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| E12 is another gimmick, not exactly secret. |
Get this! A friend of mine was put on this email list by pure chance. He
belongs to a conservative WELS church which is fighting against the systemic rot
within the WELS. Notice that the WELS only sends some information to some people. (I highlighted the text to which
I'm referring.) Am I too cynical to suggest that whoever sends these emails is
selectively sending the more Enthusiastic transmissions to the more Enthusiastic
churches??? NO! I am being realistic. The WELS continues to play Stalin-type
games with their information--a key reason why the overwhelmingly
conservative-leaning laity are continually losing ground in the fight against
pentacostal-baptistalicious-happy-clappy-hipster-dufus-good-times-rock 'n roll
Theology.
But do not worry. The power of the Spirit in the Word is greater than the
machinations of the WELsian idiots who are Enthusiastic. The Truth will
continue on. The real challenge for the Orthodox WELS congregations lies in the
necessity to leave the WELS should it become too goofy. It is rapidly becoming
too goofy.
(Don't transmit my name or moniker in any way: My employer
prohibits me from participating in WEB 2.0. My job has nothing to do with
theology but regardless they don't want me posting
anywhere...)
----- Forwarded Message -----
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 10:38
PM
Subject: Fw: E12 Program--
For Ichabod- note how not everyone gets everything they are sending- I told them
I would be the graphics guy- ha!
----- Original
Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 4:58 PM
Subject: E12 Program
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Welcome to E12
Grace and peace to
you, my Christian friends.
If you are receiving this, then you have been
registered to participate in E12, a worship-outreach-leadership program that
focuses on Easter Sunday 2012.
E12 is offered by the WELS Commission for
Congregational Counseling (CCC). The stated purpose of the CCC is “to assist
WELS congregations to assess and evaluate ministry, review biblical teachings
and principles that impact ministry, develop plans to adjust and expand ministry
in appropriate ways, and carry out their plans over a period of time.” The E12
program is designed to do just that.
- …assist WELS congregations to assess and
evaluate ministry…– E12 will help congregations look at the way they are
approaching two key areas of ministry: worship and outreach. These two
important tasks are different, yet are united in that both proclaim the promise
of God’s grace in Christ Jesus.
- …review biblical teachings and principles
that impact ministry... – The E12 program will include articles and studies
drawn from both God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions for both personal and
group study.
- … develop plans to adjust and
expand ministry in appropriate ways… – E12 will provide a variety of resources
and ideas which can be used to enhance your worship and outreach efforts. E12
will also provide leadership training in these areas in order to better equip
the saints for Kingdom work.
- … carry out their plans over a period of
time… - E12 will run for four months providing ongoing encouragement and
resources, with the focal point being Easter Sunday 2012. It will also provide
modules to help churches to plan and duplicate their E12 efforts on their own in
future years.
At the
time of this writing, there are individuals from close to 500 congregations
receiving E12 materials. There are over 2600 registered e-mail recipients:
pastors, teachers, lay-leaders, etc. If you know of an individual or
congregation that would like to register for E12, they may still do so by
sending an e-mail to welseaster12@gmail.comor by going to www.easter12.com.
Please
note, in the coming weeks, not everyone will receive every e-mailing. So do
not be alarmed if someone says they received something, but you did not.
Materials for worship planners will go only to them, outreach materials to
outreach personnel, etc. Pastors and church presidents will be copied on
everything. Thus, E12 is meant to illustrate how various areas of
ministry can cooperate and coordinate with each other, all in service of the
Gospel. People with varied gifts and different responsibilities will be
working toward one common goal – to proclaim the risen Lord boldly. Every
member of the congregation will have something to do (at the very least, pray)
in these efforts. We make these efforts, not because Christ needs them. We
make them, because Christ privileges and empowers us to do so. It is an honor
to be fellow workers with Christ and with one another in this great
mission.
It is also an honor to serve you, Christian friends. We on
the CCC pray that through this program, Christ would bless you in all your
Easter efforts.
