Off Life Support? Becker Is a Spiritual Alcoholic - Teaching Everyone How To Sober Up

Helping Our Churches Get Off Life Support

By Bruce Becker

The patient is any one of the 1,000 WELS churches that have, collectively as a denomination, been sharing the gospel with fewer people every year for the past 18 years. The good news is that there are approximately 100 WELS churches that are sharing the gospel with more and more people each and every year.

So what’s the difference between the congregations sharing the gospel with less [GJ - fewer] people and the congregations sharing it with more? Do these congregations have different attitudes toward ministry? Different demographics? Different ministry forms and approaches? Different leaders with different gifts? We’ll examine characteristics that are hurting congregations as well as those that are helping congregations in their efforts to bring the power of the gospel to more and more people.

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GJ - Why isn't everyone laughing? Church and Chicanery offers seminars in grantsmanship - the art of wheedling money from Thrivent and foundations. No group is more addicted to life support than Church and Change:

1. Bruce Becker's life support was a princely synod salary, which he used to bulk up Church and Change while serving on the Chicanery board. He jumped ship so Mark Jeske's heavily subsidized operation could keep him plump and sassy. Jeske bounces from one grant to another, cashing in on white liberal guilt.
   
2. Rock N Roll in Round Rock, Texas, is still on life support, synod subsidy and an Antioch grant ($20,000 instead of the $200,000 requested), in spite of having only 30 in attendance, two full-time staff, and their own Rock N Roll blog, which was de-rezzed. Say it ain't so, Joe. (Joe Krohn ran his infamous blog. I was probably his only reader.)
   
3. Chicanery board member Ski has run through $250,000 in a few months, for a net gain of 9 members - and no Holy Communion. They are, like the Apostles of old, waiting for their custom set of communion ware to be delivered.
   
4. Chicanery leaders Parlow and Kelm, when not absorbing more wisdom at Schwaermer conferences, are out begging for huge grants, including one for Life Coaching. I think that was $50,000 or so.
   
5. Don Patterson, a stealth supporter of Chicanery and a former conference leader, gets a free vicar each year. His church is well established. He goes on safaris with others, like Missionary Johne, yet he is still on life support from the offerings of faithful members. "Pure gold," as Kudu Don has written on the Chicanery listserve.
   
6. Conference leader Jeff Gunn was "greatly blessed by God" in avoiding Holy Communion and pretending to be Babtist - until the money ran out. But yes, he expected WELS people (not his members) to support him. He received a grant to run a Welcome Wagon at his church.
   
7. Coffee guru Randy Hunter has a vicar and a lovely assistant. Are we supposed to believe he is doing all this on congregational offerings? Or is he also on life support?
   
8. Victory of the Movie Theatre specializes in superficial, Schwaermer entertainment, soccer camp evangelism, and gloating. Synod subsidy?
   
9. Find out more by asking tough questions about where the money is going.
   

GJ - Why isn't anyone laughing? I love to read the wisdom of synod drones who will not return to the parish to show everyone how it is done. Instead, Becker escaped to the easy living of a parachurch organization. Has he gotten St. Marcus or Time of Generic Grace off life support? All the grants are available in the public realm, through the Internet. The money grabbed by the gloating, preening Chicaneries is sickening. I hope to post links on how to find out more information on grants.

Church and Chicanery Conference Promo

From:
Date: Mon, Sep 14, 2009 at 4:41 PM
Subject: [church_and_change] Looked at the line-up for C & C Nov. 5-7? Tomorrow is last day for discount!
To: church_and_change@yahoogroups.com



Here is some information about the Church and Change conference that will take place November 5-7 in Milwaukee. I think its main theme is highly important to us all. There isn't any other place that I know of to find this many creative WELS leaders presenting on so many areas of ministry in which God has obviously blessed them abundantly. Koine and others will be heavily involved in the worship services. This is special. See below for some descriptions and further below for web sites, etc.

