rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "More Enthusiasm":
This is a another good example of Field of Dreams evangelism - if you build it, they will come. Here at Ichabod, this is also known as masonry evangelism, as in bricks and mortar. To paraphrase a line from the movie, - "is this heaven? No, this is South Dakota, just north of Iowa."
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GJ - I am guessing that many WELS parishes have gone through this process.
1. The congregation seems stagnant, because they do not trust the Means of Grace or the efficacy of the Word.
2. The Church and Change synod-minders finagle an invite from a Perish Consultant, known for the congregations they have polarized and ruined.
3. The Perish Consultant, trained in Fuller methods, says they need a pop music service and a huge capital funds appeal. If pop music is too bold, a blended service will take the parish into Fuller-land in baby steps.
4. The parish hires Cornerstone to raise a ton of money, which usually falls short. If not, the building plans are like the first payment of a deluxe car, much easier to make than all the rest.
5. The parish languishes under huge debt and the ridiculous notion--now exposed as false--that bricks and mortar evangelize.
