History of WELS Masonic Lodge - Church and Change

They have a plan,
and their thoughts are not His thoughts,
their ways are not His ways.

History of Church and Change

In 1995, a group of about 10-12 men gathered at Wisconsin Lutheran College to discuss current methods of sharing Jesus which were commonly being used in the WELS at that time. Many at the first meeting felt that those methods of sharing Jesus were not “keeping up with” the rate of change in society. The message of the Bible was not, therefore, penetrating society very well.

In 1998 two men who had attended the first meeting planned a Church and Change conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The next year there was a second conference in Green Bay. About 20 people attended each year.

In May 2001, WELS Parish Services applied for and received a Forward in Christ grant to conduct a three-year pilot program to address the issues surfaced by the previous two Church and Change conferences. The three-year pilot program was designed to be a grassroots gathering of individuals who were pioneering new innovative methods of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a changing culture.

Three annual conferences were planned and held beginning in 2001. At the first conference, approximately 50 WELS members attended. The attendance grew to 150 in the second year and 180 in the third year. By the third year, the attendees included more than just individuals who were actively pioneering new and innovative methods for sharing Jesus. Many in attendance wanted to learn about how to better share the gospel with the changing culture in which they served. In addition to the three annual conferences a variety of other workshops and gatherings were held dealing with specific ministry issues such as leadership, worship, and women’s ministry.

At the final conference of the three-year pilot, held in November 2003, the conference participants enthusiastically encouraged the organizers to continue Church and Change. A steering committee was subsequently formed from among the participants to address the future direction of Church and Change.

From November 2003 until the present the steering committee has met and drafted a proposal that addresses the future of Church and Change.

---

Main

Pastor Ron Ash Chairman Appleton, WI Ron started his ministy by serving three congregations in Colorado. He served for 30 years at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Appleton, WI and is now retired. During his ministry at St. Peter he served as Circuit Pastor, Chairman of the Board of Regents at FoxValleyLutheranHigh (sic) School, Secretary of the Fox River Valley Conference, on the Governing Board at LutherPreparatory (sic) School, and Circuit Chairman. He has been a promoter of creating innovative ministries for a changing world. His wife, Renate, and he have three children.

Plagiarism is NOT a Sin in WELS

Plagiarism is a sin.

Plagiarism is NOT a sin in WELS, because:

1. Known plagiarists are rewarded with calls and speaking invitations to synodical events.
2. Congregations which tolerate plagiarism are given mission subsidies and foundation grants.
3. Anyone who questions plagiarism is treated like dirt under the fingernails.

In higher education, plagiarism:

A. Is good for immediate expulsion from some universities.
B. Results in a certified letter from the school's attorney, at the very least.
C. Keeps that individual from an academic position for life.
D. Ends in a professor's dismissal from his teaching position.

Plagiarism is dishonest and reveals a lazy, deceitful personality - but it is also against the law!

What PBS Does Not Know about Higher Education Would Fill an Hour's Program

"From 1983 to 1987, Mr. Mueller was a professor
at Concordia University.
Mr. Mueller earned his Master of Arts in Education degree
and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Concordia University."

One evil genius behind for-profit education
saved Grand Canyon University from insolvency.
Find him. Stop him from doing it again.

PBS, heavily subsidized by taxpayer grants, could not exist on its own. Neither could any institution of higher education, whether it is non-profit or for-profit.

Nevertheless, PBS broadcast a heavy-breathing episode called "Colllege, Inc," calling on for-profit schools to be tethered by even more government regulation. I have studied at a wide variety of schools and taught at three - a community college and two for-profits (Grand Canyon University and the University of Phoenix). I found most of the episode to be an excellent satire about what journalism could be, if reporters only had some integrity.

The journalistic technique used for this show is called the focus feature, which begins with one person, zooms out for the big picture, and concludes with a follow-up about that individual.

In this show, the focus is on Michael Clifford, an Evangelical with no college training but a knack for turning small colleges into profitable online schools. The prime example shown is Grand Canyon University, which became insolvent when its funds were lost to the biggest charitable scandal in history - the Arizona Baptist Foundation, a ponzi scheme promising investors a 15% return on their savings. They lost 90% instead.

GCU was going to close, so one man bought it for a group of investors. The transformed a bankrupt Baptist school of 3,000 students into a profitable online school of 40,000 students. They have spent millions on the local campus in Phoenix.