John Huebner


Helping Our Churches Get Off Life Support
By Bruce Becker

The patient is any one of the 1,000 WELS churches that have, collectively as a denomination, been sharing the gospel with fewer people every year for the past 18 years. The good news is that there are approximately 100 WELS churches that are sharing the gospel with more and more people each and every year.


So what’s the difference between the congregations sharing the gospel with less people [GJ - surely he means fewer people] and the congregations sharing it with more? Do these congregations have different attitudes toward ministry? Different demographics? Different ministry forms and approaches? Different leaders with different gifts? We’ll examine characteristics that are hurting congregations as well as those that are helping congregations in their efforts to bring the power of the gospel to more and more people.

Bruce Becker is the director of operations for Time of Generic Grace Ministry, an international television and media outreach ministry headquartered in Milwaukee, WI. He spent the previous seven years as the administrator for WELS Parish Services and the seven years prior as the administrator for WELS Adult Discipleship. Prior to his service on the denominational level, he served as the lead pastor of congregations located in Brillion, WI, and Springville, NY. He has been a respected and well-known presenter, instructor, advisor, and writer within WELS organizations and congregations for the past 15 years, serving as the keynote speaker and/or lead author for numerous synodical or church-related conferences and publications. Regaining Momentum:

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Regaining Momentum: Learning from our Turnaround Churches
The goal of the Turnaround Churches project is to identify the most significant factors associated with the manner in which the Lord blessed selected WELS congregations that have experienced turnaround. What are we learning, and how might these findings benefit both our struggling and our healthier congregations?

Pastor Elton Stroh
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Three Preconference Intensive (3-hour) workshops

001......Elephants, Fleas, Frogs and Me; John Branstad
002......Coach Skill Training for Leaders; Mike and Christy Geiger
003......Relational Ministries Workshop; John Johnson


Five Ministry Areas of Focus
Adult Discipleship (100)
Children and Youth (200)
Outreach/Evangelism (300)
Women’s Ministries (400)
Worship (500)

Workshop Leaders include Ron Roth, Daron Lindemann, Jane Schlenvogt, Randy Hunter, Debbie Rothe, Brian Davison, David Bauer, Daniel Dexter, Tim Mueller, Jeff Davis and many more. Topics include personal development, leadership, coaching, outreach, Sunday Schools, youth, worship, women's ministry. Those who lead this conference have been faithfully working in their respective areas, have learned from their mistakes and the blessings God has given them and have much to offer. All in one place!

--------------------------------------
(borrowed from the official announcement from Ron Ash)

One day remains to register for The 2009 Church & Change Conference at the "early bird" rate. Registration fees are $200 per individual registration received by September 15, 2009; $280 per individual registration received on or after September 16, 2009.

Registration fees include all general, breakout, and workshop sessions beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, through Saturday, November 7, 2009.

You will be challenged, inspired and encouraged as a Christian and as a leader of Christians. When several hundred creative WELS leaders gather around God's Word and share their ideas, that's what we expect to happen!

Join us at the Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel and Convention Center Milwaukee, WI. A special "3+1 offer" will be available to congregations sending four or more participants. All meals are included in the conference price, but participants will need to provide their own lodging.

Special conference hotel rates of $99 single or $109 double occupancy per night are available at the Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel & Convention Center through October 13, 2009. Please contact the hotel directly to make your hotel reservations at (866) 625-3104 and mention you are attending the Church & Change Conference.

Reservations can also be made online at: http://www.wyndham.com/groupeventsnew/mkeap_churchchange09/main.wnt.

All registrations will take place online at http://www.regonline.com/churchandchange2009. For a full description of each presenter/topic, click C&C program.bw.pdf for efficient black/white printing or C&C program.color.pdf for full color viewing printing. Check out our Website www.churchandchange.org for further details.

Hoenecke Should Be Studied

The complete Hoenecke Dogmatics set is available in English from Northwestern Publishing House.

