Paul Kelm's Topics and Readings at WLC

Paul Kelm, D.Min., Concordia Lutheran Seminary

GJ - Below is a complete, verbatim copy of Paul Kelm's syllabus when he was teaching a course required for graduation at WLC. Are the Reformed and Pentecostals at Fuller Seminary reciprocating? Having Luther, Chemnitz, Walther on their required reading lists? Are Fuller D.Min. topics something like this? -

1. Luther Was Right, Get Over It
   
2. Pentecostalism Is Swallowing the Holy Ghost, Feathers and All
   
3. God Works Only through His Word and Sacraments
   
4. We Admire Everything about the Reformed, Except Their Doctrine
   
5. Worship God in the Beauty of His Holiness
   
6. What Can We Learn from the Means of Grace?
   
7. Useful Ideas from the Book of Concord

GJ note: The school had a hissy-fit when one student asked to avoid the assault of false doctrine. My name was never mentioned by the student, but the school brought up my name in a weird, paranoid way. No, this student skipped Kelm on his own and then sent me the material.


WISCONSIN LUTHERAN COLLEGE

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

THE 211: The Christian Faith and Life (3 credits)

Pastor Paul Kelm, Home Phone 784-0492 (Consultation by appointment)

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION

A biblical study of the Christian’s relationship with God~ self and others, with a particular focus on the ministry and fellowship of Christians gathered to be Christ’s church.

II. COURSE OBJECTIVES

A. That students develop a more personal relationship with their God through Bible

study, reflection and discussion.

B. That students develop a clearer understanding of themselves and their gifts, as well as Christian skills for coping with life and using their gifts.

C. That students become familiar with the nature and mission of Christ’s Church,

together with the challenges and opportunities confronting contemporary churches.

D. That students evaluate several significant issues and functions of confessional Lutheran churches.

III. COURSE METHODOLOGY AND MATERIALS

A. Three distinct areas outline the content of the course: Skills of Christian Living, Is sues of Personal Christianity and Principles of Church Leadership. Sometimes students will be asked to prepare for class discussion, especially by thoughtful study of a chapter of the Bible during the “issues of personal Christianity” subjects. Most classes will be guided by a handout prepared by the instructor. Lecture, question and answer, focused discussion and small-group interaction will be the methodology employed. Students are invited to raise related issues for discussion.



B. Each student will develop a Bible study, based on a specific chapter of the Bible and for a specific audience. Chapter and audience options are listed later in this syllabus. Bible studies will be graded according to the following criteria: 1) How well did this study bring out the main truths of the chapter in a detailed outline or narrative that both explained and illustrated these truths? 2) Is this study relevant to the audience selected? 3) Does this study involve the audience in the study through effective questions, discussion starters, action involvement, etc.? 4) How clear and practical are the applications of the chapter’s truths to life? 5) Does this study clearly relate Jesus Christ to the chapter and to the Christian’s life? 6) How creative and engaging is this study? Bible studies are to be turned in no later than September 23.

C. Each student will deliver an oral book review of six minutes in class. Book choices are listed later in this syllabus. The book review should include: the title of the book and a brief introduction of the author; a clear statement of the major premise/point/purpose of the book; at least four significant secondary or supporting arguments the author raises: an explanation of what value the book has to a Christian life and/or a church leader: a theological evaluation of the book (Is it biblically accurate and doctrinally correct?). Finally, the book review must convince the instructor that you actually read the book. The book review is due on or before Wednesday, October 21.

D. Students will complete an interview, analysis and summary project in teams of two. Options are listed later in this syllabus. Students must register their choice of project with the instructor by Wednesday, September 30, and must submit the written summary - no less than four typed, double-spaced pages with interview sheets attached - by Wednesday, November 18.

E. A research paper on one issue or aspect of congregational life and ministry is due on or before Wednesday, December 9. This paper must be not less than five typed, double-spaced pages of original composition. Two copies must be submitted, one of which will be returned. The paper should combine research, evaluation and the clear presentation of a thesis or strategy. Research should include interviews, essays, articles and books. At least five different sources must be cited in the bibliography. A list of suggested subjects is included in this syllabus. However, students may choose their own subject, with the approval of the instructor. The subject matter of each student’s research paper must be established with the instructor by Wednesday, November 4.

F. There will be no exams.

G. Texts for this course are available in the bookstore and include:

THE HOLY BIBLE


IV. EVALUATION AND GRADE

Completion of all course requirements assures a C. Grading above a C will be based on the level of thoroughness, thought and clarity in each area of course requirement. The grade will be compiled with approximately 20% weight attributed to each of five areas: the Bible study, the book review, the team interview project, the research paper, and class contribution. Failure to complete all of the course requirements will result in an F. Late submission of any required assignment will lower the final grade by as much as one-half of a grade point (A to AB, AR to B, etc.) for each week or portion thereof overdue.

Because class preparation and discussion rather than examinations are an essential means of evaluation as well as education, each unacceptable absence from class will lower the final grade by as much as one-half of a grade point.

Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will mean failure of this class, and may result in expulsion from the college. Academic integrity means that you will not attempt to use one paper for two classes without prior agreement with both professors.

V. ATTENDANCE POLICY

Attendance at each class period is expected.

Absence from class must be excused with the instructor, in person. prior to the class to be missed where anticipated or in the following class when unanticipated.

Illness, family crisis and participation on in college-sponsored extra-curricular events are acceptable excuses. Issues of personal discipline and responsibilities to other educators or employers are not in themselves acceptable excuses for absence.

Habitual absence or dishonesty in reporting absence can result in a failing grade. Repeated late arrival is a disruption of the class and an expression of poor sell-discipline. Without prior explanation, repeated late arrival will be treated as an absence.


VI. COURSE OUTLINE


Week One:





Week Two:



Week Three:





Week Four:





Week Five:



A. Instruction and overview

B. SKILLS: Personal Bible Study



B. SKILLS: Christian Prayer Life



A. SKILLS: Christian Encouragement B. SKILLS: Christian Conflict Resolution



A. SKILLS: Christian Values Choices

B. SKILLS: Christian Witness



A. SKILLS: Apologetics

B. SKILLS: Christian Decision Making





Week Six:

A. ISSUES: Repentance. Psalm 51

B. ISSUES: Sell-Image. Psalm 139





Week Seven:





Week Eight:

ISSUES:Sanctification. Romans 6-7

B. ISSUES: Character Formation. H Peter 1



A. ISSUES: Christian Hope. Romans 8

B. ISSUES: Christian Sexuality. I Corinthians 6:9 - 7:18









Week Nine: A. ISSUES: Christian Giving II Corinthians 8 and 9

(B. ISSUES: Being Sure John 3)







Week Ten:



A. Book Reviews B. Book Reviews


Week Eleven: A. LEADERSHIP: What’s A Leader?

B. LEADERSHIP: Understanding Ministry



Week Twelve: A. LEADERSHIP: Mission and Vision

B. LEADERSHIP: Analyzing a Church



Week Thirteen: A. LEADERSHIP: Philosophy of Ministry

B. LEADERSHIP: Organizing Ministry



Week Fourteen: A. Interview and Summary Sharing

B. LEADERSHIP: Involving Members in Ministry



Week Fifteen: A. LEADERSHIP: Small Group Ministry

B. LEADERSHIP: Leading Change



VII. OPTIONS FOR THE BIBLE STUDY ASSIGNMENT:

Audience Options:

high school-aged youth; college students: young adult singles; married couples; families with children aged 4-10; and adult Bible class at your church; young mothers; business men and women; a men’s Bible class; a women’s Bible class; seniors.



Assume that the class for which you are preparing your study consists of ten people, is lay-led, and runs for 45 minutes.

Bible Chapter Options:

Genesis 3: Genesis 15; Exodus 3; Numbers 14: Deuteronomy 6; Joshua 24;

II Samuel 7; Nehemiah 9; Psalm 40; Ecclesiastes 9; Isaiah 40; ‘Jeremiah. 31;

Ezekiel 3; Hosea 11; Matthew 13; Luke 10; John 6; Galatians 3;

Ephesians 2; Philippians 3; Colossians 3; 1 Thessalonians 4: I

Timothy 6; Hebrews 12: James 1; I Peter 4; I John 4; Revelation 22.

