? During your greatest challenge and God showed up
We should THRIVE on uncertainty
This is where God does His greatest work

CLARITY
we can afford to be uncertain. we can’t be unclear.
what has God called us to do?
clarity around vision is key

andy (now the leader of a large church) struggled to get things going at first. when they were meeting in a high school gym, a couple said to andy: “this is a great thing here. when you get things going, we’ll come back.”
we don’t need you when we get things going. we need you now...he told them...and admitted bitterness still to this day if he doesn't watch it
andy felt God say to him....would you have done this if the noncomittals didn’t come? would you still WANT to do this? yes.
what do you want to do? what are we doing? what has God called to do locally?
in spite of the uncertainty, this is what God has called us to do
tell your people...this is what we are doing

inside “steve jobs mind

steve jobs: we create computers that are simple to operate

clarity will allow you to stay focused

plans change. vision remains the same.
plan is how. vision is what.
plans change ALL the time.

since the plan isn’t working out, it doesn’t mean the vision is bad
it’s very dangerous to attach God’s name to your PLAN

you can get more done in times of uncertainty
this is the time to rethink stuff b/c people are flexible b/c of the economy
leverage uncertainty for the vision
clarity. flexibility.
clarity. flexibility.
clarity. flexibility.

lead confidently but don’t fake it.

express confidently
i don’t know right now. but we’re gonna figure it out.
i don’t know for sure. but this is the direction i believe God is pointing us

seek counsel
leadership is not about making decisions on your own. it’s about owning decisions once they are made.

you’ve got to pray like crazy
pray for clarity. pray for vision.

north point’s vision: create a church for unchurched people

when you lead in the face of uncertainty, you need grace

Lord, would you take us back to that time and place when we were just starting out and everything was uncertain? When we had no resources, no people, just a call.

WELS bought a twice-failed bar in downtown Appleton for Ski and Glende.
The latest version of the bar was The Pulse.
So now it is The CORE.

Anthem Church
Our aim in attending this conference is to introduce you to the North Point model, which will give our team a point of reference for future ministry at Anthem. We hope that by the end of the conference, you will walk away with an “Ah-ha” moment of how you can implement what you learn at Drive here at Anthem. Drive is the opportunity for “buy-in” of the vision of both North Point and Anthem. Hopefully this conference will inspire individuals to enlarge their vision of personal commitment and strategic service. This conference is going to be an incredible experience and a great learning opportunity for Anthem!

AnthemChurch The group is heading back from #drive09. It was an incredible conference this year!
12:21 PM May 6th from Tweetie We are here at #drive09 ready for session one. http://yfrog.com/2856204850j
4:23 PM May 4th from Tweetie What a great conclusion 2 "Text" yesterday! Also a crew is about 2 take off 4 @driveconference. So excited! Updates 2 come. #driveconference
3:55 AM May 4th from Tweetie A fun surprise at #anthemchurch today! Thanks @jgmoyer. http://yfrog.com/0bld9ij
6:50 AM May 3rd from Tweetie It's going to be an awesome day at @anthemchurch. @stephencope & @jgmoyers are leading us in worship and it's the final part of "Text".
2:02 AM May 3rd from Tweetie An awesome new video about Anthem and NP partners on the facebook page. http://tinyurl.com/dc6zxm
7:05 PM Apr 30th from web Has enjoyed the "text" reading schedule this week. Psalm 53 today.
6:59 PM Apr 30th from Tweetie RT The countdown to @Driveconference has officially begun. (via @BuckheadChurch)
3:48 AM Apr 29th from Tweetie R U involved? http://tinyurl.com/c6gfcu/p...
8:45 PM Apr 27th from web An awesome set at a partner church. RT Run thru @athenschurch http://twitpic.com/41ao7 (via @mKOS)
7:52 AM Apr 26th from Tweetie The upstreet hallway this morning at #anthhemchurch. Yes that is a car! http://twitpic.com/41ew1
7:48 AM Apr 26th from Tweetie The production team at #anthemchurch rocks. Here is their view this morning. http://twitpic.com/41est
7:46 AM Apr 26th from Tweetie Watching live worship at Buckhead Church. Check it out. Global Night of Worship. http://blog.buckheadchurch....
4:54 PM Apr 23rd from web RT @blainehogan Blue Like Jazz the movie needs your help. http://tinyurl.com/BLJthemovie
8:27 AM Apr 23rd from Tweetie RT @Jlferrini: loves SUNDAY's! Worship@Anthem was AMAZING!So happy 2have shared that wTrae & Cami!My text from God is call'n. Got 2read it!
7:34 PM Apr 19th from Tweetie Check out this Anthem Update - http://eepurl.com/0lK
12:28 PM Apr 17th from MailChimp Are U a fan of Anthem Church on facebook? Check out the new & improved fan page. http://tinyurl.com/cqg5j7
5:27 AM Apr 16th from web RT: Please join us live in person or on the web for the Global Night of Worship. April 23, 7 pm. #Buckheadchurch (via @BuckheadChurch)
8:32 PM Apr 13th from Tweetie If God was on twitter, would you read his tweets? "text" a new series starting this Sunday at #anthemchurch

James Laing's Blog
Got back yesterday from the Drive Conference at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. Had a great time or learning, worship and FUN!

