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| Joel Hochmuth, WELS Director of Communications. How many knew the truth...and when? |
Toomey has left a new comment on your post "The Age of Hypocrisy in Lutherdom And Other Dark P...":
I don't see why WELS members shouldn't ask the Wisconsin DA's office or the FBI to investigate everyone who might be involved. It certainly seems as though Hochmuth's Councillor is legally liable for failing to report this stuff. It's a little unclear how much others at WELS HQ may have known, but as you have mentioned, how could they NOT have known? I say subpoena them all.
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GJ - They must have known, starting at the top. Note how few details have emerged. Exactly who met with Hochmuth and his wife? Exactly when? The synod and all in a supervisory capacity are liable, so are the people involved in the failed therapy and their agency and their supervisors.
I predict massive arrests and publicity, or silence and secrecy and denial. That depends on who is being caught. Hochmuth may solo in this drama. SP Schroeder phoned one of my readers, who was sworn to secrecy. That is how this works.
There are powerful networks that protect the guilty from the consequences of their actions. Thanks to the abortion mentality in America, there is no regard for children. The "conservative" Lutherans are happy to work with ELCA and Thrivent, as long as the money flows.
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WELS 2011 BORAM - Link for ELCA Pastor Bruce Foster
Our calling
The Communication Services Commission (CSC) exists to assist the Conference of Presidents in communicating WELS’ mission to the members of the synod. It is responsible for a clear and consistent communication of the synod’s mission from the synod’s national offices—and for exploring, supporting, and expediting innovative media usage, shared communication, and similar improvements on a continuing basis for WELS ministries and congregations. It is also responsible for reviewing and authorizing all new communications originating in the synod’s national offices.
Current staffing includes:
• one full-time communications director,
• one full-time managing editor for Forward in Christ,
• one full-time Web content manager,
• one full-time communications specialist, and
• one part-time communications project manager...
The major new initiative for the next biennium is to fully leverage WELS’ newly designed Web site as an outreach tool to more fully benefit all congregations. The goal is to secure $50,000 in grant money for each year of the next biennium, which will allow Communication Services to conduct a modest Internet campaign designed to attract the interest of the unchurched and drive them to www.wels.net. There, the intent is that they would be introduced to the gospel message and encouraged to contact local WELS congregations through the locator service on the Web site.
Until WELS can promote the Web site to the outside world, the site will continue to attract largely WELS visitors. Without such promotion, an outreach strategy is incomplete. Long term, an opportunity exists to more clearly establish WELS as a beacon of confessional Lutheranism in the
public eye by hiring a staff person to concentrate on “external” communications—communications designed for audiences outside of our WELS fellowship. In particular, this person would seek to promote WELS and its mission in secular and other religious media by generating story ideas and issuing news releases on a regular basis. This person would also look for opportunities to promote the mission of WELS through cost-effective advertising campaigns.
Communication Services is convinced that a heightened awareness within the general public of the WELS identity and what WELS preaches and teaches stands to enhance the outreach efforts of every congregation. Until adequate support from the operating budget can be secured, this will remain an unmet opportunity.
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GJ - WELS is already burning a fortune on Communications Services and needs even more to make a difference! Almost all media stories on the Net involve Hochmuth's arrest, so they achieved their goal in a twisted way.
WELS is following the ELCA corporate model of getting its version out in the media, with the excuse that this will provide evangelism contacts for local congregations. Nothing happens, except a lot of money is spent and the right people get paid for doing almost nothing. Congregations could do plenty on their own, with free blogs. I taught two business people how to blog and they had results right away, at no cost except a little labor.
Most congregational websites are nothing more than templates, communicating almost nothing.