Viii. BOCK REVIEW OPTIONS



Generating Hope by Jimmy Long (InterVarsity Press)

The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren (Zondervan)

The Contemporary Christian by John Stott (InterVarsity Press)

Renewal for The 21st Century Church by Waldo Werning (Concordia)

The Body by Charles Colson

A Church For The 21st Century by Leith Anderson (Bethany House)

Inside Out by Larry Crabb (NavPress)

Entertainment Evangelism by Walt Kallestad (Abingdon)

Effective Church Leadership by Kennon Callahan (Harper and Row)

Church Without Walls by Jim Petersen (NavPress)

Getting Together by Em Griffin (InterVarsity Press)

Christ Esteem by Don Matzat (Harvest House)

Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (Olive Nelson)

Fit Bodies Fat Minds by Os Guinness (Baker).

The Once and Future Church by Loren Mead (The Alban Institute)

Why Nobody Learns Much. of Anvtbinng At Church and How To Fix jt

by Thomas Schultz (Group)

Three Generations by Gary Mcintosh (Fleming Revell)

Effective Church Leadership: A Practical Sou,rce Book by Lee Harris

It’s A Different World by Lyle Schaller (Abingdon)

Reflections ot a Contrarion by Lyle Schaller (Abingdon)

Strategies For Change by Lyle Schalller (Abingdon)

A Primer on Postmodernism by Stanley Grenz (Eerdmans)

Gentle Persuasion by Joseph Aldrich

User Friendly Churches by George Barna (Regal Books)

Darwin On Trial by Philip Johnson

Connecting by Paul Stanley and J. Robert Clinton (NavPress)


XI. OPTIONS FOR INTERVIEW AND ANALYSTS

1. Interview 15 or more students at an urban university to determine religious attitudes and beliefs, with a view toward analyzing how to do evangelism with young adults. Teams will develop a questionnaire, interview students face-to-face, summarize conclusions and suggest implications for evangelism.

2. Interview 12 or more high school juniors or seniors who no longer attend church, though they were confirmed, to determine why they dropped out and how the church might better serve them. Teams will get names from churches or pastors, develop a questionnaire (for personal or phone interview), conduct interviews, and draw conclusions re why dropout occurs and how the church can better prevent it.

3. Attend a voters meeting in 3 different churches, then interview the pastor and two

key lay leaders from each church to determine what is effective and what is ineffective in the decision-making process of churches. The written summary will be based on the interviews and personal observation.


4. Conduct a door-to-door canvass until 12 or more unchurched people have been located for interviews to determine what about the church turns unchurched people off. Teams will develop an interview or questionnaire format (while open-ended questioning should be included; multiple choice questions will assure some meaningful response), conduct the canvass and interviews, summarize and prioritize reasons why the unchurched remain so, and draw conclusions for the church’s mission today.

5. Interview 12 or more elderly church members, 4 in nursing homes, 4 in senior

apartments and 4 in their own homes, to determine what are their spiritual

perspectives and personal needs and how the church can better serve its elderly.

Teams will develop a basic interview format (personal or phone), gather the names of elderly members from one or more pastors, conduct interviews, compare responses and summarize.

6. Interview 12 or more new members (joined within the last year) from at least 3 churches. 4 transfers from sister churches, 4 who had been members of a different Christian church and 4 who were new to Christianity, to determine how well they have been assimilated into their churches and what facilitates assimilation of new members. Teams will, gather names and addresses and phone numbers from three or more pastors, develop an interview format, conduct interviews, compare responses from the three groups, summarize conclusions and draft suggestions for churches,

7. Interview 12 or more young, single members of at least 3 churches, with a balance of male and female as well as those who are members of the congregation in which they grew up and those who’ve recently joined a different church, to determine the level of involvement of young singles and what they believe would make the church more effective at involving young singles. Teams will gather names and addresses or phone numbers from three or more pastors, develop an interview format, conduct interviews, summarize and compare responses, and develop suggestions for the church.

8. Interview 10 or more Christian business leaders or professionals to determine what are the challenges facing Christian leaders in the business world, what are the ways in which they witness their faith, how can they best serve their churches, and how they balance the responsibilities to family, work; church and community. Teams will gather the names and addresses or phone numbers of business leaders - both male and female, draw up an interview format, conduct the interviews, compare and summarize responses, and draw conclusions for future Christian business leaders and for the church.

9. Interview 10 or more Christian public school teachers to determine what are the challenges to Christianity they’ve encountered, the ways in which they witness their faith, and what they believe the church can do to reach the non-Christian children they teach. Teams will gather the names and addresses or phone numbers of teachers, draw up an interview format, conduct the interviews, and summarize findings.

10. Interview 10 or more home missionaries to determine the challenges in church planting, the strategies that have been successful, and the kind of support or assistance that the church can best provide. Teams will gather the names and phone numbers of missionaries, develop an interview format, compile and compare responses, and draft conclusions for the church.

11. Interview 8 or more Christian psychologists or social workers to determine their assessment of the most significant problems facing families, children and adults, as well as what they believe the church could do to more effectively prepare people for these problems. Teams will gather the names and addresses or phone numbers of Christian psychologists or social workers, develop the interview format, conduct the interviews, and summarize findings.

12. Students may propose additional interview, analysis and summary projects, but must have instructor approval before proceeding.

NOTE: WLC students are NOT to be included in the people you interview.


X. SUGGESTED SUBJECTS FOR RESEARCH PAPER


1. "Staff Ministry” what’s the future?

2. The Parish Nurse: real holistic health.

3. The Lutheran Deaconess - past and future.

4. Why do para-church agencies develop and are they a good idea?

5 Family Ministry: who’s doing what, how?

6. The annual stewardship program - what it is and if it works.

7. Programmatic approaches to evangelism - pros and cons.

8. Keys to cross~cu1tural ministry.

9. Ministry among the urban poor - how are we doing?

10. Peer counseling programs in the church - possibilities and pitfalls.

11.Prison Ministry: Describe several working models.

12. The “Mega-Church’ is bigger better?

13 Lutheran confirmation should it be changed?

14. Campus ministry: can a regular congregation do it?

15. Church-planting strategies: what’s new and what works?

16. Special ministries for the handicapped - what and how.

17. 12-Step programs in the church - pros and cons.

18. Deferred giving: is this the answer to the church s financial crunch?

19. Why the Sunday school is in decline and what should be done about it.

20. Tuition in the Lutheran Elementary School - trends and implications.

21. “Seeker Service” - definition and evaluation.

22. Assimilation and retention - principles and methods.

23. The Church Growth Movement: can we lean anything from it?

24. Does the church have a place in cyber- space?

25. Religious publishing: Should the market drive decisions?

26. Religious broadcasting - issues and trends that affect the future.

27. Christian day care - issues and questions confronting congregations who are

considering it

28. Legal issues and concerns confronting churches in a litigious and secular society.

29. Conflict in the church: avoiding it and resolving it.

30. YOUR IDEA. with instructor’s approval

Old Man, New Man Quotations

Lamb of God, by Norma Boeckler

Old Man, New Man

"Half the sins which the world has learned of its lord and master, the devil, consist in lying and deceiving, and that in the name and appearance of truth. The other half, which is easier to recognize, consists in wrath and its fruits. And this class is usually the result of the other. The world, for its own advantage, lies and deceives; and when it sees mankind acting in opposition to its wishes, or beholds its lies exposed and its schemes thwarted, it begins to rage in wrath against God, endeavoring to avenge itself and inflict harm, but fraudulently disguising its wicked motive under the plea of having good and abundant reasons for its action."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 312. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28 John 16:20 –

"Such people, however, do not understand divine things, they think they will suddenly enter death with Christ, whom they have never learned to know except in words. Thus was Peter also disposed, but he stood before Christ like a rabbit before one beating a drum. Notice, how the old Adam lacks courage when under the cross! The new man, however, can indeed persevere through grace."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 85. Third Sunday after Easter John 16:16-23.

