The Bigwigs Will Always Do What They Have Always Done Before

WELS teaches Willow Creek doctrine and worship, but does Willow Creek ever teach Lutheran doctrine and worship?
Ask Paul Copycat Kelm, geezer chaplain.

I laugh when people think the newest church politicians are going to change what has been happening.

The church politicians make it to the big time by going along with everything, knowing how dissent is punished.

They move adroitly into copying what has happened before, because it is just another stage in their career of conformity. They continue to do what they have done before, and the results are the same.

Some may ask, "Why is Ichabod so good at doctrinal polemics?" The reason is - practice. I have engaged apostates ever since my earliest days in the LCA. I argued with the professors in seminary and made fun of their weirdest theories. One was that a book revealed the author's secret knowledge of Christ, which was never known until about 1970. I repeated that and laughed out loud. The book was dropped from the course at once, although it was read out loud, solemnly, before that.

Likewise, I read from a book about Tillich at Notre Dame, where his liberal theologian friend called the adulterer a pagan. The professor was aghast as I said, "And that is his friend from Union, repeating what Union Seminary liberals said." The professor is now occupying an endowed chair at Harvard while I write a blog "no one reads." But at least I am good at it.

I studied comparative doctrine at Notre Dame, which was a good place to do it. We could argue doctrine in class, because there was no repeat after me dogma. That was a good start for WELS, where no one knew or adhered to Lutheran doctrine. Working in Columbus among adulterous false teachers, with divorce and alcoholism being the least of their sins, I learned the Book of Concord and its history. I had to find out for myself what the doctrinal issues were. The olde Syn Conference simply repeated the Crypto-Calvinist era, and it grows worse each day.

I never saw pastors who hated Lutheran doctrine and worship as much as the Columbus gang did. They even refused to have circuit meetings. One would think that the VP of the district and the circuit pastor would not need to have their feet put in the fire for the most basic of pastoral functions. But they did. And they made circuit meetings a farce too.

So laugh out loud when the ecclesiastical bigwigs say, "You can reform us only in the ways we allow, using the methods we dictate, while we pummel you." They conformists bullies are good at what they do, running everything into the ground.

Meanwhile, the useless Boomer pastors and laity will have this on their account - They are the reason everything has gone this way. They have done almost nothing, waiting for someone else to do it for them. The Boomer children will have few church jobs waiting for them. Churches and schools are closing at a record rate.

Flanking the Ecclesiastical Bullies

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

ELCA Sues Chinese Lutherans To Get Back the Property Given to Them

The pastor of HerChurch, which is totally pagan now, closed the congregation whose property was given to the Chinese Lutherans.
Now ELCA wants it back and is going to court for it.
Hey, ELCA, we thought only Missouri did that!  
American Lutheran Publicity Bureau

Here's an interesting story. One of the congregations that has left the ELCA in the Sierra Pacific is Life Lutheran Church, Richmond, CA, one of two Chinese ministries in the synod (the other one left as well). Some years ago they had been given the property of a closed congregation (closed, actually, if I recall correctly, by the present pastor of herchurch.org). Now the synod's attorneys are telling them that they must vacate the property and turn it back to the synod. The justification for this is that when the synod deeded the property to the congregation, there was a clause in the deed saying that it would revert to the synod should it ever ceased to be used in mission in the furtherance of "this church." Now "this church" clearly is the way the ELCA refers to itself (rather grandiosely, IMO), and in the ELCA constitution it is clear that when they say "this church" it's the ELCA they are talking about. It does not, however--or so I've been told--say this in the deed by which the property was conveyed to the congregation. And so the legal question is an interesting one, since one has to read it against the clear constitutional provision that when a congregation leaves to affiliate with another Lutheran denomination (and they have affiliated with LCMC, as I understand it), they keep the property.

Interesting legal questions aside, I'm astonished that the synod wants to put itself in the situation of bringing suit to recover property given to an ethnic minority congregation, located in a place where the ELCA had been unable to keep a viable congregation going.

I have to admit that I have a special feeling about this congregation, since before they were given this property by the synod, they rented space from a Methodist congregation that was my first assignment in my previous life (though that was long after I was gone).

ELCA Congregational Newsletter Shows Disintegration

Liberty is the natural product of God's Creation.

This ELCA congregation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, tried to leave ELCA but fell short a few votes.

The newsletter shows that the congregation's members and staff are breaking up over the failed vote. In many cases, a failed vote has meant a new congregation forming almost immediately.

Even ELCA calls those votes to leave the synod "successful." Sometimes the bishops have to be honest, if only for a moment.

This congregation gives about $6,000 per week in offerings and has a very large staff.

