Debates of the Century

The WELS AnswerMan dealt recently with charges from the Church of the Lutheran Confession (sic) about Wisconsin Synod unionism: Church and Change invited non-Lutheran apostates to be featured speakers. The same letter mentioned CLC congregations working other denominations on a Creation Museum. Both groups posture about "fellowship principles" but invoke gales of laughter when they do.

Item: At a joint ELCA-WELS religious conference, WELS leaders explained their fellowship principles (sic) to ELCA. According to DP Robert Mueller, ELCA said, "We could use some of those." All those who believe that story raise your hands. Only one? Wally, put your hand down.

Item: WELS had a series of Roman Catholic priests and the pedophile Archbishop Weakland as featured speakers at Wisconsin Lutheran College. That was either before or after Martin Marty was their featured speaker. The Church and Change speakers do not violate fellowship principles because they believe what the WELS leaders believe - nothing.

Item: WELS produced or produces the Joy religious radio show with ELCA.

Item: WELS joined with Missouri and ELCA for the lavishly funded Church [Growth] Membership Initiaive.

The CLC has long suffered from the antics of Paul Tiefel Jr. and David Koenig. Yes, this Tiefel is related to the WELS Tiefel and both are nicknamed Teufel for some reason. Koenig hates Lutheran doctrine so much that he once devoted the entire service at his congregation to a rant against Lutherans for not being mission-minded like the Roman Catholics. The CLC responded by making him a world missionary again and featuring him often in their little magazine. Koenig and Tiefel's derelict doctrine used to fill the pages of While It Is Day, a publication so bad the elders of Tiefel's church asked him to stop. So he did not stop. Koenig phoned Valleskey and asked if the former seminary president went to Fuller Seminary. Valleskey said yes. Valleskey was angry that Koenig admitted this fact in one of his oh-so-ferocious letters to me.

Is this WELS-CLC debate on unionism the funniest yet, or is it less entertaining when Waldo Werning and Jack Cascione argue about which one is a false teacher?

Luther Prep's Rummage Sale

WELS' Luther Prep held a rummage sale last year and raised $46,000 by selling over 200 items donated. Let me guess some of the items:

1. The Complete Works of Donald McGavran, donated by Wally Oelhafen.
   
2. Luther's Works, brand-new, in the original wrappers, donated by Wayne Mueller.
   
3. Management by Objective, by Peter Drucker, donated by SP Gurgel.
   
4. The Contagious Christian, Fuller Seminary edition, heavily marked and underlined, but signed by the owner, donated by Jeff Gunn.

Scottsdale magazine has photos every month of society people holding expensive parties and raising a specific amount for some charity. The Beautiful People wear expensive clothes and dazzling grins. The magazine features a lot of ads for plastic surgery and cosmetic dental work.

The Luther Prep photos look rather sad and earnest. They are buying caulk for the Prep-tanic, and their faces show it. They even invited President-in-Waiting Wayne Mueller to speak, reminding them of their impending doom. Isn't that like being in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital having the senior funeral director at Wendt Brothers Funeral Home visit, with a smile on his face?

ELCA Convention - Everyone Is Meeting This Summer

Here is the boring ELCA agenda:

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, in his sixth year as ELCA presiding
bishop, will chair the assembly. Hanson is also president of the
66.7-million member Lutheran World Federation (LWF), based in
Geneva, Switzerland. Assisting Hanson during plenary will be the
Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary, and Carlos Pena, ELCA vice
president, Galveston, Texas.
Hanson, who was elected presiding bishop in 2001, previously
announced he will be available for possible re-election at the
2007 assembly. Almen, who has served as secretary since the
formation of the ELCA in 1988, said he will not seek another
term.
Each of the ELCA's 10,389 congregations may send one
representative to the assembly as an official "congregational
observer."
In addition to the elections for presiding bishop and
secretary, the assembly will act on:
+ a proposed social statement, "Our Calling in Education," a
59-page proposal prepared by a task force with input from
throughout the church. Dr. Paul J. Dovre, retired president of
Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., and Christi Lines, principal,
St. Paul's Lutheran School, Waverly, Iowa, co-chaired the task
force. Social statements are social policy documents, adopted by
the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, addressing significant social
issues.
+ a "Blue Ribbon Committee on Mission Funding" proposal for
stewardship education and mission funding. The ELCA Church
Council formed the committee to study funding policies and
practices of the ELCA. The council is the ELCA's board of
directors.
+ a renewal initiative for the church, "Book of Faith:
Lutherans Read the Bible," aimed at helping members to engage the
Scriptures, and for intentional teaching, understanding and use
of Lutheran approaches to Scripture.
+ a proposal to affirm the church's work to introduce
"Evangelical Lutheran Worship," the ELCA's newest worship
materials introduced in 2006.
+ a proposal to commit the church to greater engagement in
response to HIV and AIDS through development of a churchwide
strategy for the coming decade.
+ budget recommendations for 2008 and 2009. For 2008 the
Church Council has proposed a budget of $81.67 million and an
ELCA World Hunger income proposal of $19.25 million. For 2009
the council recommended a budget of $81.92 million and an ELCA
World Hunger income proposal of $20 million.
In addition, the assembly will:
+ elect 11 new members to the Church Council, and others to
various boards and committees that work in partnership with the
churchwide organization.
+ act on several constitutional amendments to be presented
for consideration, along with resolutions or "memorials" from
synods, and proposals from assembly voting members. A churchwide
Memorials Committee will meet June 29-30 to determine its
recommendations on synod assembly memorials to the churchwide
assembly.
+ hear reports on multicultural ministries and justice for
women. The Church Council commended the content of each report
"for study, reflection and response throughout this church."
+ hear reports and greetings from representatives of the
ELCA's ecumenical partners, other church bodies and church
organizations.
+ recognize the 100th anniversary of Lutheran campus
ministry and the 60th anniversary of the LWF.

Turning the Liturgy into the Law Luther's Bear Story

Most people have not heard of Ulrich Leupold, my worship professor at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. He was a musical genius, earned a Ph.D. at the University of Berlin at the age of 23. He became a pastor after that. Persecuted for being part-Jewish, he escaped and settled in Canada.

My bride and I moved to Waterloo, Ontario, in December of 1969. Leupold only taught one more class before he began dying of a degenerative disorder. I was glad to have been one of his students.

Leupold spent the semester calming the students down about "must." Some thought the liturgy must be chanted. A few thought it must not be. Leupold admonished us not to make preferences into Law. About chanting, he said: "Chanting is fine as long it is does no harm to the throat of the pastor or the ears of the congregation."

The papalists were beginning their Long March (like Mao's) through the church. Soon everything was Law, especially in reaction to Fuller Seminary dogma. Some LCA pastors divided their congregations over such things as heaving themselves onto the altar and telling them they had never worship properly before. Their worship professor at Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, was fired for producing such divisive, Roman legalists.

Luther's bear story is instructive. He wrote about a bear who attacked two brothers. One got out a knife to stab the bear and killed his brother instead. Luther used the story, probably true (knowing German efficiency), to illustrate how the Anabaptists killed infant baptism in order to slay the pope. Ironically, Wayne Mueller used that story in an official letter to defend the use of Baptist sources, manipulating his quotation from Luther. When I answered his deception in Christian News, President-in-Waiting Mueller said to a group of pastors, "If I ever get my hands on the guy who gave Jackson that letter..." I was already free of WELS at that time, so someone obviously leaked. The name is on the tip of my tongue. Nope, I forgot.

Back to the live bear and dead brother. The more contagious the Fuller people have become, the worse the papalist party among the Lutherans. Proof is the number of Lutheran pastors who have poped to become priests or semi-poped to become Eastern Orthodox.