"Observe, God and men proceed in contrary ways. Men set on first that which is best, afterward that which is worse. God first gives the cross and affliction, then honor and blessedness. This is because men seek to preserve the old man; on which account they instruct us to keep the Law by works, and offer promises great and sweet...But God first of all terrifies the conscience, sets on miserable wine, in fact nothing but water; then, however, He consoles us with the promises of the Gospel which endure forever."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 69. Second Sunday after Epiphany, John 2:1-11.

"In contrast thereto you can recognize the new man. He speaks the truth and hates lies, not only those momentous lies against the first table of the Ten Commandments, but also those against the second table; for he deals faithfully and in a brotherly way with others, doing as he would be done by himself. Thus should Christians live with each other, as members of one body, according to the apostle, and as having in Christ all things common and alike."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 311. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.

"Now, when a man does not deal fairly with his neighbor, but practices dishonesty and deceit, be it in matters spiritual or temporal (and the world is ever deceitful in all transactions), then certainly the old man holds sway and not righteousness nor holiness, however much the man may effect a good appearance and evade the courts. For such conduct does not reflect God's image, but the devil's. For the heart does not rely on God and His truth, otherwise it would war with fraud and deception; but its object is to clothe itself with a misleading garb, even assuming the name of God, and thus to deceive, belie, betray and forsake its neighbor at the bidding of every fiendish whim, and all for the satisfaction of its avarice, selfishness and pride."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 311. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.

"Now, the apostle has two things to say of the old man: that he corrupts himself in error as to the soul and in lusts as to the body. Paul portrays the old man--meaning every man without true faith though he bear the name of a Christian--as in the first place given to error: coming short of the truth, knowing naught of the true knowledge of Christ and faith in Him, indifferent alike to God's wrath and God's grace, deceiving himself with his own conceit that darkness is light."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 307. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28

"What he calls 'the old man' is well known to us; namely, the whole nature of man as descended from Adam after his fall in paradise, being blinded by the devil, depraved in soul, not keeping God before his eyes nor trusting him, yes, utterly regardless of God and the judgment day. Though with his mouth he may honor God's Word and the Gospel, yet in reality he is unchanged; if he does have a little addtional knowledge, he has just as little fear, love and trust in God as heretofore."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 306. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.

"Nor have we as yet arrived at the point where our flesh and blood will joyfully and gladly abound in good works and obedience to God as the spirit is inclined and faith directs. Even with the utmost efforts the Spirit scarce can compel our old man."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 306. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.

"Therefore, the Gospel ministry is necessary in the Church, not only for instruction of the ignorant--such as the simple, unlettered people and the children--but also for the purpose of awakening those who know very well what they are to believe and how they are to live, and admonishing them to be on their guard daily and not to become indolent, disheartened or tired in the war they must wage on this earth with the devil, with their own flesh and with all manner of evil."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 305. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.

"Here again is an admonition for Christians to follow up their faith by good works and a new life, for though they have forgiveness of sins through baptism, the old Adam still adheres to their flesh and makes himself felt in tendencies and desires to vices physical and mental. The result is that unless Christians offer resistance, they will lose their faith and the remission of sins and will in the end be worse than they were at first; for they will begin to despise and persecute the Word of God when corrected by it. Yea, even those who gladly hear the Word of God, who highly prize it and aim to follow it, have daily need of admonition and encouragement, so strong and tough is that old hide of sinful flesh."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 305. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.

"For this reason let every one esteem his Baptism as a daily dress in which he is to walk constantly, that he may ever be found in the faith and its fruits, that he suppress the old man and grow up in the new. For if we would be Christians, we must practise the work whereby we are Christians. But if any one fall away from it, let him again come into it. For just as Christ, the Mercy-seat, does not recede from us or forbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all His treasure and gifts also remain. If, therefore, we have once in Baptism obtained forgiveness of sin, it will remain every day, as long as we live, that is, as long as we carry the old man about our neck."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #84-86. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 753. Tappert, p. 446. Heiser, p. 209f.

"Therefore it {communion}is given for a daily pasture and sustenance, that faith may refresh and strengthen itself so as not to fall back in such a battle, but become ever stronger and stronger. For the new life must be so regulated that it continually increase and progress; but it must suffer much opposition. For the devil is such a furious enemy that when he sees that we oppose him and attack the old man, and that he cannot topple us over by force, he prowls and moves about on all sides, tries all devices, and does not desist, until he finally wearies us, so that we either renounce our faith or yield hands and feet and become listless or impatient. Now to this end the consolation is here given when the heart feels that the burden is becoming too heavy, that it may here obtain new power and refreshment."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #24-27. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 759. Tappert, p. 449. Heiser, p. 211.

But what is the old man? It is that which is born in us from Adam, angry, hateful, envious, unchaste, stingy, lazy, haughty, yes, unbelieving, infected with all vices, and having by nature nothing good in it. Now, when we are come into the kingdom of Christ, these things must daily decrease, that the longer we live we become more gentle, more patient, more meek, and ever withdraw more and more from unbelief, avarice, hatred, envy, haughtiness."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #66-67. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 749. Tappert, p. 445. Heiser, p. 209.

Church and Change Filled with Joy

Official Church and Change Mascot,
The Frog in the Kettle

The Vote Is In

"What an awesome experience. I won't miss another one of these conferences again!"

"I loved all the sharing that was going on. I came to hear ideas for my church youth outreach program and was overloaded by the end of the second day."

"It was awesome to hear our WELS hymns played Koine, Michael Schroeder and all the other bands in a contemporary style and performed not only well but, done in a way that the message and worship factor wasn't lost."

-----Thank You-----
The 2007 conference was a huge success!


We talked about it. You liked it. We're making the Conference Follow-up page and it will be on a plate and ready to serve you soon!


Visit the 2007 Conference Webpage for more information





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Thank You To Thrivent


Who (sic) is a significant sponsor for the church and change convention


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The Church and Change group is interested in practicing and promoting innovation in ministry methods throughout the WELS especially at the "grass roots" level. There are a number of resources from which to choose. Sort through our Idea Exchange for the approaches to ministry that are at work in congregations. Select Articles that will stimulate your thinking about ministry. Click through our Link and Learn resource for websites that may offer your church some benefits.

The resources we offer here are intended to stimulate thinking about serving the Savior and His kingdom. Since these resources are not necessarily written from a conservative Lutheran perspective, sanctified discretion is required when evaluating these materials.

Thank you for visiting our site and we look forward to hearing from you.


Board of Apostate Directors:

Pastor Ron Ash Chairman

Jeff Davis Vice Chairman

Sarah Owens Secretary

Barry Spencer

Caleb Cordes

Pastor Bruce Becker

Pastor John Huebner

James Skorzewski

***

This is new Conference Follow-up page. Right now we are working on getting the conference speakers and their topics added soon will be the vendors and then the concepts everyone submitted at the conference. New ideas and contacts are being add every day.

Find the idea you want and email the contact for more information!

Keynote Speaker 2007
Breakout 101.... Extreme Makeover: Church Edition
Breakout 102.... WHEN OPRAH CAME TO CLASS (Making Creative and Visual Bible Studies)
Breakout 103.... Growing Your Congregation’s Staff from Within
Breakout 104.... Priming Passion and Performance
Breakout 105.... Grant Writing 101
Breakout 106.... Meeting the Needs of Today’s Families (Creative Ideas Any Church Can Do)
Breakout 107.... Creating a Culture of Generosity in Your Church



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2007 Conference Keynote Speaker: Breakthrough Thinking in WELS Ministry

John Di Frances jdf@difrances.com www.difrances.com
From John’s experience, the Evangelicals are great at connecting with people, but are often lacking in the depth and solid foundation of biblical truth. John joined a WELS congregation because he is convinced that WELS teaches the truth of God’s Word. But he has also observed that WELS isn’t necessarily very good at connecting with and engaging people or being seen as relevant to life today by non-Christians. John is personally convinced that WELS can impact our world in ways that surpass the impact of the Evangelical movement. But to do so will require some break-through thinking.



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Breakout 101.... Extreme Makeover: Church Edition
Pastor Adam Mueller pastormueller@yahoo.com
Is your congregation stuck in the mud? Has attendance plateaued? Are offerings stagnant? Maybe your congregation needs an extreme makeover.


