WELS Hands Congregation a Fish. Courtesy of the Fuller Aquarium

James Huebner, Fuller alumnus.
Adam Mueller, Church and Change leader.
James Tiefel, Church and Change leader, DUI.
Doug Tomhave - all the "mission" people are CGM.

Brothers,

Attached you’ll find the first letter inviting WELS pastors to enroll their congregation in the E12 program offered by the Commission for Congregational Counseling.    It contains a link to a www.easter12.com, where congregations can go to register.

I had the privilege of joining you in October to explain the program, but perhaps a brief recap is in order.  

·         E12, short for Easter 2012, is a comprehensive leadership training program that includes components of worship, outreach, and discipleship.   
·         We are, in essence, giving our churches a fish: provide high quality worship and outreach materials for this Easter.

·         We are also teaching them how to fish, for along with those materials will come instructions of how to reproduce similar materials in upcoming events. 

·         Along with the materials and instructions will come rationale for “doing things this way,” getting the leaders to think about how to carry out ministry more aggressively with the gifts God has granted them.  So we don’t just want to provide materials but shape a confessional, evangelical mindset.  That’s why we view this as a leadership program, not just a worship or outreach program.

·         Along with that rationale will come devotional materials, since God’s Word provides the foundation, the content, and the motivation for all we do.

This is all being produced by people whom God has gifted to our church with Fuller expertise in these areas.  It is pulling together some very talented individuals from the Commission on Evangelism, the Commission on Worship, the Commission on Adult Discipleship, and the Institute of Worship and Outreach.   

We are asking congregations to provide 5 e-mails: pastor, church president, an outreach representative, a worship representative, and a graphics/design representative.   I know full well most of our churches won’t have all of those.  Some might not have any other than pastor and church president.  That is fine!   We still want five e-mails as we’ll be providing training throughout the E12 program.  For example, if a church doesn’t have a lay person working in outreach/evangelism, they still need to provide someone for that slot.   After using the E12 program that person will at least be familiar with 1) why we do outreach, 2) the basics of outreach, and 3) a rough idea of how to plan for it with the resources available in their specific congregation.   We will have helped that congregation equip a saint for service in this vital area. 

All this information will be disseminated electronically beginning in mid-January.   ALL materials will go to pastors and the church president.   They will see everything that is being sent out.   Some materials will be directed only to the appropriate people. (e.g. The outreach rep will receive only the material that pertains to outreach.)   Weekly e-mails from early January through May will let the groups know what the others are doing, provide encouragement, keep them on pace, and provide opportunities for feedback and questions. 
  

Since material begins to roll out in mid-January, prompt registration is necessary.    Thus, if you could forward this to the pastors in your district ASAP, I’d appreciate it.  I know it’s right before Christmas.   I feel that crunch myself.  But registration takes minutes.    


And it needn’t be done by the pastor.  His secretary or another church leader can easily do it.

I’m sending this to you, the COP, not just to save postage.   I’m sending it to you because, as I mentioned in October, the CCC wants to be a tool for you to use in your calling.   We want to be a way for you to provide nuts-and-bolts help that will have an immediate impact in your congregations.    Having you disseminate this information to our pastorate, we believe, helps drive that point home.

Through his Means, may Immanuel be with you and yours in his grace and his power.

Your servant in Christ,

Jon

Jonathan Hein

BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH

720 Old Trolley Road   Summerville, SC  29485

843.873.5522 (office)

843.860.1838 (cell)

---

AC V has left a new comment on your post "WELS Hands Congregation a Fish. Courtesy of the Fu...":

"We still want five e-mails...:

smellsfishy@rottenindenmark.com
smellsfishy@rottenindenmark.com
smellsfishy@rottenindenmark.com
smellsfishy@rottenindenmark.com
smellsfishy@rottenindenmark.com

---

AC V has left a new comment on your post "WELS Hands Congregation a Fish. Courtesy of the Fu...":

"Thus, participation in E12 requires FIVE e-mails be provided."

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFQtaTU0Zk9oY1RJbkdINWdLTWxCUXc6MQ

naivepastor@lemming.com
naivepastor@lemming.com
naivepastor@lemming.com
naivepastor@lemming.com
naivepastor@lemming.com

***

GJ - Franchisees will note that WELS can contact any member of the congregation at any time. Posting their emails and contact information will help the Shrinkers in getting rid of any dissent by speeding up the process.