The Right Hand Knoweth Not What the Left Hand Doeth - LCMC Congregation

 

Joliet church ordered to pay back donations from local businessman convicted in Ponzi scheme

LCMC Congregations

JOLIET, Ill. (WLS) -- A church in Joliet is scrambling to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from the founder of a local business who was convicted of defrauding investors in a Ponzi scheme.

Messiah Lutheran Church leaders say they fear financial ruin for their place of worship.

In August, the congregation learned it would have to pay back over $780,000 in donations to the federal government, even though the church said it has done nothing wrong.

The church was thrust into a financial crisis after authorities said it received donations from a local company accused for fraudulent financial practices.

Kenneth Courtright, founder of Today's Growth Consultant Inc., has been convicted of wire fraud connected to a $75 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 500 investors. Courtright could not be reached for comment.

In 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a federal lawsuit demanding that the church pay back to the SEC over $780,000 in donations given to them by Courtright.

The majority of the donations date back to 2010, meaning the money the church received in good faith has already been used for its ministry over the last decade. In August a judge ordered the church to pay the reduced amount of $487,000 in just over 60 days. If they don't, a $100,000 penalty will be added.

2008 Post About Columbus, Ohio, the Michigan District, WELS, Synodical Pratfalls

Michigan Lutheran Seminary, once a seminary for the old Michigan Synod, now a fading prep school for WELS. The old building was called the Plywood Palace.
MLS Veteran has left a new comment on your post "How One District Pope Was Removed":

Dr. Jackson,

What is the issue you have with Paul Kuske?

I thought he was ultra conservative???

MLS Veteran

***

GJ - Kuske has an issue with Luther's doctrine. Kuske was the dean of men at Michigan Lutheran Seminary. His term there was called The Reign of Terror.

As Michigan District VP, Kuske created Lutheran Parish Resources with donated money, so Floyd Stolzenburg, who had been recently forced out of the LCMS ministerium (for cause), could pretend to be a WELS pastor. Floyd never was and never wanted to be a WELS member. He went to St. Paul's in German Village (Columbus, Ohio) and dissed the pastor - to the pastor's wife - after the service.

No one wanted Floyd as a consultant and they got another divorced pastor, Roger Zehms, to be their Church Growth consultant. So more money was donated to give Floyd his job.

Floyd, Zehms, Kuske, Kovaciny, and M. Schroeder (not the SP) pushed their Church Growth schemes. The District Mission Board--headed by Werning disciple Wally Oelhaven and Fred Adrian --promoted Church Growth without shame or hesitation. Meanwhile I published constantly against Church Growth and for Luther's doctrine.

Floyd constantly caused division and promoted false doctrine in his role as a Church Growth Consultant. Zehms, following his idol (and favorite teacher) Jungkuntz, stayed under the radar and let Floyd do the loud yakking. Kuske ran interference for Floyd. So did District Pope Robert Mueller. The plan all along, as Oelhaven admitted, was to sneak Floyd into the WELS ministerium via this fraudulent Lutheran Parish Resources.

Zehms suddenly found himself leaving Columbus. The circuit pastor told me Zehms ran afoul of one of the pastors. Floyd was allowed to run his little show alone. LPR soon ran out of steam. I was busy quoting the Church Growth people in WELS. Apparently that had some effect.

Kuske and Floyd started Pilgrim Community Church, the stealth mission of LPR. The normally comatose Columbus WELS members were shocked at the dishonesty and fraud of the whole affair. Pilgrim was a grim pill for Kuske and Floyd to swallow. Zehms was in on it, too, telling WELS members to stay away, not visit, and not join. The stealth mission flopped, just as LPR flopped.

Kuske and Schuman (another Church Growth fan) promoted Floyd at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Kuske denied it on the record and got an Emmanuel member to deny it. However, Schuman and Kuske both wrote letters of recommendation for Floyd, something his old District President would never do. After all, Floyd was sued for divorce by his first wife and sued in court over one of his relationships. Floyd tried to get into a number of different denominations. Due to various factors, Floyd finally made it into Emmanuel. During his rule the lovely female treasurer of the congregation was arrested and convicted for embezzling money from the congregation. Floyd did not want a police investigation! The Columbus Dispatch gave Emmanuel plenty of coverage for this episode. The treasurer went to the hoosegow.

To summarize:
Kuske - for Church Growth doctrine and clergy adultery.
GJ - against Church Growth doctrine and clergy adultery.

Where are they now?
GJ - In sunny Phoenix, teaching graduate students, college students, and conducting services for orthodox Lutherans around the country.

Stolzenburg - Still at Emmanuel, Columbus.

Zehms left Columbus suddenly for WELS Lutherans for Life (renamed to get rid of that pesky name Lutheran). He left WLFL quickly for a call in Texas. He is retiring.

Kuske - Voted out of office as district vice pope. Recent champion of MLS.

Schuman - Forced to leave St. Paul's for false doctrine. Left the ministry, became an AAL agent, but not with them now (apparently).

Kovaciny - Went to Thoughts of Faith, Ukraine, worked under Jay Webber (ELS), joined the ELS (which Pope John the Malefactor denied to my face). Kovaciny became Floyd's pet missionary and bragged about the money he raised from Floyd's congregation. Floyd bragged about Thoughts of Faith and put them on their website. Webber had no objections to this since money flowed from Columbus. Kovaciny helped kick John Shep out as bishop of Ukraine. Kovaciny resigned from the ELS ministry. He stayed a little longer in Ukraine, funded by Floyd, then came back to the US.