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Breakout 102.... WHEN OPRAH CAME TO CLASS (Making Creative and Visual Bible Studies)
Pastor Tadd Fellers pastor@grace-charlotte.org
Tap into your creativity in developing and promoting your classes with PowerPoint and other media. Spice up your Bible studies. Capture interest. See ways you can create multisensory lessons without being gimmicky. Discover how to relate current events and timely topics to the Bible’s timeless truths.


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Breakout 103.... Growing Your Congregation’s Staff from Within
Dr. Lawrence Olson OlsonLO@mlc-wels.edu
The WELS Congregational Assistant Program (CAP) encourages and equips members, men and women alike, for a broader ministry within a congregation.
WELS Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI), which guides and assists men from a broad cultural spectrum through their pre-seminary and seminary training.


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Breakout 104.... Priming Passion and Performance
Pastor Jeff Gunn jeff@crosswalkinlaveen.org
Ministry is a stewardship—a management task. We all go through times when we feel we’re drowning in a sea of detail and drained from trying to do too much. We’re constantly looking for ways to more faithfully manage the ministry God has given us. Engage in dialogue on the issue of how we as pastors, teachers and volunteers can keep learning and growing so that, with the help of God, we remain passionate and ready for whatever he throws us.

Charis/Church and Change

This announcement is on the CHARIS web page.

At a special meeting on August 29, 2007, the Board of Directors of the Center for the Humanities, Arts, and Religion in Society (CHARIS) voted unanimously to continue the suspension of CHARIS' operations. This decision was made because the members of the Board were unable to agree upon CHARIS'' activities during the next year.

Dr. Mark Braun
Chairman, CHARIS Board of Directors

"However, Church & Change is alive and well. The rumors of its demise have been highly exaggerated, sadly."


From Rob on Point:

Charis found that schools stunted congregation growth

Before WELS' COP emasculated WLC's Charis, a Charis research study announced the discovery of a few large, growing WELS congregations. The study did not name those congregations publicly. Perhaps anonymity was supposed to preserve their virgin condition. Charis hoped for follow-on study of the pastors involved. The new, reconstituted Charis may loath opening old wounds, so we may never know their names or stories.

The problem with the old Charis was they used WELS' Statistical Reports to arrive at unpopular conclusions. When Charis analyzed all 1000+ WELS congregations and concluded that LES and ECE programs stunted congregation growth, Charis had to go.

Synods are job programs, and the mission of the COP is to make sure that every MLC grad who wants to work has employment for life. WELS rationalizes overspending on schools (schools are jobs) by insisting that schools are outreach. Charis challenged that pillar of faith.

***

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Charis/Church and Change":

I believe the people who justify schools on the basis of "outreach" are much less numerous than those who still hold that Lutheran education on the elementary level is worth any cost. In fact, the "schools as outreach" notion is generally vigorously opposed by the same kinds of people who oppose all the CG, C&C junk that's floating around.

So, Charís is unpopular not because their findings go against "outreach" or "jobs," but because a large number of Wisconsin Synod Lutherans feel that Lutheran education is worth the money. Furthermore, Charís is unpopular because they take something like schools (a noble undertaking) and turn it into just another factor in the ever-growing algorithm of Church Growth.

ELCA BMs Share Doctrinal Unity with WELS/LCMS

Martin Marty, former LCMS, now ELCA,
frequent WELS speaker

Let the River Flow is a "connecting event" event for pastors, staff, and other leaders of large ELCA congregations and "anyone who feels they can benefit from this opportunity".

June 18-21 at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Burnsville, Minnesota.
Featured speakers are:

1. Martin E. Marty, was a featured speaker at Wisconsin Lutheran College (WELS),
   
2. Barbara Rossing, ELCA seminary professor,
   
3. Reggie McNeal, Becoming Missional, Fuller Seminary Professor, 2005 C & C speaker,
   
4. Wyvetta Bullock, ELCA pastor, worked with WELS on AAL Membership Initiative,
   
5. Leonard Sweet, liberal Methodist, helped cause C & C cancelation, 2005,
   
6. Ken Medema, musician,
   
7. Peter Eide, musician and kid's speaker.

Four out of seven ELCA speakers have worked with WELS or were booked for the Church and Change Schwaermer-fest in 2005. Martin Marty has worked with WELS several times. He spoke at WLC, but he also spoke for the ELCA-LCMS-WELS evangelism conference in Florida.

Wyvetta Bullock was a division head of ELCA when she helped coordinate the Membership Initiative lavishly funded by AAL (now Thrivent). The Membership Initiative, another embarrassing flop, united ELCA, WELS, and Missouri in evangelism training and study. Evangelism is "outside the framework of fellowship" in WELS, so quite growling.

Reggie McNeal and Leonard Sweet were booked for the 2005 Church and Change event, causing such turmoil among the normally comatose WELS clergy that C & C was shut down. Finished. Dissolved. "Game over, man! Game over!" Truthfully, for we know that Holy Mother WELS always lies, C & C was booted upstairs to The Love Shack. The most recent apostasy conference was registered through the official website, not WLC's Charis. For outsiders, Charis is the official journal of WLC apostates.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "ELCA BMs Share Doctrinal Unity with WELS/LCMS":

Proof Positive: Religion is the Devil's playground!

Episcopalian Apostasy

From Virtue Online:

Episcopal Church Fights Declining Ordinations, Clergy Loss, Dwindling Membership

By David W. Virtue

www.virtueonline.org

9/29/2007

The Episcopal Church faces a triumvirate of problems that is seeing the denomination decimated of people. TEC is facing serious clergy loss, declining ordinations and millions of dollars spent on litigation to keep and maintain parishes that are, in many cases, no longer viable.

The church claims 2.4 million members. In reality, less than 800,000 attend weekly services. Even that figure is seriously being compromised as more than 700 orthodox Episcopalians leave weekly because of the church's rejection of the authority of Scripture and its sub-biblical positions on human sexuality, specifically the blessing of same-sex unions and the consecration of a non-celibate homosexual to the episcopacy. Following the Sept. 30 deadline the Episcopal Church has been given by the Primates of the Anglican Communion to repent and become Windsor-compliant, that figure is expected to escalate.

Average Sunday attendance is considerably lower than membership figures. They are more reflective of what is happening at the parish level every week.

Here are the following estimates in summary. From 2005 to 2006 the Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) declined by 11,000 members, based on 2005 domestic ASA to 787,000. That's down 1.4% for the year. In 2002 domestic ASA was 847,000, 8% less attendance since the Robinson consecration, or 71,000 fewer people attending the Episcopal Church every week, and the decline is continuing. Most dioceses are still in absolute decline with only 2 or 3 growing. The ones that are growing are experiencing only very modest growth. The 2006 ASA graphs are now online and can be viewed here:

Episcopal Church, 2006 graphs.

Small-membership in The Episcopal Church is defined as having a Sunday attendance of 70 people or less. Nearly half of all congregations in the Episcopal Church fall into this category.

Small membership churches are located in a variety of different settings. In the Episcopal Church 30% are in rural and open country (In the Episcopal Church, the Diocese of Virginia has the greatest number of congregations that fall into this category.), larger town or small cities (50%), downtown (5%), older residential (7%), older suburb (6%) and newer suburbs (2%).

Their membership indicates that 26.5% are growing, 26.7% are stable with 46.8% declining.

A Clergy Age profile and Ordination trends in the Episcopal Church report, delivered at the recent HOB in New Orleans and obtained by VirtueOnline, reveals a catastrophic future for the church with over half of the Episcopal clergy - 52.7 percent - being within ten years of the normal retirement age (65) or older.

The Episcopal Church could potentially lose half of its current active clergy within the next 10 years, in contrast to the profession's possible attribution rate of 22.5%.

The number of those coming into the priesthood between the ages of 18 and 34 is less than five percent. Those aged 35 to 44 is 12.5% with those aged 45 to 54, a whopping 30%. Those aged 65 or older was 9.1%.

From an educational perspective in 2006, only 20% of professional clergy held a Master's Degree. Among those 35 - 44, 29% had a Master's degree; 29% of those aged 45 to 54 had a Master's degree; and only 18% of those aged 55 to 64 held a Master's degree.

Ordination trends look even more discouraging, according to the Church Pension Fund.

The overall evidence is that there is an increasing number of older ordinands coming into the ministry.

