From 2010 - Estimates of ELCA Congregations Leaving ELCA. ELCA Has Lost Almost the Equivalent of The ALC

LCA Presiding Bishop Crumley posed with Mrs. Ichabod, many years ago.

ALPB

I would George, but it is plainly ugly, and bishop behavior is not always exemplary. So in our case, there is a delicate walk with, yet not influencing the walk. It is a decision the ELCA congregations have to make on their own. So I am not going to post names and such in a forum like this.

I will say that in the ministries I'm in, it is clear that on average with my samples there are about 3-4 congregations per synod, on the way out right away. There is probably on average 1 large congregation taking a "we are big enough to stay and create meaningful resistance." One note: these large congregations continue to have task forces evaluating an exit. Others are similarly engaged. I am not reporting their names beyond posting news articles or fait acompli, because they are already experiencing enough trial and anguish with the process without speculating here. So you have seen one report in California and one news report link in Colorado from me, no more.

So a, take it for what it is, estimate is 3.5 *65 = 230ish on the way out. 100 large churches readying for protest or exit. at least that many 230+100=330-500 engaged at the council level on assessing the question. Numbers of members? = 90,000 in small churches, 100,000 in large ones = 200,000 in a 1000 congregations with national presence. Some synods like NE Iowa and SC seem to be trying to make a inside protest response, with more or less Bishop support. (in three days many will meet with former Bishop Crumley for worship and conversation) I see at least 1000 separating in one way or another soon. Your mileage may vary, The question is not really on those numbers, but whether such an exodus will create a cascading implosion. If not, I'm sure ELCA will feel quite comfortable with 9000 congregations and 4 Million members, and a slow trickle of bleeding out. If there is an implosion, Lutheranism in America will be in a total restructure, and that would effect (sic) me, and probably is something I should know about, even if its (sic) "none of my business."

But we apparently won't hear about it officially until 2012? when the official publication gets printed? You know those AF presses still have to have the type set by hand. Grin. By then Missouri will have posted monthly data on the hundreds coming in and going out in her membership, some of those being ex-ELCA congregations that ELCA hasn't reported from their secret data yet Smiley Let's pray for some repentance, rethinking, and more order than that. The implosion is not the best scenario.

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GJ - I read the necrology to my wife yesterday. We discussed the fact that she knows every single one of those theological leaders. We went to conferences together, with her costs paid by me.

I read these stats to her this morning, and she said, "Where were these people 22 years ago?"

I said, "Someone had to be first. Besides, if we had stayed for the benefits, everyone would be in rehab today. There is a price to be paid."

I wrote an entire book about this, which was published in a special edition of Christian News. The ELS, Missouri, and WELS were too busy snuggling with their new partner in ministry, ELCA, to rock the boat. Too much Thrivent money was going to joint religious projects. As one of the "conservative" WELS DPs explained, "We can't give up that money."

The homosexual vote at the last ELCA convention is the final, last straw for many congregations. The last straw was forcing Lutheran congregations to have an Episcopal bishop present for any confirmations to be valid. The cobbled-together merger was ready to come apart, then, when this latest vote passed to hurrah and rainbow-colored stoles. I hear the parade of activists was especially revolting to some.

If Missouri, WELS, and the ELS want to help, they can expel the Roman Catholic and Fuller influences among them and return to the Book of Concord. Many ELCA members are so poorly trained that they are more like newborn kittens, blind and helpless. The "conservative" Lutheran clergy will need to upgrade their training too, after 30 years of aping Fuller.
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Quote from: Chuck Sampson on Yesterday at 07:21:53 PM

... an article by one Leah Shaeffer which contended that the Virgin Mary was actually raped by a Roman soldier. When our Church Council wrote to Bp. Chilstrom asking him to disavow this blasphemy he wrote back to say "Charles, I cannot be the keeper of a thousand doors."

I think she's currently serving a congregation in Ohio if that helps affirm your decision. I remember her from when we were both in DC. Ironically, I think her doctorate was from Catholic U.

