Saturday, March 23, 2013

The New York Times Has a Message for Synodical Property Thieves.


The Lutheran synods have a habit of loaning money to congregations so that each parish pays for its own church and parsonage, charging interest - sometimes quite a bit for the times.

When the synod wants to grab the property and the equity built up by the members, they have all kinds of tricks to use, such as denying them a pastor or starting the church over with a new name (like Glende's Star of Bethlehem in Illinois).

Pastor Kevin Hastings thinks that the two men who seized St. John Lutheran Church in Milwaukee (without a voters meeting, without notice, but with WELS support) will not have services during Holy Week.

I am not so sure. Since the two men are the dictators of the congregation for the moment, they can invite anyone they want to preach.

ELCA pastors are ready to serve you.