South Dakota ELCA Rejects National Decision

Diversity is definitely not the goal of ELCA.
Conformity to the lavender agenda is their only goal.

State ELCA Lutherans reject church's national stance on sexuality

Holly Meyer Journal staff | Posted: Friday, June 11, 2010 8:43 pm | (5) Comments

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The 2010 South Dakota Synod Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America narrowly voted Friday against the national church's statement accepting gay relationships.

By a margin of eight votes, the state assembly passed a resolution, 251-243, with 10 abstaining, rescinding the national 2009 Churchwide Assembly's decision to recognize same-gender couples through its social statement "Human Sexuality: Gift & Trust," which also passed narrowly at the national level, according to Bishop David Zellmer, leader of South Dakota's ELCA congregations.

A re-vote was sought on Friday's action, but that request was denied by a 19-vote margin.

The state assembly is expected to vote Saturday on whether or not to rescind the national church's policy that allows gay clergy in a monogamous relationship to be on the ELCA's list of pastors and serve in churches.

The social statement lists four positions on relationships accepted by the ELCA, including gay marriage, Zellmer said.

The resolution and others being discussed during the three-day assembly at Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid City are responses to the national assembly's inclusive position on gay couples and gay clergy, which disconcerted many congregations and worshipers nationwide. It resulted in some churches choosing to withhold funding from the national assembly and others choosing to leave the ELCA altogether.

In South Dakota, seven congregations have left the ELCA since the 2009 assembly's decisions, and seven more are waiting to take second votes on leaving.

More than 600 people attended Friday's Synod sessions.

The resolution passed Friday by the clergy and lay people, representing South Dakota's 123,000 Lutherans, makes two statements to the national assembly. First, it says adopting the social statement was a violation of the ELCA's Confession of Faith, the foundation of the church's beliefs. (The assembly voted down an amendment to remove this section.)

Second, it asks the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to reconsider and remove the social statement it approved in 2009.

Zellmer said it will be difficult to convince the national assembly to change what is now church law.

At the 2009 state synod, that assembly passed resolutions asking the national assembly not to pass the changes, but it happened anyway, Zellmer said.

The Rev. David Baer of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Whitewood said some congregations are not making a decision on leaving the ELCA until they see what happens at the state Synod, and others are waiting to see what happens at the 2011 national assembly.

Baer's church stopped contributing to both the national church headquarters and the state ELCA synod. He is also a part of the Lutheran Coalition for Renewal -- commonly called CORE -- which formed in opposition to the proposed changes to ELCA policies and church teachings.

Baer said churches are waiting because leaving the ELCA is like leaving your family.

"It's emotional; we feel connected," Baer said. "We do really relate to each other, and it's hard to say ‘no' to your family."

Zellmer said Friday's resolution may help some congregations decide to stay with the ELCA, but passing Saturday's resolutions on the church's policies on gay clergy would help the most.

"It would have more of an ability to have the churches step back and wait before they would take a vote to leave," Zellmer said.

Based on response from congregations at a national level, Baer and Zellmer both said it was unlikely the national assembly would change its mind. A splinter church, the North American Lutheran Church, is already forming for congregations leaving the ELCA; a constituting convocation is scheduled for August in Ohio, Baer said.

The South Dakota Synod Assembly will meet again in 2011, and the group's position could change before the 2011 national conference, Zellmer said.

In addition to gay clergy, the assembly is expected to vote on matters regarding mental illness education, encouragement of mission partnership, church elections and ending poverty and injustice.

Contact Holly Meyer at 394-8421 or holly.meyer@rapidcityjournal.com.

Posted in Lifestyles, Faith-and-values, Religion, News, Local, State-and-regional, Top-stories on Friday, June 11, 2010 8:43 pm

From Faithful Service

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An effort in the Northwest Washington Synod to rescind Resolution 4 of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, which allows practicing homosexuals to be pastors in the ELCA, failed. (see resolution results here)

Three DPs

Three DPs,
Three DPS,
See how they run,
See how they run!

They all ran after
The Church Growth myth
They told all the Revs
"It will be such bliss!
Just copy and paste
And you simply can't miss!"
Say the three DPs.

Ichabod Copied by Rogue Lutheran

Did someone just quote the-one-who-must-not-be-named?

Rogue Lutheran

Link to charities

The struggle is God or Group and the adversary is still the same -- it’s a War on Faith and a lot of assets hang in the balance.

“Why are the Lutheran synods in epic fail mode? Forget all the sociological excuses. They are lies purchased from experts to excuse the corruption, dishonesty, and venality of the organizational leadership. Here is a great one from WELS - "The Masonic Lodge is losing members, too." As the lodge goes, so goes WELS, it seems. Why is no one laughing?