 Rainbow Tutu Boy is not ELCA, but a Martin Luther College (WELS) student.

 WELS Church and Change leader, Wayne Mueller's son.
"By their fruits ye shall know them."

Author's Prices - Martin Chemnitz Press - So Far. Order More Than One from Me for These Prices

Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure - $4

Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant - $6

Thy Strong Word - yuuuge paperback - $7.50

Making Disciples, Black and White - $2. The color version is $4.

The Faith of Jesus, Black and White - $3.50. The color version is $11.50.

My Lutheran Hymnal - Lyrics sorted by author - $11.50. Color

All these books are illustrated by Norma Boeckler.

I wondered - and found out - yes, I can put multiple titles on the same order. If you need one of each, or one of several, the same is true for author's prices. Add something for shipping.

Ask at greg.jackson.edlp@gmail.com - edlp means Every Day Low Prices. When the check arrives, the books are ordered.

The address also works without the dots - gregjacksonedlp@gmail.com

This One Gimmick Could Have Ended All the Drama in Star Wars

I thought of this cartoon when I learned that a slender little pillow stopped my snoring, after all the other remedies - short of surgery - failed.

The Darth Vader and Stormtroopers analogy works for Universal Objective Justification because they are always on the attack and yet never win. Their volume of fire is poorly aimed and the faithful are never hurt. "No weapon devised by man can hurt you."

Isaiah 54:17King James Version (KJV)

17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

The UOJ forces have to admit that their new cooperation with the Missouri Synod means their unity is false, feigned, and built on nothing but a bluff. No official catechism of the Missouri Synod teaches UOJ and the highly promoted Brief Statement of 1932 is just another conventional document, the swan song of the LCMS.

The 1932 BS means the Walther-Pieper Pietists finally got their way for a moment, but there is no honor in disparaging the Word of God, quoting Romans 4 as if it were against Justification by Faith, and then pretending to teach Luther's doctrine and the Book of Concord.

Jar Jar Webber and Jon-Boy Buchholz end up looking like the last two schlubs to buy zoot suits.

A Zoot Suit will make someone very impressive in
the dying ELS. Someone said Buchholz is a pariah
among the District Pariahs - a unique honor.

UOJ Stormtrooper Jay Webber Pretended Ignorance about His ELCA Seminary's ELCA Credentials. Tis No Secret. ELCA UOJ is ELS-WELS-LCMS UOJ. From 2015

WELS has published Webber's disgraceful OJ essay in their precious essay file, so WELS must approve of  Jay's ELCA education at an online school that graduates women pastors.

Rolf Preus just found out - he must not read Ichabod very often.

Here is Webber, trained by an ELCA professor,
publishing in Logia, the UOJ journal
financed by the frozen food adulterer, Marvin Schwan.
The Ukraine adventure was also financed by St. Marvin.

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http://www.ilt.org/#!Student-Spotlight-Kari-Malinak/c24ag/D91D3EFA-2694-4A37-AB36-9DBFFCFE3263

This article was taken from the fall edition of the Word at Work magazine, page 24

Kari Malinak is a great student. “I can pursue this graduate degree while living in Texas,” declares Kari. “I have been a student with the Institute of Lutheran Theology for about three years and am about one-third of the way to the Masters of Divinity degree. First of all, I want to say the teachers are incredible. Their amount of knowledge is crazy and they know how to teach. I’d like to go faster, but really like the scheduling flexibility, for I have even arranged to take an in-depth course, independently. And I did not have to uproot my family.”
 
While being a great student on the undergrad level, Kari earned her college degree in theater performance with cum laude accolades. In the graduate course work with the ILT, she has earned mostly A’s with the occasional B. Yet as she tells it, when she took her first class from the Institute of Lutheran Theology, the high level of discussion made her question herself. And the realization dawned upon her that great students like Lou Hesse, and great teachers like Dennis Bielfeldt and John Rasmussen, were not born with this phenomenal amount of knowledge. “They know a lot, but had to learn it (sometime) too. Their level of knowledge was incredible, and was so far over my head. But I got going, step by step, and I absorbed and learned a lot!” reflects Malinak.
 
