Many assume that ELCA is suffering terrible losses due to its polarizing vote on homosexual clergy, even though the vote was only one more step in a long list of leftward shifts, which began with Franklin C. Fry's efforts against inerrancy in the ULCA.
Large congregations are leaving ELCA and many are holding back their congregations. The final result will be:
1. ELCA will have little opposition when future votes are taken.
2. ELCA will control vast pension assets.
3. ELCA will continue to receive benefits as members die with irrevocable trusts in place or wills left unchanged.
4. ELCA will own and control its own property.
These results are equivalent to the Book of Concord wing, admittedly small, winning control of everything from the Presiding Bishop's office down to the ELCA church camps, a clean sweep.
ELCA is not so dumb. Incompetent, apostate, and disgusting - but not dumb. The more they lose, they more they dominate what remains. They are standing at the door, shouting, "Bye bye!" as they see some depart and trip up others who want to leave. If an ELCA pastor tries to take his congregation through the exit votes and fails, he or she is doomed from that moment on.
So far, no ELCA bishop in office has shown the spine of Episcopalian bishops who have taken entire districts out of their denomination.
