A Little Leaven
Exponential 09 Conference to Feature a Speaker Whose Biggest Regret is Not Clubbing a Church Lady With a Baseball Bat
The Exponential 09 church planters conference has invited Gary Lamb of Revolution Church in Canton, GA to be one of the featured speakers. Gary Lamb is on the record saying that one of his biggest regrets is that he didn't club a church lady with a baseball bat, punch her husband in the face and set fire to the church organ.
Gary Lamb has no business being a pastor or a conference speaker. The LAST thing the church needs is Lamb teaching other pastors how to be like him.
Here is the relevant sound bite from the "sermon" where Gary Lamb shared this sick 'regret'.
Lamb's lust for murderous violence doesn't end here. Read what Lamb wrote on his blog to the person who stole one of his church's trailers.
To the people who stole our trailer:
First let me say, God loves you. Second let me say we forgive you. We really don’t want to forgive you, but God says we should so we do. Third of all I want you to know that I think you are scum bags. I think you are lowlife degenerates who need a good butt kicking. Matter of fact I feel so strongly about the fact that you need a good butt kicking that I am volunteering to do it. I hope you believe in God because you should get on your knees and cry out to Him like never before because if we find you, I can promise we will kick the crap out of you. It won’t be pretty, it won’t be over quickly, and it will be very painful. I know that doesn’t sound very nice but I feel pretty strongly that is what you need.
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Gary Lamb -Gary is the Founding Pastor and Lead Pastor of Revolution Church in Canton, Ga. Started on August 15th, 2004, RC has quickly become known for it's (sic) crazy passion to do whatever it takes to reach those who are disconnected from church. In it's (sic) 4 years of existence, RC has grown to over 1,000 people in weekly attendance, has launched a second campus, and over 70% of those in attendance were previously unchurched before attending Revolution for the first time. Prior to starting RC, Gary started a church in Ames, Iowa. He has a huge passion for church planters and works as consultant for a church planting group in Georgia and teaches church planters at the West Ridge School of Church Planting in Hiram, Ga.
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GJ - Gary Lamb will speak at the Exponential Conference. Last year, VP Don Patterson--in his capacity as doctrinal supervisor and guru to The Sausage Factory--shepherded a group of WELS workers to the last confab in Orlando. There they listened to Babtist Ed Stetzer and hired him for Church and Change.
Whiskey Tango is code for White Trash.
ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Open a Can of Whiskey Tango When You Attend Exponential -
Endorsed by VP Patterson
Deep Cleansing Breath:
Now Try To Read "Airport"
Without Screaming in Pain
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Deep Cleansing Breath: Now Try To Read "Airport" W...":
The airport analogy is straight from Reggie McNeal. Can't the WELS ever be original?
http://www.pastorkenkelly.com/2008/12/reggie-mcneal-conference.html
Reggie has spoken at our church on several occasions. His talks always challenge me to re-think how we do church and how I live the Christian life. Today was no exception. His talk was based on his newest book The New Missional Renaissance which will be released late next month. Here are some takeaways.
* Henry Blackaby was right. We need to join God in what He's already doing. God is having a great time out there. The question is whether we want to play.
* 3 convergences that are creating a missional renaissance: the rise of an altruism economy, the desire for personal growth, and spiritual awakening.
* We're in a culture that wants to talk God and not church.
* Three shifts needed: from internal to external focus in ministry; from program-driven to people development; from church-based leadership to kingdom-focused leadership.
* The church needs to be like the connecting hub of an airport. The hub is not the destination. We've made the church the destination place instead of the hub that sends us into the world with the gospel.
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BHM: Project Airport
Our mission counselors and cross-cultural consultant planned Project Airport to assist our District Mission Boards to better serve their missions. Part of the reason for inviting every DMB member to attend was that many new men have been elected to their position who were not present for the original training (back in the previous century) in the Barnabas Project, a very useful and helpful tool for shepherds.
The airport theme was chosen because of so many parallels between equipping, supporting, maintaining and making improvements in airline service and in our service to our missions and missionaries.