I favor dignified worship over Baptist entertainment seeker services. Below are some opinions in harmony with the Leupold warnings:
1. The purpose of worship is to convey Christ to the congregation through the efficacious Word, not to recruit new members through seeker services, entertainment, gimmicks, being ashamed of the liturgy, Creeds, sermons, and Lutheran hymns.
2. If pastors and congregations do not trust the Word, they should stop using the name Lutheran, which fills them with shame, and find a new affiliation.
3. Holy Communion might be offered every Sunday, as it was during the Reformation, but no one should make that the Law, as if a congregation is less than Lutheran for having the Lord's Supper once a month.
4. Closed communion--not close communion, not demi-semi-open communion--is the only appropriate expression of the sacrament. Liberals love open communion, but boy can they excommunicate when they are crossed. And they excommunicate for life. Therefore, I favor excommunication for all false teachers.
5. Since the congregation chants, it is logical for the minister to chant. However, two things distract from worship - a horrible singer like me, and a performer like Opera Man.
6. Romanizing tendencies are just as contagious as Fuller addictions. The Lutheran Church should not make Rome the final word on anything, yet Lutheran pastors are following the three-year reading cycle of Rome, the new color schemes, and other mistakes. Would a straight ministerium change the colors? Ask yourselves that. The priests changed the colors. Why should Lutherans follow?
7. The Eucharistic Prayer (ELCA, Missouri) takes away from the simplicity of the Consecration. Can anyone deny that the idea is to create more of a performance and focus on the minister? Liberals can hide behind Romanizing trends because they can worship the concept of worship without trusting in the Object of worship, Christ. No one despises the Gospel more than a faithful priest of Rome while diligently mastering the art of the Mass. High church can turn into as much of a performance as a Fuller-Willow Creek Seeker Service.
8. Lutherans should avoid terms associated with the Church of Rome. Perhaps "Father" might be seen as neutral, but the word suggests Roman doctrine or Anglican tendencies today. The same is true of Mass and other terms. Insisting on these distincitive words in the name of Reformation-Fundamentalism is just another form of legalism. Luther wore the robes of an Augustinian monk for the first eight years of the Reformation. Must I as well?
9. I like incense, always have. I have never used incense and probably never will. I doubt whether most Lutherans associate incense with Lutheran worship. One ELS pastor said he knelt during the Consecration (like a priest) "to annoy the WELS pastors." That strikes me as a poor reason to ape Rome. A better way to annoy some WELS pastors is to quote Luther.
10. The sermon should never be neglected, no matter what the excuse. Most laity arrive at the Sunday service in need of the Gospel, not tarted-up pep talks, coaching, Law harangues, and begging for more money for the synod or other worthless causes. The congregation can only be built on the Word, not on social activities. The Law bears no fruit and offers no comfort.

Would You Buy a Used Synod from This Man?

President-in-Waiting Wayne Mueller issued this formal denial in the midst of the WELS Church Growth tidal wave, which he supervised and promoted:

"There is no Church Growth Movement Program in our synod. Our church body is opposed to the false theology of the Church Growth Movement. We have no programs inside or outside the budget with that name. Nor do we have any programs with a different name which utilize Church Growth theology."
Wayne D. Mueller, Administrator for the Board of Parish Services, WELS, "A Response to 'Saving Souls vs. New Programs,'" The Northwestern Lutheran, November 1, 1991, February 1, 1992, p. 50.

In the same article, Wayne Mueller provided an escape clause for his previous official denial:

"There may be pastors or congregations which use methodology which church growth people use. This does not mean they have adopted the theology of the Church Growth Movement. Our Lutheran Confessions allow complete freedom among our churches in methodology that does not conflict with the gospel."

A few months earlier, the editor of The Northwestern Lutheran (now Forward in Contagion) solemnly declared:

"A number of experts on church growth principles added muscle to the conference. Among the experts were George Barna, George Gallup Jr., Lyle Schaller, and Tom Sine--icons in the church growth movement...Of the four church growth experts mentioned above, I have heard three of them speak at some length." [On opposing page is the letter about Church Growth which Wayne Mueller answered] James P. Schaefer, The Northwestern Lutheran, October 15, 1991, p. 63.

Just to make sure everyone knew how beloved the Church Growth Movement was and is in WELS, Jeb Schaefer, added with a twist of his meat cleaver:

"I share the judgment of Prof. David Valleskey that one 'can probably pick up a few helpful hints' from the church growth folks."

There you have it folks. The vote at the WELS convention will be for or against the Church Growth Movement.

Was Our Staff Infection There?

Willow Creek Community Church said, Experience the Contagious Church:

Staff Infection Leads to Contagion.

This raging infection is at least seven years old. Has anyone contacted the Center for Disease Control?

Swim in the Polluted Waters of Willow Creek

Pay to become contagious! Here's how:

Buy a Gift Copy for Larry Oh! and Pastor Jeff

Did Pastor Jeff buy this or was it bought with synodical offering money?

This Gunn for Hire.

Relax, o partisans of contagion. Pastor Jeff knows that this revolution will face determined opposition, not to mention puns and some laughter. He wrote about his pioneering efforts in Forward in Contagion, FIC.

They have a training team? Is Jay Leno writing this stuff?

Why Are These People Grinning?

Members and pastors: Do you see how the WELS leaders are thumbing their noses at you? More than that, they are pushing their thumbs into your eye sockets. Church Growth did not die a natural death when Pilgrim Community Church (Paul Kuske) deflated, when Crossroads Community Church (Rick Miller, Mark Freier, Kelly Voigt) turned honestly non-Lutheran. The Long March through the synod continues.

Area High Schools versus Prep Schools

Ichabod is being read in all the synods, so I am getting questions. Today I was asked about the difference between a prep school and an area Lutheran high school.

I think WELS made a big mistake in its failure to make a number of area high schools into prep schools. That would have provided a more unified system and a way of short-circuiting the us vs. them funding that will arise when an area school must be financially supported by individuals and congregations. For example, when WELS stupidly bought the failed Prairie du Chien school from the Roman Catholics, they moved the New Ulm prep school away from a dense population of members to an area where the WELS membership was not so dense. The first thing the New Ulm area did was create an area Lutheran high school, taking away the most likely students who would have attended Prairie. Besides, there is an aversion to having high school children so far from home. Prairie was merged into Northwestern Prep to become Luther Prep, but Prairie built a $500,000 music building during the shut-down. Pure genius.

One question involved the cost per student of a prep school education (synod subsidy). My brothers are CPAs, but that gene bounced right past me. I would have to look over all the reports, assume they are accure, and interpret them. That is not my forte, but more like my pianissimo.

I can talk about a prep school education since our son went to Michigan Lutheran Seminary.

Missouri once had a prep school system. Long ago, the Lutheran leaders knew that a proper college and seminary education would require a good high school. The European model provided students with a balance of all the disciplines with an emphasis on languages. Children learn languages easily and adults seldom have the time, energy, or inclination to learn them later. WELS and Missouri had similar schools but Missouri closed them down in the name of saving money and spending it on missions. Sound familiar? That is the argument in WELS today. Parts of the LCA had prep schools. My college, Augustana (sic), had a prep school.

As I understand it, Missouri started at the sixth grade. They would take a little boy off the farm and turn him into a Latin and Greek scholar. In Walther's day, all dogmatics lectures at St. Louis were delivered in Latin, with the questions and answers in Latin. That was really necessary because the good doctrinal books were in Latin. Much of Luther was still in Latin. And doctrinal discussions always used Latin terms. If the faculty is trained at Fuller, all one needs to do is wave arms in the air and pray, "Balla-llaala-sissa-bommba-achi-wawa."

A modern prep school means that a boy in the 9th grade will enter college with ability in German and Latin, able to start Greek and Hebrew. The college will do the Greek and Hebrew work so the young man can start seminary and follow Lenski and the other good commentaries, instead of reading Calvin and Handfuls on Purpose.

The LCA liberals argued against the value of Greek and Hebrew. They could not see the value of those ancient languages. As a result, the pastors are universally ignorant.

According to my reader, Martin Luther College faculty members could not tell the difference between area Lutheran high graduates and prep graduates. They soon will. Most of the MLC students come from prep schools. Once the preps are gone, MLC will become the Nursing Home on the Hill, next to the statue of Herman the German. "Used to be a college, I hear tell." MLC bought a nursing home to create an instant dorm. God has a way of recycling property.

Area high schools vary in their faculties and size. I have never visited one and have nothing against them. Their local nature makes them vulnerable to student population problems, finances, and quality of faculty. Teaching at a prep is an honor. Michigan Lutheran Seminary had an outstanding faculty when our son was there. The school had a great spirit. Dorms for young men and women meant that distant families could have their children stay there. We could not get our son home on weekends at first, when we lived only 25 miles away. He enjoyed MLS that much.

An education begins with the parents. I tutored Martin in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He helped upper classmen with their Latin, got passed out of intro Latin, and later aced the German test (his mother's contribution). Being good in languages was a plus at MLS, not an object of scorn. The school provided an atmosphere of learning. Math was tough. Science was challenging. Piano was required! The school constantly encouraged church vocations. No one was obliged to sign on for a hitch, but they were encouraged to consider it. Area Lutheran high schools, for some reason, do not have that motivating force.

Many Missouri and WELS pastors will say that they entered the ministry as a direct result of their prep school experience. At MLS pastors were respected and their work was considered the highest possible calling. Young women headed far away to Martin Luther College because they wanted to teach in parochial schools when a local state school was easier to attend and promised more opportunity. Not surprisingly, prep schools also promoted marriage and a distinct possibility of very bright but near-sighted kids in the parsonage.

I enjoyed going to MLS with my wife. The atmosphere was great. The school had a wonderful spirit. Dinners meant that all the parents wore red sweaters, since they were Cardinals. The choirs would show off their great talent in music, each group separated by levels of ability. Our son was in the group nicknamed The Bonehead Chorus for their lack of singing ability. Nevertheless, we always got goose-flesh when the choir walked in singing, "God Word in Our Great Heritage" in perfect harmony, a cappella.

