WELS Needs More Dough for Stealing Sheep from Its Established Congregations

SP Mark Schroeder - More CMO Owed for Sheep Stealing Missions

The Ministry Financial Plan (budget) adopted by the 2013 synod convention called for a four percent increase in Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO). The plan not only maintained current levels of our synod’s mission and ministry, but it also provided for careful expansion of several keys areas of our work.  Plans were to open 8-10 new home missions in each year of the biennium (compared to two to three in previous years), to expand efforts in Multi-Language Publications (to meet growing opportunities in our world mission fields), and to stabilize the financial health of our ministerial education schools.

CMO commitments were received from congregations in January, but instead of the planned four percent increase there was actually a slight decrease from the previous year. This resulted in a projected $1.2 million gap between what was planned and the available funding. In response, the Synodical Council began to identify reductions to mission and ministry support that would balance the plan. These reductions were shared with the synod’s congregations last spring.

Rather than simply making ministry and service reductions, the Conference of Presidents decided to place this issue before all of our congregations and ask if they would reconsider their CMO commitments for 2014 and adjust them upward. Information was shared with the district conventions, and circuit pastors were asked to visit personally each congregation and ask them to “revisit” their 2014 CMO subscription amounts.

While not all congregations have had a chance to address this issue (many will have voters’ meetings in July), we are happy to report that 831 congregations have responded. The total increase in CMO reported thus far is $430, 608.  Instead of changing their CMO commitment, a number of congregations held special offerings totaling more than $20,000. We thank God for this generous response from God’s people, and we thank all (district presidents, circuit pastors, pastors, and congregations) who worked to bring about this response.

At the end of July, the Synodical Council will take steps to make any necessary adjustments to the synod’s ministry plan. Thankfully, those adjustments will be much less extensive due to the response of our congregations and members.

Looking ahead to next year, this entire process has been a good reminder of how CMO continues to be the primary way in which we join together to support our common mission of proclaiming the gospel. We pray that as congregations begin to consider their CMO for next year they strive to do all they can to reflect their commitment to our work as a synod with continued joyful and generous offerings.

Serving in Christ, Donating Bars to Hard-Drinking Pastors

President Mark Schroeder

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Two-tenths of a mile

http://pollutedwels.blogspot.com/2014/07/two-tenths-of-mile.html

In the previous post, I pointed out how the WELS is using your mission offerings to steal sheep from sister congregations. One of the most egregious examples exists in downtown Appleton.

St. Paul in downtown Appleton is a beautiful, historic, faithful, Confessional WELS congregation. And yet, your mission dollars were spent to buy a stinky bar for the CORE, a sheep-stealing, church growth, contemporary worship "ministry", formerly led by an alcoholic pastor who sexually harassed his secretary.

By the way, this stinky bar is two-tenths of a mile away from St. Paul. Yeah, 0.2 miles away! Click here for the map.

Of course, walking takes longer that 1 minute,
and St. Paul does not have a beer and wine license.
The CORE is pure mission, folks!

As Innocent as Serpents, As Wise as Doves - WELS

Polluted WELS Comments

Joel Lillo said...

Matthew 10:16: [Jesus said to his disciples when sending them out to minister to the world,] “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

[GJ - Not finding "as innocent as doves" in the Fox Valley Circuit or the Anything Goes District, Joel.]

Polluted WELS Shows How the Sect Wastes "Mission" Dollars

Professional Sheep Stealers

http://pollutedwels.blogspot.com/2014/07/professional-sheep-stealers.html

Here's part of a longer comment we received:

So what happened at our church was this. The ones who wanted contemporary worship went off and formed their own church along with members from other local churches. Other congregations in the area were upset that this new church got synod funding and that it was taking some of their members away.

The WELS Board for Home Missions is a huge supporter of church growth (CG) methodology and contemporary worship (CW). They have several full-time "mission counselors" whose only job is to travel from mission to mission pressuring pastors to produce numbers and insisting that contemporary worship is the only way to reach the lost. 

But here's the thing. In many cases, home missions aren't designed to reach the lost, they're designed to steal sheep from other congregations that won't submit to CG and CW. That's why we have "missions" in places like Appleton, WI and Franklin, WI.

So, if you're an established congregation, you sometimes have only two choices. Capitulate to the vocal minority in your congregation who are clamoring for CW, or allow the WELS to plant a "mission" a few blocks away to steal your members.

