 |
| "Missions." |
Two WELS churches in the WI-IL border area are
seriously considering closing, all thanks to WELS missions placing
mission starts nearby. Those churches are Good Shepherd in Beloit, 3.5
miles north of the border, and Hope in Belividere, 17 miles south of the
border. The pastors of those congregations complained to WELS missions
that their vicinity could only support a sole congregation, and now
after a decade or more of decline, their assertions are being proved
right.
WELS churches in small cities draw their congregation from the city and the whole surrounding rural area. Thus, when WELS missions plants a mission start five miles away, usually on the main highway corridor where the news housing developments and new jobs are, it siphons off a good share of the WELS members in the area, and most of the new would-be WELS members coming into the area. The established church was viable with the members it had, but quickly becomes inviable when its membership is halved or better within a decade, and the loyal members age and become homebound or die off . (Not so many WELS members retire to Florida or Arizona anymore like they used to, BTW) A church that's mostly empty during services hurt morale and church spirit--or dare I say, enthusiasm.
Most cities will only support one WELS church, and as soon as two WELS churches are within ten miles of each other, one starts to go down hill, if not both of them. Since WELS members will travel up to forty miles to wherever the church is, it is not important that it be on the interstate or on an arterial highway. However, WELS missions seems to think that if they plant a church on the interstate, it will grow by bringing in new members rather than just dividing up the existing WELS members. This assumption is debunked by the fact that the WELS has had around 300,000 members since the 1950s, yet it now has maybe three times as many churches thanks to missions. Hence, the average church has three times fewer members than it did in the 1950s. The churches in the 1950s were strong and vital, but now many WELS churches are barely viable.
Any established WELS church in a city proper is vulnerable to being undercut by WELS missions, since some WELS members will band together and convince WELS missions that a church is needed near the main highway or interstate, often not more than five miles away from the established church. Missions ought to just ask them why they won't drive five miles to the nearest church rather than shower them with money.
Once a mission plant goes in, the duel with the established church begins. Both churches know in their heart of hearts that their town or city is not big enough for the two of them. On one side the mission plant has their decade-long synod subsidy to count on, enthusiasm that comes with being a new church with a new building, and WELS will send Kingdom Workers (mostly WELS students) to canvass the neighborhoods. They also mail out lots of fliers. The old church's main advantage is its having its mortgage being paid off long ago.
Often enough, synod missions can somehow cajole the mission pastor into evangelizing, but the established church in town finds that their pastor will always major in the minors, and find other things to occupy his time. When the board finally puts the pressure on him to evangelize, the established church finds that their pastor is worse than a hireling in that he's also a free agent (a la baseball), and takes a call elsewhere. He'll repeatedly use the free agent option until retirement. But while they wait around for that next call, which sometimes tarries, some WELS pastors under pressure to evangelize find the task of evangelism so unpleasant, their whole disposition sours, and they may turn to drink, or more drink, as the case may be.
When the South Beloit mission did arive in the late 1990s, then current pastor at Beloit, Rev. James Adomeit, wrote a letter to synod missions saying that the mission start should have been a few miles further south, in Rockton or Roscoe, since Good Shepherd was only 3 miles removed from S Beloit, and Roscoe and Rockton are still a dozen miles from Peace in Loves Park, IL. The area is definitely not WELS-dom, and not even LCMS-dom. Why doesn't WELS missions plague, say, Janesville or some other city, with a mission start?
WELS churches in small cities draw their congregation from the city and the whole surrounding rural area. Thus, when WELS missions plants a mission start five miles away, usually on the main highway corridor where the news housing developments and new jobs are, it siphons off a good share of the WELS members in the area, and most of the new would-be WELS members coming into the area. The established church was viable with the members it had, but quickly becomes inviable when its membership is halved or better within a decade, and the loyal members age and become homebound or die off . (Not so many WELS members retire to Florida or Arizona anymore like they used to, BTW) A church that's mostly empty during services hurt morale and church spirit--or dare I say, enthusiasm.
Most cities will only support one WELS church, and as soon as two WELS churches are within ten miles of each other, one starts to go down hill, if not both of them. Since WELS members will travel up to forty miles to wherever the church is, it is not important that it be on the interstate or on an arterial highway. However, WELS missions seems to think that if they plant a church on the interstate, it will grow by bringing in new members rather than just dividing up the existing WELS members. This assumption is debunked by the fact that the WELS has had around 300,000 members since the 1950s, yet it now has maybe three times as many churches thanks to missions. Hence, the average church has three times fewer members than it did in the 1950s. The churches in the 1950s were strong and vital, but now many WELS churches are barely viable.
Any established WELS church in a city proper is vulnerable to being undercut by WELS missions, since some WELS members will band together and convince WELS missions that a church is needed near the main highway or interstate, often not more than five miles away from the established church. Missions ought to just ask them why they won't drive five miles to the nearest church rather than shower them with money.
Once a mission plant goes in, the duel with the established church begins. Both churches know in their heart of hearts that their town or city is not big enough for the two of them. On one side the mission plant has their decade-long synod subsidy to count on, enthusiasm that comes with being a new church with a new building, and WELS will send Kingdom Workers (mostly WELS students) to canvass the neighborhoods. They also mail out lots of fliers. The old church's main advantage is its having its mortgage being paid off long ago.
Often enough, synod missions can somehow cajole the mission pastor into evangelizing, but the established church in town finds that their pastor will always major in the minors, and find other things to occupy his time. When the board finally puts the pressure on him to evangelize, the established church finds that their pastor is worse than a hireling in that he's also a free agent (a la baseball), and takes a call elsewhere. He'll repeatedly use the free agent option until retirement. But while they wait around for that next call, which sometimes tarries, some WELS pastors under pressure to evangelize find the task of evangelism so unpleasant, their whole disposition sours, and they may turn to drink, or more drink, as the case may be.
When the South Beloit mission did arive in the late 1990s, then current pastor at Beloit, Rev. James Adomeit, wrote a letter to synod missions saying that the mission start should have been a few miles further south, in Rockton or Roscoe, since Good Shepherd was only 3 miles removed from S Beloit, and Roscoe and Rockton are still a dozen miles from Peace in Loves Park, IL. The area is definitely not WELS-dom, and not even LCMS-dom. Why doesn't WELS missions plague, say, Janesville or some other city, with a mission start?