The MLS campus was very impressive at the time. The preps got money so that everything was attractive and well maintained. Tuition was a bite out of our tiny budget but not impossible. Another prep school concept is that no one is sent away for lack of funds. Some impoverished students are very bright. The Pieper boys were the sons of a poor widow who had a housekeeper's job at Northwestern College.

I see the prep system as a natural outgrowth of the value placed on the efficacy of the Word in the old days. WELS and Missouri were dirt poor in previous years but rich in their Lutheran heritage. MLS was once called the Plywood Palace because of its lack of funds. Now WELS and Missouri are incredibly rich in funds (really - more on that later) but impoverished in doctrine.

I am not in favor of prep schools as institutions. People worship every brick in some buildings because of their sentimental value. They often become white-washed sepulchres full of dead men's bones, like the soaring quasi-gothic structures of the Episcopal Church. If WELS faces its doctrinal problems and begins with a multi-year study of the Book of Concord, the money and school situation will straighten itself out. The Michiganders need to fight for doctrine rather than the school.

Northwestern College made the same mistake with a feeble effort to save the school. The faculty did not have the spine to make a doctrinal argument. They weakly argued that keeping two colleges was cheaper. That was like telling a murderer that bullets cost money. Church Growth was out to snuff NWC and everyone knew it. Silence was golden and NWC merged into DMLC to become MLC. (Another Northwestern name silenced.)

The first thing the new college did was water down the curriculum of the pre-seminary students by having one track for all students, whether future teachers or future pastors. And for once, the future pastors were taught by women. No wonder they are so sensitive about which coffee beans are used in their Church Growth cafes!

How To Be Contagious - Like Fuller Seminary

After flopping with Pilgrim Community Church in Columbus (sponsored by Paul Kuske) and Crossroads Community Church in South Lyon (three WELS pastors - Rick Miller, Mark Freier, Kelly Voigt - supported by DP Mueller), WELS has once again proven that its learning curve is flat.

WELS has blessed Phoenix with CrossWalk (get it? Cross Walk). I do not think they ever call it CrossWalk Lutheran Church. I looked up their website and had serious trouble finding what denomination it was. More on that slop later.

Phoenix already has a huge Church Growth Stealth Lutheran Congregation - Community of Joy, ELCA. Thousands of members. The senior pastor has a D.Min from Fuller, just like Lawrence Otto Olson, nicknamed Larry O! and Our Staff Infection. He has been contagious for years.

Back to this whole issue of being contagious. I read Jeff's column in FIC. Some of you public school graduates are wondering, "What is FIC?" The magazine used to be The Northwestern Lutheran, a fine name with a decided handicap - the name Lutheran. Boo hiss. How can we grow with Lutheran in our magazine title? And Northwestern? The reality is - half of WELS is in Wisconsin, the old Northwestern Territory, more or less. The other half of WELS is in Michigan and Minnesota, with pockets in Nebraska, which has the population of Rhode Island. WELS is no more a national denomination than is the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Now that I have explained FIC, it seems entirely appropriate that a magazine ashamed of being Lutheran would feature a congregation ashamed of being Lutheran. That is one definition of contagious.

As soon as I saw Jeff's article in the June issue of FIC, I thought, "This smells like the latest craze at Fuller Seminary." That beehive is so predictable that I can ignore the place for 10 years and still have my Dreck-Detector (TM) go off. I googled "contagious Fuller Seminary" and got this link:

I Think I Am Going To Be Sick!

Good old Bill Hybels, WELS' favorite theologian and pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, is selling a kit on how to be contagious. They sell the kit at the Fuller Seminary bookstore, a sure sign of approval. The WELS leaders send their sheep-like shepherds to Willow Creek to be trained in being non-denominational.

So Jeff is contagious and has a contagious church. His article will amaze anyone interested in exploring the vanity of Church Growth wannabees. His authority is a book on Primal Leadership, Yale School of Management. Some emotions are contagious, he declares with authority.

Jeff, if I stand in front of an audience and begin throwing up, some people will gag and toss their cookies. If I laugh, they will laugh. If I repent of my criticism of Fuller Seminary and Willow Creek, dabbing my red-rimmed eyes, some women will start crying and say, "I think he means it, poor boy." I did not have to go to Yale University to learn that much.

Primal Church Growth Tactics

Why do these people love everything except the Word of God? Why do they trust every secular fad but reject the Means of Grace?

Now I will explain why I call a pastor Jeff and do not even use his last name. That takes us to the latest Church Growth experiment, CrossWalk. You must have a strong stomach to view their website:

WELS Double Cross.

Jeff is the pastor there. If we look up "Jeff's Weekly Hello," we find out he has a last name, Gunn, a wife, and five children whose names all begin with "A." But there is no indication of his denomination. The message about Virginia Tech is Reformed in nature, quoting the favorite bad translation of the unionists, the NIV. People are invited to church Sunday for "a great message" (no sermon?) and "terrific music from Jonathan" (no worship?). There are many commands to pray, which the Reformed love. Prayer is their one and only Means of Grace.

CrossWalk is going to have a vision event (another Fuller and corporate management tool) to envision the next 15 years. Most of us do not know what our cell phone carrier will be in the next six months, but these vision things are handy ways to manipulate while seeming to listen. "Fritz, you want to return to the historic liturgy and the Book of Concord? Does anyone have an idea that won't scare away our prospects? Yes, Velvet, how is that dance job working out? Great. You want to teaching dancing at CrossWalk? What a vision!"

The statement above is satire, purely for the amusement of our pan-Lutheran readership.

In reality, the website is another sad, sick manifestation of the Fuller plague.

KJV 2 Timothy 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker (transliteration - gangrene, also translated as cancer).

I once visited a woman with gangrene. She was very close to losing her leg. She was so contagious that I had to visit her wearing a gown and a mask.

Look at how contagious Fuller and Willow Creek have been. The WELS magazine ejected Lutheran from its title. The hymnal does not have Lutheran in its name. Hymns in CW are often the old Baptist warblers that TLH never allowed. Doctrinal verses have been cut out of Lutheran hymns. Feminists have reworded the Creeds. Sheep-like shepherds are told to appear as Reformed as possible to embrace the vast hordes trembling to join WELS as soon as Luther's doctrine is neutered. What a disgrace to Christianity.

Wednesday - Why Men Hate Going to Church. (My answer - Because sensitive Church Growth fanatics have sissified church with pandering messages and VBS ditties passed off as hymns.)

Hiking Group - I cannot imagine Christ dying on the cross to set up hiking groups.

Guitar workshop - Ditto.

Online giving - "God has a claim on you!" Rubric: "We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and Amex."

And you thought I was being cruel about the vision workshop? Reality is far more piercing than anything I could make up.

Food - "Join us early and bring an appetite! Our CrossWalk Cafe serves bagels, donuts, fruit and our own special blend of coffee (we use only "fair-trade" coffee beans!) or fresh juice. The CrossWalk Café opens at 8:30 a.m. on Sundays. We'd love to get to know you!" (I am glad they are sensitive about fair-trade coffee.)

Common Questions - "We're friendly! We strive to create a warm, friendly environment for you. We won't surprise you by asking you to stand up or stick out in any way. We also won't ask you to give us any money. We want you to be able to check us out without feeling singled out. No pressure!

We're relevant! Our messages are meant to apply to your everyday life. They're practical and filled with comfort. We believe that everyone needs to know what God expects of us, and what God offers us in his love. If you come to CrossWalk, you'll hear just what God has to say about this - straight from his Word, the Bible! With our upbeat music and our fun and creative worship, you'll go home encouraged and equipped each week!"

Willow Creek pioneered "We won't ask you for money." But the website asks for online giving. Hmm.

I finally found a definite affiliation with WELS on the Common Questions page. The cafe is mentioned on TWO pages and affiliation on only one.

This contagious leadership and contagious church baloney are supposed to be new and revolutionary, but this is the same old Dreck served up 20 years ago and failing everywhere. C. Peter Wagner, the Pentecostal Baptist, admitted that Church Growth principles do not work.

The Yale School of Management will not help. Perhaps this might:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than
your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither,
but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace:
the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:8-12

Mueller versus Brenner - You Read It Here First

I am risking my reputation for calling elections (Crumley, Kieschnick, Kieschnick re-election, Dan Preus out) to predict the WELS Synodical President results.

The California DP has been mentioned as a candidate backed by the Church and Change people. That would go against the unwritten rule, that the First VP (Mueller) gets the job. Secondly, no one has more clout than President-in-Waiting Mueller. He has been the power behind the throne for years. He was able to get voted back in as VP after being voted out, a phenomenon worthy of a dissertation (Ph.D., abnormal psychology, Wayne State University).