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AC V has left
a new comment on your post "Under
the Radar a Bit, But Not Completely Stealth....":
WAY
too formulaic and Church Growth Method speak, i.e. "Do this = get that." If "Do
this = get that" does not work for you, YOU are the problem.
4 comments:
In my opinion, E12 is a the (W)ELS COP's gateway drug into full blown New Age Emergent CGM use. It will be immediately addicting as it scratches the "I don't want to be a barrier to the Word" itch. An itch planted by the unfaithful in the Synod.
"The bottom line is if you don’t have worship or outreach leaders, that’s ok. Provide names of potential leaders, and E12 will begin to train them."
Q: Will you be promoting any specific “style” of worship? Traditional? Contemporary?
A: There will be many options within the liturgical framework for congregations to choose. For example, congregations may choose to use the version of Psalm 118 found on page 108 in Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, with organ and brass accompaniment. However, other versions of Psalm 118 will be suggested as well, to be sung to piano, guitar, etc.
https://connect.wels.net/AOM/ps/ccc/General%20Documents/E12/e12%20-%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions.pdf
"Rev. Jonathan Hein, CCC chairman and pastor at Beautiful Savior, Summerville, S.C., says that while the program contains worship and outreach components, other major goals are to provide leadership training as well as to model a planning process that will help congregations conduct future outreach events. “Our goal is not only to give samples of what you can do but then also to help congregations do it again in the future,” he says."
"Programs like E12 fit in well with the CCC’s mission: to provide short-term assessment and advice to congregations seeking to find ways to improve their ministry. “People are going to see a lot of things like E12 from the CCC—real practical, nuts-and-bolts information that will immediately make an impact in your congregation,” says Hein.
Formed in 2010 by the Conference of Presidents, the CCC is one of seven commissions in the Congregation and Ministry Support Group. It currently has no director but is run by a group of six pastors."
ELS is participating also.
http://www.evangelicallutheransynod.org/synod-office/news/news/jan12
For a list of Who's Who in the (W)ELS Institute for Worship and Outreach:
http://worshipandoutreach.org/category/institute-role/member
Note how their About page answers the question, "Is the Divine Service meant to feed Christ's sheep with His Word and Sacraments or is it an Evangelism tool for reaching the lost and gaining new members?"
"The Institute for Worship and Outreach is a group of WELS pastors who have become convinced, on the basis of study and ministry experiences, that worship forms and outreach methods can and must intersect confessionally and evangelically in efforts to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. With this perspective, they have come together to assist and encourage pastors as they strive for excellence in public worship and mission outreach.”
“2.While personal, educational, social, and service-oriented outreach efforts can and do attract people to our churches and its message, it remains a truism that most seekers will measure our churches and receive first contact with our proclamation of the gospel in public worship.”
Cont...
Cont...
3.Many people in our neighborhoods and communities are searching for the truth about life with God and are more interested in our message than in the customs that surround it. Many others, however, approach our church looking to fulfill personal needs that the gospel may not address. Every pastor struggles to minister to these people on their terms so that the Spirit may have an opportunity through the means of grace to touch their hearts and lead them to desire more of the message of Jesus.”
4.Since public worship invariably includes music and the arts, pastors without experience or skill in these areas feel the challenges more acutely, and not every pastor is able to rely on skilled church musicians to assist in this ministry. The worship inadequacies he may sense as he serves his own members are exacerbated when worship becomes a critical component in an outreach strategy.
6. The Spirit grows the Church through the means of grace, but every pastor searches for ways and means to invite and attract people to his church so the gospel might be heard and the sacraments administered.
Oversight
The Institute is to be considered an arm of the Conference of Presidents and receives funding with the advice and consent of that body.
http://worshipandoutreach.org/about
The writing style sounds hauntingly familiar. I always knew the Yahoo C&C listserv would come back in another form.
WAY too formulaic and Church Growth Method speak, i.e. "Do this = get that." If "Do this = get that" does not work for you, YOU are the problem.
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