As we planned, we began to realize the benefit of bringing together in one place (actually, two places: Denver and Chicago) not just DMB members, but also all those who are or can be involved in assisting our missions, missionaries, and congregations who have the potential to start new mission ministries. So we invited District Presidents, Synodical Council (SC) district representatives, the Board for Parish Services (BPS) Administrator, Commission on Adult Discipleship (CAD), Commission on Evangelism (CoE) and WELS Kingdom Workers (WKW) to attend. We really appreciated the gracious response to our invitations. All told, our WELS VP, 6 district presidents, our BPS Administrator, 4 SC men, 5 CAD, 12 CoE, and 64 DMB members attended the workshops. It was a well-rounded group that actively participated in the breakouts and seemed to appreciate the opportunity to grow and work together for the sake of our Lord Jesus and his kingdom.
Throughout both gatherings, we were enriched and uplifted with consistently inspiring devotions from the word of our God. The analogies to airplanes and airports were many, creative, and seemed exceedingly appropriate to our church as we followed the themes of “Trusting God’s outreach promises” (Cares), “Sometimes it’s hard to get off the ground” (Westra, Gauger), “It takes a lot of people for an airplane to fly”(Hagedorn), “The value of regular maintenance” (Geiger, Fisher), and “Working with God to set missions free to fly”(Birkholz). The singing was wonderful, both with and without accompaniment.
Pastor Hagedorn kept the fast-paced conference on its rather tight schedule. Ten different presenters led the workshops. The airport/airplane analogies continued. The workshops were presented according to five consecutive categories, each one building on the previous one:
• Outreach Orientation (awareness-possibilities upon taking off)
• Outreach Orientation (development/foundation—getting plane ready to fly)
• Awareness of our Culture and Community (aware of fellow passengers)
• Partnership and Connections (co-workers needed in order to fly)
• One on One Impact Training (pilot and crew)
Awareness
MC Schulz took off with quite a list of God’s grace at work among us through the many and varied examples of new mission starts and ministries associated with home missions and NA Outreach. CAD Administrator Kehl reviewed NAO with us and then led a breakout session encouraging us to consider ways to broaden its impact. You will notice the enthusiastic responses which were posted on newsprint around the conference room.
Foundation
Cross Cultural Consultant Kehl then led us in a lively session and breakout focused on the spiritual foundations which lead individuals and churches to be outreach oriented.
Culture
MC Schulz brought us into the 21st century culture, helping us to understand our world and giving us some great questions for us to consider as we work to share the news of Jesus with those who think differently than we (possible new passengers on our plane). Hispanic Consultant Roth helped us get into the shoes of today’s immigrants with a card game that got everyone confused, and Hmong Coordinator Piepenbrink helped us realize an Asian perspective on our BHM guiding principles for cross cultural ministries.
Partnership and Connections
CoE Administrator Hintz helped us realize the value of a good ground crew as he outlined a model outreach-minded congregation. Pastors Roth and Piepenbrink outlined their services. Pastor Warnecke from WKW's touched on the many ways they are available to serve our mission fields. MC Schulz offered a look at some of the new and innovative ways in which mission ministries are starting these days. We then were broken out into small groups to consider how and where each of our districts might start new ministries. After that, Mel explained how we can get money for all this, if there’s any available.
One on One Training
With the big picture concerning “flight plans” established the previous day, Tuesday helped us focus our attention on the “crew”: our missionaries and leaders. MC Schulz and John Tappe took us on an excellent guided tour of the Barnabas program, showing us how they use its many tools to encourage and assist the men on the front lines and how there is more than enough material on its pages to help every DMB member become a more able and helpful shepherd to those they serve. It should be mentioned that the two men had recently reviewed, edited, and updated the Barnabas manual.
MC Schuppe offered some useful helps on mentoring, gleaned from his personal experience and study, and MC Huebner led us through some coaching approaches (with assistance from Mrs. Christy Geiger’s materials) which seem to be bringing blessings to many. Districts were then asked to work together to decide on which kind of approach (shepherd/mentor/coach) or combination of approaches they might use to best serve their missions/missionaries.
Where, from here?
We noticed throughout the day and a half there was little of the “in and out” traffic and sidebar conversations one sometimes witnesses at conferences as attendees sometimes seem to be wishing they were elsewhere. We give our God thanks for the high level of the quality of the presentations and devotions and the attendees’ enthusiastic participation in breakouts and small groups. The blessings of district coworkers (evangelism, CAD, DMB, etc.) learning, thinking, and planning together seemed apparent. We heard desires expressed for more of this kind of thing.