The recent letter sent by the seminary faculty, opposing the close of MLS, tells me that Brenner definitely has a base there. Church Growth people in WELS want to close the schools. For instance, closing Martin Luther College would make Wisconsin Luther College (far more liberal) the only WELS college. WLC has plenty of Schwan money. MLC is flat busted, due to synod support money being withdrawn by the synod. The budget has been manipulated against the schools for more than 20 years.

Brenner has the added advantage of being from Michigan, where his father Slick served as a pastor and opponent of the liberals. The original John Brenner--three John Brenners in a row, almost as confusing as Constantius, Constantine, Constantia, Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans--was synodical president during the most trying times, the Great Depression. He was also known as the scourge of the liberals. He detected the changes in Missouri before anyone else noticed. SP Brenner has always been held up as the ultimate bogeyman by the Church Growth fanatics, a singular honor in the eyes of many.

John Brenner was a popular dean of men at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, before he was called to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. For those of you who do not know WELS history, MLS was a seminary. When the Wisconsin Synod merged with Michigan, the seminary was turned into a prep school, with the promise of synodical support, the funds now being yanked away to support the hobbies of the Church Growth leaders.

Brenner is one of the rare men who would gain support from the Michigan District (grew up there, taught there) and from the Jurassic Age of WELS, when his grandfather was synodical president on a shoestring budget. Therefore, he would have plenty of support in the State of Wisconsin, where WELS pastors and members are densest.

Mueller would necessarily line up the bureaucratic support, the Church and Change people, the ordination of women advocates, and the extensive network of Fuller Seminary and Willow Creek alumni. Many Wisconsinites want MLS closed as a matter of principle (Wisconsin versus Michigan, really puerile). The dissenters would gladly cut out the very people who will support Mueller to avoid those cuts.

Right now I would give the odds to Brenner to win, but only if his people watch the ballot counting. The DMLC-NWC merger vote was flipped, a narrow defeat turned into a narrow victory. Retiring SP Gurgel then went to the disctrict conventions and promised, to win the second (necessary) district vote, that it would cost only $8 million. The Michigan District bought this line from Gurgel - "If it goes over $8 million, we will pull the plug." Sure. Some say the cost-saving merger cost $30 million. Do the Michiganders remember being goosed the last time? You bet.

Brenner should win a honest vote. The disgust toward the Mueller-Gurgel reign is so great that Wayne should not be able to stop the urge to throw the rascals out.

Immune to the message given by the disastrous drop in mission offerings, WELS has instituted an emergency pledge drive to close the gap between the $28 million given the previous year and the current $20 million mission offering. One might expect news releases urging people to die faster so the Grim Reapers (Planned Giving Counselors, aka Tetzels) could harvest faster. "The fields are white for the harvest," as Don McGavran told a slack-jawed Lawrence Otto Olson. "You must harvest with a sickle, not a pen-knife."

Two Cities - St. Augustine

Two Cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord. For the one seeks glory from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of conscience. The one lifts up its head in its own glory; the other says to its God, “Thou art my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.”

City of God

WELS Room, Board, Tuition

Luther Prep, Watertown, is just under $8,000 per year.

Martin Luther College is about $14,000 per year.

Four years of prep and four years of college will cost $88,000. Some scholarships and grants are available, so results may vary.

Seminary room, board, and tuition is about $11,000 per year. A new pastor will have spent $121,000 on his education, minus grants and scholarships.

These enormous increases happened because the management experts at headquarters ordered a 30% increase over a span of two years. For some reason, 600 students were lost to the educational system from this self-destructive act. That alarming loss decreased the tuition income, which precipitated the collapse now called the WELS crisis.

Not to worry. WELS used this extra tuition money and fees to help balance the books.

Western Wisconsin - Just Say No to MLS Closing

From the MLS website, the text, ipsissima verba:

Report of the Floor Committee on Synodical Matters

Memorial I -

Vote “NO” to Synodical Council Recommendation to close Michigan Lutheran Seminary

WHEREAS,
1) During most of our synod’s history, we have been richly blessed by our Synod’s Ministerial Education system; and

WHEREAS,
2) At the 2005 Synod Convention, an extensive study on our preparatory system was overwhelmingly received with great favor, and the two prep schools, Luther Preparatory School and Michigan Lutheran Seminary, were again endorsed as vital for our synod’s ministry; and

WHEREAS, 3) By God’s grace, and with His guidance, we continue to look to prepare
future called workers through Michigan Lutheran Seminary and Luther Preparatory School, therefore be it

Resolved, a) That the Western Wisconsin District direct the synod in the 2007 convention to defeat the proposed recommendation to close Michigan Lutheran Seminary after the 2007/2008 school year, and be it
finally

Resolved, b) That the Western Wisconsin District endorse our current two prep schools as vitally important for our synod and its ministry in preparing called workers to work in the harvest field.

Memorial II -

Funding 2008/2009 Synod Budget

WHEREAS, 1) By voting “No” to closing Michigan Lutheran Seminary, there is a deficit
budget of $2.3 million for the 2008/2009 fiscal year; and

WHEREAS, 2) The synod constitution directs us to have a balanced budget; therefore be it

Resolved, a) That the Western Wisconsin District direct the synod in the 2007 convention to make changes such as these to the WELS Operating Budget in the allocation of funds for the 2008/2009 fiscal year:

1) Communications budget becomes $332,959 (proposed is $402,700) -69,741
2) Christian Giving budget becomes $1,732,435 (proposed is $2,153,334) -420,899
3) Technology budget becomes $1,339,181 (proposed is $1,497,012) -157,831
4) Financial Services becomes $1,368,140 (proposed is $1,649,094) -280,954
5) Reduce SC, COP, Support, Convention budget by 2% -19,440
6) Reduce District budgets by 1% -8,522
7) Lower MLC repayment of debt to $250,050 -750,000
8) Lower internal borrowing repayment to $698,000 -1,500,000

-3,207,387

and be it finally

Resolved, b) That the Western Wisconsin District direct the Synod in the 2007 convention to
make these allocations from the $3,207,387 that is available:

1) Michigan Lutheran Seminary $2,300,000
2) Home Missions $400,000
3) World Missions $507,387

Memorial III – “Reclaim the Mission”

WHEREAS, 1) The document entitled “Reclaim the Mission” identifies and describes many of the problems and challenges facing the synod today; and
WHEREAS, 2) The document accurately reflects the heartfelt concerns of many WELS members, both lay and clergy; and
WHEREAS, 3) The tone of the document is positive in its attempt to avoid blame and to offer positive solutions; and
WHEREAS, 4) The document identifies five key areas of concern that must be addressed, namely

1. Reaffirming our purpose and priorities
   
   
2. Re-defining our method of support
   
   
3. Restoring clear, responsible, and responsive lines of authority
   
   
4. Re-establishing effective communication

Reviewing and revising current programs; and
WHEREAS, 5) There is now no viable comprehensive plan to address these problems other than to appeal to the synod’s members for increased offerings; and
WHEREAS, 6) This document offers a multi-part strategy to address the problems cited; and
Resolved, a) That we declare our support of this proposal and the steps it outlines; and be it further
Resolved, b) That this plan be presented to the 2007 synod in convention for study, discussion and;

and consideration be it finally

A closing word of encouragement to our Western Wisconsin District delegates to the 2007 WELS
Convention:

We realize that there are already many proposals and “solutions” being bandied about. We can all have ideas about what to do. We want our Western Wisconsin District delegates to understand the tremendous trust we have in you. We promise to pray for you. We ask this of you: Prepare well. Before convention, think about what you believe we should do. Get some rest before convention. Listen carefully to every idea. Be very respectful of the opinions of synodical officials, but do not be unduly influenced by them. Have courage to make decisions that take advantage of the best ideas you hear, no matter where those ideas arise. Understand that you are to make the decisions that provide for our common future.

Go with God. Lead.

Alberts, Frank, layman, LaCrosse
Arndt, Ken, pastor, Elizabeth, IL
Busse, Carl, pastor, Medford
Cortez, Kevin, pastor, Wonewoc
Degner, Dale, layman, Sparta
Fricke, Joseph, pastor, Mauston
Gut, John, layman, Schofield
Heth, Dwayne, layman, Milton
Heyer, Philip, pastor, Beaver Dam
Hoffman, Geoffrey, teacher, Tomah
Jensen, Michael, pastor, Watertown
Kingery, Vern, layman, Baraboo
Lehman, Kenneth, teacher, LaCrosse
Leonard, David, teacher, Eau Claire
Lindemann, Michael, pastor, Lewiston, MN
Miller, Arlan, layman, Janesville
Proeber, Kevin, teacher, Janesville
Reich, Terry, pastor, Rib Lake
Schaefer, Ken, layman, Rockford, IL
Schaller, Peter, layman, Chippewa Falls
Schalow, Robert, layman, Marshfield
Schlavensky, John, teacher, Fox Lake
Schmeling, Steve, pastor, Menomonie
Schumacher, Dave, layman, Monroe
Schwanz, Jerry, layman, Neillsville
Suffrins, Bill, layman, Pickwick, MN
Wolfe, Cletus, layman, Bloomer

Pastor Jerry Ewings, De Forest, chairman
Pastor Nathan Strutz, Galesville/Arcadia, secretary

MLS Responds to Synodical Sharks

This is a pdf from the Michigan Lutheran Seminary (prep school) board, posted on its website. I decided to link it rather than copy it. A graph is included about pastoral shortages.