While 71% of ordinands in the 1960s were under 35, only 24% will be in the same age group in the 2000s. A predicted 53% of ordinands during this decade will be age 45 or older.

While the absolute numeric clergy shortage has been reversed, the trend toward an older average age at ordination continues.

Despite the increasing number of ordinations since 2000, over half of recent ordinands will retire in the next 25 years.

"We predict that Generation X will not sustain this high rate of midlife ordinations, and when large numbers of Baby Boomers begin to retire, the rate of ordination of people under 45 will not be enough to replace the retirees."

The one bright note the report concluded was that a smaller denomination calls for fewer clergy. Like other Mainline Protestant denominations which have been declining over the last 30 years, the Episcopal Church has decreased from over 3 million members in the mid-sixties to less than 2.5 million.

In 2006 the Gallup organization interviewed 11,000 adult Americans between 2002 and 2005. They found that 44 percent of Americans attend church weekly or almost weekly. The poll also revealed that Episcopalians are not only far below the national average in church attendance, they are far below the average for mainline Protestant denominations.

According to Thomas C. Reeves, author of "The Empty Church: The Suicide of Liberal Christianity," nearly half of children who grow up in the Episcopal Church leave the church when they reach an age of decision. The average Episcopalian is much older than the average American, or the average churchgoer.

A Gallup poll, seventeen years ago, showed that only 9 percent of Episcopalians considered their church "excellent," compared to 27 percent of Protestants, in general.

Dr. Kirk Hadaway, director of research for the Episcopal Church Center, offers his analysis of the decline. According to the Blue Book, "In addressing the reasons for the loss of members since the 2003 General Convention", Dr. Hadaway said the explanation is complex and that the decline mirrors declines in all mainline churches over the last two years. At most, he said, "a third could be attributed to the actions of General Convention. Perhaps of greater consequence is the fact that The Episcopal Church has the lowest birth rate and highest mean age of any mainline denomination, meaning that church growth must come through evangelism to the unchurched. Cultural trends (athletic and entertainment schedules, etc.) also have their effect on the size and vitality of local congregations."

In other words, the Episcopal Church is the most aging, stagnant denomination in American Protestantism today.

As one of America's leading sociologists, author of 20 books and an Anglican Dr. Os Guinness observed, "When the leaders of a faith deny the heart of the faith and advocate positions long considered antithetical to its views, and still remain its leaders, what does it say of the fidelity of the leaders and the integrity and authority of the faith? Some of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century, from across the Western world, were among the voices warning of the church's stupidity in trying to improve on God's ways, or of the insanity of trendy clerics fatuously sawing off the branch of faith on which they were sitting."

Throw a Stone Over the Fence: Dog Howls

I heard an expression that fit some of the comments on this blog and others. "If you throw a stone over the fence, one dog will howl...the one that got hit."

I have noticed that many times. I have accumulated a unique collection of orthodox Lutheran quotations, Reformed Church Growth statements, and WELS/LCMS/ELCA CG pronouncements. When does the dog howl?

A. Some Lutherans hate having Luther quoted. I sent some quotations from Luther about the ministry and one woman said, "Now you will be fired."
B. Some Lutherans hate having their synodical CG heroes quoted, just as much as the gurus themselves loathe it. One tireless CG promoter said to my friend, "I am not Church Growth." My friend said, "You have him denying it. That's progress."

The dog howls many different ways. Here are the typical WELS canine howls:
1. You did not talk to the person first. (Public doctrine does not require a private rebuke. This is quite different from spitting on the sidewalk.)
2. You are getting people upset. (Why identify a problem when leaders are content to let false doctrine grow?)
3. You are unloving. (False teachers are vicious and nasty, but the clever ones let their unbalanced pals do the dirty work. One district pope came up to me to deliver a honker of a lie from his CG pal. "You never talked to him about this." Actually, I did, and the spineless coward almost ran from me to avoid any conversation. I had to trap the guy with a flank speed walk that cut him off at the pass. Then I sat at dinner with him.)
4. You spoke to the person directly. (In other words, one must speak to false teachers but cannot for fear of upsetting them.)
5. These quotations are old. (The Formula of Concord dealt with old but recent errors that needed correction: good works are necessary for salvation, good works are injurious to salvation.)
6. If you don't like it, why don't you leave the synod? (A perfect synod cannot accept any kind of correction. False doctrine suggests that Holy Mother Synod is a ho.)
7. You are destroying/dividing the synod. (That was delivered through an acquaintance from the son of former SP Carl Mischke. That was also used by the so-called Church of the Lutheran Confession. District Pope Mueller, who condoned false doctrine and clergy adultery said, "You cause trouble everywhere you go.")

I know Lutheran men who have turned off the comments section of their blog. That is a mistake. Yes, the blog will attract those little boys who want to comment anonymously without fear of consequences. I noticed that some are now avoiding any link that might identify them. The synod minders do this all the time through word-of-mouth. WELS pastors are deathly afraid of "The Grapevine." Stir up the wrath of Holy Mother WELS and The Grapevine will invent and spread slander. I like making their work public.

Fellow bloggers, the Word is audibly efficacious when the dog is howling.

***

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Throw a Stone Over the Fence: Dog Howls":

I know of one now retired WELS pastor who passed off every concern and criticism as "hearsay". He would then always invoke point #1. The problem was that he personified the abusiveness of WELS called workers upon the laity. That's why members talked behind his back. The best treatment that they could expect when voicing a concern would be that of Pavlov's dogs. They never knew if they were going to be beaten or fed when the light came on. It should not surprise any of us that this pastor was quite skilled at using the "8&18 switch".
If you want get some people mad, tell them a lie. If you really want to get them mad, tell them the truth.

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Michael Schottey has left a new comment on your post "Response to New Poll by WELS Lay Student":

I like to call it the "Paul Kelm Special"

To believe in the efficacy of the Word of God is a finite fact. You either do or you don't.

To make at "insofar as" clause after that is at best a confusion of terms, or a weak faith in the efficacy of the Word. At worst, for those who preach and teach such things, they are apostate.

It is the Holy Spirit who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies, and he does so in his own time, with the Means of Grace, wherever he wills it.

Mega churches stealing from one another, refusing to feed the souls of their people is not "discipling all nations" it is stealing the weak sheep from others flock, only to further damage their souls.

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WELS lay Student has left a new comment on your post "Response to New Poll by WELS Lay Student":

A few comments on the responses to my post:

1. The use of the word "but" was wrong in my original post. I should have used "and". However, I don't think that would have change the responses.

2. To Schottey, You stated, "it is the Holy Spirit who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies, and he does so in his own time, with the Means of Grace, wherever he wills it." I agree with you 100%. But is it not possible that the Holy Spirit is inspiring the use of "non-traditionalist means" to bring others to faith.

I don't think you are saying that the only way the Holy Spirit can bring someone to faith is through the traditional WELS methods; however, part of me thinks you are alluding to it.

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Throw a Stone Over the Fence: Dog Howls":

Michael Schottey's observation about Mega churches stealing from one another is right on target from what I have seen. The weak sheep do tend to wander from one mega church to another. A fitting description for them might be "spiritual gypsies". I was always told by WELS pastors that it was inproper to engage in sheep stealing. With this in mind, why would the WELS embrace the Church Growth Movement so much?

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Throw a Stone Over the Fence: Dog Howls":

The dysfunctionality you describe is on the money. They do not wish to be confused by the facts. The truth is what they want it to be.

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Brian P Westgate has left a new comment on your post "Throw a Stone Over the Fence: Dog Howls":

#5 reminds me of the socialist/neo-con "the Constitution is a 'living document'" theory. Utter nonsense.

Anyways, to the student, the Holy Ghost works when and where it pleases Him, through the means He has ordained, the preaching of the Holy Gospel and the administration of the Blessed Sacraments. The Western Rite is full of the Scriptures, full of justification by grace through faith. Every thing about it confesses Christ, even the incense, vestments, and whatever else may be properly used with this rite. Therefore, your statement to Mr. Schottey sounds very much like that of a "schwaermer."