My former boss at UOP, Brian Mueller, is my current boss at GCU. He comes originally from a Missouri Synod school.

GCU has retained its Christian identity without having a religious requirement. I have an atheist in one class, but most denominations are represented. A university is quite different from a denominational school. A denomination's seminary teaches people to be loyal to the organization and to play the political game. A university emphasizes academic merit and allows freedom of expression.

GCU is well run, its biggest problems coming from expansion. The TV show failed to explain that exponential growth is full of growing pains, such as having servers shut down from rush hour demands.

The students and staff at GCU are thoughtful, considerate, and appreciative. I teach Old Testament, New Testament, church history, Christian world view, and communication. Many of my professors were world famous scholars, so the students are getting their money's worth. Online schools want PhDs, while denominational schools get those who play the political game and have the right last names.

Community Colleges
I learned computers at Glendale Community College and taught there as well. Community college tuition is heavily subsidized by taxpayers and by adjunct faculty working at low wages. Very few faculty at GCC are tenured, so the majority of teaching is done by adjuncts who make about 25% of a full-time salary, without any benefits. Therefore, when the PBS journalist seethed that an online school charges five times what a community college does, he was missing the facts by a wide margin. A community college is a valuable addition to any town, but the system has limits, such as offering only an associate's degree. No one will get a bachelor's degree or a master's from a community college, and any graduate program is more expensive than an associate's program, for obvious reasons.

University of Phoenix
I earned a master's degree in education, online, from UOP, after earning a PhD from Notre Dame and a master's from Yale, so I can do some comparisons.

An online education consists of discussions and weekly assignments, including work with learning teams. I found the MA program challenging, and it led to more work in online education.

I normally teach graduate courses in education year around. My students have often been employees and managers at UOP/Axia, so I know how their system works from that perspective. They want to do a good job because so much time and money is wasted if the wrong people start the program and drop out.

UOP has about 450,000 students, according to the program. The school had only about 150,000 when I began teaching there in 2002, but I do not take all the credit for its enrollment growth.

UOP is an opportunity school (like community colleges and the famous City College of New York, now CUNY). Everyone is accepted but not all graduate. My boss at Glendale Community advised bearing down on the class from day one and getting rid of the 2/3rds who did not belong. Nevertheless, the day one enrollment kept the school afloat.

UOP grew because traditional universities run their programs for the benefit of tenured faculty. Full-time working adults could not complete a degree program at the state or private schools in California, so John Sperling devised a way to make an alternative work for them. He was so successful that the education establishment took away his accreditation. He moved to Phoenix and obtained accreditation from a different regional commission and became a billionaire. He wrote an autobiography, but I heard no references to it on the PBS show. Rebel with a Cause.

Some Glaring Problems with College Inc
All online schools were treated alike, and they were discussed as if they are exactly the same. Not all community colleges are the same. Mine, GCC, was especially good in computer science. I understand it was better than the others in Phoenix.

Contacting prospects and asking them to enroll was considered a horrible sin, yet non-profit colleges hire people full-time to do that. Non-profits also arrange student loans and hire people to move the applications forward. All schools need educational loans because few students have the funds to pay tuition.

Making a profit was the dark theme of the show. Non-profits depend on large endowments, alumni giving, and taxpayer funds.

For-profits are just as regulated as the non-profits. In fact, the loyalist alumni of traditional schools are quick to point out any flaws they find in a competing school. Many of my online students have wasted their time at a state university known for being a party school. As the student said in "Animal House," seven years of my life down the drain.

Students at for-profit schools are serious about getting an education, and there are many free services available to help them get through the program. No one wants them to fail, so software is used to track lazy instructors and inactive students.

ASU versus a For-Profit
I wanted to get credits in writing or literature, because that was hampering my ability to get writing classes to teach. I contacted Arizona State on their website and gave them all my contact information. I never heard from them. When I contacted a for-profit school, they worked with me immediately and I eventually earned 20 credits in journalism. So the taxpayers supported a staff that did not respond at ASU, while a for-profit school responded with their own staff time, their own money.

PBS is a socialist operation, so no one should be shocked that they hate a profitable enterprise. Regulation is seen the answer to everything, but no school escapes the reach of the higher education commission. I heard many discussions about why a program was offered or not offered, based upon accrediting groups and individual state requirements. Some states have fought to keep for-profit schools from competing with their own home-grown institutions.