MLS Board Responds to Shutting the School Down

The Wisconsin boys were actively seeking to close MLS in the early 1990's, about 15 years ago (for those who went to public school).

Hope Revival Church Likes the WELS AnswerMan

An independent revival congregation is copying the Q and A from the WELS website.

Another Church in Fellowship with WELS

One WELS pastor told his members to join a Baptist church if they moved to a town where WELS did not have a congregation. WELS has sponsored revival services, so this congregation would be ideal for the average victim of Church Growth in WELS.

Wisconsin Lutheran SeminaryWe Are Not AmusedBy the MLS Closing

Posted at the Michigan Lutheran Seminary website:

The Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary faculty sent its first letter to all pastors of the synod since 1927.

"What is it that leads us to send this unusual letter? First of all, it is the recommendation of the Synodical Council to close Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw. As men called to train pastors to serve in our church body, we cannot help but be concerned as we think about how closing MLS would impact our efforts to train confessional Lutheran pastors in sufficient numbers to serve WELS congregations in the future."

The faculty letter tells me that Team Brenner is mounting a challenge to President-in-Waiting Wayne Mueller.

One WELS pastor stopped by to see a friend of his. The pastor commented that the Church Growth guys were shutting down the schools. This news is not exactly a shock to the informed, but it confirmed to me that pastors know what is happening.

You Dare Offend The Great and Terrible Oz?WELS Response to Dissent

The Wisconsin Synod is the only group where the tea leaves can be read on a daily basis. Only WELS has the daily Q and A on its webpage. My impression is that President-in-Waiting Wayne Mueller writes these answers or has control of them. The answer I will dissect has I'll-Have-the-Last-Word-Wayne written all over it, either as author or final editor. However, to be fair, we do not know Wayne wrote it until he officially denies it.

You Dare Offend the Great and Terrible Oz?

Someone, we are led to believe, has asked AnswerMan about the proposals to fix the synod. The first proposal is identified as Mark Schroeder's. The Luther Prep president's proposal is well known and posted here at Ichabod. Schroder proposed establishing annual fees for congregation to cover basic synodical costs. Annual dues are generally seen as a step backwards in stewardship. Paul did not establish fees when he collected for the poor in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8 and 9), so why would WELS set fees for the rich in Milwaukee?

The second proposal discussed is clearly Paul Kuske's. The former Michigan District VP has fallen on hard times. He did everything the synod ordered. In Columbus, he set up Lutheran Parish Resources as the first Church Growth institution in WELS, providing employment for Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, who had been kicked out of the LCMS ministerium for cause (and never was a WELS member). The Michigan District expressed their gratitude for Kuske's service by voting him out of office, a rare event and a singular achievement.

Clearly, AnswerMan has his crosshairs on the Kuske proposal, which was also posted on Ichabod. I could link it, but readers should spend more time looking through all the posts. Currently, Ichabod is out-producing all Lutheran blogs combined.

How does AnswerMan choose to refute the unnamed Kuske report?

He blasts the Michigan District!

What better way to win the hearts and minds of the Michigan District? Half of all WELS members are in Wisconsin. The other half are in Michigan and Minnesota. The rest are scattered throughout the United States. Ohio, where Kuske promoted Church Growth, has very few members altogether. Ohio is part of the Michigan District, but a very small part indeed.

AnswerMan roars that the proposal comes from the district with the lowest offering per communicant for the synod, tied for lowest dollar per communicant.

Probably DP Seifert encouraged the Kuske report. That is how he works, how everyone in WELS works. But did the whole district write the report? The AnswerMan refutation of the Kuske report is a fine example of a logical fallacy called a Genetic Fallacy.

"A Genetic Fallacy occurs when the origin a belief or idea is presented as grounds to accept or reject the idea." Genetic Fallacy

AnswerMan is saying, "The Kuske report comes from Michigan, with a disgustingly low mission offering. Therefore, the Kuske report is invalid."

However, the mission offering plummeted from $28 million to $20 million in one year, certainly not from the spiritual laxity of the Michigan District alone. Besides, do the stewardship geniuses of WELS think a district will increase its offering when the synod breaks its ancient promise to support a Michigan prep school? A show of hands - Who thinks closing Michigan Lutheran Seminary will increase offerings for the people closing it? Hmm. One hand went up - AnswerMan's.

What really offends the Michigan District (and Luther Prep) is that the last convention passed a resolution opposing such a move. No, the convention is not the highest level of decision making in the synod, in any synod. The Chair of St. Peter's, the papal office in any synod, is the highest level. Surrounding this synodical pope is the Curia, those sharks and apostates who gain power by manipulating power.

AnswerMan, who lives off the synod mission offering, says the administration is irreplacable. The schools are not. The administration has doubled in size (per communicant) while shutting down schools. Arguing for the absolute necessity of these boobs is a hard sell when they have done such a miserable job of administration.

Try this mental exercise. If most of the administrators were fired, could some be hired back again when people had more confidence in their work? Of course. Can the land sold from various school closing be bought back in the future? No? Oh, it is too expensive now. And creating a school is far more expensive than keeping one going.

Turning AnserMan's logic on his own bluster, why would anyone listen to a synod adminsitration going bankrupt after receiving the largest charitable gift in history (the Schwan Foundation's)? Why go to the people who "lost" $8 million for stewardship advice?

Twenty Years of Silence - Too Late for the WELS-tanic?

As I mentioned before, the defunding of the educational system in WELS was well known in 1987, 20 years ago (for those who went to public schools). I heard Voss, head of Worker Training, give a presentation on the decreasing share of the synod dollar. Worker Training was getting a smaller percentage each year, a drastic reduction already at that point.

Shortly after that presentation, Paul Prange became president of Michigan Lutheran prep in Saginaw and Mark Schroeder became president of Northwestern Prep in Watertown. WELS closed the debacle known as Prairie and merged it with Northwestern to make it Luther Prep.

The defunding continued but nothing was said. Prange and Schroeder are both good men, more than I could say for most WELS leaders. During the last 20 years, nothing much has come from either school, the boards running them, the presidents, the alumni, the parents, about the obvious fate of the schools. Now that both are vitually closed, with the college sinking fast, the muted howling has begun.

The Issues in WELS papers are so distant from the real issues that they amaze and confound anyone with sense. Reading Issues in WELS would make most people believe they were reading the minutes of the Ladies Aid Society aboard the Titantic.
1. Cabin Window Curtains - Should They Be Closed or Open During a Squall?
2. Red or White - How To Pick a Wine During a Formal Dinner.
3. Tipping Properly and with Discretion.

After hitting the iceberg, the final resolution of the Ladies Aid would be, modeled after Issues in WELS:

Resolved - We shall not break the 8th commandment while sinking.

Retired WELS Pastor Bartling - Ipsissima Verba

"Venom" (ala LutherQuest sic) or just the truth?

BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
Part III

THE DOUBLE STANDARDS AND HYPOCRISY IN THE WELS
by
Pastor Mark F. Bartling

Ripley’s famous and interesting “believe it or not” oddities, filled with extraordinary and almost unbelievable information, still fascinate us yet today! Recent events in the Wisconsin Synod (WELS) may also seem unbelievable and the oddities will truly stretch your imagination.

In baseball it is only asked that the umpire be consistent. Call a wide strike zone or a narrow one. But be consistent! Don’t call one pitch a strike, but another a ball, when both crossed the plate at the same place.

In politics, when a Democrat moves away from a pro-life to a pro-choice position, it is called “growing.” But when a Republican changes to a more pro-life position, well, that is called hypocrisy.

One can understand hypocrisy and a double standard in politics. That is what politics are all about. But not in the Church of God!!! There one is called to a higher standard.

Believe it or not! The WELS synodical president and Vice president refused to print in the Book of Reports and Memorials a memorial, from 86 pastors and 3 congregations, to the Synod’s convention asking for a study of the Synod’s position on fellowship. But at the same time they made available the synodical mailing list and e-mail addresses to the Church and Change group. This group is leading the way in undermining the Synod’s position on fellowship in inviting heterodox teachers to address their annual meetings. Talk about a double standard! It can now be said that WELS leaders official endorse and approve the modern Church Growth Movement.