***

Check Out the Official Position of WEL versusLuther

How to become a Seminary President
"Useful Ideas for My Ministry from the Church Growth Movement...The Church Growth Movement--Strengths and Weaknesses...The Church Growth Movement--An Evaluation...Church Growth Sounds Good, But...Dangers of the Church Growth Movement...Friendship Evangelism...Rationale for Friendship Evangelism..."
Prof. David J. Valleskey, Class Notes, The Theology and Practice of Evangelism, PT 358A

Olson’s False Doctrine IS a Barrier
"We cannot add anything to the Word, but we may be able to remove the human barriers which might be in the way of the Word."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Parish Consultant for the WELS Board of Parish Services and his district's Coordinator of Evangelism. p. 3.

Think What Fuller Seminary Could Have Done for Luther
"We can't do a thing to make his Word more effective. But surely we can detract from its effectiveness by careless errors and poor judgment. It just makes good sense to utilize all of our God-given talents, to scour the field for appropriate ideas, concepts, and material (sic), to implement programs, methods, and techniques so that we do not detract from the effectiveness of the gospel we proclaim. Church growth articles, books, seminars, and conferences can offer such ideas and programs."
Pastor James Huebner, Spiritual Renewal Consultant, Notebook, School of Outreach IV, Seventeen Ways to Keep Your Church from Growing, p. 178.

Kelm – Ashamed of the Gospel
"Don't let the world paint us into a corner of antiquarianism on subjects like a six-day creation or verbal inspiration."
Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects," J-027,303 p. 13.

Kelm – Browbeat Them into the Kingdom
"Thesis Seven: Sound Apologetics Can Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good...Logic never converted anyone; but Christianity is logically defensible, once one makes reason ministerial to God and His Word...Read C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer and Josh McDowell for practical apologetic tools. In fact, lend your copy to the prospect whose intelligence and education have become his curse. Once you've read Josh McDowell's 'Lord, Liar, or Lunatic' argument for the deity of Christ, you'll find yourself using it."
Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects," p. 14.

Kelm – Sound Doctrine Has No Effect on What He Practices
"A last word on sound doctrine is in place. Sound doctrine must be distinguished from tradition, praxis and preference. The liturgy, translation of the Bible, vestments and organizational policies of the church are not equatable with sound doctrine."
Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects," p. 3.

Kelm – Not the Word, But Felt Needs
"Non-Christians usually become good prospects for personal reasons or as I like to say: 'They come for sociological reasons and stay for theological reasons.'" [Note: this is the felt needs approach of Fuller, also endorsed by Pastor Forrest Bivens, now a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary: "I went to Fuller Seminary and I happen to believe we can use sociological methods to bring people to church so we can apply the Means of Grace." Midland circuit get together, attended by Pastor - now DP - John Seifert.]
Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects," J-438 p. 4.

Kelm – Think Big, Be Big…So Why Is WELS Shrinking with Such Big Thinkers?
"Small churches need not be small thinkers, but small-thinking churches will always remain small. Churches and people seldom go/grow beyond their expectations."
Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects," See Waldo Werning and Robert Schuller for the same thought. Did the Apostles know this? p. 6.

Kelm – People Are Effective; the Word Is Not Efficacious
"Thesis One: Sound Doctrine Sounds Good When Good People Sound it. Normally, people respond to other people before they respond to doctrine."
Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects," p. 7.

Larry Oh! WELS Staff Infection –
I Only Have ONE Degree from Fuller, and It Isn’t Much
"Please stop exaggerating the amount of study that I have done at Fuller. After four years of study at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, which involved sixty-two different courses and a year of vicarage, I graduated in 1983. From 1987 to 1989 I took four courses where I was in a classroom with a Fuller instructor. That is the extent of my Fuller coursework...In addition, I have taken two courses at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and one at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. Because of Fuller's liberal (would you expect anything else?) policy on transfer of credit, and because of two independent studies I undertook, I could complete the degree by simply writing a dissertation."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23

Olson – Methods Are Effective
"While only the Word is efficacious, the methods we use to minister to people with that Word may vary in their effectiveness."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Parish Consultant for the WELS Board of Parish Services and his district's Coordinator of Evangelism. p. 2.

Olson – the Word Needs Human Wisdom to Work
"Contemporary social and behavioral sciences are a working out of the reason which God has given to humanity. Granted, the assumptions of some sociologists or anthropologists may be inconsistent with the Christian faith. That calls for discernment, but it does not invalidate the proper use of the social sciences by the church; it is, however, essential that they be used in a 'ministerial' manner."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Professor, Martin Luther College, (WELS), p. 3.



Olson – See How WELS Has Shriveled with MY Ideas from Fuller
"It is appropriate to make use of educational research to improve the functioning of our small group Bible studies."
Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Parish Consultant for the WELS Board of Parish Services and his district's Coordinator of Evangelism. p. 3.

Wake Me Up When It’s Over
"Wouldn't it be terrible to sleep through the Second Reformation? Cell Group Churches. The New Lifestyle For New Wineskins. Cell Group Churches Are Really Different! A 'Cell Group' Church is built on the fact that all Christians are ministers, and that there is no 'professional clergy' hired to do the work of ministry. According to Ephesians 4, God has provided 'Gifted Men' to equip 'Believers Who Are Gifted' to do the work of ministry...The life of the church is in its Cells, not in a building. While it has weekly worship events, the focus of the church is in the home Cells."

Touch Outreach Ministries, P.O. Box 19888 Houston, TX 77079 1-800-735-5865 "Cell Groups For Reaching The Unchurched Are Called...SHARE GROUPS. Touch Outreach Ministries has spent many years experimenting with the best way to train Cell Group members to form 'Sub-Groups' called SHARE GROUPS which specifically target evangelizing the unchurched. SHARE GROUPS are 'pre-Bible study' Cells, which bond relationships between three Christians and six unbelievers. A series of three small books are used over a 27-week period of training. The first book, called 'BUILDING BRIDGES, OPENING HEARTS,' guides the SHARE GROUP Team through the first part of the strategy." Touch Outreach Ministries, P.O. Box 19888 Houston, TX 77079 1-800-735-5865 p. 7.

Cell Groups Make the Word Effective
"The point being made here is that the reason for having home Bible study in small groups seems to have shifted from the Pietists' or parachurch groups goal of creating cells of people who will reform the church to having small groups as an integral part of a congregation's work."
Prof. David Kuske, "Home Bible Study Groups in the 1990s," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Spring, 1994. p. 127.


Peterson Leaves the Ministry on a Low Note
"In my opinion, therefore, Church Growth receptivity and 'soil testing' techniques are often unfairly criticized as if they were by definition synergistic. It is a fact that some fields are, for various historical and sociological reasons, more receptive to the preaching of the gospel and church planting than others. Our home and world mission boards make these judgments all the time in deciding where to begin churches or send missionaries."
Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board, "A Second and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 J-222 p. 12 Mark 4:

Luther – Remember Him from Church History Class?
"Likewise, in the matter of preaching, we must make selection that order may be preserved. But since all who are Christians have authority to preach, what will be the outcome? for women will also want to preach. No so. St. Paul forbids women to put themselves forward as preachers in a congregation of men and says: They should be subject to their husbands." [WELS has women in authority over men, contrary to the efficacious Word.]
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 375. Pentecost Tuesday 1 Timothy 2:11-12.



A Contrast – The Book of Concord and the Word of God

"And this call of God, which is made through the preaching of the Word, we should not regard as jugglery, but know that thereby God reveals His will, that in those whom He thus calls He will work through the Word, that they may be enlightened, converted, and saved. For the Word, whereby we are called, is a ministration of the Spirit, that gives the Spirit, or whereby the Spirit is given, 2 Corinthians 3:8, and a power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16. And since the Holy Ghost wishes to be efficacious through the Word, and to strengthen and give power and ability, it is God's will that we should receive the Word, believe and obey it."

Formula of Concord, SD XI. #29. Election. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1073. Tappert, p. 621. Heiser, p. 289. 2 Corinthians 3:8; Romans 1:16.

Pentecostals a Flop in Australia

Bruce Church of Lutheran Notes has sent me an interesting news link.

Australian Pentecostals Losing Ground

Churches struggle as old guard promoted to glory

Linda Morris Religious Affairs Reporter

October 1, 2007

THE number of Australians identifying themselves as Christian will plummet over the next 20 years as an ageing generation of dedicated churchgoers dies out, analysis of census figures shows.