We are today making all the tools, breakout group responses, information, devotions and PowerPoint presentations from Project Airport (including the newly updated Barnabas Project) available to the BHM members on a CD.
We trust that the information was and is helpful and encouraging to all who attended. It sometimes happens that one attends this kind of workshop, is exposed to some things, but then goes home and becomes so busy again that the notebook sits on the shelf.
Our expectation is that there are those who put what they learned to good use right away when they arrived home. We need to continue to find new ways to encourage our sister churches to seek to start new mission ministries. The tools we’ve just been given are invaluable for that purpose.
We also trust that the sights of every DMB were raised. We can continue to grow as shepherds, using the Barnabas Project materials. Perhaps some are choosing or will choose a mentoring or coaching approach. We are right now looking for those with whom we could work together on pilot projects, intentionally making use of the shepherding/mentoring/coaching approach. We will figure out a way to prioritize it in our schedules so we can work alongside you (if you should so desire). Just let us know.
May God continue to bless the after-effects (jetwash?) [flatulence!] of Project Airport!
MC’s Schulz, Schuppe, and Huebner and CCC Kehl
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GJ - Does anyone wonder why everything crashed? The pilots are Schwaermer, buzzing here and there, blowing money to introduce the same old Fuller babble as if Enthusiasm were invented in Milwaukee last week.
Another Reason To Cut the Technology Budget
Easter Sermons Are Easy
By Martin Spriggs:Bio on April 13, 2009
Ran across an interesting article about the average attention span of someone listening to a lecture (or sermon as the case may be). It’s called Kill lecture boredom through science from the Speaker Confessions blog. The results are based on a very small study of monitoring heart rates of students. While the results are not concrete enough to publish is a scholarly journal, I think we all might agree with them. He comes to two conclusions: 1) 20 to 30 minutes is the sweet spot amount of time for lectures, and 2) if you go longer, do something different every 20 minutes to regain people’s attention.
While most sermons hit that “sweet spot”, some would argue that the sermon is at the heart of a 60 minute period of time (the service) through which we are trying to hold the attention of the congregation. Throw in the fact that we hold services on a Sunday (read weekend) morning, many are sitting on uncomfortable pews, the under 5 year old crowd offers pretty stiff competition, etc. and you find a challenge worthy of the best public speakers.
All of us are fresh off Easter services, and I for one find it very easy to “tune in” to Easter sermons. Adrenaline is high. Hymns have a peppy contrast to those we’ve been singing over the last 6 weeks of Lent. Churches are full. Yet there are other times of the church year that I have to admit my heart rate drops pretty low by the end of a sermon.
Here are the tips the article offers. Some could be applied to the sermon. 1) Ask a question and look for a show of hands, 2) Give them a challenging problem to solve, 3) Show a short film, 4) Move to a new spot on the stage. Essentially, anything to help reset their attention cycles.
Obviously some of these same principles apply to Bible class and even when you are writing content for your website. If they are “tuned out” your breath is wasted. Maybe you have some good ideas to share?
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GJ - Did you get a buzz out of those ideas?
WELS Imprint has a few dozen posts. I have 2,600 - without a salary, benefits, or training at Willow Creek. Or Trinity Deerfield. Or Fuller Seminary.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Another Reason To Cut the Technology Budget":
And Martin Spriggs graduated at the top of his class.... At WELS the quality goes in before the product goes out. Do you believe it?
Awesome Vision
New Vision an Awesome Calling
By Dr. Joel Nelson - Bio on February 16, 2009
WELS Commission on Youth Discipleship (CYD) recently adopted a new vision statement. The statement expresses the awesome calling CYD has as a Parish Services unit and the fervent desire it has for our entire church-body: Every congregation actively partnered with parents to nurture youth: their perspective, potential, and place in the body of Christ.
The word perspective recognizes that youth have points of view, opinions, ideas, and dreams from which the church can learn. The word potential recognizes that youth have abilities, talents, attitudes, and energy through which the church can benefit. The word place recognizes that youth must be valued, included, empowered, and engaged in ministry, making themselves and the church whole.
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GJ - Copying more would violate the Geneva Conventions about the use of torture on civilians. Nelson has a degree in education from Cardinal Stritch.
When will the word awesome be officially banned from the English language? Soon, I hope.