Believe this or not! When synodical leaders are involved in situations concerning appearances of impropriety and improper behavior, -- well, that must be quickly covered up. Recently, one synodical leader was found spending a considerable amount of time alone with a woman in frequent “counseling sessions,” both at church and in her home. But here we are told to put the best construction on it and not sin against the 8th Commandment. But when a young pastor of a small congregation, and with no high synodical connections or relatives, is involved in practically the same type of situation – well, he must be put out of the ministry and his Call, for now he is no longer “blameless.” (I Tim. 3:2)
One is for synodical officials, another is for parish pastors.

Believe this or not! In the WELS today a situation exist that is not too much different from the time of the Reformation, when men like Luther were excommunicated for being “too Catholic,” but the sellers of indulgences were protected and defended, -- for they were bring in the money.

If some pastor talks about private confession, making the sign of the holy Cross in the name of the Triune God, the sacrament of ordination, every Sunday Communion, wearing full liturgical vestments, and publishes a “motley magpie” (all which, by the way, are taught in our Lutheran Confessions) – well, that is being Catholic and such pastors are quickly excluded from our fellowship. But when other pastors completely omit any type of confession, public or private, use no Trinitarian invocations, continuously confuse law and Gospel in their sermons, practice open communion, with women helping in the distribution, have women read Scripture lessons in public worship, and use every innovation of Church Growth methods, -- well, that is to be highly praised and no one even thinks of calling the practice “too Methodist.”

Believe it or not, but the WELS is becoming just another Protestant Church and many congregational worship services are not too much different from the Baptist and Pentecostals churches on the next street. Just read some of the mission statements and tell me whether they are Confessional Lutheran or just Protestant.
A sainted WELS pastor, from a past century, in deep distress concerning the direction of his Synod, lamented:
WELS, oh WELS, wherefore art thou my WELS?
Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered
Oh foolish, WELS, who hath bewitched you?

All is not well, in WELS!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Gurgel and Mueller, President and VP of WELS, refused to print this memorial in the Book of Reports and Memorials.

To: The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Convention 2007

Subject: Definition of the expression “Framework of Fellowship”
WHEREAS 1) various groups within the Synod have arranged for speakers not in fellowship with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) to address them on matters relating to doctrine and on practical aspects of conducting the ministry; and

WHEREAS 2) some in our Synod question whether seeking such instruction from the heterodox is consistent with Scripture’s urging to “watch out for false prophets” (Mt. 7:15) and “keep away from” errorists (Ro. 16:17) and whether welcoming the errorist may constitute “sharing in his wicked work” (2 John 11); and

WHEREAS 3) groups inviting such outside speakers have defended the practice with the explanation that the speakers were addressing them “outside the framework of fellowship”; and

WHEREAS 4) references to “the framework of fellowship” are appearing more frequently in the literature of the WELS, but there exists neither a clear and commonly-accepted definition of what that phrase entails nor a thorough explanation of how the phrase is consistent with Scriptural principles of Christian fellowship; and

WHEREAS 5) disagreement over this issue is threatening the bond of peace within our beloved Synod; and

WHEREAS 6) it has been argued that a new study of the Scriptural principles might cast doubt on the Synod’s current position of Christian fellowship; and

WHEREAS 7) a review of those principles that aims to supply an element not currently addressed in our doctrinal statements would not cast doubt on the Synod’s current doctrinal position on fellowship; therefore be it

Resolved a) that the Synod instruct the conference of Presidents (COP) to conduct a thorough review of the Scriptural principles of fellowship with the aim of developing a clear and complete definition of what constitutes the “framework of fellowship” and a thorough explanation of how the phrase is consistent with Scriptural principles; and be it further

Resolved b) that the results of this study be published and shared broadly with the constituency of the WELS; and be it finally

Resolved c) That the COP be instructed respectfully to request that, in a spirit of brotherly cooperation, groups affiliated with the WELS defer from employing public speakers from outside the WELS fellowship who will discuss matters relating to doctrine and practical aspects of conducting the ministry until such a study can be completed.

Mr. Richard L. Andersen, Anchor Point, AK
Prof. Richard D. Balge, Thiensville, WI
Rev. Terry G. Balogh, Mayville, MI
Rev. William Balza, South Haven, MI
Rev. Mark Bartling, LaCrosse, WI
Mr. Ross Bannister, Bancroft, MI
Rev. Jeffrey Berg, Oshkosh, WI
Rev. Spencer G. Biga, Freeland, MI
Mr. Thomas H. Buege, Greenville, WI
Rev. Carl Busse, Medford, WI
Mr. Brent Buzzalini, Mayville, MI
Mr. Steven Desek, Fostoria, MI
Prof. Daniel M. Deutschlander, Watertown, WI
Rev. Timothy J. Ehlers, Oakley, MI
Rev. Larry Ellenberger, Franklin, WI
Rev. Mark H. Falck, Grand Rapids, MN
Rev. Gerald Free, Neenah, WI
Rev. Keith Free, Plover, WI
Rev. Kenneth Frey, Appleton, WI
Rev. Marc P. Frey, New Carlisle, OH
Mr. Philip Frey, Black Hawk, SD
Rev. Daniel P. Garbow, Saginaw, MI
Rev. James A. Gorsegner, Pigeon, MI
Rev. Timothy H. Gumm, Loves Park, IL
Rev. Roy W. Hefti, Bangor, WI
Rev. Michael T. Jensen, Ixonia, WI
Rev. Christopher D. Johnson, Algoma, WI
Rev. Peter Kiecker, Watertown, WI
Prof. Roger Kobleske, Watertown, WI
Rev. Henry F. Koch, Manitowoc, WI
Rev. Robert Koester, Milwaukee, WI
Rev. Steven Korth, Bay City, MI
Mr. Allen Krause, Oshkosh, WI
Rev. David Krenke, Leesburg, FL
Rev. Arnold J. Kunde, Durand, MI
Rev. Stephen C. F. Kurtzahn, Coon Rapids, MN
Rev. James L. Langebartels, Imlay City, MI
Rev. Donald Laude, Marquette, KS
Rev. Herbert Lichtenberg, Milwaukee, WI
Rev. Earl Lindemann, Winner, SD
Mr. Larry Lindemann, Salem, SD
Rev. Carl A Lindemann, Bismark, ND
Rev. Edward Lindemann, Watertown, WI
Rev. Michael A. Lindemann, Lewiston, MN
Mr. Paul Lindemann, New Berlin, WI
Rev. Waldemar Loescher, Manitowoc, WI
Rev. Martin Luchterhand, Hustler, WI
Prof. Marcus Manthey, Saginaw, MI
Rev. Paul A. Manthey, Waukesha, WI
Rev. William Mayhew, Sebewaing, MI
Rev. Bruce McKenney, Lake Mills, WI
Rev. David Mielke, Mount Pleasant, MI
Rev. James W. Naumann, Vassar, MI
Rev. Paul S. Naumann, Benton Harbor, MI
Rev. Marcus C. Nitz, Placentia, CA
Rev. David Nottling, Fox Lake, WI
Rev. Carl T. Otto, Saginaw, MI
Mr. Carlton Palenske, Winona, MN
Rev. Bradley Pearson, Prairie du Sac, WI
Rev. Gary L. Pieper, Grove City, OH
Rev. James Plocher, Vassar, MI
Rev. Guy Purdue, Westland, MI
Rev. Marvin Putz, Fond du Lac, WI
Rev. Paul Reede, West Bend, WI
Rev. Theodore Sauer, Manitowoc, WI
Rev. Paul Schaewe, Bay City, MI
Rev. Paul D. Schleis, Green Bay, WI
Rev. Andrew C. Schultz, La Crosse, WI
Rev. Martin Schulz, Greenfield, WI
Rev. Gerhard F. Shapekahm, Fremont, WI
Rev. Gordon J. Snyder, West Allis, WI
Rev. Peter J. Snyder, Saginaw, MI
Rev. Joel Spaude, Ft Collins, CO
Prof. Cyril W. Spaude, Watertown, WI
Rev. Steven D. Spencer, Sierra Vista, AZ
Rev. Steven Staude, Onalaska, WI
Rev. John Strackbein, Oklahoma City, OK
Rev. Paul Stuebs, Platteville, WI
Rev. Frederick Toppe, Fond du Lac, WI
Mr. Frederick Uttech, Manitowoc, WI
Rev. Roger Wahl, Cambria, WI
Mr. Douglas Westenberg, Watertown, WI
Rev. Philip Wilde, Bristol, WI
Rev. Michael D. Zarling, Sturtevant, WI
Rev. Frederick Zimmerman, Kaukaulin, MI
Rev. Ronald Zindler, Wrightstown, WI

Church Council of Epiphany Lutheran Church, Racine, WI
Voters of Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church, Oklahoma City, OK
Voters of Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church, Oshkosh, WI

LutherQuest (sic) Piles On

"Mr. Carter,

I easily found the blog on google and I don't think Jeremy was attaching it to you specifically or personally.