Intern Kari Malinak works with Pastor Douglas Schoelles at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Haslet, TX which is near Ft. Worth. Her internship began in September 2013. “At Resurrection Lutheran Church, those who demonstrate leadership qualities are encouraged and given opportunities to exercise their leadership and grow in their abilities. Kari was already on that path before she became an official intern,” says Pastor Schoelles. “This summer she has been given a lot of pastoral ministry opportunities, seeing after my middle son and my wife as he had appendicitis and performing the funeral for the operator of the Farmers Market whose husband suddenly suffered a severe heart attack and died two weeks later. (I am out of state at this time trying to get to some writing.)”
 
He continues to describe some of the ministry work Kari has done. “She hosts a sermon text study at her house that I lead where she has invited a number of her friends who have attended. She has helped to organize our children’s chapel effort. She has actively participated in our relational evangelism effort at the farmers market. She is great at building relationships with people from scratch. At Worship, Kari was kind enough to become the worship coordinator. While I do most of the planning for the worship, she is the one who makes sure people are where they are supposed to be. She guides the worship assistants through the seasonal liturgical changes we make.”
 
Because Schoelles had been involved with the Institute of Lutheran Theology, Kari had discovered Resurrection Lutheran Church in her internet research. She sought out the church, which is a start-up church worshipping out of a school, her family in tow, and found a church home in the upstart.

“We became an intern site because Kari saw my name on a list of faculty and came to check out our church. After her family had been members of our church for over a year, she began her internship. As a congregation, we were glad to participate in that process with her,” declares Pastor Schoelles, who adds a comment about his relationship with the Institute. “I taught a continuing education course twice on “Equipping Parents to be the Spiritual Leaders”.  From that I was asked to give a presentation in Canada.  Dennis Biefeldt was there. We talked Post-modern philosophy and mission in a post-Christian context. We continued the conversation through a few emails. And that has led to my participation in the advisory team for the Doctor of Ministry program which has a Missiological focus on Apologetics, Evangelism, and Discipling.”
 
“I am excited about the Doctor of Ministry program we are designing. The shared urgency that our design team has for this project is infectious and is in response to a communicated need that pastors want to be empowered to be missional leaders in our post-Christian context. We are working on developing a course of study that includes hands-on, in the context learning opportunities that build on the intensive study. I hope to be able to teach a course or two in this program as well as developing these Missional learning opportunities.”

His eye to the pressing needs of the future, Schoelles adds, “The confessional Lutheran church urgently needs leaders to pave the way to impact our neo-pagan society, and ILT helping to fill that need with candidates like Kari and the Missiologically focused Doctor of Ministry program.”
Kari is married to Keith Malinak, who works and provides for his family, which includes their three children. Kari is the home school teacher for their children, and she finds herself doing ministry not only at her church, but also among other home schoolers.

“From the start, I downplayed myself. I felt I was a cheerleader for Christ and not a theologian. I joked around, and downplayed my role, but it is because I take the faith so seriously. I have a complete love for evangelism and for relationships. When a phone call comes to me seeking help, the goofiness that was upbeat is replaced by super-seriousness. People get to know me and see that depth of faith. I hand out water to people at the Farmers Market, because Jesus is about daily living in relation with Him and people,” declares Intern Malinak.

When you ask Kari about Jesus, she says, “He is so complete. Knowing Him completes who I am and who you are. Reading and studying his Word puts you in communication with Christ.”

Kari was a residential student in the House of Studies event held at Lutheran Church of the Master in Omaha June 2-5, 2014. Everyone in the classroom received a hug from her, even those who declared themselves to be ‘non-huggers.’ She did not apologize for her enthusiasm in Christ Jesus that overflows. Kari is a great student.

Written by Dale A. Swenson