You should also be aware that this is being funded primarily by congregational mission offerings (CMO). Part of every dollar that you give to the synod is being used to steal sheep.

Der Schwarz Schaf said...

I'm sure the "experts" on the synod's and district's Mission Boards don't see it that way at all. I've heard them say quite often over the past 40 years that the church body must have congregations that contribute to the funding of the synod and its programs. If churches don't "cut it" in this regard, they will be "cut," i.e. replaced. (The same is true of Pastors.) It's just a matter of economics, and, they would say, "good stewardship." Can't be "wasting" those CMOs, after all, that would be bad. And they will very smugly quote chapter and verse from the Bible to back them up. So, if you argue with them, you're arguing with God! Actually, this is nothing less than the spirit of antichrist.

July 15, 2014 at 12:48 PM

Vernon Knepprath said...

This will take a little effort, but there is a video at the Franklin, WI link that you may wish to watch if you need any further convincing of how much the concept of worship has changed in some WELS congregations. To view the video at the Franklin, WI link, select "About" on the home page of the website, then view the video located below the header "What should you expect when coming to Worship at Victory of the Lamb?" Everything about the video, and the comments directly above the video proclaim "Worship IS Entertainment".

One WELS leader describes this type of "practice" as being shrewd: " ... he’s being shrewd in dealing with his community’s unbelievers so he can gather an audience. In time he will unleash the power of the gospel for the salvation of everyone who believes ...".

A definition for "shrewd" is "Disposed to artful and cunning practices; tricky."

And so I think of Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4:14-15 (NKJV)
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

If one is going to treat worship as outreach, then does the Holy Spirit need the "help" that comes from "entertainment worship"? Of course not. God only asks that we preach the Gospel. The Holy Spirit takes care of the rest.

Here is one of the statements "about worship" found on that same page of the website:

"Casual Atmosphere – Reclining movie theater seats with cup holders. Need we say more?"

Sure. I recommend John 3:16. Sad to say, there wasn't a Bible verse to be found on this "about" web page, nor on the home page of the website.

July 15, 2014 at 1:54 PM

Joel Lillo said...

Matthew 10:16: [Jesus said to his disciples when sending them out to minister to the world,] “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

[GJ - Not finding "as innocent as doves" in the Fox Valley Circuit or the Anything Goes District, Joel.]

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WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT WHEN COMING TO WORSHIP AT VICTORY OF THE LAMB?

• Enjoy Hospitality – Goodies, coffee and all kinds of yummy stuff. All completely free… just like grace!
• Dress Comfortably – Wear clothes. Whether they’re in style… that’s up to you!
• Casual Atmosphere – Reclining movie theater seats with cup holders. Need we say more?
• Serious Faith – We take God very seriously, but try not to take ourselves too seriously.
• Modern Worship – Relevant messages, musical variety, helpful videos.
• Ancient Roots – Sacraments, Scripture, Jesus at the center… always.
• Brings the Kids – Bible Quest is a safe, fun kids’ ministry for all kids ages 18 months – 5^th grade. Otherwise feel free to bring them into church. We’ll have a live service feed in the lobby in case you feel they’re getting too rowdy.
• Relax – There are other people like you. We’re all just getting guidance for our lives and learning about how much God loves us.
• Truth – You want a doctor who’s going to be honest enough to help you, right? Don’t you want a church that will do the same?

WELS Abusive Initiation and GA - Now There Are Four Sources. WELS Rewarded the Gay Video Stars - All Received Jobs - One as the District President's Lackey

The linked article  on WELS abusive hazing and GA was copied with added commentary on Intrepid Lutherans.

Polluted WELS found the original link, which I forgot was still posted.

He linked it.

I copied the original post on WELS hazing, while adding graphics and commentary.

So the facts can be found and supported on:
Means of Grace Blog
Polluted WELS Blog
Ichabod the Glory Has Departed
Intrepid Lutherans Blog.

Harmony of Creation - Harmony of the Bible

The first chapter of John's Gospel explains what Genesis 1 implies: Jesus is the Word of God, the Creating Word. All things were created by Him, the Logos (Word).

Every part of the universe - rocks, minerals, stars, comets, animals, and humans - was Created by Christ the Savior. The Scriptures speak often of the Father-Son relationship, witnessed and taught by the Holy Spirit.

Many theories of Creation exist, from the bizarre and obscene to the strangely robotic, with chaos reacting against chaos to produce order. That is like teaching that four little children in the home will eventually clean and paint the interior, simply by playing, fighting, and wetting themselves.

