Remember This When the Next List of Expert Speakers Comes Out at Martin Luther College

AC V has left a new comment on your post "Melancholy News from Latte Church":

Other reasons don't all carry the same weight, but contribute to the same conclusion:

Worship attendance has been steadily declining since we began five years ago, and for the past six months has been about 25. In our vision five years ago we anticipated a flourishing congregation of over 100 people by now.

http://www.st-andrew-online.org/ViewArticle.aspx?id=436

Or: God will not be mocked.

Like Whac-a-Mole, unfortunately Latte Lutheran will pop up someplace else in WELS.

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Ministry change

March 14, 2012

At their February 28 meeting, the St. Andrew Planning Council decided to end our ministry through our Waunakee location. Despite five years of hard work, we are not reaching more people with the gospel of Jesus or bringing new people into our family of faith.  

Other reasons don't all carry the same weight, but contribute to the same conclusion:

• Worship attendance has been steadily declining since we began five years ago, and for the past six months has been about 25. In our vision five years ago we anticipated a flourishing congregation of over 100 people by now.
• We are not reaching new people in the community.
• Our called workers devote significant energy to this work. This is not a bad thing, but if it's not bearing fruit, it's not the best use of those resources.
• Our volunteers are being spreading thin (music, AV techs, hospitality, etc.).
• Ministry teams and team leaders are also spread thin between the two sites.
• We will be able to focus our God-given resources (both people and capital) toward other ministries.

We have learned from our Waunakee experience should we ever pursue another satellite ministry. A few lessons learned include: call a pastor dedicated only to the satellite ministry to spend a year or two developing the ministry through small groups in homes; find a facility that is more visible; develop a family and children's ministry along with a worship ministry from day one; separate the distance between the sites, and more. 

We are grateful for the hard work of so many willing followers of Christ. We pursued a ministry opportunity for five years with strength and dedication. Many people worked very hard from the beginning until now. The Spirit blessed those who served and those who were served. 

Services will be suspended in Waunakee following the Easter Sunday service. 

The Planning Council will propose in the 2012 –2013 Annual Plan for Ministry that the property be sold and those resources used elsewhere for our ministry. We will work with the Food Pantry to help them through this transition and keep them informed of the process.

Could we have tried other strategies and done more? Of course, but that's true of all endeavors. It was a difficult decision -- agonized over and prayed over-- but one which the Lord of the Church led the leaders he put in place here to make. 

Please feel free to contact members of our Executive Team, Pastor Schafer or Pastor Hunter if you wish to discuss this further.  They would be happy to listen to your thoughts and speak with you about this. 

Orv Jordahl, President, ojordahl@gmail.com
Todd Weston, Vice-President, tkhmweston@hotmail.com
Brad Hougaard, Secretary, hougaard@charter.net
Mark Solvrud, Treasurer, mlsolverud@nglic.com
Pastor Hunter, randy.hunter@st-andrew-online.org, (608) 831-8540
Pastor Schafer, newlin.schafter@st-andrew-online.org, (608) 831-8540

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LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "Remember This When the Next List of Expert Speaker...":

What a pathetic lament. I remember the day when a WELS pastor would open the doors and turn on the lights for 2 or 3 for a Monday Vespers because they could not make it on Sundays. Even the Lord would have not destroyed S&G for the sake of 10 righteous. All I see in this article is how MEN tried to make this ministry work. Strategy this, develop that, market this, better location blah, blah, blah. When are these guys gonna realize what the success and true marks of the church are? It sounds like a failed business venture for crying out loud.

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Remember This When the Next List of Expert Speaker...":

Will FiCL do a follow-up story on Latte Lutheran on how it FAILED! By their own admission:

1) We are not reaching new people in the community. I thought that was the whole point of this radical non-Lutheran approach to worship/outreach! I thought they had done their research and found out that they fill a niche that no one else was filling. Didn't they find that the community was just bursting at the seams with de-churched people who were turned off by traditional church?

2) Our called workers devote significant energy to this work. This is not a bad thing, but if it's not bearing fruit, it's not the best use of those resources. Is the message here: "bottom line is the bottom line?"

3) Our volunteers are being spreading (sic) thin (music, AV techs, hospitality, etc.). Ministry teams and team leaders are also spread thin between the two sites. An organist and preacher would be enough for 25 people I would think. That's the inherent pitfall of this philosophy of ministry: it is a black hole that sucks the life out of your parish resources, i.e. money and manpower.

4) We will be able to focus our God-given resources (both people and capital) toward other ministries. Simply re-arranging the chairs on the Titanic.





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Adolph Hoenecke has left a new comment on your post "Remember This When the Next List of Expert Speaker...":

Must suppress unholy glee! Must suppress unholy glee!

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GJ - Suppression efforts - epic fail.