Nobody does missions like Tim Glende. His first call was successful without him. He had Bethlehem Lutheran re-started as Star of Bethlehem so he could spend money swapping a paid-for building with a mortgaged building with a coffee bar.
The mortgaged building has been re-poed by the WELS Mission Board, the same jolly folks who gave Glende's church a big wad of cash to buy a bankrupt bar - and loaned them money to fumigate the place.
When the mission board forecloses the mortgage and grabs the property, they get to keep all the equity created by years of giving from the members. They thought they were paying for a church where they could worship. Wrong! They were feathering the nest of the Mission Board execs.
The Eastern Orthodox bought the church Glende did not want - and it is going so well they want to buy his Star of Bethlehem disaster.
The District Mission Board controls a lot of the money and the decisions made in each region. Kudu Don Patterson can teach Glende how to use political clout to make a rich congregation so po it needs mission support for a free pastor. The senior pastor can gallop around the country being a big shot while the free pastor does the work.
Plus - Glende can teach mission pastors how to commercialize their congregations. They can make money with paper drives, Wings for Jesus, golf tournaments, and many more whiz-bang ideas borrowed from carnivals and used care salesmen.
