ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Called Into Ministry - Mary Albing -
No Longer the Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name
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| She taught two years at Luther Seminary. Electing her as bishop could be as divisive as the Robinson election in the Episcopal Church. |
Called Into Ministry - Mary Albing - ISBN 1-886513-94-5:
http://www.exposingtheelca.com/1/post/2012/01/first-homosexual-elca-bishop.html
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GJ - One website that features her story also links Party in the MLC.
The link should say - The first open homosexual bishop.
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Minneapolis Area Synod moves up assembly to elect new bishop
GATHERING SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 17-18 AT SHEPHERD OF THE LAKES IN PRIOR LAKE
The largest synod within the nation’s largest Lutheran church family is currently without an elected leader. The Rev. Craig Johnson, who has served as bishop for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA)Minneapolis Area Synod, resigned two-thirds of the way through his second six-year term. He’s currently serving as lead pastor at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, south Minneapolis, following the recent death of the Rev. Paul Youngdahl.
That leaves the Minneapolis Area Synod in an awkward situation. With two years remaining in Johnson’s unexpired term, and no regular synod assembly scheduled before next April, the synod council has taken some unusual steps. They appointed the Rev. Glenn Nycklemoe, retired following service as bishop of the ELCA’s Southeastern Minnesota Synod, to fill in as interim.
They also decided not to wait until April to find Johnson’s replacement. They moved up the date of the 2012 synod assembly by two months and appointed a seven-person Bishop Election Committee to enable the process of selecting Johnson’s successor.
According to Kari Christianson, chair of the Bishop Election Committee, the February synod assembly will not be billed as an “extraordinary” session, but rather “an ordinary assembly scheduled a couple months early.”
A variety of voting options
Since its inception in 1988, the 65 geographical synods within the ELCA have used one of three methods for selection of a bishop. An ecclesiastical ballot, the least restrictive method, throws the process wide open. Any willing pastor on the ELCA clergy roster can be nominated. This has sometimes created very long initial ballots, occasionally including more than 100 names.
At a November 20 conference meeting, Minneapolis Area Synod Central Conference Dean, the Rev. Mary Halvorson (left), helps attendees select three nominees for the synod bishop election.
A closed system has been favored by some synods. Candidates are nominated at conference meetings and none may be added. In this process, everybody knows who all the candidates are before the synod assembly convenes.
In recent years Minneapolis Area Synod has adopted a hybrid system. (Christianson calls it a “modified ecclesiastical” alternative.) The 11 synod conferences meet in assembly sessions and each picks its top three favorites. These names (potentially 33 candidates if there are no overlapping nominations) are forwarded to the Bishop Election Committee. At the synod assembly more nominations may be offered from the floor.
That is the system that was begun November 20, when all 11 conferences were convened simultaneously at Christ Lutheran Church in Blaine. According to Christianson, “We didn’t see any favorites emerge. The names were all over the place. This means we’re going to have a very interesting first ballot in February.” (See “2012 MAS bishop nominees,” right.)
How it will work this time
The process at the assembly is outlined by the synod constitution. A “nominating ballot” will include all the names suggested in the “final-three” process used by the conference assemblies, along with all candidates nominated at the synod assembly. Potentially, this could be a very long list of names. The nominating ballot is not an electing ballot.
The following ballot, technically called the “first ballot,” requiring a ¾ majority for election, includes all the individuals identified on the nominating ballot, minus those who have withdrawn their names (or have been found, for some reason, to be ineligible).
When there is no incumbent, as will be the case in February, the likelihood that an election will take place on the first ballot is slim.
The second ballot, if needed, will list the top seven vote-getters from ballot #1, plus ties. Again, ¾ of all ballots cast is required for election.
On the third ballot, the top five names will appear. This time, 2/3 will be needed for election. If a fourth ballot is needed, the top three names will appear. Again, 2/3 is needed for election.
The fifth ballot will reduce the candidate list to two. A simple majority will elect.
Why were the names identified at the November conference assemblies being kept secret? According to Christianson, “It’s because the committee needed time to contact all these individuals, determine whether they’re willing to have their names included on the ballot, and secure background checks on all the candidates.”
The background check is a requirement stipulated by the ELCA. It’s similar to the due diligence a call committee is expected to perform when selecting potential candidates to serve a local congregation.
The Minneapolis Area Synod Assembly meets February 17-18 at Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Prior Lake. Christianson added, “Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson will be present to supervise the election process. We’re honored to have him at our assembly this time.”
As it turns out, the ELCA’s presiding bishop has been present every time the Minneapolis Area Synod has elected a bishop for an initial term. Dr. Herbert Chilstrom was present when the Rev. David Olson was elected in 1987. In 2001, when Johnson was first elected, Dr. H. George Anderson was on hand.
