Deception and CG Began in Columbus, Ohio:Where Glende Grew Up.Tragedy and Farce

The St. Peter Ski/Glende debacle is an open, weeping sore in their own district of WELS. The new Change or Die! pan-Lutheran conference is just another symptom.

The holier-than-thou WELS leaders do not like having me rehearse their pathetic history in Columbus, Ohio, where this really started. Glende and Ski are proof of the adage:

History always repeats itself twice: first time as tragedy, second time as farce. - Karl Marx

The Missouri District, LCMS, District President kicked Floyd Luther Stolzenburg out of the ministry after he was caught in flagrante delicto. The DP stopped at the church on Saturday, forced a resignation, and preached instead of Floyd on Sunday.

Floyd's first wife divorced him. The aggrieved husband sued Floyd, the parish, and various LCMS entities. The lawsuit and divorce papers are in the public record.

Floyd told everyone he had a "Scriptural divorce." The WELS pastors knew better, but Floyd latched onto George Skestos donations to create a Church Growth agency for WELS. Dave Peters (Union Grove) was vicar at St. Paul, German Village, at the time and wrote an essay on it. The WELS pastors called him a liar and an idiot for telling the truth about Lutheran Parish Services.

The circuit pastor, whose church (St. Paul, German Village) did not even belong to WELS, had semi-open commmunion and Lodge members, knew the truth. Skestos was a member of his church. Skestos was also a member of Marc Schroeder's congregation. As Richard Starr said, Skestos went to St. Paul with his wife and to Prince of Peace with his mistress. Big laugh.

Marc hated his first wife out of the parsonage and married a teacher at St. Paul, a girl he knew from earlier days, but a prof's daughter, so that was A-OK.

WELS ended up with two divorced ex-ministers running their Church Growth agency - Floyd Luther Stolzenburg and Roger Zehms (Martin Luther, St. Louis). Both of them loved CG, but Zehms was more subtle about it. Both were paid by Skestos and worked out of his real estate office.

There is a lot more to this but I will stick to what is in the public record or witnessed and known by many different sources.

I spent five years uncovering all the lies and false doctrine involved with this gang. Kovaciny was at Lamb of God in Columbus. He is still Floyd's lapdog.

Floyd attracted a whole pack of lapdogs, because of Skestos money. John Shep courted him. Jay Webber, guardian of Little Sect doctrine, had no problems with Kovo preaching at Floyd's new Masonic church and bagging the money for Thoughts of Faith. Marvin Schwan's Foundation kicked in money to match Floyd's. Oh, I would love to see the forensic accountants follow that trail.

Floyd's church was investigated by the police for embezzling.

In short, these pastors and officials did nothing to stop the spread of false doctrine, the promotion and new congregation of Stolzenburg. They fed the sheep to the wolf:

1. DP Robert Mueller, Michigan District.
   
2. District VP Paul Kuske, Michigan District.
   
3. DP John Seifert, Michigan District.
   
4. The Michigan District Praesidium, two of whom were known adulterers.
   
5. Circuit Pastor Keith Roehl, St. Paul, German Village.
   
6. Roger Kovaciny, Lamb of God, then Thoughts of Faith. WELS and ELS.
   
7. Jay Webber, Cape G., then Cape Cod, then Thoughts of Faith.
   
8. Wayne Laitenen, Ohio Conference Chairman.
   
9. Rich Krause, DMin, Ohio Conference Chairman.
   
10. Circuit Pastor Keith Roehl.
    
11. Wally Oelhafen, District Mission Board Chairman.
    
12. Fred Adrian, District Mission Board Chairman.
    
13. Laity on the District Mission Board.
    
14. John Shep.
    
15. The Ohio Conference pastors, who saw all this develop, knew the facts, and avoided dealing with anything. One of them, Keith Free, is now in charge of missions for all of WELS.
    

Tim Glende - St. Paul, German Village Tim never says on his anonymous blog that I know him back to the ninth grade. He visited Erin Joy in the hospital. When we moved to Columbus for my call in WELS, we gave Tim and his brother rides back and forth, Columbus to MLS. We knew their parents were busy at St. Paul's, so Tim and Tom always had a seat when we took extra trips back and forth.

Tim's parents were always very nice. We went to many St. Paul's events. We also knew his grandfather, taking him on trips to Mequon. We stayed at his uncle John Brug's house at Mequon.

Because the WELS/ELS pastors refused to do their sworn duties as clergy, avoiding their obligations as citizens, Tim grew up in a jungle of apostasy and wink-wink adultery.