M. Schroeder was kicked out of the WELS ministerium for doing what all the WELS leaders were doing - promoting unionism. DP Seifert kicked the congregation out, but not its money. WELS still gets cash from The Donor, as they call him. This is the WELS Doctrine of Telescopic Fellowship: "We are in fellowship with your money but not with you. Just drop the check in the mail."

Fred Adrian, DMB chair, resigned from the ministry.

A national WELS VP denounced me by name at a ministerial meeting. (Apparently I was doing good work. I was gone from WELS, but they needed to do an exorcism of sorts.) The big sin in WELS is "naming names" unless they are doing it. Another big sin is "He is not here to defend his good name, " but not if they are doing it. The VP was forced to resign from the ministry, lied about it to his relatives, then finally admitted it when he called me a liar and I produced the evidence (an official WELS notice).

When a friend visits a WELS congregation and admits he is from SoP in Columbus, the pastoral response is shock, a white face, and this exclamation: "That was Jackson's church!" It's been 16 years, friends - time to get over it.

A former member phoned and said, "Pastor, you would feel right at home in Columbus now. It's orthodox."

Gentle readers, note how the stealth mission concept, pioneered in the Michigan District by DP Mueller and VP Kuske, has grown like kudzu in WELS. Kuske was a bit red-faced when it was brought up at the Michigan District convention. Now WELS shamelessly promotes the same thing.

Clergy adultery and Church Growth doctrine are both safe in WELS. Evidence: California-Arizona-Las Vegas District.

Efficacy - One Word. Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

 

"Bread and circuses! That will keep them happy until we sell their almost empty properties."

KJV Romans 10

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Widow's Son Raised - "I must believe this sermon, cleave to it with my heart, trust in it, and let neither sin, death, devil, nor hell draw me from it."

 

Complete Sermon -> Trinity 16 - The Widow's Son Raised. Luke 7:11-17.

17. This youth who is here being borne to his grave is bodily dead. But there are also some inwardly dead before God who still live here in the body. The soul is dead that does not believe in God and cleave to him. And even though he be in the midst of death, yet he lives, as I said above. 

18. This spiritual death occurs in a twofold manner: some are dead in their soul, but no one sees that death as we see bodily death, and this woman herself neither sees nor feels it. So the whole world is dead, but it realizes it not. Therefore some are also spiritually dead, who feel it well enough, as those whom the law has terribly punished. We do not here speak of those who care nothing for spiritual death; but of those who feel that they are dead and that their heart trembles, and who feel in their conscience that they have an unbelieving heart. He is dead quite otherwise than he who does not feel it, and yet always lives in wantonness. Now the one who does not experience their unbelief cannot be helped, for he does not know his sickness, and lives on, cares nothing for God nor the world. But he who feels this death, suffers misery and distress, there is struggling and despair, the world becomes too confined for him, he seeks assistance and advice, he despises neither stone nor wood, when they can afford him counsel, not to say that he should hear anything of man, even of the most insignificant person. 

19. Who now gives him this feeling. The law does it, in that it reveals sin. The law says: “Thou shalt have no other gods.” When I hear this, I must and should do it, but I cannot. Then I quickly conclude that I am condemned. When I act thus, death comes immediately and there is such a struggle in my heart, that if I should receive no help I would have to remain forever in this death and struggle. This then is the death of the only son, who lies in the bier, the pallbearers are continually carrying him into hell. 

20. The pallbearers are the preachers of the law, who do nothing else than plunge mankind ever deeper and deeper into death; as those here hasten to the grave with the dead they are the more terrified and driven the deeper into perdition. It never becomes better with mankind, yea, it is ever growing worse. 

21. This we have thoroughly experienced under the Pope, in our confession of and in our making satisfaction for sin. We allowed ourselves to think we would atone for our sins by good works; but it was only an anxiety of the conscience. Thus we ever sank deeper toward hell. Hence, when you have people, who fear sin and condemnation, they are already dead, you dare not preach to these much more of the law, you must show them the way of salvation and preach to them the Gospel. When our Papists meet such troubled souls, they refer them to rosaries, to pilgrimages, to this and that work; but one helps like the other. 

22. The pallbearers would have still moved on and laid the deceased in his grave and buried him, had Christ not come, so Christ must come also here with his Word and grace. And this now is that other office of the Gospel, which does not teach what you are to do; but whence you are to receive help, that you may do it; as Christ does here. He asks not, what is here? or how do you do this? do you wish to have the youth restored to life again, and the like? He asks none of these things; but he has mercy on the mother, goes to her, touches the bier, and the bearers soon stand still. That is, when  man preaches the goodness of God, and when Christ presents us with his merits and works, then the hand is laid upon the coffin, and the bearers stand still, that is, you no longer hear the preachers of the law, you no longer believe them; but you say: preach works here, preach works there, we have a different sermon. While our hands are on the coffin they accomplished nothing; the dead does not come to life again; but when Christ’s hand touches the coffin the mighty work is done. For when men hear that Christ’s work does it, and that his works are presented to us, he says: What need we to do beside? For here our doing is useless and in vain. 

23. But the dead will not be raised to life so quickly. The Word of God is of course preached to us, the goodness of God and whatever is given us through Christ; but this is not yet sufficient, this is only first touching the coffin. The voice of Christ in the heart must also be added, that we may believe the Word, that it is really as we preach. The youth does not immediately arise after he is touched, but when the Lord spoke: “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise!” This voice stirred the heart and caused the dead to rise to life. When I in like manner hear the Word, and allow human traditions to move me, men still bear me ever on and I ever remain in distress, it helps me little. I must besides the external sermon also hear this voice in the heart: “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise:” that is, I must believe this sermon, cleave to it with my heart, trust in it, and let neither sin, death, devil, nor hell draw me from it.