If regulation of for-profit schools were the answer, then Detroit would be a boom town, run on solar powered yogurt, manufacturing cars that converted easily into compost. Instead, MoTown is no town to live in, only to escape from.

Main campus, UOP, Phoenix.

Profits and the need to advertise led UOP
to buy naming rights for the Cardinals' new stadium.
UOP subsidized a tax-payer project.
The horror! The horror!

False Teachers Are Peacocks

Peacock, by Norma Boeckler


Peacock

"The peacock is an image of heretics and fanatical spirits. For on the order of the peacock they, too, show themselves and strut about in their gifts, which never are outstanding. But if they could see their feet, that is the foundation of their doctrine, they would be stricken with terror, lower their crests, and humble themselves. To be sure, they, too, suffer from jealousy, because they cannot bear honest and true teachers. They want to be the whole show and want to put up with no one next to them. And they are immeasurably envious, as peacocks are. Finally, they have a raucous and unpleasant voice, that is, their doctrine is bitter and sad for afflicted and godly minds; for it casts consciences down more than it lifts them up and strengthens them." Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 642.



"There is a false, ungodly, carnal zeal that does not come from God and is not produced by the Holy Spirit, but is rooted either in animosity against those who teach a different doctrine or in the selfish thought that a display zeal will bring the minister honor, at least in certain congregations, or in fanaticism. In the days of Christ, what zeal in the discharge of their office do we behold in the high priests, elders, scribes, and Pharisees who opposed Christ!" C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 380.

Luther Did Not Pluck Figs from Thistles - Neither Did Christ

Luther - you remember him from Church History 10.
Martin. Martin Luther. Not King.
I know we have a special holy day for Martin Luther King,
but this is the original one.

Figs From Thistles? Not According to Martin Luther

Luther, House Postil: "No one is so foolish as to go into a field full of thorns and thistles and look for grapes and figs. Such fruits we seek on a different plant, which is not so full of barbs and prickles. The same thing happens in our gardens. Seeing a tree full of apples or pears, everybody exclaims: Ah, what a fine tree that is! Again, where there is no fruit on a tree or the fruit is worm-eaten, cracked, and misshapen, everybody says the tree is worthless, fit to be cut down and cast into the fire, so that a better tree may be planted in its place. These tests, the Lord says, you must apply to the false prophets, and you will not make a mistake, no matter how good their appearance may be. If f wolf had put on twenty sheepskins, still you must know him to be a wolf and not be deceived by him." C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans. W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House 1897, p. 412.

KJV Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

"Baa-a-a-a-a-ah! Seriously."

Larry--Who Must Be Called Lawrence--Oh!

Larry Oh! is called The Harmless Heretic in WELS,
but this fruit of Fuller education has been
a leader in Church and Change,
a Patterson buddy.
Larry lied, zebras died.

THE BEST OF LARRY OH!



"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." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, D. Min. (Fuller), "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23

"To the best of my knowledge, only three WELS pastors have ever taken classes at Fuller Seminary: Reuel Schulz in the 1970s, and Robert Koester and I in the 1980s."
Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, D. Min. (Fuller), "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23. [GJ - Most of the WELS leadership studied at Fuller, probably funded by WELS offering money.]


"You may reply that by 'Fuller-trained' you mean anyone who has attended a workshop presented by the Charles E. Fuller Institute of Evangelism and Church Growth, an agency which is independent of the Seminary. If that is the case, your attribution of 'Fuller-trained' is still simply not true. It would surprise me if even half of the two dozen people on your 'WELS/ELS Who's Who' list have attended a Fuller workshop; I personally know of only five who have." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, D. Min. (Fuller), "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23.

"Paul says that people can, in some way, 'adorn the doctrine' (KJV). Does that mean adding anything to the Gospel, thereby making the Means of Grace more 'effective'? Of course not. But it does mean that a Christian, a Christian slave in the original context, can discredit the Gospel--and thus erect a human barrier--through actions and words that contradict the profession of faith." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, D. Min. (Fuller), "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23. Titus 2:9-10.

"To believe, teach, and confess that truth is not inconsistent with being able to recognize that one approach to ministry may be more effective than another. It is more effective to hold worship services at 10:30 am on Sunday than at midnight on Tuesday; this is true, even though it is the same Gospel that is preached at either time." [another example, preaching in German to an American audience] Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, D. Min. (Fuller), "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23.