Andy Stanley taught in the three main sessions. A few takeaways:
1. "Uncertainty is permanent and is why we need leaders. Leaders can afford to be uncertain but not unclear."
2. "It's very dangerous to attach God's name to your plans because they always change whereas vision does not."
3. "Leadership is not about making decisions on your own, it's about owning decisions you make."
4. "To be a great leader, you must be a great listener because you are probbably not the smartest person in your organization. You are just the leader."
5. "Leaders are attracted to environments where their ideas and opinions are heard. Leaders who refuse to listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing important to say."
6. "In a seniority structure, title and position, rather than insight or creativity, determine who sits at the decision-making table. Eventually, a seniority structure leaves the seniors in charge."
7. "Fairness ended in the garden of Eden. When you shoot for fairness you become unjust. Shoot for what is right."
8. "Vision: A mental picture of what could be, fueled by the passion of what should be."
9. "If doing Church is hard, it's because it is. But it's worth it."

I have worked in churches where the senior leaders always sat at the decision making table. Even though these leaders had a passion for young families they didn't have a clue about how to create environments for young families. What they created was an environment that repelled young families. The results of a fair, seniority seniority structure. This could have been overcome if they invited those with insight into young families to sit at the decision table.

How have you seen the seniority structure played out in your organization?

[GJ - Recently read - Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer & Eric Geiger]

Small Group Pastors
Your Leadership Matters!
05.07.09Andy Stanley: Thoughts on LeadershipPosted in Andy Stanley, Catalyst, Drive Conference, Small Group Leaders, Small Group Ministry, leadership, pastors tagged Andy Stanley, leadership, Small Group Leaders, Small group pastors at 4:00 pm by centralcouples

Andy Stanley has been one of those leaders that has made a HUGE impact upon my life! Recently at the CatWest and Drive ‘09 Conference, Andy made some statements about leadership that I thought I would pass along. Great stuff and thought provoking…as always!

“Is this an easy, obvious, strategic step toward community?”
This is the question asked when North Point determines whether or not to add something new to their ministry! Great filter for simple church!
“As leaders, we gravitate to voices we want to hear.”
How are you being intentional in allowing other voices to speak into your leadership?
“You have got to create a mechanism to listen to the right people.”
What mechanism do you use to ensure that you are listening to the RIGHT people?
“What and who you listen to will determine what you do.”
Who are the top three people that you listen too? Why do you listen to them?
“The more sense of input that people have, the less the push back.”
Love this one…Ownership…Ownership…Ownership! Do your leaders feel as if they have ownership in the ministry?
“Leaders are attracted to environments where ideas and opinions are heard.”
How are you intentionally allowing your leaders to give input?
“If you want great leaders, you need to create systems for listening to great leaders.”
Ask some of your veteran leaders how they know that you value their input.
“Leaders want more than assignments. They want input into the decision-making process.”
Are you in a ministry that wants YOUR input or are you just doing assignments? Are your leaders empowered to do the work of the ministry?
“Leaders want to influence their own destinies.”
Love it! They also want to feel that they matter in things of eternity! How do you continually show them that their leadership matters?
“Leaders who refuse to listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing important to say.”
Oh, so true!
“Eventually a seniority structure leaves the seniors in charge.”
Do you feel valued in your ministry and do your leaders feel valued as a leader?
“Your structure has to change or your structure will impede information flow.”
I always try to ask, “Do my leaders know what is going on and do they own it?” If it is a surprise or they get caught off guard all the time, then the flow of information has a kink in it and needs to be adjusted!
“I don’t want anyone to live with the frustration that I used to live with in the lower levels of the organization.”
Good stuff! Put yourself in the leader’s shoes.
“You want the best thinkers and the most strategic people at the table with you.”
Who are your best thinkers and most strategic people? Are they at the table with you? If not, why? Are you secure in your ability to lead?
“You need to listen deep in your organization. That doesn’t mean you have to meet with everyone in the organization.”
Andy said he meets with 150 volunteers occasionally to get input. Listen to the people who are in the trenches and on the frontlines. They have a very different perspective than that at Headquarters.
“Resist the urge to lead every meeting you attend.”
Share your leadership! Sit and listen sometimes. It will let you know how you are leading and if vision is sticking.
“The people we don’t want to hear from are the people we often need to hear from most.”
Who do you not want to hear from? Schedule a One on One with them and see what they are thinking! Huge insights!
Again, these are some random thoughts from what Andy said at Drive ’09 and some of what he shared at Catalyst West Coast. Let me know what you are thinking and how you have structured systems to allow for great leadership! I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks again Andy!

Mark Batterson
Our Pastor of Discipleship, Heather Zempel, just sent me a link to the videos from the Drive Conference hosted by Northpoint in Atlanta. I was totally bummed that I didn't get to go this year, but they have made the videos of the sessions available online. Here's a link.

This is totally aside, but do any other pastors out there wish Andy Stanley was their friend :) There you have it. I just came out and said it :) Man, I love the way that guy leads and preaches.

By the way, I'm definitely going to drive next year! I'll probably fly there. But I'm definitely going drive. Get it? I'm not going to drive to drive. I'm going to fly to drive.

Drive could do a fun take on the Abbott and Costello Who's On First schtick. Or not.

Online Drive for Drive Addicts
I have been to DRIVE two different times at Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. That conference has been a huge turning point each time in my own life and ministry. I have learned a ton of things about church leadership from Andy Stanley and the Northpoint folks over the years.

They have just recently announced a new conference for people who can’t make it to the DRIVE conference in GA. DRIVE-IN is a series of online web events on several days this spring starting this Wednesday, January 21st at 9 a.m. EST. Click HERE for more details.

It can be a really cool thing for our church to get all on the same page about how to create a church for people who don’t like church–in our culture! Jump in, log on, and drive-in.

Groove Is King
DRIVE Conference at North Point Community Church

THe Drive conference hosted by North Point Community Church is an amazing conference. I play at it every year, and always walk away recharged. Andy Stanley and the other speakers always leave you with something to chew on.

Here is the link to it: Look for me. I'll be playing drums!