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ELCA WELS Parallel
California wrote:
A sentence in the posting:" ELCA-WELS Parallel", leaped out at me mentioning the year of 1977. "The agenda was announced in 1977 in TELL to promote Church Growth Movement from Fuller Seminary."
It may have been announced, in 1977, but the groundwork had been systematically laid and tilled officially but quietly for ten years after significant resolutions were passed in convention in 1967. It was in 1977 that my membership was terminated from a WELS congregation after some years of attempting to get both congregation leaders and synod leaders to understand what had been done and what was beginning to manifest itself in the mid 70's. Congregations didn't understand the management by objectives process adopted in 1967, but some synod level officials did, whether they admitted it or not. Systems management doesn't just appear and be skillfully implemented without guidance and nurturing. I recognized at the time, that damage had been done, due to having discovered and been involved in exposing the same process of governance which was hijacking the governing institutions in civic government at all levels and especially education (school) governance.
Following are some observations from the open letter I sent to the congregation after the termination 1977. My conscience is clear, for they couldn't say they had never heard.
From the Open Letter to Peace Lutheran Church, Santa Clara, CA 2/7/1977.
"Students of history always identify turning points resulting in long range changes in institutions. Rarely recognized as pivotal at the time, it generally takes a period of time before the fruits of such events begin to manifest themselves to the general body of an institution. If such a "turning point" were to be identified for the current "facilitation of change" in Synod, it would be the year of 1967. Two resolutions adopted at the 1967 Synod Convention set the stage for fundamental, far reaching changes only recently coming apparent.
1)The resolution was adopted which provided the technical loophole which was used to justify the government grants to WELS church schools.
It set the stage for the idea that government educators had something constructive to offer Christian education, for in addition to monetary considerations, programs and philosophies of these educators have been assimilated into Christian schools until the distinction between church and government schools is becoming less distinct by the year.
2) The second action of that 1967 convention was the authorization of the restructuring of Synod organization from a truly representative form of governance to one of Systems Analysis (Planning, Programming, Budgeting System). The name itself defines the management system. More than a budgeting system, PPBS also restructures the WAY DECISIONS ARE MADE. Plans ARE PREDETERMINED BY AN ELITE PLANNING BODY. All factors involved are known only by that planning body. Programming for acceptance of the pre-determined plans are implemented to create the need for the planned goal, or to obtain the necessary feedback to identify strong opposition, and if necessary adjust the plan so it will be accepted by members at large who can be persuaded through various means to be receptive to the plan. They in turn ultimately legitimatize the predetermined plans with a vote in congregation,district or synod. This process is in motion now to discredit King James Version and condition for acceptance NIV.
The nature of PPBS is manipulative from the top. There is no escaping the essence of the process.........
........................
As in every other church body including those calling themselves Lutheran, WELS will experience continued controversy. There can be no true peace or unity once a church body is divided on what the very Word of God is! If history repeats itself,and the pattern follows that which every other church embarking on similar paths has gone, WELS will become more and more subjective, larger and larger promotional synod-wide programs will multipy.........expect increased encouragement of emotional responses at all levels of church life. With more and more methodologically contrived situations designed to elicit subjective responses, will come less and less doctrinal emphasis........There are repeated expressions of concern by synod that fewer young men are expressing the intention to enter the ministry. Only the Holy spirit generates the true desire to become a full time servant of the Word. Could it be that God is "saying something to WELS"? ....................................
2/7/1977
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LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "Important PS for the WELS - ELCA Article":
1967 seems to be a pivotal year...it is the same year that the first printing of "This We Believe" came out. Its confession regarding redemption and justification are audacious when compared to the Brief Statement of 1932. UOJ is all a part of this PPBS initiative. WELS hangs their hat on J.P. Meyer concerning justification...the only book he wrote. Compare that to the volumes the reformers wrote and what resides in the BoC.
It may have been announced, in 1977, but the groundwork had been systematically laid and tilled officially but quietly for ten years after significant resolutions were passed in convention in 1967. It was in 1977 that my membership was terminated from a WELS congregation after some years of attempting to get both congregation leaders and synod leaders to understand what had been done and what was beginning to manifest itself in the mid 70's. Congregations didn't understand the management by objectives process adopted in 1967, but some synod level officials did, whether they admitted it or not. Systems management doesn't just appear and be skillfully implemented without guidance and nurturing. I recognized at the time, that damage had been done, due to having discovered and been involved in exposing the same process of governance which was hijacking the governing institutions in civic government at all levels and especially education (school) governance.
Following are some observations from the open letter I sent to the congregation after the termination 1977. My conscience is clear, for they couldn't say they had never heard.
From the Open Letter to Peace Lutheran Church, Santa Clara, CA 2/7/1977.
"Students of history always identify turning points resulting in long range changes in institutions. Rarely recognized as pivotal at the time, it generally takes a period of time before the fruits of such events begin to manifest themselves to the general body of an institution. If such a "turning point" were to be identified for the current "facilitation of change" in Synod, it would be the year of 1967. Two resolutions adopted at the 1967 Synod Convention set the stage for fundamental, far reaching changes only recently coming apparent.
1)The resolution was adopted which provided the technical loophole which was used to justify the government grants to WELS church schools.
It set the stage for the idea that government educators had something constructive to offer Christian education, for in addition to monetary considerations, programs and philosophies of these educators have been assimilated into Christian schools until the distinction between church and government schools is becoming less distinct by the year.
2) The second action of that 1967 convention was the authorization of the restructuring of Synod organization from a truly representative form of governance to one of Systems Analysis (Planning, Programming, Budgeting System). The name itself defines the management system. More than a budgeting system, PPBS also restructures the WAY DECISIONS ARE MADE. Plans ARE PREDETERMINED BY AN ELITE PLANNING BODY. All factors involved are known only by that planning body. Programming for acceptance of the pre-determined plans are implemented to create the need for the planned goal, or to obtain the necessary feedback to identify strong opposition, and if necessary adjust the plan so it will be accepted by members at large who can be persuaded through various means to be receptive to the plan. They in turn ultimately legitimatize the predetermined plans with a vote in congregation,district or synod. This process is in motion now to discredit King James Version and condition for acceptance NIV.
The nature of PPBS is manipulative from the top. There is no escaping the essence of the process.........
........................
As in every other church body including those calling themselves Lutheran, WELS will experience continued controversy. There can be no true peace or unity once a church body is divided on what the very Word of God is! If history repeats itself,and the pattern follows that which every other church embarking on similar paths has gone, WELS will become more and more subjective, larger and larger promotional synod-wide programs will multipy.........expect increased encouragement of emotional responses at all levels of church life. With more and more methodologically contrived situations designed to elicit subjective responses, will come less and less doctrinal emphasis........There are repeated expressions of concern by synod that fewer young men are expressing the intention to enter the ministry. Only the Holy spirit generates the true desire to become a full time servant of the Word. Could it be that God is "saying something to WELS"? ....................................
2/7/1977
---
LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "Important PS for the WELS - ELCA Article":
1967 seems to be a pivotal year...it is the same year that the first printing of "This We Believe" came out. Its confession regarding redemption and justification are audacious when compared to the Brief Statement of 1932. UOJ is all a part of this PPBS initiative. WELS hangs their hat on J.P. Meyer concerning justification...the only book he wrote. Compare that to the volumes the reformers wrote and what resides in the BoC.