PS - Bruce Becker, Wayne Mueller, and Peter Kruschel still have their bios on the WELS website. Is Martin Spriggs waiting for their return?
Top Gunn Shrinking
Some facts conveniently overlooked or not known by Joe Krohn, who gets his misinformation from buddy Don Patterson:
- CrossWalk was not allowed to join the district for many reasons.
- The District Mission Board did not start CrossWalk. Some local churches did with a Board of Directors, just like Baumler's model C and C parish. The Perish Assistants at The Love Shack promote this business model.
- Actually, a BoD for Crosswalk Lutheran Ministries, Inc. (check the Arizona State corporation commission web site) was formed from WELS members at Emmanuel, Tempe, and a couple of other WELS churches.
- CrossWalk has a Board of Directors making the decisions once everyone--women and children combined--has a say.
- CrossWalk has received all its money from Thrivent, wealthy WELS members, and grants.
- Gunn was never a tent-maker, in spite of what FIC claimed.
- The money for CrossWalk has dried up under the new district leadership, and Gunn is out of ammo.
- One rumor is that he is headed for that garden of apostasy, Wisconsin Lutheran College, to head a real campus church.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Busta Gut Speaks His Mind":
Confidential to Greg - The point was it is God growing Crosswalk as they HAVE been faithful to the Word. I know you enjoy being the Lone Ranger of Lutheranism and all, but the hallmark of faithfulness to the Word isn't always non-growth. Sometimes you seem to wear it like a red badge of courage. :)
Joe Krohn, Rock N Roll
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GJ - Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Joe. You tried to start a blog and you failed, so you coat-tail this one. You need to parrot my words. I am honored. But please try to read with comprehension and discernment. The only qualification is faithfulness to the Word, entirely lacking in your bunch of plagiarists, false teachers, and grant-grubbing frauds.
According to your measuring stick, Gunn is now a mere spitball in the war against the Means of Grace.
Meanwhile, Joe brags he can read minds: "I know you enjoy..."
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Clueless Joe Krohn has left a new comment on your post "Top Gunn Shrinking":
Greg,
You're always good for some laughs when I have downtime at work and I have nothing better to do, so why not indulge you at least for today. You live for these moments. Especially when you get your whitie tighties in a bunch about all of us 'apostates'.
To your facts...
Crosswalk's membership in WELS is pending just like Christ the Rock's because of the model. It doesn't jive with the WELS constitution of governing. I'm not really sure how this can be construed as non-biblical.
The were no funds to start CW so laypeople did with the approval of the DMB. Again, where is this a sin?
From what I recall of non-profit incorporation, all churches are required to file articles of incorporation. The articles are typically signed by the officers of the church who are laypersons. I guess you have been out of the loop for awhile.
The BOD does form a consensus based on input from the congregation. Is this sinful?
I didn't think it was a sin to accept offerings from WELS members. As far as grants and other gifts, it depends on where you draw the line and how legalistic you want to be.
The original call as it was drawn up was to be half time minister and he was to get another job to supplement his income. This is referred to as a tent minister and not maker. It's based on the Paul model. I'm assuming you were being facetious, but just in case. Obviously the FIC article was written before the changes in ministry.
As far as money drying up and Jeff Gunn taking another call; well that remains to be seen.
Joe Krohn
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GJ - Joe, a tent minister would minister to tents. Someone with WELS spelling acumen would say, "Past tents? Future tents?" Paul actually made tents to supplement his meager income, so a worker/pastor is called a tent-maker, a maker of tents, not a minister to tents. I will concede that illiterates in Church Growth may say--or even write--tent minister, but that does not keep the image evoked from being comical.
Please don't tentsup if I use a theological word correctly.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Top Gunn Shrinking":
Would anyone else hire the Top Gunn? He comes with so much excess baggage.
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Church and Chicaneries Have Minders Assigned To Clean Up CG Messes And Lob Stink Bombs
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Chicaneries Have Minders Assigned To Cl...":
And what a mess CG makes! Handicapped to reasoning by cliché and trite remarks, they better serve the Devil than Christ as they run the ministries into the ground. Oblivious to the mess they make, they paste on Goody Two-Shoes smiles while they promote their pastoral and leadership services to the members. It works like a charm.
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GJ - So true. And they have been and still are using paid synodical positions to promote the Church and Chicanery agenda.