"Faithfulness is the standard by which God judges those he calls into the public ministry. That faithfulness may or may not be 'effective' in terms of visible results; results are up to God, not us. But part of faithfulness ought to include striving to be as 'effective' as we can be in the methods that we use to take the Means of Grace to people." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, D. Min. (Fuller), "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23.

"Make no mistake; I am under no illusions here. I fully expect to be publicly pilloried in print again. You will no doubt do so with some wit, with a good selection of quotations instantly imported into your world processor from your ready-to-go database, and with my own words twisted and used against me. So be it; I can live with that." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, D. Min. (Fuller), "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23.

"While I would not encourage it, it would not surprise me to see my name in some future writing of yours. If it does appear there, please use my given [underlined] name, Lawrence." Larry Oh!, D. Min. (Fuller), "A Response to Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.," Christian News, 3-28-94, p. 23.

"When Frederick Horn faced that situation, the Holy Spirit moved him to accept the call, and for the last few years he has served as the [lay] Minister of Discipleship for Grace Lutheran in downtown Milwaukee." (Pastor James Huebner Fuller alumnus)
Professor Lawrence O. Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "Another Kind of Minister, There's a lot to do in a church, and a staff minister can do a lot of it," The Northwestern Lutheran, March, 1994, p. 9. Olson is director of staff ministry at MLC.

"The church growth movement has made inroads into nearly every denomination in America. Once considered only the turf of conservative evangelicals, you will now find church growth practioners in the United Methodist Church, in the Presbyterian Church in the USA, and among the Episcopalians. The LCMS has more pastors enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary, the seedbed of the movement, than are enrolled in the graduate programs at their Fort Wayne and St. Louis seminaries combined, and most of them include church growth as part of their studies." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "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. 1.

Olson Hosed
"Donald C. McGavran died at home home in Altadena, California, on July 10, 1990. He was 92 years old. Dr. McGavran is widely recognized as the founder of the church growth movement, a movement which has sought to put the social sciences at the service of theology in order to foster the growth of the church. In August of 1989 I borrowed a bicycle and pedaled several miles uphill up from Pasadena to Altadena. I found Dr. McGavran in his front yard with a hose in hand, watering flowers." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Professor, Martin Luther College (WELS), p. 1.


"While only the Word is efficacious, the methods we use to minister to people with that Word may vary in their effectiveness." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "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.



"McGavran leaned toward me and said, 'The fields are white unto harvest. But you can't harvest a field of what with a penknife--you need a sickle, you need a scythe. Harvest intelligently." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "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.

"It is appropriate to make use of educational research to improve the functioning of our small group Bible studies." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "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.


"It is appropriate to make use of educational research to improve the functioning of our small group Bible studies." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "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.



"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." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "See How It Grows: Perspectives on Growth and the Church," EVANGELISM, February, 1991, Professor, Martin Luther College, (WELS), p. 3.


"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." Prof. Lawrence O. Olson, (D. Min., Fuller), "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.

Paul Calvin Kelm Once Haunted WLC - And Came Back

KJV Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.


WISCONSIN LUTHERAN COLLEGE - His Previous Course - Required for Graduation!

Milwaukee, WI



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

***

GJ - When a Lutheran student asked to be excused from the requirement of studying false doctrine under Kelm, WLC got all hostile and asked, "Do you know Greg Jackson?" Blah. Blah. The family was really amused because they decided on their own not to listen to Kelm-Dreck.

Phony Love and Fake Unity Trump Orthodoxy - The Pietists Claim

Many identify with the screaming woman,
burdened as they are by Harkey-leaders.

Harkey: "We want love as much as orthodoxy, yes, a thousand times more than what some men call orthodoxy." F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 121.

"In the Lutheran Observer, January 2, 1863, H. Harkey wrote: 'Some say that unity must precede union. But the Bible demands that we unite. Hence those who magnify these differences [among Lutherans] are the greatest sinners in the Church.' This has always been the view of the General Synod: union, irrespective of doctrinal differences...all endeavors at union which disregard the divine norm of Christian fellowship are anti-Scriptural." F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 19.

"And Paul commands that godless teachers should be avoided and execrated as cursed. Galatians 1:8; Titus 3:10. And 2 Corinthians 6:14 he says: 'Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what communion hath light with darkness?'"
Marks of Antichrist, 41, Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 517. Tappert, p. 328. Galatians 1:8; Titus 3:10; 2 Corinthians 6:14.