Painting a bleak future for Christian faiths, the Christian Research Association predicts the ranks of non-believers will steadily grow while there will not be enough young converts to replace elderly congregations.

The research also questions one of the few success stories of Christianity, the Pentecostal churches, challenging assertions that they are hotbeds of Christian recruitment.

The association's senior researcher, Philip Hughes, said the bulk of growth in Pentecostal churches came from the natural growth of families as churchgoers married and raised their children in the faith. The number of converts was being offset by those who drifted out of the church.

Dr Hughes said rates of Christian identification were likely to fall to less than 60 per cent by 2025, reflecting declining interest in religion and spirituality in general. But present trends did not imply that the decline would continue until churches ceased to exist. The rate of Christian adherence was likely to settle at 50 per cent within 30 to 40 years, depending on immigration patterns.

"Denominational leaders should be concerned about the census figures," Dr Hughes said.

"Even those denominations showing the greatest growth are not doing very well. Given all the effort that is put into evangelism among the Pentecostals, a net growth by conversion, apart from births, of 13,800 people in 10 years across Australia by all the Pentecostal churches combined is not great growth."

Dr Hughes said there was no evidence that the decline in church attendance detected in the 2006 census might be arrested as baby boomers with more time on their hands considered returning to the church in their retirement.

The Salvation Army and the Uniting Church, with ageing congregations, were among the Christian groups to have suffered the greatest decline. The Uniting Church also appeared to be suffering from divisions over gay ministers. Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam boasted the fastest growth.

The greatest growth of any Christian denomination was for the evangelical Christian Brethren Assemblies, which has no formal links with the Exclusive Brethren.Advertisement

Response to New Poll by WELS Lay Student

WELS lay Student has left a new comment on your post "How does the true Church grow? New Poll.":

It is correct that the true church grows by the means of grace; however, there is something to be said about the delivery of the means of grace.

For example, let's say a vacation bible school teacher is going to give a devotion for a group of early primary grade children. The children, as most kids do, are running around in chaos. He simply starts reading the devotion, thinking in a "legalistic" only by means of grace mentality. He feels that they means of grace will calm them down and they will come to faith.

Ok, now I understand this is a scenario that goes against most people's common sense. However, I know it has happened. The point is that people do come to faith through the means of grace, but maximizing the conditions in which they are presented is common sense. Things like a large community "marketing"(for lack of a better word)and a more contemporary worship service can be applied in many cases to maximize the conditions.

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GJ - I posted this to show how Lutheran doctrine has degenerated. Obviously the wording or thinking has come from The Love Shack. If an idiotic idea is repeated often enough, others will agree with it and pass it on. I heard the same message from Frosty Bivens in John Seifert's driveway, about 20 years ago. He began by saying he went to Fuller Seminary and thought that their methods could be used to draw people to the church so the Means of Grace could be applied.

Bivens' comment and the one above show a lack of trust in the efficacy of God's Word, a complete trust in marketing.

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Response to New Poll by WELS Lay Student":

The comment by WELS lay student is just another example of those "yeah, but" apologies for the CGM. Lutheran doctrine truly has degenerated.

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Phil Rehberger has left a new comment on your post "Response to New Poll by WELS Lay Student":

Isaiah 28:

5 In that day the LORD Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people.

6 He will be a spirit of justice
to him who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7 And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
Priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.

8 All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.

9 "Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?

10 For it is:
Do and do, do and do,
rule on rule, rule on rule;
a little here, a little there."

11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,

12 to whom he said,
"This is the resting place, let the weary rest";
and, "This is the place of repose"—
but they would not listen.

13 So then, the word of the LORD to them will become:
Do and do, do and do,
rule on rule, rule on rule;
a little here, a little there—
so that they will go and fall backward,
be injured and snared and captured.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Response to New Poll by WELS Lay Student":

Greg, I can't believe you criticized this WELS lay student. If you personally would read a devotion for a bunch of kids, wouldn't you make them sit still first and pay attention? If you were teaching a catechism class, would you make sure your students were attentive, rather than scribbling doodles in their notebooks? That's all this person was trying to say. He (or she) then applies the argument to the broader ministry of the congregation--don't we want to have conditions as ideal as possible so people pay attention to the Word that's spoken to them so it makes it from the ear to the heart? Where are you coming from on this?

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GJ - Follow the Big BUT of False Doctrine, please. And I quote:

The point is that people do come to faith through the means of grace, BUT maximizing the conditions in which they are presented is common sense. Things like a large community "marketing"(for lack of a better word)and a more contemporary worship service can be applied in many cases to maximize the conditions.

Kelm, Bivens, Huenbern, Olson, Valleskey have perfected the Big BUT of False Doctrine. First the correct doctrine is affirmed (usually in a smart-alecky way...we all know that the Word is efficacious). Then the Big BUT of False Doctrine is used to repudiate orthodox doctrine and replace it with Reformed nonsense.

Maximizing conditions is typical Reformed talk. We have to make the Word attractive, relevant, harmonious with human reason. I really groan when I read another example of "not preaching in German to an English-speaking audience." If only they would preach in German...if only they knew German...if only they would preach instead of lashing people with synodical law.

If people receive the true Gospel, they will not need a cattle prod to witness to their faith. If the pastor believes in the efficacy of the Word, he will not hesitate to sow the seed with abandon. Fullerites cannot even get the Sower parable right.

What would I do with noisy, difficult kids? I would settle them down with the Law. "You are not being respectful toward the Word of God." I got one marriage-scared man to marry the mother of his three children that way.

Mass marketing is a flop, Anonymous. The only way it works is when creating a liberal pan-Protestant congregation with no confessions and be-bop Seeker Services on Sunday.

Art by Norma Boeckler

I have been negligent in giving credit to Norma Boeckler for the artwork posted on Ichabod. Above is a drawing of hollyhocks she provided for Jesus, Lord of Creation.

Readers may find many examples of her art at:

Norma Boeckler's Domain

and

Jesus, Lord of Creation.

Mrs. Boeckler also illustrated Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant (except for the Seven-headed Luther).

Leonard Sweet Interviewed at Concordia, St. Louis

"President Rev Dr. Dale A. Meyer interviews liberal Leonard Sweet at the Concordia Seminary auditorium (old chapel) after he gave a well received presentation:

Special SemCast with Leonard Sweet
http://www.concordiatheology.org/
(scroll down just a little - oops, don't pass it)"

The link provides a puff interview of Sweet. Apparently Lutheran seminarians are so bereft of spiritual insights that they need a liberal Methodist to guide them in homiletics. Sweet loves to play icky word-games, such as naming something a progress rather than a retreat (wait for subdued ahs and chuckles). Etc. I suspect he borrows them from all over.

The Pope as Grinch

Breitbart News
As temperatures hovered around nine degrees celsius (48 degrees fahrenheit) thousands of pilgrims who gathered in the square were treated to the rare sight as the 78-year-old pope arrived for the audience in his popemobile, waving to the crowd.

His secretary removed the hat when the pope sat in his throne for the beginning of the ceremony, for which his headwear was the usual round zucchetto cap.

No pope since John XXIII, who died in 1963, has worn the traditional Camauro in public, though its use by popes goes back to the 12th century.

Watch for WELS/LCMS BMs

LCMS Rev. David Born is encouraging congregational BMs.

People wonder why I dwell on past errors in the Synodical Conference. "The child is the father of the man," as one poet said. The early days predict what will happen in the future. When we go back a few decades, the present debacle is easier to understand.

I have to apologize for being unaware of the Becoming Missional (BM) fad developing out of Fuller Seminary. Here is a quotation from an LCMS site:

LCMS World Mission began working with a dozen LCMS districts in a pilot project for revitalization in 2005. It begins with a process called “Motivation for Mission” that’s designed to shift a congregation’s spiritual paradigm. After completing the course, congregations must decide whether to become missional or continue "business as usual." Participating districts in the 2005 pilot identified 255 declining congregations that were invited to take part in the Bible study and its follow-up component, “GroupsAblaze,” a small-group process for building an outreach-focused congregation. Learnings from this initiative will become the basis for a Mission Revitalization Institute, conducted by the Center for U.S. Missions in Irvine, Calif.