WELS Northern Wisconsin District - Crossroads

WELS Northern WI District Doctrinal Issues

June 11, 2010 by Rick

The WELS Northern Wisconsin District Convention will be held in Appleton, WI at Fox Valley Lutheran High School from June 13-15, 2010 A.D. The District President (equivalent to a Bishop) will be chosen at this convention, as will the District Presidium and numerous Circuit Pastors. It is imperative that the Northern Wisconsin District choose its leaders wisely.

The Northern Wisconsin District needs leaders who will pay more than lip service to the means of grace, and who will promote and use the means of grace to change hearts. The means of grace is the gospel in word and sacrament, and the first means of grace is God’s Word.

There are serious theological divisions in the Northern Wisconsin District, and there needs to be some serious theological discussion of God’s word to deal with these divisions. From my perspective, there are at least four specific and serious doctrinal problems in the WELS Northern Wisconsin District:

The first problem is exceptionalism. This is the belief that the WELS cannot be wrong. It is a numbness that causes us to ignore the symptoms of unhealthy doctrine and practice. Those who hold to this false and unhealthy belief sometimes express contempt toward those who raise concerns about doctrine and practice in the WELS. Their opinion is: “How dare you question your WELS pastor!”

However, Paul warns us that even among the leaders of the church

men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. [Acts 20:30-31].

Does this warning not apply to the WELS? If such stringent warnings were necessary in an age of living Apostles, then how much more do these warnings apply to us today?

The second problem is a lack of trust in the means of grace (Word and sacraments). This is the belief that from our perspective, God needs our services in order to grow the church. It is also a denial of God’s promises and omnipotence. One example of this false doctrine can be found in the WELS produced songbook, Let All the People Praise You. The first verse of the song “Ready Lord” states: “… show me Lord, the service you will need.” I cannot count how many times my own congregation has sung that verse.

However, Paul says that God

is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. [Acts 17:25].

The problem here is not an inadvertent error. The problem is a persistent adherence to an error even after the error has been pointed out. Those who claim to believe God’s Word should repent of saying that God needs our services, and cease this blasphemy against the Almighty. God says: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you.” (Psalm 50:12).

The third problem is a belief in post-conversion works-righteousness/decision theology. This is the belief that Christians (after conversion) can not only choose to listen to God’s Word, but can also choose to understand and believe God’s Word. This also encompasses the idea that once God has “saved” us, it is now up to us to keep ourselves in the faith. This theology causes at least four problems: First, sermons to Christians become motivational speeches instead of proclamations of the life-giving Word of God. Second, it creates two “gospels,” one for believers and one for unbelievers. Third, it causes us to view God’s Word as a tool we use to improve ourselves, instead of as a life-line that we cling to in desperation and faith. And fourth, it causes people to base their faith and salvation on their daily choices instead of on the firm promise of God.

In contradistinction to the belief that Christians can choose to believe God’s Word, Paul told the early believers:

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead … For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this [faith & grace is] not from yourselves, it is the gift of God [Ephesians 1:17-20, 2:8].

God’s Word alone creates faith, and causes it to grow.

The fourth problem is a variation of unionism. Unionism is the belief that doctrine is not that important. This unhealthy belief reveals itself in the form of a church council president who tells WELS members that if they have doctrinal disagreements with their pastor, then they should be quiet, or join another WELS congregation. Those who hold to this unhealthy belief view doctrinal discussions as divisive and a waste of time. However, the biblical solution is to discuss and study God’s Word until the issues are resolved.

For example, in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke wrote that

the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. [17:11].

Also, in the Revelation Jesus said,

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked…

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. [3:15-17, 19].

Most of the above listed unhealthy doctrines are not proclaimed proudly from the rooftops for all to see, but rather they are hidden and are mostly revealed by poor practices which are the primary symptoms of unhealthy doctrine. Beliefs always affect what we do. (James 2:18).

No doctor merely looks at a patient and says, “Well, I can see that you have cancer.” Rather he looks at symptoms, and probes, and seeks to discover the true sickness, and then he applies the cure. The cure is the proclamation of the pure clear Word of God. When will the shepherds apply the cure? (Ezekiel 34:1-6). Unfortunately, some of the shepherds and over-shepherds are sick, and they resent the cure.

It is vitally important that the Northern Wisconsin District choose its leaders wisely. The leaders of the districts are called to apply the Word of God. This is their job. This is their calling. The Northern Wisconsin District needs leadership that, instead of squelching discussion and quashing dissent, will commit itself to promoting open discussion and the study of God’s word.

God’s Word is not a tool we use to make ourselves better, but rather it is a life-line that we must cling to in desperation and faith. Therefore, dear delegates to the WELS district conventions, please pray and vote wisely. We need, we need the clear pure truth of God’s Word!

Kyrie eleison.