If y'all don't know that agenda by now, you haven't been reading Ichabod or the websties of these soi-disant leaders.
Busta Gut Speaks His Mind
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Board Members Learned Secrecy an...":
Ken,
If you are basing your post on what you read here, then all you are doing is expanding the base of ignorance that grows on this blog like a fungus.
I was there at Crosswalk from the time Jeff Gunn received the call in early 2004. We met weekly on Sunday nights in the library at ALA in Bible study and fellowship often after attending our traditional Lutheran churches in the morning. So there were no canceled services.
You may not agree with the worship form at a church like Crosswalk, but making an off the cuff remark about it being pentecostal in nature further exposes your ignorance. It shows that you have never attended there. It is a rare occurrence if there is even clapping during the songs much less the rest of the service. Lutherans are funny that way. It's pretty low key. Jeff Gunn's sermons are solid in the Word and the Lutheran doctrine.
We did have a ramp up period during the summer of 2004 because there were some details to work out. We had some homework to do as we wanted it to be different and yet be faithful to Lutheran doctrine. We were being careful. We started in the library with 10-20 folks and the last I heard Crosswalk has 500+ on any given Sunday in worship. If you want to blame anyone or point the finger I guess it would have to be God because it is His fault.
That little rag tag group that met in the ALA library on Sunday evenings studying scripture and having pot-luck suppers are some of my fondest memories. We should all be so blessed.
Joe Krohn
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GJ - I am always happy to see Joe sign his posts. "What is so rare as a day in June?" - A signed Church and Change comment.
Is CrossWalk Lutheran? Proof is missing.
The last I heard, Rock N Roll in Round Rock had 30 in attendance, after 3 years of grants, freebies, and copying sermons from false teachers. Two full-time staff members? Wowie wow. I want Mrs. Ichabod to get $50k to be my assistant. Where does she apply? Staph Ministry? Fuller? Trinity Deerfield. Mars Hills? GCC?
Confidential to Joe - it's not the numbers - but faithfulness to the Word. Paul the Tent-maker has something to say about that.
No, I Can Read the Book of Concord and Your Evil Websites
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Board Members Learned Secrecy an...":
Anon 7:54 am
Have Jackson call them evil because he can read hearts. Just ask him.
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GJ - Obviously WELS is divided. Like the terrorists of 1993, who bombed the WTC the first time, the Chicaneries declared war on WELS and few paid attention.
These divisions are good because the Jeske-Patterson-Parlow-Kelm-Valleskey crowd do not like Lutheran worship, Lutheran confessions, or Lutheran theologians. I can tell what they love when Chicanery Board Member Ski, sponsored by Chicanery Board Member Ash, needs this training in one year to start The CORE:
- Drive 08 - Stanley.
- Drive 09 - Stanley.
- Granger Community Church - Beeson.
- Catalyst - Stanley and Groeschel.
- Seattle - probably Driscoll of Mars Hill.
Church and Change Cats Always Meow For More
rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Ichabod Stats Spike on June 9th":
The money changers, and the Church and Changers, (are they one in the same?) both need to be driven from the temple. The laity was being blamed even in the good economic times. When the offerings didn't line up with the expenses generated by grandiose expansion plans, and the subsequent cost overruns, the laity was blamed for being tight-fisted. Because of the subtle doctrine of leadership infallibility, it was never their fault. It is coming back to bite them.
Church and Change Board Members Learned Secrecy and Deception at Mequon
Cloaking of the Church and Chicanery Board:
- Pastor Ron Ash (sponsor of The CORE) - bio and photo.
- Fundraiser Jeff Davis (takes a percentage) - photo but no bio.
- Sarah Owens - bio and photo.
- Barry Spencer (St. Marcus) - bio and photo.
- Pastor John Huebner - bio and photo.
- Pastor James Skorzewski - Ski - (fomerly St. Marcus) - no bio and no photo.
- UPS Driver Brian Arthur Lampe - no bio and no photo.
- Pastor Bruce Becker (St. Marcus/Time of Grace) - no bio, no photo, no listing.
Half the Church and Change leaders have chosen to hide their identities on their own board member listing!
We can ascertain the substance of Church and Chicanery from their conferences featuring Leonard Sweet (WELS approved) and Ed Stetzer (Conference of Pussycats finally put their paws down and nixed Ed).