2012 MAS bishop nominees
Eighteen of the 24 pastors nominated for the office of bishop at the November 20 Minneapolis Area Synod conference assemblies have agreed to have their names put forward. Those individuals are:
* Rev. Mary Albing
* Rev. Nancy Nord Bence
* Rev. Thomas Carlson
* Rev. Kelly Chatman
* Rev. Vern Christopherson
* Rev. Stephen Ganzkow-Wold
* Rev. Karen Geisendorfer-Lindgren
* Rev. Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren
* Rev. David Lechelt
* Rev. Hans Lee
* Rev. Christopher Nelson
* Rev. Durk Peterson
* Rev. Wayne Peterson
* Rev. Erik Strand
* Rev. Ann Svennungsen
* Rev. Susan Tjornehoj
* Rev. Gerald Wahl
* Rev. Christine Wenzel
Spiritual Growth: Discipleship tool & strategy for Churches | Monvee
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| No, nothing this simple and modest. Why trust the Means of Grace when they have this all worked out to "grow people." |
Spiritual Growth: Discipleship tool & strategy for Churches | Monvee: "Monvee Church Subscription
$199 per month or $2,000 per year
Special pricing for churches under 500.
Includes:
Aggregate reporting for church leaders to regularly see valuable, never seen before data about your congregation. Look at the ways people connect with God and view a breakdown of their key personality traits, learning styles, and primary “put offs” (among other reports).
The ability to upload resources, practices, groups, and serving opportunities that are specific to your church.
Church Leader Starter Kit explaining step-by-step how to customize and roll-out Monvee
Monvee team member, “Crew M Partner”, will be assigned to your church to help with implementation.
Unlimited amount of Discovery Kits for your entire church to help give everyone a taste of Monvee at no cost. Discovery Kits: the Discovery Tool (online assessment) and Discovery Summaries (the results)."
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GJ - I ran into this in a post about a big LCMS congregation in Texas. They are deep into Contagious Church and other Hybelesque baloney. This is exactly what Appletonians are pursuing, whether they use this budget-busting program or not.
The Executive Director -
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Position Eliminated a Long Time Ago.
An Iowa Diary Farm?
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| Stan Olson is now the president of Wartburg Seminary, one of two seminaries established by Loehe. Name the other seminary. |
The Executive Director - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
Pastor Stan Olson has served since November 2005 as executive director for the Vocation and Education Unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
From 2002 to 2005, Olson was executive director for the Division for Ministry of the ELCA. Previously, from 1994 to 2002 he served as the bishop of the ELCA’s Southwestern Minnesota Synod. Olson was senior pastor of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota, 1987-1994, and associate pastor of First Lutheran Church in Duluth, Minnesota, 1976-1983. In the years between those two parish calls, he was a professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Olson was raised on an Iowa diary (sic!) farm. He is a graduate of two ELCA colleges (Waldorf and St. Olaf) and of Luther Seminary. He holds a doctorate from Yale University where he wrote a dissertation on the rhetorical uses of hope and confidence in New Testament and other ancient letters. He is the author of many articles and of Christian education resources for children, youth and adults.
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GJ - This is not linked directly on the ELCA website, but still exists on the Net. This shows what can be done with a Google search. I figure the webmaster redesigned the website once 45 staff were eliminated, but kept the old files in place.
Icha-searches on the Web are a feared weapon in the fight against apostasy.
David R. Barnhart: REVISED LIST OF CONGREGATIONS VOTING TO LEAVE THE ELCA SINCE AUGUST 2009
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| Kate and I just want to say, "Goodbye and good riddance!" |
David R. Barnhart: REVISED LIST OF CONGREGATIONS VOTING TO LEAVE THE ELCA SINCE AUGUST 2009:
We recently made extensive revisions to this list. As of January 1, 2012 we show 613 congregations that have successfully taken the required two votes to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Another 32 congregations have successfully taken one sucessful vote to date. The total members lost to the ELCA from these congregations stands at 313,191.
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North Texas Free Conference 2012.
Will Rolf Preus Express Agreement with His Father's Clear Statements?
"North Texas Free Conference 2012
"Is Justification Still the Issue?"
Friday - Saturday... January 27-28, 2012
Is Justification Still the Issue? What is the greatest threat to the church today? Is it the disintegration of the family? Is it the helter-skelter of the Church’s liturgy? Two devout Lutheran theologians will present the case that justification is the article “on which the Church stands or falls.”
Speakers
Rev. Rolf D. Preus is pastor of First American Lutheran Church in Mayville, ND, Grace Lutheran Church in Crookston, MN, and First Evanger Lutheran Church in Fertile, MN. He has an STM degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, where he wrote his thesis on the doctrine of justification."
'via Blog this'
"Is Justification Still the Issue?"
Friday - Saturday... January 27-28, 2012
Is Justification Still the Issue? What is the greatest threat to the church today? Is it the disintegration of the family? Is it the helter-skelter of the Church’s liturgy? Two devout Lutheran theologians will present the case that justification is the article “on which the Church stands or falls.”
Speakers
Rev. Rolf D. Preus is pastor of First American Lutheran Church in Mayville, ND, Grace Lutheran Church in Crookston, MN, and First Evanger Lutheran Church in Fertile, MN. He has an STM degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, where he wrote his thesis on the doctrine of justification."
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