While I find no fault with legitimate criticism of WELS, Jackson's blog is spewed venom - pure negativity and attack without anything positive."
Phyllis Whitten, teacher
Denomination: WELS

GJ - I wonder if this WELS member teaches reading comprehension.

Cry Havoc! - And Let Slip The Blog of Venom

I found this hilarious post on LutherQuest (sic) today. People were discussing candidates for WELS Synodical President.

"Jennifer:

Don't allow Mr. Carter to lead you into believing that "many lists" are circulating around our dear Synod.

Reading Greg Jackson's blog of venom doesn't count for "many lists."
Jeremy Carlson
E-mail Address: jcarlson72@gmail.com

Nobody mentioned Ichabod, as far as I could tell. Nobody mentioned me. Apparently Mr. Carlson has been reading Ichabod without benefiting from its wisdom.

The robotic WELS position is that quoting their Church Growth gurus verbatim is venom. Even worse, quoting Luther and the Book of Concord. "The nerve!" say Ron Roth. "No wonder we are taking a beating in mission offerings."

That's imaginary - quoting Ron Roth. Where else could a Church Growth advocate get paid to handle stewardship for decades while the synod plunges downhill?

Calling money given to the synod a Mission Offering is deceitful. Most of the money is spent on outrageous salaries and benefits for incompetents. I suggest calling it a Salary Tax. Mark Schroeder wants to move to a Salary Tax. Some are calling it a pew rental, like the good old days.

PS - You are probably wondering where "Cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs of war" came from. The "Havoc" order meant that English troops could pillage. The famous passage is from the Earl of Oxford's (aka Shakespeare) Julius Caesar.

"And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial."

WELS Statistical Summary - Fudge Factors

The South Atlantic District had the largest gain at +232.
The Michigan District had the largest loss at -230.
The loss for Michigan was probably much larger because the Frankenmuth congregation that left for the ELS is still on the books as WELS. That would add 700 to the losses.

There are 48 Conferences in the WELS -
29 showed a net loss of communicants.
19 showed a net gain of communicants.

Conferences with 100 or more losses -
Milwaukee Metro, SEW -372.
Northern, MI -131.
Southwestern, MI -109.
Do you find it strange that the conference nestled around synod headquarters is the most Left-wing and the most disastrous in numbers? What does that say about the leadership of WELS?

Congregations that gained were not impressive:
The DePere, Wisconsin congregation, where Paul Kelm (Fuller alumnus) works, posted a gain of only 57. A large congregation could easily add members by transfer and baptism and not remove hundreds. As a gain, 57 out of thousands is not even a blip.

One example of numbers with mega-churches:
When we meet various people in Glendale who learn that we are Lutheran, they say, "Lutheran? I used to be a member of Church of Joy." That has happened many times. Church of Joy in the most famous ELCA Church Growth congregation. They add and subtract large numbers of members each month.

It must be depressing for the WELS Church Growth leaders to have hitched their careers to a jackass like Donald McGovern. The ruling Church Growth enthusiasts have worked together for decades:

1. sent all the world mission and American mission people through Fuller,
   
2. given scholarships for pastors to be brain-washed at their favorite union school,
   
3. added Church Growth to the seminary curriculum,
   
4. forced new pastors to come back one year after ordination for Church Growth re-education,
   
5. created "evangelism" conferences that are pure Church Growth,
   
6. forced everyone to focus on numbers, planning, Management by Objective,
   
7. killed the school system in the name of missions, which are also dying.

The mantra of these phonies has been, "Get out the graph paper. Look at your numbers." Now they should be hoisted on their own Excel spread-sheets. They got corporate-trained laity to despise doctrine in the name of numbers. Now they have no Lutheran doctrine left - as a synod - and a bankruptcy of money, numbers, and values to face.

The solution is a return to Lutheran doctrine. The false teachers are so firmly entrenched that it would take a serious effort for a decade to root out the main disease systems. God could do this through His efficacious Word, but who trusts Him when they have their synod to worship?

I Predicted This Years Ago

The ELS and WELS have decided it is naughty for women to commune women "in certain circumstances."

I get the impression that some WELS women were acting out what Professor Brug endorsed about 15 years ago. He stated in their journal that there is nothing in the Bible against women being ordained. WELS was not ready for it...yet.

WELS and the ELS are very good at finding exceptions and subsequently making those exceptions normative.

If someone knows more about this, please post a comment.

ELS Losses

From The Plucked Chicken:

"This year there are five of each to add to the three churches and one pastor we lost last year. In addition, there are two pastors who resigned from the clergy roster this year, as well as others in recent years."

This means:

1. Eight pastors left the ELS, voluntarily or by defenestration.
   
2. Eight congregations left the ELS, voluntarily or by defenestration.
   
3. More may leave or be kicked out.
   

More bad news. The Public Ministry document has achieved canonical status in the ELS. They passed the ambiguous document by a mixed vote. Now they are debating what they mean or meant by this Public Ministry of the Word statement. How much more Talmudic can a synod become?

I suggest a quatenus subscription to the PMW, to be enforced throughout the synod. The good part is that the ELS will agree about something. The better part is that they can interpret their subscription to the new creed any way they wish. Best of all, much posing and posturing can be enjoyed by all as pastors tap dance around the meaning of the Confessions and the Scriptures, with an eye on replacing Pope John the Malefactor.

WELS Statistics Summarized

WELS has the most congregations and pastors ever.

WELS has steadily lost members in the last 20 years (the Church Growth years) while adding expensive administrators.

Since 1987, WELS has lost about 6,000 communicants, about 25,000 souls.

In 1970, WELS had only 10 administrators. In 2002, they had 57, who get the highest salaries in the structure, more than seminary professors. They lost a few since then, but they still have a huge number.

The percentage in attendance has gone down, too.

The good news is -

The number of administrators per communicant has doubled since 1987!

So who can doubt the efficacy of the Church Growth Movement in WELS? No wonder the Fuller-trained administrators love the Church Growth Movement.

WELS Statistics - Looking Bad

As Luther said, when people order God around, He denies them their infantile demands. WELS has focused on the Church Growth Movement for 30 years and lost ground the entire time. WELS is not only following ELCA in ideology but in membership losses as well.

Here are the stats:

2005 souls - 398,282
2006 souls - 395,947
net loss of 2,335

2005 communicants - 313,553
2006 communicants - 311,977
net loss of 1,576

[Subtract the teens and shut-ins from the communicant list and the real figure is doubtless much lower. Those would be the people left to support and attend regularly.]

2005 child baptisms - 7,006
2006 child baptisms - 6,836

2005 adult baptisms - 734
2006 adult baptisms - 668

2005 adult confirmations - 3,956
2006 adult confirmations - 3,852

2005 professions of faith - 2,342
2006 professions of faith - 2,294

2005 ave. Sun. att. - 44.3%
2006 ave. Sun. att. - 44.0%

2005 LES students - 23,049
2006 LES students - 21,911

2005 S.S. students - 34,614
2006 S.S. students - 31,789

2005 CMO received - $28,994,971
2006 CMO received - $20,230,919

2005 ave. giving per comm. (all purposes) - $959.47
2006 ave. giving per comm. (all purposes) - $1,011.86

Giving per communicant for all purposes went up in 2006, but synod giving tanked, nosedived, did the Katie-Couric-ratings thing. Another $8 million disappeared.

WELS: Where Is All the Money Going? The Final EpisodePart 1

"In keeping with policy established by the Synod in Convention, we are not opening new missions fully funded by the WELS Home Missions budget. Instead, we rely on the initiative of local congregations, individuals, or circuits to begin new evangelism efforts. By applying for it through the DMB, such initiatives may receive financial assistance from the WELS BHM. We call these “Level 2 ministries.” The WELS BHM is responsible for approving these and appropriating funds. The DMB encourages all our congregations to consider making plans to begin second sites or to use additional languages in reaching out. We will try to provide assistance and access to resources.

Cross-cultural and Multi-cultural mission work continues to advance, especially among Latino and Hmong language groups. These efforts are important to us. Many challenges face our called workers, lay evangelists, and congregations. The DMB is working to understand the special needs of cross-cultural missions. One of the greatest challenges is financial. New immigrant groups do not have the financial stability to enable them to grow support for their congregations that the BHM normally expects. While we will continue to teach stewardship and work toward self-support, we know that this work will require greater commitments of time and financial resources. The DMB supports the idea of making Phoenix a hub for Hispanic outreach, believing that there is strength in the numbers of brothers and sisters working together there. The DMB chairman has talked with the ELS Mission Counselor about cooperating with them on Korean outreach in Southern California. We are working with the Coordinator for WELS Hmong Ministry to strengthen Hmong missions in Northern California."

From the WELS California-Arizona-Nevada district.