We can also determine their direction from Chairman Ron Ash sponsoring board member Ski to build the Popcorn Cathedral of Rock in Appleton - one block from a large, downtown WELS congregation.
Church and Chicanery leaders like VP Don Patterson deny their C and C membership, but take leadership roles in their meetings, participate in their secretive listserve, and gather WELS workers for Schwaermer gatherings like Exponential.
Some Exponential speakers are linked up with The CORE Twitters or training:
Mark Batterson,
Craig Groeschel (writes all of Ski's sermons for him, even does the graphics),
Ed Stetzer.
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Even though no synod funds are available to start missions, the Arizona District Mission Board is continuing to forge ahead in the South Mountain/Laveen area of Phoenix.
Author: Gary Jeffers
“We can’t just do nothing!”
That’s what Arizona District Mission Board Chairman Dan Baumler said about the opportunity to do mission work in one of the fastest-growing and diverse areas of the country, the South Mountain/ Laveen area of Phoenix. Despite the recent funding difficulties that the Board for Home Missions is facing, Baumler is urging us to start a church here. The population of this area surrounding Arizona Lutheran Academy (ALA), Phoenix, our WELS area Lutheran high school, is projected to increase from 50,226 in the year 2000 to 147,270 in 2010.
The idea for a mission in the South Mountain/Laveen area originated in 2001. Members of ALA’s long-range planning committee asked the Arizona District Mission Board how they might start an exploratory mission in the community. The board suggested that a committee be formed to plan for an eventual start-up.
Interested individuals began meeting in September 2002. This South Mountain Exploratory Community Mission Committee surveyed the community and local churches. We also held meetings with the pastors of Emmanuel, Tempe, Ariz., a nearby WELS congregation, to solicit their support.
Even though there are no synod funds available to start missions, we are continuing to forge ahead. The goal is to raise $25,000 and call a “tent minister” who would receive a partial salary for his ministerial work and be employed part time in a secular position to help support himself.
As the Lord has blessed the efforts of this ministry according to his good and gracious will, the following milestones have been achieved:
• ministry plan completed and approved,
• initial budget written,
• orientation with potential core members (WELS members in target area), and
• Bible studies scheduled with potential core members.
Other blessings include
• a facility to meet in (ALA),
• a part-time job for a pastor,
• a great leadership team,
• a committed core group,
• $6,000 cash in hand, and
• WELS members of various congregations along with ALA students working together to further God’s kingdom.
More is needed—volunteers, offerings, prayers, a willing tent minister. We proceed confident of God’s continued blessings.
Gary Jeffers is a member of Grace, Glendale, Arizona, and chairman of the South Mountain Community Exploratory Mission Committee.
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“We can’t just do nothing” part two
The Lord is blessing a local effort to start a church in the South Mountain/Laveen area of Phoenix.
Author: Gary Jeffers
As you may recall from the winter edition of Mission Connection, “We can’t just do nothing“ is what Arizona Mission Board Chairman Dan Baumler said about the opportunity to do mission work in one of the fastest growing and diverse areas of the country, the South Mountain/Laveen area of Phoenix. Despite recent funding difficulties facing Home Missions, Baumler urged us to gather people and start a church here.
The population of this area is projected to increase from 50,226 in the year 2000 to 147,270 in 2010. One sees evidence everywhere that the projection is solid. Future neighborhoods are being prepared. New houses are being finished every day.
Even though we had no synodical funds to assist us, we continued to forge ahead. We established a goal to raise $25,000 and to call a “tent minister“ before the end of 2003. A tent minister is a pastor who is willing to work a part-time job to help support himself financially while he reaches out with the gospel. As a result of the overwhelming support, generosity, and undeterred nature of WELS people in our area, the Lord has blessed these efforts. The monetary goal was exceeded, and a call was extended and accepted by Jeffrey Gunn early in 2004.
Gunn was installed in a service at Emmanuel, Tempe, and Baumler preached the sermon. Praise God for directing our people to share their gifts to support this mission and to show us that new openings can happen, even if the synod doesn’t have money for them.
Another significant blessing is that the Board for Home Missions favorably reviewed what has been accomplished, and they approved the Mission Establishment Phase for this endeavor without any promise of financial subsidy. Now a core group of WELS members living in the area meets for weekly Bible classes and fellowship. They recently named the mission “CrossWalk Lutheran Church.“ They have begun to formulate short- and long-range plans for their mission endeavors in this expanding part of Phoenix.
