I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live
without you by my side
But I spent so many nights
thinking how you did me wrong
I grew strong
I learned how to carry on
and so you're back
from outer space
I just walked in to find you here
with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed my stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second
you'd be back to bother me
Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
'cause you're not welcome anymore
weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
you think I'd crumble
you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
There is a God has left a new comment on your post "Change to Enthusiasm or Die! Brochure - Final Edi...":
"Do Church Growth Consultants Really Work?"
Not so much:
http://hirr.hartsem.edu/bookshelf/Church&Denomgrowth/ch&dngrw-ch6.pdf
But here's one who thinks he can, complete with Divine Call from St. Andrew, Middleton/Waunakee to tell your WELS church how to do it:
Crossroads Consulting Ministry. (http://www.st-andrew-online.org/MinistryInfo.aspx) "Crossroads Consulting is a ministry of St. Andrew Lutheran Church that provides assistance to WELS congregations throughout the country. Crossroads focuses on assisting God’s people with pursuing his mission by offering both a comprehensive and streamlined ministry planning process. Each of these approaches is custom designed around the needs and desires of client congregations and includes an analysis of current reality, the development of short- and long-range ministry goals, and strategic implementation. Special services (e.g. organizational realignment, conflict management, teambuilding) are also provided. Pastor Elton Stroh serves as the Executive Director of Crossroads. For an executive summary and answers to frequently asked questions, visit Crossroads Consulting’s web site: www.timeforcrossroads.com" (No mention of St. Andrew on the web site, yet "Pastor" Stroh received his "Divine Call" from St. Andrew.)
3 comments:
"Grace in Action" looks familiar. This is the theme of one of our local megachurches. They gave away a motorcycle on Father's Day a year or two ago. Although non-denom, I believe their pastor/coach was educated at Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, IN, whose theological statement says they are Calvinist and Anabaptist (?).
Perhaps the Lutheran synods are suffering from "Megachurch envy?"
Word and Sacrament shouldn't be that hard to implement, unless our "desires" and need to sell the church complicate matters. It's an earthly numbers game. Just remember who's financing it.
In the secular realm, it may be necessary to retain the services of a consultant or a consulting firm. It usually is only temporary. Even an attorney could be considered a consultant, since the legal world is often very complicated for the average person to unravel. These Shrinker consultants just do not seem to go away. One would wonder who would want to earn a living being a Shrinker consultant. If I were a pastor, I would want to take care of the flock with the Means of Grace. Since I am a layperson, I expect to be on the receiving end of the Means of Grace.
My theory is that Shrinker Consultants simply do not want to get their hands dirty. Serving as a pastor can get very ugly at times, especially in American Lutheranism. Synod politics has got to be distressing to those with the wrong last name. For those who would rather rub elbows with muckety-mucks, they actually have to expend little effort. Would you rather study a text in Greek or Hebrew, or Kelm a sermon? We know which is easier to do.
Even hobbies which satisfy require much time and work. Gardening used to be a necessity years ago. Many enjoy gardening because of what you learn about soil, weather, and growing conditions. Certainly, the aches and pains come along with it. Even when you have have bad rsults, you can learn much.
I just cannot comprehend what enjoyment a Shrinker Consultant can get by charging exorbitant fees, hanging out with unsavory characters and scamming the unsuspecting. It just seems so dishonest.
It is abundantly clear that the Synods are suffering from Megachurch envy. Naturally, they are a day late and a dollar short. In fact, they look rather silly when they try to ape the nearby megachurches. As has been stated here on Ichabod, second rate Lutherans make fourth rate Babtists. Narrow-minded, you are correct about implementation. Employing the Means of Grace is all that we are asked to do. The Lord frustrates our efforts when we play that earthly numbers game.
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