Genesis teaches that God created by the Word, in six 24-hour days. This account is terribly embarrassing to modernist theologians who want to compromise with science, but many of the great scientists of the past believed in Creation. And even if they did not, Creation is revealed to believers through God's Word.

One great miracle is revealed in the Scriptures - God became man, born of a Virgin. No one can explain this with human reason. No one expected it, in spite of centuries of prophecy. The modernists avoid this topic with determination and energy. The whole point of rationalistic theology is to use the words without their meaning.

God created this order (kosmos in Greek, like cosmetics) and man generates disorder by his foolishness and sin. Since man inherited his sinful nature from Adam, God designated His Only-Begotten Son to be the Savior, to restore order by dying for the sins of the world.

God determined that His Word would convey Christ to people, plant faith in their hearts, and sustain their faith. Only God can turn disorder into order, and this is done by faith receiving the righteousness of Christ.

Harmony in the Garden
When beginning gardeners ask me questions about their gardening problems, their pain usually comes from ignoring the basics of the created world. One woman was married to an engineer, but she could not understand why her roses, planted on an incline she built up, were not doing well.

I said, "Gravity.  You put the roses in the driest part, because water moves downhill. You will have to water extra to make up for the elevation."

Timid rose gardeners want the flowers but ignore the rules. "You have very large bushes that will not bloom, because you have let them fill up with dead wood. The roses want to be pruned, but you are preserving them like the bones of saints." My solution was to prune away more than 1/3 of the bushes, with no supervision allowed. Two weeks later, the bushes were packed with blooms, as I predicted. Tears of sorrow flowed after the pruning and tears of joy flowed after the blooming. As Luther observed, women are more easily moved to sorrow or joy than men.

My neighbor has shaped his crepe myrtle into a vase, 20 feet tall, full of blooms.
This one should have been pruned the previous year.
One resident turned his into a few strands of branches with blooms - weird.

My crepe myrtle bush was rather shapeless and ugly in the front yard. Our helper pruned it, and he shaped it very well. Crepe myrtle thrives in heat, and this one gets the run-off from watering the rose garden. Besides that, I placed red wigglers at the base and added organic matter, like clumps of grass scraped off the mower. Those clumps disappeared, as if devoured by grateful earthworms.

The crepe myrtle has been a mass of blooms for weeks now. The bushes can grow to 20 feet, so it will be shaped again this fall to stop crowding the mailbox and bloom with abandon next year.

Moonlit vinca minor blooms well int the shade and holds down soil
with steely roots.

When I was starting Wormhaven I, our garden in Midland, Michigan, I was pretty ignorant about what to plant where. A landscaper suggested vinca minor (periwinkle) for an area always in deep shade. The strands looked thin at first but they rooted and spread like strawberries over time. They bloomed in the shade, like stars in early evening hours.

I just bought this vinca for the area under the maple tree. Pruning has given the area more sunlight, but maple roots are difficult work around, so I will let periwinkle be the ground cover. Vinca major can be invasive, but vinca minor stays in place.

Greetings to Aachen, blooms in the shade,
blooms even better in sunlight.

The perimeter, where I can stack some good soil, will be the place for Gruss an Aachen, a rose which tolerates shade but loves the sun. When I am done sawing away at old branches, the front yard will have even more sun. We are fortunate in having sunlight fall on the entire yard at various times, which gives me a lot of flexibility in planting.

The apostasy of this age, as predicted the pastoral epistles, assumes that we can change everything to suit ourselves if we reverse the rules, natural law. Luther said, "God commands what is good for us."

Fourteen Months of Incompetence - And He Gets His First Biography

Archbishop Justin Welby: Risk-taker and Reconciler
The first major biography of the Archbishop of Canterbury, including detailed analysis of his first 14 months in the role

By Andrew Atherstone
July 14, 2014

‘I am going to make a lot of mistakes, necessarily… Pray for wisdom for me to know what to do, for patience to know when to do it, and for courage to do it properly and not holding back.’
Justin Welby, to friends at Holy Trinity Brompton (July 2013)

Writing in The Guardian in April 2014, Andrew Brown described Welby as ‘the hard-nosed realist holding together the Church of England’, commenting that, ‘Justin Welby now looks like the best archbishop of Canterbury the Church of England could possibly have… His first year in the job has been marked by tremendous energy and rather more physical and moral courage than is expected of an archbishop.’ John Bingham wrote in The Daily Telegraph in a similar vein that ‘a year after enthronement, the Archbishop of Canterbury has proved many doubters wrong’ while Rowan Williams admitted in an interview with Welby’s biographer Andrew Atherstone that, ‘Justin is, frankly, immeasurably better than I ever was at prioritising. He clearly knows where he wants to put his primary energies.’

