WELS Stewardship Means: "What's In It for Me?"

A commission on "Christian" fund-raising
is considered unethical.
But Jeff is a Church and Changer,
like Kudu Don Patterson.

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Tim Glende's Anonymous Blog Hosts This Anonymous P...":

The use of Cornerstone was all the reason I needed as to why I finally left my former WELS congregation. When I read the name Jeff Davis in the council report section of the monthly newsletter, I was sure that none of my efforts would convince the congregational leadership that were going down the wrong path. When I called the congregation president, he acknowledged that Davis would be getting a commission. But, it was only 3% to 5% of the money raised through the capital appeal process. Furthermore, that commission had a cap on it. I was assured that I could find out what the cap is, but that information was never divulged.
 
When another congregation wanted to take on an expansion, they asked Cornerstone first. The pastor told what one of the lay leaders said, "I feel like we are being extorted". What would be against the law in the secular realm seems to be a normal mode of operation within some circles in the WELS.

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "WELS Tetzels Are on the Pastoral Call List":

That every member visitation may have been the content of the letter that I recently received. Since I noticed the return address of the Love Shack, I threw it in the trash without reading it. Back in the 90's, the WELS synodical leadership was bellaching about a perceived shortage of pastors. Even back then, there was at least one planned giving counselor, who was an ordained pastor, in each of the twelve districts. The irony struck me as odd. It looks like the WELS leadership is setting up a roadblock. All of the WELS travelers will be shaken down by the highwaymen if they want to pass through.

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GJ -

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LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "WELS Stewardship Means: "What's In It for Me?"":

It was Cornerstone that was the last straw for us. We could not give the blessings of our money to a church that was willing to take part of our first fruits and give it to an organization to do the work the pastor (and Elders)should have been doing all along; and I brought that to their attention. Patterson had time for writing a book, contributing/presenting writings/papers for this and that, workshops, retreats etc...ad nauseum. I didn't see the difference between what Cornerstone was doing and the money changers in the temple. It is all moving towards the fulfillment of Revelation anyway. 

The church is adopting from secular culture more and more and will soon look no different than the state...the beast...all in the name of the 'business of saving souls'. Ultimately we were booted over a doctrinal issue but it all ties together eventually. Guys who push the warped view of justification enable this kind of stuff to invade Christ's church. By teaching universal absolution it begets upside down evangelism and then all bets are off and anything goes. Call me a Jackson parrot. I don't care. I have seen it first hand and speak from experience. I have come back from the dark side. When Doebler told the praise band that Christ the Rock's growth was being inhibited by the band's performance...well need I say it was a wake up call of Biblical proportions?