Have a few dozen flings with married women and teens as a "conservative" LCMS pastor? No problem - you can teach at St. Paul's, lie about your divorce, and pretend to be a pastor again. In fact, VP Paul Kuske and Pastor Robert Schumann will write letters of recommendation so you can get another call and really be a CG pastor again.

As for those who get in the way of clergy adultery being rewarded and false doctrine being spread, we will pound them into the ground like a tent-stake, while praising you to Heaven.

Of course, this is going to cost a lot of money. We don't sell indulgences for free. If the money flows, so will the cheap grace.

Everything happening in Appleton was started by the money-grubbing wolves in Columbus. The first was a tragedy; Appleton is the farce.

Worship at The SORE: Multi-Sites Are Parasites

There is a God has left a new comment on your post "Stealth Calendar at The CORE.Does This Need Commen...":

This is how the CORE describes its worship:

"Maybe you have had a bad experience at church and it has led you to think that church worship doesn't connect with you, your heart or life. At The CORE, we'll try to change that impression with straight honest talk about issues that concern you as well as the feelings that trouble you. Our music and messages will put your life into the context of God's Word so that you can see his purpose and promises for you."

How would the CORE like it if my church set up shop next door and advertised worship like this:

"Maybe you have had a bad experience at a church that met in a theater and it has led you to think that theater worship is shallow and self-serving. At (fill in the name of your church), we'll talk about what Jesus has done for you. Our worship will bring God himself to you through sermons and sacraments. You can be sure that in our worship God's Word will not return to Him empty, but accomplish the purpose for which He sent it."

Nah, forget it, that's boring.

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GJ - The parasitic mission model has always been basic to Church Growth/Emergents. Fuller bigshot C. Peter Wagner (lavishly praised by WELS in the Quarterly) admitted decades ago that "Church Growth principles do not work."

The mega-churches, when they work, are simply gatherings of people who already belong to a church. Fuller has pulled in many millions of denominational offerings to wreck the denominations. Fuller is the chief beneficiary. Robert Schuller claims to be the model, and he probably was in many ways. But ol' Bob is broke and his Crystal Cathedral is bankrupt, literally.

WELS deliberately starts parasitic new congregations, designed to draw off the local WELS members into a spiffy new circus. WELS did that in the Love's Park area (Larry Olson's one and only parish, which never grew).

WELS has another one of those para-sites in Indianapolis, led by a spikey-haired graduate of Patterson's Exponential road trip.

Gurgle is trying to jump-start yet another para-site a short distance from Rock N Roll, Doebler's WELS mission. Gurgle-Patterson will move the church school there and innocently start worship services. But it is going to take barrels of money.

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There is a God has left a new comment on your post "Worship at The SORE: Multi-Sites are Parasites":

Remember Monkey Junction (Lutheran Church)? Here's MJ's web site invitation:

"If....you’ve found church boring and dull, give us a try at Life!" (www.lifelutheran.com)

How would Life like it if I moved in next door and worded my web site:

"If you’ve found your gown-less-pastor-praise-band-centered "church" talks too much about your feelings, but not much about Jesus, give us a try at.....!"

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GJ - There Is, I would love to see those ads. I used to tell WELS pastors, "We are going to try the Means of Grace for a few months. If that doesn't work, we will go back to gimmicks."

Deception is the Name of the Game

Groeschel, Stanley, and Ski are grouped together in this fun-filled Photoshop.
Ski adores the sermons of Groeschel (Methodist Pietist) and the leadership of Stanley (Babtist but dishonest about it).


There is a God has left a new comment on your post "Stealth Calendar at The CORE.Does This Need Commen...":

"The Change or Die! brochure brags that Ski has 300 people each Sunday evening. How many are WELS members from the area? If services were held Sunday morning, how many would attend?"

Yes, GJ, inquiring minds want to know. Just how has the CORE fulfilled its mission, which reads in part:

About the CORE: Where we've been

"The purpose of (the CORE) is to have a church that, without compromising our beliefs, removes all barriers possible to reaching people outside the church."

Anyone with access to the WELS 2010 Statistical Report? It should be there in black and white under "adult confirmations" or "Baptisms" (esp. adult).

(..."without compromising our beliefs,"... - LOL!)

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GJ - The CORE was a lie from the start, promoted at St. Peter, Freedom as a separate church. However, Ski was listed as a St. Peter pastor in the WELS Yearbook. Some people "join" The CORE by joining St. Peter, as transfers from other WELS congregations in the area.

