Thursday, June 21, 2012

WELS and LCMS - Purpose Driven and All That Stuff


This old post is popular again, maybe because Crown of Life Corona just got a wad of offering money for channeling Leonard Sweet and these other kooks.

Rick Warren and Ed Stetzer -

Where have you gone, Babtist Ed Stetzer,
Wisconsin turns its lonely eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo)
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson
Paul Calvin Kelm has left and gone away
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey).

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Find Your Local Purpose-Driven WELS Church":

FYI, The WELS has an approved, paid for the rights, rewrite of The Purpose Driven Life along with edited study materials for the 40 Days of Purpose small group study, and even "replacement" videos to substitute a more WELS based message in place of Rick Warren. I'm sure you won't be impressed that it was all produced by St. Paul's, Muskego. However these materials were used by other Milwaukee Area WELS churches. Maybe NPH has them by now. I haven't looked. Just sayin'

Karl G.

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Expand the "Show advanced search options" bar and choose "Lutheran - Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod" (it's listed, so they are there). Put in zip code and select widest range.


Below are three WELS congregations and one LCMS parish.


Ascension Lutheran Church -- Plymouth, MN -- Pastor Bruce Janisch.
Shepherd of The Hills -- Pewaukee, WI -- LCMS
St. Paul's Lutheran Church -- Muskego, WI -- Peter Pan-denominational
Crown of Life Church  -- Corona, CA -- Rick Johnson, a Leonard Sweet-heart. Read about one Shrinker praising another Shrinker.
   
There's also a "Lutheran -- Unspecified" option. Could be many more in those lists... It would take someone familiar with each state to fish though all the names in the unspecified list... Here is a link to a zip code finder: http://maps.huge.info/zip.htm. When I briefly checked, I did not see the usual suspects, like The CORE, or St. Mark's DePere, but I was only looking at the "Lutheran - Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod" option -- they could have listed themselves as lutheran unspecified, or simply not specified "Lutheran" at all -- which is more than likely IMHO if they are going that direction anyway.  Also, I believe that Brothers of John the Steadfast are compiling a list of LCMS Willow Creek and Purpose Driven churches...

Purpose-Driven Church Finder.

Willow Crick Association Church Finder

Supposedly Al Barry and Paul McCain were against CG, but St. John in Ellisville was a member of the Willow Creek Association and probably still is.

Does it require seminary graduation to determine that membership in a Lutheran denomination and another denomination--like Willow Crick or Saddlesore--is rank unionism?

WELS laity - use the church finders to locate dual membership congregations in your region. Post comments here and I will compile a list.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Find Your Local Purpose-Driven WELS Church":

Porpoise Drivel Churches:
The advanced search function isn't working at this point.

A ZIP code search starting with "54" covering most of northern Wisconsin turned up only this one below. Note the date of their campaign.

Central Lutheran  Chippewa Falls WI 450 40 Days of Community: February 2006 40 DOC. Someone said WELS, but there is no clear identification. Another said LCMS.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Find Your Local Purpose-Driven WELS Church":

In my search I didn't find any WELS, but many LCMS congregations:

Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Lutheran (Missouri Synod) Altoona WI

St Matthew Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Lutheran (Missouri Synod) Eau Claire WI

Mount Olive Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Lutheran (Missouri Synod)
http://www.mtoliveweston.org
Weston WI

Trinity Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Lutheran (Missouri Synod)Wausau WI

St. Mark's Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Lutheran (Missouri Synod)Wausau WI

St Paul Lutheran
Lutheran - Lutheran (Missouri Synod)Madison WI

Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Lutheran (Missouri Synod) Sun Prairie WI

Christ Memorial Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Lutheran (Missouri Synod)Madison WI

Trinity Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Unspecified/other
Merrill WI
(Trinity doesn’t list their affiliation here or on their website. Their pastors/lay minister are all LCMS trained.)

St John Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Lutheran (Missouri Synod) Merrill WI

St Lukes Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Unspecified/other
Wisconsin Rapids WI
(Again, hard to find a synodical affiliation, but LCMS trained people and links.)

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Find Your Local Purpose-Driven WELS Church":

Some more search results:

St. Paul's Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
http://www.stpaulmuskego.org/
Muskego WI

Shepherd of The Hills
Lutheran - Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Pewaukee WI
(Shepherd of the Hills is LCMS)

Ascension Lutheran Church
Lutheran - Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
http://www.ascensionlutheranchurch.org/site/default.asp?sec_id=1913
Plymouth MN

Crosswalk Church
Lutheran - Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Phoenix AZ
Not really WELS. Their own district rejected them, but Pastor Jeff is on the WELS roster. Wisconsin Lutheran College got its prez from CW, plus two board members, including Gunn. WELS is really disciplining that church!

Shepherd of The Hills
Lutheran - Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Fountain Hills AZ
(Shepherd of the Hills is ELCA)

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Anonymous Shrinker has left a new comment on your post "Find Your Local Purpose-Driven WELS Church":

You guys are ALL Losers. Get a life.


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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Find Your Local Purpose-Driven WELS Church":

2 more WELS congregations that have done a 40 Days of Purpose series are Good Shepherd Lutheran in Lake Benton, MN and St John Ev Lutheran in Pipestone, MN.