Please keep tent minister Jeffrey Gunn and all of us in this new mission in your prayers. Together we forge a new path in reaching the unchurched in South Phoenix.
Gary Jeffers is chairman of the board of directors for the development phase of CrossWalk Lutheran, Phoenix, Arizona.
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“We can’t just do nothing ” part three
New ministry in South Phoenix keeps growing. Weekly Bible classes and three summer worship services were well attended.
Author: Gary Jeffers
Blessings continue to abound for CrossWalk Lutheran Church in South Phoenix. As mentioned in previous editions of Mission Connection, this North American outreach ministry was formed by a group of WELS members who saw a need for outreach to the unchurched in the South Phoenix area.
The population of this diverse area surrounding Arizona Lutheran Academy, a WELS area Lutheran high school, is projected to increase from 50,226 in the year 2000 to 147,270 in 2010. Even though there are no synodical funds to support the effort, Pastor Jeff Gunn accepted the call as a tent minister. (A tent minister is best described as a pastor who is willing to work a part-time job to help support himself while he also does outreach ministry.)
Currently, weekly Bible classes are being held both at Arizona Lutheran Academy and at Gunn’s home. Because of the summer heat that sends many in Phoenix out of town and also because of the desire for excellence in our worship services, regular Sunday worship has been put on hold until after Labor Day. However, three preview services were held during the summer months in the gymnasium at Arizona Lutheran Academy. This gave the new mission time to become comfortable in its surroundings and to prepare for guests in fall. We also challenged each current member to invite 10 unchurched people to our official start-up in September. The first of the three preview services was held on June 20. It was an unadvertised service attended by 110 people—another blessing and surprise from the Lord!
Please keep CrossWalk’s members and Pastor Gunn in your prayers as we forge a new path in reaching the unchurched in South Phoenix.
Gary Jeffers is chairman of the board of directors of CrossWalk Lutheran Ministries, Phoenix, Arizona.
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Volume Fall 2004, Category: BHM
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GJ - Forward in Collusion ran a three-part series on Church and Chicanery hero Jeff Gunn. Why would anyone think the synodical magazine is in cahoots with the Shrinkers?
The three-part series managed to leave out a ton of facts about CrossWalk, such as plagiarizing false teacher's confessions, ditching the word Lutheran, pretending to be generic Babtist. What a success - crating a non-Lutheran congregation in a non-Lutheran town, then spreading the Staff Infection to others.
Meanwhile, the WELS DP extended the Left Foot of Fellowship to one pastor after another. One dared to criticize the Yoda of Church Growth in WELS. Horrors! Bonk, out. Ichabodians, did you know that one requirement for joining WELS is removing criticism of CG from a website? And you think there is no doctrinal discipline. Not in the Arizona-California-Las Vegas District.
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Ken Schmidt has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Board Members Learned Secrecy an...":
I realize that "tent ministers" time is limited but putting regular Sunday services on hold till after Labor Day seems a bit odd to me. Note the church growther emphasis on "excellence." These birds would rather cancel services than perhaps hold a simple service. This attitude borders on abandoning the flock. This guy would rather abandon Sunday services if they can't be a full blown church growth hootinanny (sic). What a contrast to the early church who would rather meet in the Roman catacombs than forsake the assembly of the saints. They feel if you can't get the proper penetecostal style emotional tone by having a large crowd then you might as well stay home and watch Joel Osteen on the idiot box! The angels must weep!
Another $1 to 1.5 Million Gone from WELS Budget
WELS missionaries are coming home jobless and homeless in a bad economy, where calls were rare even before the mortgage meltdown. They have to share parsonages or homes with friends and relatives.
Meanwhile, congregations are shedding pastors and teachers.
WELS had to take $8 million from the budget, but the latest word is another shortage of $1 to 1.5 million.
The Shrinkers of the Gurgel-Mueller regime took the largest charitable gift in history and turned it into synodical bankruptcy.
And where did this genius SP Gurgel go - the man who dissolved the MilCraft estate and blew the Schwan fortune? He is working for Kudu Don Patterson, of course, conveniently on the staff so he can lobby as an active pastor instead of silencing himself as a failed SP.