From Donald McGavran we learned that "God wants His church to grow," but the bearded saint never mentioned being faithful to God's Word.

The new incarnation of the Church Growth Movement is Becoming Missional. The LCMS is mouthing the same words with a new twist, as Rev. David Born declares:

God desires all Christians to be missional, and in most cases, people have just forgotten what their first love was and why they existed as a congregation to begin with. The role of LCMS World Mission revitalization ministry is to help declining congregations “get back to where they were in the beginning” of their ministries. As dying congregations once more begin to thrive, their success stories will encourage others in similar situations to seek help, too.

The original Church Growth Movement was horrible enough, with its call for congregations to join a local Planned Parenthood chapter. The Becoming Missional fad will be far more activist, as becomes an apostate seminary. When the BMs arrive in local congregations, left-wing activism like ELCA's will follow. The ELCA uses the term mission to describe its role in redeeming society.

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Response to New Poll by WELS Lay Student":

The comment by WELS lay student is just another example of those "yeah, but" apologies for the CGM. Lutheran doctrine truly has degenerated.

How does the true Church grow? New Poll.

How does the true Christian Church grow?

1. Smells and bells high-church.
   
2. Blitz the community with marketing.
   
3. Seeker Services and cell groups.
   
4. Only through the Means of Grace.

Vote near the bottom of the page. So far, 100% of the votes are for the Means of Grace.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "How does the true Church grow? New Poll.":

Christ spells it out in the Great Commission. Unfortunately many in the ministry feel that they know better, and can dismiss it, not preach it, and not practice it as a church.

GJ - Isn't it interesting that the clearest possible farewell sermon has been turned into Law? Instead of Preach, Teach, and Baptize, we get - Manufacture Disciples or your church will not grow.

That is what happens when Lutherans get their marching orders from the Reformed and their Pentecostal sychophants.

Pastor-Friendly Poll

Which synod is the most pastor-friendly?

ELCA 8 (12%)

LCMS 28 (43%)

WELS 27 (41%)

ELS 2 (3%)


Change your vote

Votes so far: 65

***

A person or persons unknown loaded the poll toward WELS at the tail end. The LCMS was clearly winning. Pope John and Gaylin Schmeling got their two votes in. ELCA? OK, I can accept ELCA as pastor-friendly if it is interpreted as anything goes.

Can WELS Be Salvaged?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Fall, 1985 - Do You Know Where Your Doctrine Is?":

Turning WELS around seems difficult to impossible. Are we fighting the ‘Synagogue of Satan?’ In 50 words or less please, why is WELS such a mess? What can members do about it?

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Anything is possible with the Word. However, I doubt whether WELS pastors have the spine to apply the Word and the Confessions to their situation. They would have to confront or boycott all the Church Growth Leonard Sweet-hearts, address the doctrinal issues in public, and support discipline against false teachers and criminals.

Luther faced much worse, but he trusted the Word and applied it consistently, no matter what the cost. Then, when Luther died, the Lutherans came unglued. However, 34 years later, the Formula of Concord united the Lutherans again.

"Since now, in the sight of God and of all Christendom [the entire Church of Christ], we wish to testify to those now living and those who shall come after us that this declaration herewith presented concerning all the controverted articles aforementioned and explained, and no other, is our faith, doctrine, and confession, in which we are also willing, by God's grace, to appear with intrepid hearts before the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ, and give an account of it; and that we will neither privately nor publicly speak or write anything contrary to it, but, by the help of God's grace, intend to abide thereby: therefore, after mature deliberation, we have, in God's fear and with the invocation of His name, attached our signatures with our own hands."
Thorough Declaration, Of Other Factions and Sects, Formula of Concord, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1103.

Why WELS Is an Abusive Cult

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "McGavran Influence on the Synodical Conference":

You wrote:

"I get appreciative emails (signed) from laity every day."

If that were really true, you would post them.

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GJ - As Marge Gunderson said in Fargo, "I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou."

I have posted many emails, without names. Anyone can post a comment with a name, and some do. If I posted emails and their signatures, the writers would be subjected to the abuse many have suffered before.

Believe me or not. I hear from pastors and laity. I have many sources who keep me up to date about many things. Obviously my view is limited, but I do provide plenty of support for my assertions.

I post the nasty comments so people know they are not alone. Missouri and ELCA are no better than Wisconsin, just slicker. The Little Sect on the Prairie is very much like WELS, but they will never admit it.

If someone wants to call me a liar, that individual should point out the deception. The same is true of slander, etc. All I get from anonymous comments is a string of names.

WELS has to pretend it is perfect. Anyone who questions this alleged perfection is ousted. Strangely, the Church Growth knot-heads have made a career out of attacking the former leadership and practices of WELS. They were going to make everything better. They used the WELS KGB (Jack Preus' term) to make sure no one got in their way. They achieved their victory. More in the next post.

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MLS Veteran has left a new comment on your post "Why WELS Is an Abusive Cult":

To call WELS an "abusive cult" I think is a bit out of line. I will admit, though, that our members tend to be some of the "coldest" Christians, on average, I have ever met.

I don't mean everyone has to be huggy-huggy, kissy-kissy with everyone. But we sure could stand to be a bit friendlier.

As a young person I was always struck by the macho posturing that many of the young men felt a need to display that went well beyond what I saw in my experiences outside of the WELS. Perhaps no-one wanted to seem to soft or be accused of being effeminate.

In general, I believe with the core doctrines of the WELS, I just wish we were sometimes a friendlier bunch of people.

GJ - Teaching God's Law would bring about genuine contrition. Then the Gospel would find receptive hearts, prosper, and the fruits of that preaching would be evident. Man-made law will never generate friendliness.

Out of line? No other denomination would accept an extensive hazing system that starts in 9th grade and extends into seminary. (I hear a secret GA still goes on, and my source is good.) A denomination where a tooth is knocked out in GA, a leg is broken, a prep school boy is dropped from the second floor window, a college student is knocked unconscious, a seminarian is thrown into raw sewage, etc - is abusive.

Whenever someone contacts me about being thrown out of WELS, I say, "That is a blessing."

Sound Doctrine versusFalse Doctrine

"'If there ever was a strictly conservative body, it surely is the Missouri Synod. Nevertheless, this growth!...It is a mark of the pastors and leaders of the Missouri Synod that they never, aye, never, tire of discussing doctrine on the basis of Scripture and the Confessions. That is one trait that may be called the spirit of Missouri. People who thus cling to doctrine and contend for its purity are of an entirely different nature from the superficial unionists who in the critical moment will declare five to be an even number. God will bless all who value His Word so highly.'"
Dr. Lenski, Kirchenzeitung, May 20, 1922)cited in W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 515f.

"We should not consider the slightest error against the Word of God unimportant."
What Luther Says , An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 637.

"Error and heresy must come into the world so that the elect may become approved and manifest. Their coming is in the best interests of Christians if they take the proper attitude toward it. St. Augustine, who certainly was sufficiently annoyed by wretched sectaries, says that when heresy and offense come, they produce much benefit in Christendom; for they cause Christians industriously to read Holy Scriptures and with diligence to pursue it and persevere in its study. Otherwise they might let it lie on the shelf, become very secure, and say: Why, God's Word and the text of Scripture are current and in our midst; it is not necessary for us to read Holy Scripture."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 639.

“You cannot of a truth be for true doctrine without being unalterably opposed to false doctrine. There can be no 'positive theology' where the God-given negatives have been eliminated from the Decalog."
Norman A. Madson, Preaching to Preachers, Mankato: Lutheran Synod Book Company, 1952. Preface.

Proclaiming the Word - A Stone in the Pond

"The preaching of this message may be likened to a stone thrown into the water, producing ripples which circle outward from it, the waves rolling always on and on, one driving the other, till they come to the shore. Although the center becomes quiet, the waves do not rest, but move forward. So it is with the preaching of the Word. It was begun by the apostles, and it constantly goes forward, is pushed on farther and farther by the preachers, driven hither and thither into the world, yet always being made known to those who never heard it before, although it be arrested in the midst of its course and is condemned as heresy."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 202. Ascension Day. Mark 16:14-20.