Others, such as Kurt Marquart, have said it is better than Pieper's work, coming from the same era.

There are many reasons to study Hoenecke. He was the main theologian for the Wisconsin Synod and helped move the synod from its unionistic, Pietistic roots. Bading was another influence.

Hoenecke came from Halle, and that shows in his passage on General Justification. However, he also studied the Confessions and dealt concisely with many issues in his writing. He should be read for historical reasons and also to compare with F. Pieper, who came over from Wisconsin to be Walther's disciple.

Apparently Hoenecke wanted to do more in filling in the details but did not. His sons edited the notes and published them in serial form, which many pastors bound up into volumes.The loss of German language skills among most Lutheran pastors has drawn a leather curtain between them and the great works of the past. Latin is even more obscure for most pastors.

I am not sure if Hoenecke will be promoted as infallible, the way Pieper and Walther are among the Bronze Age Missourians. Everyone seems glib about Luther's errors, although few read Luther, let alone study Luther. Every era leaves its impressions on theologians, and Hoenecke is no different.

This set would be an ideal gift for  parish pastors, college or seminary students. Many laity will gain a lot from reading Hoenecke on various doctrinal topics. I enjoyed his passages on infant baptism and his answers to objections about the Biblical practice. For example, if infants have no faith, why does Jesus commend to us that faith? "Unless you believe as a child, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God." And - "To such belong the Kingdom of God."

If Lutherans want to return to the truth of the Scriptures, they need to back up their studies with solid, heavy books. Hoenecke will help people gain the capacity needed to absorb the great works of the past.

Grantsmanship in Church and Chicanery

WELS Perish Services Scandal

Kelmed from Joseph Schmidt

What has been more toxic than WELS Perish Services?

First of all, they charged congregations $5,000 to $35,000 for consultations when the men were already on salaries paid by the synod mission offering.

In the bad, old LCA, they never considered billing congregations for synodical staff work. An architect met with congregations ready to build - no charge. Stewardship staff met with individual congregations and small groups - no charge. Various staff met with pastors and congregations - no charge.

But that is really the minor scandal of WELS Perish Services - a group so bad they had to be kicked under the porch and placed in the consecrated and consecrating hands of the District Popes.

The real scandal Perish Services is their deliberate undermining of the divine call, with expected divisive and destructive results.

What is worse than having Fuller-trained yokels like Kelm, Huebner, or Olson placing themselves between the called pastor and his flock? Are wandering wolves experts by virtue of living more than 50 miles away and carrying bonded leather briefcases?

Even the best person can only do damage when he steps in to take over a flock and assume authority on his own.

The so-called consultants have conducted their odious work under false pretenses. They hide their Fuller training while puffing out their chests at their expertise. They are not honest with the congregations and pastors. For example, Huebner simply took over one congregation's Sunday worship service to impress everyone, without telling the pastor. How is that for dishonesty, cowardice, and vainglory?

The results are in - the Fuller specialists leave wreckage behind wherever they work. Just like C. Peter Wagner said - CG principles do not work.

Mark Jeske Reviewed - time of Generic Grace

 

The Jeske speech at Concordia, Mequon captures the spirit of Church and Chicanery.

DJJ has left a new comment on your post "Jeske as the Last Lutheran in Broadcasting":

This speech has many quotables. Here are a few highlights, please excuse any transcribing typos:

After 37 minutes, regarding change: “we had nothing to lose [...] we started to change our brand from gathering our people, and—I challenge now for the rest of your life, if you ever amongst Lutherans hear that phrase ‘our people,’ I hope the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, I hope alarm bells, red alerts, condition red, this is major trouble, to talk about ‘our people,’ that’s backward thinking that's gonna take us backwards, and ultimately that kind of thinking will destroy whatever organization you’re trying to advance.”

