Friday, March 4, 2011

ELCA Is Mission-Oriented:
Starting New Congregations All Over the Place,
But No One Jumps over to the Olde Syn Conference

"Brett, speaking as a pastor, I beg you - Stop enabling Jackson!"


American Lutheran Publicity Bureau
Here's some more information that illustrates why finding the complete list of congregations whose votes to leave failed and the list of new ELCA starts is important to making this information useful. Below are the cities I was able to identify as places where a new LCMC or NALC church was started in the face of a failed vote to leave the ELCA:

Prattville, AL Christ Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Agape Lutheran Church started in LCMC

Tucson, AZ Tanque Verde Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Desert Hope Lutheran Church (was LCMC East) started in LCMC

Peachtree City, GA Christ our Shepherd Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Word of God Lutheran Church started in NALC/LCMC
Rincon, GA Jerusalem Lutheran Church & St Johns failed vote to leave, Bible Lutheran Church started in LCMC

Monona, IA St Paul Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Faith Lutheran Church started in NALC
Spencer, IA Bethany Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Faith Lutheran Church started in LCMC
Strawberry Point, IA Emanuel Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Mission in Christ Lutheran Church started in NALC

American Falls, ID St Johns Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Shepherd of the Falls Lutheran Church started in LCMC

DeSoto, IL Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Christ the King Lutheran Church started in NALC
Geneva, IL Geneva Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, New Hope Lutheran Church started in LCMC
Peoria, IL St Paul Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Living Waters Lutheran Church started in LCMC
Quincy, IL Luther Memorial Church failed vote to leave, Hope Lutheran Church started in LCMC
Sterling, IL St Paul Lutheran Church & Immanuel (Rock Falls) failed vote to leave, New Life Lutheran Church started in LCMC

Annapolis, MD St Martin Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran Church started in NALC

Kensington, MN Nora Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Kensington Lutheran Church started in LCMC
Little Falls, MN Bethel Lutheran Church & First Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Faith Lutheran Church started in LCMC
Ramsey, MN Lord of Life Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Northgate Church started in LCMC
Watertown, MN Trinity Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Peace Lutheran Church Churh started in LCMC

Kings Mountain, NC Resurrection Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Advent Lutheran Church started in NALC

Harvey, ND First Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Faith Lutheran Church started in LCMC

Dannebrog, NE Our Saviour Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Faith Lutheran Church started in NALC
Seward, NE Faith Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Living Word Lutheran Church started in LCMC

Lebanon, OR Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Christ Community Lutheran Church started in LCMC

Smethport, PA Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Hope Lutheran Church started in NALC

Brandon, SD Brandon Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Heritage Lutheran Church started in NALC/LCMC
Milbank, SD American Evangelical Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Living Word Lutheran Church started in LCMC

Fredericksburg, VA Resurrection Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Celebration Church started in LCMC

Edgar, WI St John Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Hope Lutheran Church in Fellowship with Christ started in LCMC
New London, WI Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church failed vote to leave, Shepherd of The River Lutheran Church started in LCMC

On the other hand:

Idaho Falls, ID First Evangelical Lutheran Church joined LCMC, Emmaus Lutheran Community started by ELCA

Hutchinson, MN, Christ the King Lutheran Church and Faith Lutheran Church both joined LCMC, River of Hope Lutheran Church started by ELCA

I can understand why the ELCA might not want the world to know about how often the failure of a congregation's vote to leave results in a new LCMC or NALC start-up. But why wouldn't the ELCA want the world to know that when congregations do vote to leave, some congregants choose to stick with the ELCA and start a new ELCA congregation? Could those two ELCA starts be the only ones in the entire United States that happened when the people on the losing side of a leave the ELCA vote started a new ELCA congregation?

I'm working under the assumption that there are people working in Higgins Road who lurk in here and read these posts. If not, then there are surely participants or lurkers who read them and are in contact with the people in Higgins Road who have this information. Perhaps shining the light of truth on what's happening will cause those who have this information to realize that keeping it secret does little good, while publishing the truth will do what the truth is said to do, which is to set one free.