1 Corinthians 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Galatians 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

"Wherever Lutherans unite with the Reformed, the former gradually sink to the level of the latter. Already by declaring the differences between the two Churches irrelevant, the Lutheran truths are actually sacrificed and denied. Unionism always breaks the backbone, and outrages the conscience, of true Lutheranism. And naturally enough, the refusal to confess the Lutheran truth is but too frequently followed by eager endorsement and fanatical defense of the opposite errors." F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 68.

"Truthful separation is far better than dishonest union, and two churches are happier, and more kindly in their mutual relations, when their differences are frankly confessed, than when they are clouding with ambiguities and double meanings the real divergences." Charles P. Krauth, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology, Philadelphia: The United Lutheran Publication House, 1913 (first edition, 1871), p. 326.

"If one associates much with heretics, one finally also makes oneself partaker of their false doctrine, their lies, and their errors; for he who touches pitch soils his hands with it." Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 646.

"The orthodox character of a church is established not by its mere name nor by its outward acceptance of, and subscription to, an orthodox creed, but by the doctrine which is actually taught in its pulpits, in its theological seminaries, and in its publications. On the other hand, a church does not forfeit its orthodox character through the casual intrusion of errors, provided these are combated and eventually removed by means of doctrinal discipline." (A Brief Statement of the Missouri Synod's Doctrinal Position, 1932) Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 2.

"Unionism is characterized by these marks: It fails to confess the whole truth of the divine Word; it fails to reject and denounce every opposing error; it assigns error equal right with truth and creates the impression of church fellowship and of unity of faith where they do not exist." (Wisconsin Synod, Prayer Fellowship, Tract No. 10, 1954) Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 64.


"We have no intention of yielding aught of the eternal, immutable truth of God for the sake of temporal peace, tranquility, and unity (which, moreover, is not in our power to do). Nor would such peace and unity, since it is devised against the truth and for its suppression, have any permanency. Still less are we inclined to adorn and conceal a corruption of the pure doctrine and manifest, condemned errors. But we entertain heartfelt pleasure and love for, and are on our part sincerely inclined and anxious to advance, that unity according to our utmost power, by which His glory remains to God uninjured, nothing of the divine truth of the Holy Gospel is surrendered, no room is given to the least error, poor sinners are brought to true, genuine repentance, raised up by faith, confirmed in new obedience, and thus justified and eternally saved alone through the sole merit of Christ." (Closing of Formula of Concord, Trigl. p. 1095) Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 65.

"The real question is not what do you subscribe, but what do you believe and publicly teach, and what are you transmitting to those who come after? If it is the complete Lutheran faith and practice, the name and number of the standards is less important. If it is not, the burden of proof rests upon you to show that your more incomplete standard does not indicate an incomplete Lutheran faith." Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 890.

"Dr. Luther, who, above others, certainly understood the true and proper meaning of the Augsburg Confession, and who constantly remained steadfast thereto till his end, and defended it, shortly before his death repeated his faith concerning this article with great zeal in his last Confession, where he writes thus: 'I rate as one concoction, namely, as Sacramentarians and fanatics, which they also are, all who will not believe that the Lord's bread in the Supper is His true natural body, which the godless or Judas received with the mouth, as well as did St. Peter and all [other] saints; he who will not believe this (I say) should let me alone, and hope for no fellowship with me; this is not going to be altered [thus my opinion stands, which I am not going to change]." Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article VII, Lord's Supper, 33, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 983. Tappert, p. 575.

Anticonfessionals Growl: Missouri Is Not Allowed To Criticize ELCA, But ELCA Is Obliged To Criticize Conservatives

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

May 5, 2010

ELCA, LCMS Leaders Discuss Theological Implications of '09 Assembly Actions
10-134-JB/MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Top leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) discussed in depth the theological implications of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly decisions on human sexuality.

The church leaders met here April 12-13 as the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation (CLC), which meets twice a year. They also heard from the leaders of three cooperative agencies and provided updates about current happenings in each others' church bodies.

The assembly directed that ELCA policy documents be revised to make it possible for eligible Lutherans in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA clergy and professional lay leaders. The assembly directed that revised policies recognize the convictions of those who believe the ELCA should not allow such service. The assembly also adopted a social statement on human sexuality.

The ELCA Church Council adopted final revisions to the policy documents April 10, putting them into effect.

