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| WELS Martin Luther College faculty are hotter than Georgia asphalt for UOJ and Church Growth. Larry Olson, on the far left, teaches on the strength of a drive-by DMin from Fuller Seminary. Is this a $72,000 degree? |
One long-time observer of WELS behavior has noticed that the synod exists to line the pockets of a few.
The ones who benefit from this system have a series of overlapping businesses that draw from the loyalty of the synod while making money from the synod.
One way they make money is by manning the boards and delivering grants to their buddies. Church and Change began with synod offering money, got their buddies into the juicy jobs at The Love Shack, and those people steered even more money their way.
The Planned Giving Counselors (estate grabbers) are licensed insurance salesmen who make commissions from their sales. Thrivent "sponsors" them. Is that funny?
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| Jeff Davis was on the Church and Change board, rubbing elbows with Bruce Becker (WELS Perish Services) and running his money-raising business with the late Ron Roth, CG Founder. |
The WELS consultants charge huge fees to steer congregations into using Cornerstone, a WELS-LCMS business that charges commissions to raise money for costly building projects recommended by their fellow consultants.
WELS also has "education consultants" who charge huge fees, quite a racket.
The overlapping boards make sure that every synod entity is dominated by Church and Changers, who also end up on foundation committees as well. How convenient. WELS Kingdom Workers has millions to spend. Where does it go? Who decides?
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| Mark Jeske's question proves he left the Lutheran Church a long time ago. |
Mark Jeske has his Time of Grace tentacles in everything, because he is the man behind Church and Change, the big cahoona on the Thrivent board.
Supposedly WELS Lutherans for Life was started to keep the pure away from the taint of the Missouri Synod. But now it is generic Christian Life Resources, using WELS as a base to make money from all denominations - preferring 50's and 100's, of course.
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| Lutherans for High Lifestyle CEO spins gold at his non-profit organization. |
When I was leaving the LCA, I pointed out that the entire organization was budgeted and programmed for failure. One of the pastors turned to a district staffmember and asked, "Is that true?" The staffer, who was in business all his life, said, "Yes, that is true."
WELS is in the exact same position. While the Church and Changers are looting the congregations to feather their nests, the whole apparatus is burning down. Considering the extraordinary level of abuse in the synod, that is good. More than one pastor will say so, too - but not in print.
Meanwhile, many will suffer from the incompetent doctrinal and moral leadership of the synod.
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| The Frog in the Kettle book argues that congregations and synods can be changed slowly - boil the frog before he notices the difference. WELS-LCMS-ELS members are cooked instead of being boiling mad. |
KJV 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
KJV 1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Burning Down the Sect":
A friend of mine who has retired from OHSA once told me about the Interlocking Directorates Handbook.
A good description of it is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlocking_directorate
Since WELS is such a tiny sect, and the other players are small in number and tightly knit, postings here on Ichabod are usually sufficient to expose this network.
In the Austrian School of Economics, this can also be called the "Rothbardian Analysis", so named after Murray Rothbard. Old Murray had a way of finding out how unsavory characters were connected to each other and exposed it in his writings.
I would affectionately call the vetting process here on this blog the "Ichabodian Analysis".