First, I have never ever heard the phrase “our people” in any confessional Lutheran context. Never. I don’t know when Pastor Jeske thinks we Scandinavians and Germans got off the boat to settle the prairie, but I just don’t get this “our people” tirade. You’ve also got to love the talk about branding and organizations. Thanks goodness American consumerism has taught us how to ‘do church,’ eh? Ironically, “our people” seems to be the very lingo that keeps Apple computers successful, “Oo, I’ve got my $1,500 iMac. I’m an Apple person!”

After about 44:45: “You've got it--I was gonna say bass-ackwards, but I'm not going to say it.” Good old-fashioned use of apophasis to work in some profanity. Not swearing exactly, just icky in the context of a missions speech.

After about 47:20: Good part here: denigration of ladies aid. I’m fine with that. Bad implication: more business-oriented women will work to change our congregations: “Consumer driven? Thank God—that means they will force us to change. Nobody ever wants to change. No business wants to change. Dear God, no congregation or synod wants to change.” Hurray for breeches of the second commandment. He goes on to praise the consumer-driven “me” generation at 49:35.

After about 53:00: “I told you before what the main musical instrument of Hispanic peoples is [the guitar]; what is the first and foremost musical instrument in all African culture, whether it’s African American, African African, or African Cuban? Drums. And the primary form of artistic expression in all African cultures is the dance.”

This last quotation here is one of the juicier nuggets from the whole speech. Nothing like a little racial determinism to spice up one's “organization.” Now, there is some truth to stereotypes, and Pastor Jeske does say drum and dance is a favorite of African culture (ALL African culture, apparently) rather than ‘race,’ but Pastor Jeske's unsettling implication is that African and Hispanic peoples are unable to understand any form of musical expression that is not somehow “native.” The best is how a room full of white Missouri Synod folk all murmur out “drums” when Pastor Jeske asks them about the African “heart language.” Of course, historical liturgical worship is miles away from the rock-and-roll/techno/rap culture that is the main form of “white folk” culture too (and American culture in general), but apparently that’s all by-the-by. Reminds me a little of “Theme for English B” by Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes:

“I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
I like a pipe for a Christmas present,
or records--Bessie, bop, or Bach.
I guess being colored doesn't make me not like
the same things other folks like who are other races.”

-Dan

---

From LutherQuest (sic)

Interesting how "official WELS" explains this. I wonder if Pr. Jeske prays with LCMS'ers in the RSO?

http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?1518&cuTopic_t opicID=70&cuItem_itemID=15685
Q: Is Time of Generic Grace in fellowship with the WELS? Does WELS sponsor any Time of Generic Grace activites (sic), other than links to their website?
A: Time of Grace is what we call a parasynodical ministry. That means those who present and support it are in full doctrinal fellowship with the WELS, but their ministry is funded and managed apart from WELS mission and ministry.

Hmmmm.....At the bottom of this WELS.net page is a "Your gifts support special ministries-Partner with this ministry" opportunity to give electronically. Does this mean WELS is encouraging her people to support an LCMS RSO?

http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?2617&collectionID=642&contentID=81468&shortcutID=27364

Time of Generic Grace www.timeofgrace.org

Time of Generic Grace shares the Good News of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible, including the homebound and those who don’t hear well.

The weekly captioned church service broadcasts from St. Marcus Ev. LuthChurch, Milwaukee WI (WELS).

Look under “Find Us/Where to find us” to see if you can access the captioned TV broadcast in your area.

See “Video-Media/Recent Message” to listen/read/print recent and previous sermons.

Ichabod Global Headquarters

One Silden Lane, Bella Vista, Arkansas, 72715

After considerable begging and pleading, I persuaded Cox in Arizona to release my email addresses to Cox in Arkansas.

So, if you know my old email address, it works again. If you wrote between 9/10 and 9/14, the email has been lost forever in the bit-bucket of a server.

Our local phone is 479-268-6038. However, I have not found the phone, so it will not ring here for another day. The cell phone is the same, but I only have the car charger located, and everyone (Cox, etc) puts me on hold, so I need to drive around to keep on the phone.