The CORE is really an excuse to go multi-site, which is the Emergent Church fantasy. Apparently the St. Peter members were sold on a "new mission" when it was really a method of changing the congregation forever and importing an alien, anti-Lutheran doctrine and worship. Of course, Ron Ash prepped St. Peter for a few decades, as chairman of Church and Change. The CORE is the final assault, Ron's revenge. He was there for popcorn, colo opening night extravaganza.

Do you recall that the attorney at St. Peter was not allowed to transfer to another WELS church for doctrinal reasons? And yet local WELS members can join The CORE for being anti-Lutheran, surely a doctrinal reason if there ever was one.

False doctrine is always advanced by lying. If they told the truth about their teaching and their plans, no one would follow. They pick off the willing sheep, one by one. Where are the DPs and CPs, under the haystacks, fast asleep - with Little Bo Peep.

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dobrin (http://dobrin.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Deception is the Name of the Game":

Members unfortunately trust these manipulative fools with their salvation.

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GJ - Unfortunately, the clergy and teachers keep re-electing DPs like Englebrecht. The DPs appoint the CPs, who are the only ones who can depose the man who appointed them.

John Seifert, as a CP, wanted me to bring charges against DP Mueller, but Seifert supported Mueller. Mueller betrayed the trust of so many that he chose to run away rather than run again. So Seifert became DP. Mueller got a free trip to Russia.

See how that works, little flocks?

A Plea to the Syn Conference from the Icha-widows:"Stop Enabling Jackson!"

Do you have a Soul Cafe,
where your parish sells bad coffee at jacked-up prices?
Get with it, sluggards.
Get your pastor a spikey hair-do, too.

An Icha-widow wrote a note about her husband reading Ichabod late at night, on Valentine's Day.

She said, "Since you were responding to him, I assume your wife is also an Icha-widow."

In fact, my wife claims to be the very first Icha-widow. She said, "I know when you are writing, because you are leaning forward at the screen with an earnest look on your face."

The Wisconsin, Missouri, and Mankato sects were once considered safe sects for Lutherans, but their continued deceptions and false doctrine speak volumes about the depth--or rather the shallowness--of their synod's leadership.

I am not picking on one man, as if a Sect President can change matters on his own. All three SPs do show a remarkable allergy to the "apt to teach" description of a pastor. Where they should be troubling the water, like the angel awaited by the paralytic in John 5:4, they are pouring the oil of PR on every important matter. The really bad leaders, like Kieschnick and Gurgle, aggressively pursue destructive doctrine and suicidal policies, while their replacements remain in neutral.

The problem is far more basic than something to be fixed with a new man in office. The voting church members want a politician who pleases, or anesthetizes, the largest share of the synod population.

The SPs are not the sharp end of the Sword of the Spirit. Apparently they see themselves as the scabbard where the Word rests and stays safe from nicks.

And the comfort-loving, inert, see-no-false-doctrine faculty members? Do not let me get started. Teaching is a good gig. Students are respectful and ready to learn. The pay is quite good, especially professors do so little original research and writing (unlike the old days). The hours for tenured professors are laughably short, and the vacations are endless. Name a Syn Conference book worth more than a dime novel. The last one I can think of was by Kurt Marquart.

Statistics about Congregations Leaving ELCA

Fuller's influence has grown faster than kudzu vine in Missouri and WELS.
Look at how they ELCA victims flock to flee from Missouri and WELS.

American Lutheran Publicity Bureau

A quick run through the table tells me (numbers might be off a little. I don't do Excel, so I imported into an Access database, and did not hyper-tweak the queries.)
Left ELCA -      384 congregations
Former ALC -   239 congregations
Former LCA -   127 congregations
Former ALEC-     3 congregations
ELCA -              18 congregations
Status pending - 93 congregations  (about half are ALC)
(There are 140 congregations listed as "new start" and no former PCB. Don't know what those are).
There are 180 congregations where the first or second vote failed, according to the list.

More than 1,000 baptized members - 51 congregations
500-999 baptized members -             78 congregations
200-499 baptized members -             60 congregations
Under 200 baptized members -        189 congregations
Under 100 baptized members -          57 congregations

To the AALC - 7
To the AFLC - 5
To ELCM -      4
To FELC -       2
To LCMC -   220
To LCMS -      3
To NALC -     70
To NALC/LCMC - 3
To Unknown -   60