Links and excerpts on the aging of the LCMS. I bet they don't have a report out on it in the LCMS, and are downplaying the problem, since that wouldn't help Kieschnick's presidential bid. It another case of "it's not my problem" people hoping to retire before the tsunami hits:
The aging of the ELCA laity and clergy: http://www.newlutheran.com/2009/07/01/how-old-is-old/
It was mentioned at our district pastors conference this fall that the average age of a person attending an LCMS church is 65...what I found more distressing that this info was the general acceptance of this as OK.
I've got to confess that this is unnervingly close to so-called 'contemporary' services that I've attended in some WELS churches. Yet, in every single one, confession and law was still applied, forgiveness was still announced, and Christ crucified is still there. I just don't want to see the saving message choked out by the feeling of "I'm obligated to sing and clap my hands".
Some of my fond memories of High School is leading devotion in a more traditional manner. Rather than standing and bloviating my devotion lesson, I liked to apply a confession of sins and absolution, and end the devotion with an Aaronic Blessing. And my classmates loved it.
Greatly oversimplified: I believe that teens (especially) like traditional services because they provide a comfort of familiarity in an increasingly hostile and rapidly changing world. When I look at church council minutes, it is rarely the youth that request contemporary services.
The average age of a church member in the LCMS is now 68 years old! Why are 75 percent of our baptized youth leaving the church?
There is more going on – or not going on – than just the loss of baptized youth. Baptized youth leave in part because they sense something is wrong! For example, 1. Smaller family sizes and no more immigration mean a declining membership must maintain and expand the churches. Is this financially sustainable? Or is this a fatally flawed notion? 2. They do not practice or know how to do outreach. 3. Do the pastors and leaders align themselves with God’s will when they focus upon more buildings, teachers, and congregations, i.e., sustaining and growing the synod? 4. Do the Word and Holy Spirit work faith through cajoling, browbeating, patronizing demeanor of teachers and pastors? Or is this the manipulative behavior of man? 5. Does God protect churches from their folly, for example, taking on more debt than they can and will handle as a congregation? 6. Financial mismanagement resulting in huge losses. 7. Continuing faulty reasoning and assumptions. 8. Unethical practices, e.g., copying and pasting. 9. Superstitious repetition of old practices.
St. Louis Dispatch story about complaints to the FCC about the LCMS HQ lying about the sale of KFUO. The only thing new about this story is what's being lied about at this particular moment: http://steadfastlutherans.org/?p=9218
10. Blasphemous doctrine of Universal Objective Justification has replaced the central doctrine of Scripture. This act alone separates those who confess it from Christ and does not bring God's blessing but His condemnation and wrath.
Romans 10:3, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
John 10:1, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."
And Christ goes on to speak to those with the responsibility over Christ's flock who do not publicly address the false doctrine and practice in the Lutheran churches because of fear:
John 10:11-14, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
5 comments:
Links and excerpts on the aging of the LCMS. I bet they don't have a report out on it in the LCMS, and are downplaying the problem, since that wouldn't help Kieschnick's presidential bid. It another case of "it's not my problem" people hoping to retire before the tsunami hits:
The aging of the ELCA laity and clergy:
http://www.newlutheran.com/2009/07/01/how-old-is-old/
http://www.lcms.org/pages/wPage.asp?IssueID=33&ContentID=542
The average age of a church member in the LCMS is now 68 years old! Why are 75 percent of our baptized youth leaving the church?
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2390707770&topic=4040
It was mentioned at our district pastors conference this fall that the average age of a person attending an LCMS church is 65...what I found more distressing that this info was the general acceptance of this as OK.
I've got to confess that this is unnervingly close to so-called 'contemporary' services that I've attended in some WELS churches. Yet, in every single one, confession and law was still applied, forgiveness was still announced, and Christ crucified is still there. I just don't want to see the saving message choked out by the feeling of "I'm obligated to sing and clap my hands".
Some of my fond memories of High School is leading devotion in a more traditional manner. Rather than standing and bloviating my devotion lesson, I liked to apply a confession of sins and absolution, and end the devotion with an Aaronic Blessing. And my classmates loved it.
Greatly oversimplified: I believe that teens (especially) like traditional services because they provide a comfort of familiarity in an increasingly hostile and rapidly changing world. When I look at church council minutes, it is rarely the youth that request contemporary services.
The average age of a church member in the LCMS is now 68 years old! Why are 75 percent of our baptized youth leaving the church?
There is more going on – or not going on – than just the loss of baptized youth. Baptized youth leave in part because they sense something is wrong! For example,
1. Smaller family sizes and no more immigration mean a declining membership must maintain and expand the churches. Is this financially sustainable? Or is this a fatally flawed notion?
2. They do not practice or know how to do outreach.
3. Do the pastors and leaders align themselves with God’s will when they focus upon more buildings, teachers, and congregations, i.e., sustaining and growing the synod?
4. Do the Word and Holy Spirit work faith through cajoling, browbeating, patronizing demeanor of teachers and pastors? Or is this the manipulative behavior of man?
5. Does God protect churches from their folly, for example, taking on more debt than they can and will handle as a congregation?
6. Financial mismanagement resulting in huge losses.
7. Continuing faulty reasoning and assumptions.
8. Unethical practices, e.g., copying and pasting.
9. Superstitious repetition of old practices.
St. Louis Dispatch story about complaints to the FCC about the LCMS HQ lying about the sale of KFUO. The only thing new about this story is what's being lied about at this particular moment:
http://steadfastlutherans.org/?p=9218
10. Blasphemous doctrine of Universal Objective Justification has replaced the central doctrine of Scripture. This act alone separates those who confess it from Christ and does not bring God's blessing but His condemnation and wrath.
Romans 10:3, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
John 10:1, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."
And Christ goes on to speak to those with the responsibility over Christ's flock who do not publicly address the false doctrine and practice in the Lutheran churches because of fear:
John 10:11-14, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
In Christ,
Brett Meyer
Post a Comment