Last year saw the publication of Justin Welby: The Road to Canterbury by Andrew Atherstone. The first biography of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the book was researched and written in 10 weeks – starting on the day Welby’s nomination was announced in November 2012 - and published in time for Welby’s enthronement in March 2013. Drawing on archival research, interviews with the archbishop’s friends and colleagues, and various articles and interviews by Welby, Atherstone analysed Welby’s formative relationships, his leadership style and his priorities for the church, as well as his unsettled childhood, his education and his early years of marriage and family life before ordination, to provide a succinct introduction to this fascinating man.

Now - in Archbishop Justin Welby: Risk-taker and Reconciler - Atherstone tells the story of Welby’s life and ministry in much more detail, drawing on further research and including in-depth analysis of the Archbishop’s first year in office from a number of sources. He examines Welby’s conversion to Christianity as a student at Cambridge University, his career as a treasurer in the oil industry and his meteoric rise through the ranks of the Church of England after his ordination at the age of 36 – as a rector in Warwickshire, director of international reconciliation ministry at Coventry cathedral, dean of Liverpool and bishop of Durham. The (mis)adventures of his playboy father who was once engaged to Vanessa Redgrave, Welby’s unsettled childhood after his parents’ separation when he was just a toddler, the secret Bible smuggling activities of Welby and his wife in their early married life, the tragic death of his first daughter in a car accident at the age of 7 months, the impact on family life (and income) of Welby’s move from the oil industry to theological training, his brushes with near-death while in Africa and Iraq – all of these aspects help to present a fully rounded and very human portrait of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The book includes significant material from new interviews with many people close to the Archbishop, including Lady Williams of Elvel - Welby’s mother, who also gave Atherstone access to previously unseen family archives - Rowan Williams and Jackie Pullinger. Other additional material includes a whole chapter on Welby’s formative gap year in Kenya, more details about his work at Elf and his Bible smuggling adventures, a detailed account of his public debate on homosexuality with Adrian Daffern (at Coventry Cathedral, 2004) and more information about Welby’s role as an envoy to dissatisfied African bishops on behalf of Rowan Williams.

Welby’s first 14 months in office have seen him face a number of thorny issues head-on. The man who told the Radio Times in May 2013 that religion was not a private matter but ‘stitched into our public life’ has not been afraid to enter into political and social wrangles, challenging the government on proposed welfare reforms and launching a fierce verbal attack on pay day lenders (notably Wonga). At the same time, he has been drawn into the ongoing debates over women bishops and same sex marriage – the latter of which he described as ‘unbelievably difficult, unbelievably painful and unbelievably complicated’. Atherstone’s critique of Welby’s first year in office looks in detail at his statements and position on all of these topics.

He examines how Welby’s willingness to put himself at risk and his determined desire for reconciliation – as seen in his Bible smuggling days and his work with Andrew White – is demonstrated in his aim to visit every primate in person during his first 18 months in office, including war-stricken South Sudan in January 2014 against all travel advice. He considers the significance of the changes Welby has made to his inner circle of staff as well as various other developments at Lambeth. And he explores the Archbishop’s interactions with GAFCON, his mission-based principles, his model of leadership and authority, his economic and social theory, his relations with Pope Francis, his interactions with liberal campaigners such as Peter Tatchell, the emphases he has announced for his work and comparisons with previous Archbishops of Canterbury. The book includes a 16-page colour photo section.

Having told in one of his early interviews for ordination that ‘there is no place for you in the modern Church of England’, Welby now holds a post which Rowan Williams described as requiring ‘the constitution of an ox and the skin of a rhinoceros’. A regular Tweeter with a heart for interfaith issues, this most modern of church leaders has already shown that he is not afraid to step into the political arena or to face media scrutiny - of which there has been plenty since his nomination in 2012. Atherstone’s critical in-depth biography sheds new light on the man behind the newspaper headlines, exploring how Welby’s personality and priorities have already begun a change of direction for the Anglican Communion - and considering where this might lead in the future.
The book can be purchased at this website: www.dltbooks.com