ELCA takes every opportunity to divide and conquer. Notice that the required 66% vote is difficult to obtain on almost any serious matter. That is why I was pleasantly surprised to see congregations finally moving against the Lavender juggernaut.

ELCA began by saying, "Only a few are leaving." That was true for a month or two. The exodus gathered momentum. Now ELCA is going to be especially thuggish, which will only push congregations out faster and more effectively.

Thanks to blogs, Twitter, and email, Lutherans are no longer slaves to the lying. spineless church executives. ELCA is so bad that six bishops have jumped ship. Even slowly warmed frogs in the kettle will ask, "What's cooking?"

The Frog in the Kettle is Fuller Seminary's text on introducing change slowly, until the frog is boiled and dead. WELS loves the book, having cooked many congregations to death with it. Look at their hero, Change and Change Founder James Aderman (FICL editor, too).
Some frogs wake up and jump.

Aderman suggests kissing a lot of frogs,
apparently mistaking the origin of the name Wartburg.

ELCA Coming Unglued - Lutheran Papacies Do Not Last

"You asked for it. You got it. ELCA.
The other synods are next.
Freedom!"

South Dakota Synod, ELCA

Congregations Voting to Leave the ELCA

Congregations that voted to leave the ELCA prior to the 2009 Churchwide Assembly

Romsdal, Hudson – 5/14/06
Skudesnes, Pierpont – 10/12/08
St. John’s, Hecla – 6/28/09

Trinity, Houghton – 6/28/09

Congregations that have voted to leave the ELCA since the 2009 Churchwide Assembly

Lands Lutheran, Hudson

1st Vote – 10/4/09 – 71 leave, 4 stay
2nd Vote – 3/7/10 – 67 leave, 6 stay

Trinity Lutheran, Hudson
1st Vote – 10/11/09 – 22 leave, 4 stay
2nd Vote – 3/28/10 – 27 leave, 1 invalid

Trinity Lutheran Platte
1st Vote – 12/13/09 – 69 leave, 1 abstain
2nd Vote – 3/15/10 – 56 leave, 0 stay East Lake Andes Lutheran, Armour
1st Vote – 12/13/09 – 36 leave, 13 stay
2nd Vote – 3/28/10 – 50 leave, 8 stay

First American Lutheran, Tripp
1st Vote – 02/07/10 – 53 leave, 26 stay
2nd Vote – 5/9/10 – 59 leave, 9 stay, 1 abstain
Bethlehem Lutheran, Pierpont
1st Vote – 12/20/09 – 12 leave, 0 stay
2nd Vote – 5/12/10 – 12 leave, 0 stay
American Lutheran, Castlewood
1st Vote – 2/14/10 – 52 leave, 23 stay
2nd Vote – 5/16/10 – 61 leave, 29 stay

Hope Lutheran, Delmont
1st Vote – 3/28/10 – 18 leave, 5 stay, 3 no choice
2nd Vote – 7/11/10 – 20 leave, 0 stay

Ladner, Evangelical Lutheran, Ladner
1st Vote – 4/14/10 – 40 leave, 0 stay
2nd Vote – 7/14/10 – 37 leave, 0 stay

Little Missouri Lutheran, Capitol MT
1st Vote – 4/18/10 – 12 leave, 0 stay
2nd Vote – 7/25/10 – 19 leave, 0 stay
First Lutheran, Philip
1st Vote – 5/30/10 – 44 leave, 2 stay
2nd Vote – 8/29/10 – 48 leave, 2 stay, 1 abstain

Trinity Lutheran, Midland
1st Vote – 5/30/10 – 29 leave, 0 stay
2nd Vote – 8/29/10 – 28 leave, 0 stay

Our Savior Lutheran, Long Valley
1st Vote – 5/30/10 – 15 leave, 0 stay
2nd Vote – 8/29/10 – 22 leave, 0 stay
Deep Creek Lutheran, Midland
1st Vote – 6/27/10 – 12 leave, 0 stay
2nd Vote – 9/5/10 – 9 leave, 0 stay
Shepherd of the Hills, Lead
1st Vote – 6/27/10 – 47 leave, 14 stay, 2 abstain
2nd Vote – 9/26/10 – 59 leave, 8 stay
# Immanuel Lutheran, Whitewood
1st Vote – 7/11/10 – 40 leave, 0 stay, 2 abstain
2nd Vote – 10/10/10 – 48 leave, 2 stay
St. Peter Lutheran, Armour
1st Vote – 7/11/10 – 64 leave, 16 stay
2nd Vote – 10/10/10 – 61 leave, 11 stay
Christ the King Lutheran, Newcastle, WY
1st Vote – 9/19/10 – 67 leave, 3 stay, 1 abstain
2nd Vote – 12/19/10 – 63 leave, 0 stay
# Trinity Lutheran, Lake Norden
1st Vote – 10/10/10 – 74 leave, 0 stay
2nd Vote – 1/16/11 - 65 leave, 0 stay
#  Pending synod council approval – former LCA congregation