New Lutheran Association - The Churches of the Defenestration

I like the word defenestration, finding it useful in dealing with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and Pope John the Malefactor.

The word is used in history when Roman Catholic officials were thrown out the window. A soft landing followed - on a manure pile. This started the Thirty Years War -

Old Fashioned Protestant Diplomacy

Defenestration means - thrown out the window.

The congregations and pastors tossed out of the ELS have formed an association, listed here:

First Evanger (First Confessional Lutheran Parish), Fertile, Minnesota

Grace (First Confessional Lutheran Parish), Crookston, Minnesota

Reformation, Hillsboro, Oregon

St. Mary Evangelical Lutheran Chapel, Des Moines, Iowa

St. Paul, Escondido, California

Wayfarer's Chapel, Fillmore, California

And others

My source is: Reformation Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon

WELS and Missouri Work with these Pastors!

Former Pastor's Misconduct Leads to Review of ELCA

From Sleep with Dogs, Wake Up with Puppies

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The criminal sexual misconduct of a former pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has led the church to take a closer look at the process it uses to screen candidates for its lay and ordained ministries. The candidacy process involves the ELCA Division for Ministry, the church's eight seminaries, its 65 synods and synod committees.

"The church has a zero tolerance policy toward sexual misconduct. We do think we have a very strong system. Our continuing goal is to make a good system better," said the Rev. Stanley N. Olson, executive director, ELCA Division for Ministry.

Olson said the candidacy process for pastors and rostered lay leaders is constantly being reviewed. Rostered lay ministers of the ELCA are associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers.

"The tragic case of misconduct in Texas leads us to pay particular attention to things we are doing to try to avoid any misconduct," Olson said. "We will be examining that situation to see if there is anything specific that it suggests needs our attention. At present I don't see anything that requires a change in policy or procedure, but we'll be looking in detail. We'll also look at whether or not policies are being followed consistently," he said.

The ELCA has about 19,000 lay and ordained ministers, and "the number of misconduct cases that we've had over the years involves a very, very small portion," Olson said. "The vast majority of our rostered leaders conduct themselves appropriately."

"We have a couple thousand people in candidacy, too. The number of incidences of misconduct that occur during that candidacy process would also be very, very small," Olson said.

The former pastor, Gerald P. Thomas Jr., was found guilty of sexual assault against children in a criminal trial last year in Texas and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in state prison.

"This case is witness to the brokenness of the human person and of the systems designed by humans to assist and build up. The system failed; it deserves attention," the Rev. Mark R. Ramseth, president, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, wrote in a May 7 memo to ELCA bishops and seminary presidents.

The seminary's "administration has committed itself to a review of seminary and churchwide policies and procedures regarding sexual misconduct," a seminary news release said.

"No system can absolutely guarantee against misconduct by some individuals. Nevertheless, the ELCA is committed to the safety of all people. We will continue and strengthen our efforts to prevent human failings from undermining the gracious mission of the church," Olson said in a memo dated May 10.

"Currently, a review is under way, primarily considering whether more can be done to discover sexual misconduct by candidates, and exploring ways to prevent acceptance of persons prone to harmful behaviors. The review process will look at policies in place and at the application of the policies. If weaknesses in the standards or practices are identified, they will be addressed," he wrote.

"The board of the Division for Ministry and the Church Council will receive a progress report in the fall of this year," Olson said. The board meets here Oct. 8-10. The council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between biennial churchwide assemblies; the council meets here Nov. 11-15.

"I am confident that the ELCA already has a strong and dependable system for preparing people to serve as pastors and on other rosters. This candidacy system includes ongoing education and evaluation," Olson said.

"Preparation and approval of candidates for ordination is done through candidacy committees in each of the ELCA's 65 synods and in collaboration with the eight seminaries of the ELCA. The Division for Ministry helps develop and monitor policies for the candidacy system and offers consultation and training for the synods and seminaries," Olson wrote.

As of March 8, the ELCA candidacy process included 2,003 people preparing to become ordained pastors, 307 to become associates in ministry, 10 to become deaconesses and 159 to become diaconal ministers.

Fourteen plaintiffs affected by Thomas' criminal behavior sued the ELCA churchwide organization and several other church organizations and leaders. The churchwide organization settled with the plaintiffs and their attorneys on March 27 for $8 million. The district court in Marshall, Texas, formalized the settlement April 12.

Three other defendants settled separately with the plaintiffs. They were Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio; the Michigan Multi-Synodical Candidacy Committee; and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Marshall, Texas -- the congregation where Thomas was once a pastor. The settlements totaled $32 million.

Three remaining defendants -- the ELCA Northern Texas- Northern Louisiana Synod (NT-NL), Dallas; the Rev. Mark B. Herbener, former NT-NL bishop; and Earl H. Eliason, Herbener's former assistant -- went to trial Apri1 13 with nine plaintiffs.

The jury awarded $37 million to the plaintiffs on April 22 and held five parties liable: Eliason, Thomas, Herbener, Trinity Lutheran Seminary and the Michigan Multi-Synod Candidacy Committee. Because some of the parties found liable had settled before trial, the total amount to be paid to the plaintiffs will not be known until the trial court judge in Marshall formally enters a judgment, said John R. Brooks, ELCA spokesman, Department for Communication.

The Division for Ministry has its home page at http://www.elca.org/dm/ on the ELCA Web site.

News link here: Christian Century

From the Same Guys Who LOST $8 Million

"WELS Investment Funds, Inc., an affiliate of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, provides cost effective, professionally managed investment portfolios exclusively for WELS and WELS affiliated organizations. The WELS Funds are designed primarily for the investment needs of endowment funds, scholarship funds and charitable trust funds.

WELS INVESTMENT FUNDS, INC.
2929 North Mayfair Road
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53222
(877) 888-8953"

Now You See It, Now You Don't

There are several stories about the $8 million that went missing. One is that the treasurer told the bosses they could not spend money they were using up, so they fired him and blamed him. Another story is that the money was spent but the treasurer did not make the transfer on the books, making the Fuller alumni at headquarters think they had another $8 million.

Let's talk this over confidentially. Do you know accountants, CPAs, bookkeepers? The typical congregational treasuer? They seem to have one thing in common - a fanatical drive to tie up loose ends, a predestinating perfectionism. The official WELS version of how this happened does not fit my experience with accountants.

Whatever story sticks, neither one should motivate people to invest their money with those people.

In other news, WELS reports that estate gifts are only 20% of what they projected.

No Pastor or Congregation Kicked Out of ELS This Month

The June newsletter of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod - The Pope Speaks - reveals no new defenestrations. The stewardship committee might have had a sit-down, or in this case, a kneel-down with Pope John the Malefactor. The tiny sect does not have enough members and pastors to keep kicking them out.

Meanwhile, WELS, the sister synod, is staggering toward its Waterloo - or Armageddon - in New Ulm. The synod continues to brag about foreign missions commitments it cannot afford. In the graduation announcements is this little surprise:

"Of the 41 new graduates, six are from the Pastoral Studies Institute, which trains students from culturally diverse and other non-traditional backgrounds. Among them are four brothers from a Hmong family who will now be serving Hmong missions in California, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Thailand."

So you never heard of the Pastoral Studies Institute? Al Sorum is the director. For WELS insiders, that would be enough by itself to condemn the program. Here is the link:

Qwik Trip, WELS' Own Fuller Seminary

I am just guessing, but I imagine the whole program is subsidized by the synod via Thrivent Insurance. The multi-cultural emphasis came from the pan-Lutheran meeting at Snowbird, where WELS President Mischke, ELCA Archbishop Chilstrom, and LCMS President Bohlmann were photographed for The Lutheran magazine in the never forgotten pose - "Chiefs Confer." Thrivent wants all the synods to work together through identical, lavishly funded projects. WELS works secretively with ELCA and Missouri on a whole range of religious projects.

Through Lawrence Otto Olson (D.Min., Fuller) and Al Sorum (Director, Qwik Trip) the sect has created its own alternative school system. Olson started the "Staff Ministry" program to Fullerize men and women, so WELS pastors nicknamed him "Our Staff Infection." That program allows a man or woman to have a little Fuller-style training before being "called," as they say it, to a "staff minister position," to use their term. The whole purpose of these expensive new efforts is to diminish any concept of the ministry as the Preaching Office (Luther's term, Book of Concord term). Why bother with the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace when men and women can be called ministers after a short spell at an alternative program?

The Book of Concord, reflecting the Bible, teaches that the Church depends on a learned ministry and properly called pastors who serve in the Preaching Office. When WELS officials raise these poorly trained false teachers to the level of pastors, the Preaching Office is diminished and ridiculed. The path to advancement in the Lutheran synods is through anti-Lutheran training and the advocacy of false doctrine.

Pope John the Malefactor has not objected in public to these departures from the Book of Concord and the inerrant Scriptures.