ALPB
First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Idaho Falls, ID Status = Left ELCA Joined LCMC Baptized membership = 859
Emmaus Lutheran Community, Idaho Falls, ID Status = New ELCA
Central Lutheran Church, Elk River, MN Status = Left ELCA Joined LCMC Baptized membership = 4238
Elk River Lutheran Church, Elk River, MN Status = New ELCA
Faith Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN Status = Left ELCA Joined LCMC Baptized membership = 2380
Christ the King Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN Status = Left ELCA Joined LCMC Baptized membership = 2398
River of Hope Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN Status = New ELCA
Rushford Lutheran Church, Rushford, MN Status = Left ELCA Joined LCMC Baptized membership = 994
Trinity Fellowship, Rushford, MN Status = New ELCA
Martin Luther Lutheran Church, Giddings, TX Status = Left ELCA Joined LCMC Baptized membership = 742
Grace Lutheran Church, Giddings, TX Status = New ELCA
Faith Lutheran Church, Seguin, TX Status = Left ELCA Joined LCMC Baptized membership = 1668
Lutheran Mission of Seguin, Seguin, TX Status = New ELCA
When I did that exercise in reverse, and I've done it several times in this thread, I found large numbers of such pairs where a new Lutheran church of another denomination was created by the people on the losing side of a leave-the-ELCA vote. Does anyone dispute that it is positive news for the ELCA that those on the losing side of a successful leave-the-ELCA vote start a new ELCA church? Isn't this the sort of positive news that anyone would think the ELCA would be happy to report, or to have reported by others?
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GJ - ELCA starts new congregations from the losing faction in the voting to leave ELCA drama. LCMC and NALC organize new missions from those members who quit after their congregation fails the two votes to leave. George Erdner's point, I believe, is that ELCA is hiding where their "new missions" (losing the vote and the property) are located. One began with a Gay Pride Sunday, which is like starting a WELS parish with Al Just Recognition Day.
ELCA makes the bar quite difficult to achieve, but they lose either way. The entire congregation leaves with the property, or a considerable number of members leave and start anew.
Ponder the size of these monster congregations. They will have enormous clout from day one, because they do not have to go through the struggle of finding land, borrowing money for a building, and dealing with dysfunctional mission board executives.
Meanwhile, WELS is still abusing members, as if the Internet does not exist and people cannot share documents, emails, and blog posts.