Congregations that have passed the first vote to leave the ELCA
Hayti Lutheran, Hayti
1st Vote – 11/7/10 – 77 leave, 7 stay
2nd Vote – 3/6/11
New Hope Lutheran, Hayti
1st Vote – 11/7/10 – 59 leave, 5 stay
2nd Vote – 3/6/11
* Holy Cross Lutheran, Aberdeen
1st Vote – 12/5/11 – 41 leave, 23 stay
2nd Vote – TBD
Grace Lutheran, Menno
1st Vote – 12/19/10 – 83 leave, 18 stay
2nd Vote – 3/27/11

Our Savior’s Lutheran, Menno
1st Vote – 12/19/10 – 18 leave, 3 stay
2nd Vote – 3/27/11

Christ the King Lutheran, Yankton

1st Vote – 1/9/11 – 40 leave, 3 stay
2nd Vote – TBD

Badger Lutheran, Badger

1st Vote – 1/30/11 – 34 leave, 4 stay

2nd Vote – TBD * Being Disputed

Congregations that have failed the first vote to leave the ELCA
Canton Lutheran, Canton
1st Vote – 9/27/09 – 80% to stay

Evangelical Lutheran, Langford
1st Vote – 11/15/09 – 31 leave, 91 Stay
Hope Lutheran, Delmont
1st Vote – 1/17/10 – 14 leave, 15 stay

Leganger Lutheran, Toronto
1st Vote – 1/17/10 – 51 leave, 69 stay

American Evangelical, Milbank
1st Vote – 6/27/10 – 194 leave, 100 stay
1st Vote – 8/8/10 – 209 leave, 147 stay
Brandon Lutheran, Brandon
1st Vote – 8/29/10 – 249 leave, 196 stay
Trinity Lutheran, Letcher
1st Vote – 10/31/10 – 11 leave, 27 stay
Our Savior’s Lutheran, Huron
1st Vote – 12/6/10 – 55 leave, 45 stay
American Lutheran, Presho
1st Vote – 2/13/11 – 37 leave, 23 stay
Hope Lutheran, Sioux Falls
1st Vote – 2/13/11 – 168 leave, 88 stay

***

GJ - I used to think that nothing could pry congregations loose from ELCA. They were slapped and spit upon from Day One, when ELCA formed with lawyers leading the meetings. The attitude was: "Shut up. Sit down. Listen. Vote. Pay."

They got away with this, with only a marginal number of congregations and pastors leaving, 1987-2009, 22 years of grace...as they all like to say. The lavender triumph in 2009 changed that.

Missouri, WELS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie think they are in control of their property. They push out any minister who threatens Holy Mother Synod, and HMS is easily threatened.

All that can change in a moment.

---

Northeastern Iowa - ELCA.

Congregational
Vote Results

St. Timothy Lutheran Church

Hudson, Iowa

1st Vote Failed: 11-29-2009

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Story City, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 3-28-2010

Left ELCA

Zion Lutheran Church

Hudson, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 6-2-2010
Left ELCA.

Zion United Lutheran Church

Clear Lake, Iowa
2nd Vote Failed: 8-22-2010

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

Evansdale, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 8-29-2010
Left ELCA

Rock Creek Lutheran Church

Osage, Iowa

1st Vote Failed: 8-29-2010

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Strawberry Point, Iowa

2nd Vote Failed: 9-12-2010

St. Olaf Lutheran Church

Belmond, Iowa
First Vote Failed: 10-10-10

First Lutheran Church

Northwood, Iowa
First Vote Failed: 10-24-10

St. Paul Lutheran Church

Monona, Iowa
2nd Vote Failed: 11-7-10

St. Paul Lutheran Church

Williams, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 11-7-10
Left ELCA

Salem Lutheran Church

Roland, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 11-28-10
Left ELCA

Elim Lutheran Church

Randall, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 1-23-11
Left ELCA

Bethel Lutheran Church

Story City, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 1-23-11
Left ELCA

Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church

Waterville, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 2-6-11
Left ELCA

Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church

Waukon, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 2-6-11
Left ELCA

St. John Lutheran Church (Western Douglas)

Plainfield, Iowa
2nd Vote Passed: 1-9-11
Left ELCA