The leaders began their discussion by reviewing "Theological Implications of the 2009 ELCA Decisions," a 10-page document commissioned by the Rev. Gerald B. Kieschnick, LCMS president. The document was prepared by a task force appointed by Kieschnick. Keischnick explained that the document was intended for use by LCMS pastors and members in their own study and in dialogue with ELCA members.

Key provisions of the document are:
+ The LCMS believes and teaches "that same-gender sexual activity -- in every situation -- violates the will of our Creator and must be recognized as sin." The LCMS affirms the biblical view of marriage as a lifelong union of a man and a woman, and that unmarried men and women are to "live in sexual chastity and celibacy."
+ There is "legitimate concern" over the ways people who are gay or lesbian have been "excluded and even vilified by Christians."
+ The LCMS does not believe that the ELCA's decisions on sexuality should necessarily or summarily end cooperative work in human care since this work is "based on the sharing of a common goal, not doctrinal unity." The LCMS document continued, "However, we hope and expect that the leadership of such entities will respect the theological position of the Synod (including its position on same-gender sexual activity) and avoid any policies or decisions which would require us to cease our support and involvement in their activities."
+ The LCMS believes that disagreements about the sinfulness of homosexual behavior "impact the gospel itself," since the gospel is "the heart, center and ultimate message of the Bible," and that "a church body's acceptance of homosexual activity promotes a false security about behavior and conduct which God has forbidden and from which He longs to redeem us."
+ A prayer that the ELCA would reconsider its actions.
Kieschnick explained that the LCMS document was intended to help members "walk through this, while not compromising our own point of view."

"We received it in the understanding that you were speaking to your own church, but also to us," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop. "We also hope that you understand, and we understand, that our actions put stress on relationships, but not stress to the point that we believe that they should sever the relationships rather than call us to deeper conversation."
Following the LCMS presentation, responses were provided by the Rev. Marcus R. Kunz, executive for discernment of contextual and theological issues, ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop, and the Rev. Rebecca S. Larson, executive director, ELCA Church in Society.

Kunz outlined several points including:
+ The central message of the Scriptures is the Good News of God's love and saving work in Jesus Christ, and the Scriptures are properly used in proclaiming this message of faith.
+ It is not true "as some are claiming, that the ELCA has abandoned or ignored the authority of Scripture. Rather, we seek to be faithful to the evangelical purpose that God intends with the Scriptures," Kunz said.
+ The ELCA asks "respectfully that the LCMS not silently allow or tacitly encourage misrepresentations of the ELCA's commitment to the evangelical use of the Scriptures, a misrepresentation that subverts the evangelical witness we share," Kunz said.

Larson presented several responses, including:
+ That "integrity of the positions of the ELCA be honored" and that neither church try to speak for or interpret the positions of the other.
+ The position of the ELCA "as summarized in your document does not fairly or accurately represent the actual position of the ELCA in relation to the matters of concern, nor the foundations upon which those decisions rest," she said.
+ The social statement "strongly, very strongly supports marriage," she said. "It recognizes and affirms the central place of marriage between a man and a woman in the historic Christian tradition and the Lutheran Confessions," Larson said.
+ The greatest concern Larson mentioned was about the LCMS paper's discussion of lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships. She said the LCMS has not fully or accurately interpreted the assembly's decisions because it points to only one part of the 2009 actions.

Without full and accurate disclosure of the language of the social statement and ministry policies, she said, the LCMS document leaves the impression that recognition of people in lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships, and placing such people on official church rosters, "constitutes the agreed and sole position of the whole church." That is not true, Larson said. "What the ELCA did decide is that we are not in agreement, including theological agreement, regarding partnered same-gender relationships, and that, because these matters are not central to determining our salvation, we can and will continue to live together with different practices, bearing the burdens of one another, and respecting the bound consciences of each other," she said.
+ The ELCA does not anticipate the need for any changes in cooperative ministries with the LCMS, she said.
+ On sexuality matters, the ELCA "will respect bound consciences ... and that would include the LCMS," Larson said.

ELCA and LCMS leaders discuss position paper, responses
During the two-hour follow-up discussion, the Rev. Joel Lehenbauer, executive director, LCMS Theology and Church Relations, told Kunz that the LCMS did not say in its paper that the ELCA has "abandoned" Scripture as a source of authority, but it does assert that our two churches "have fundamentally different understandings of the nature of Scripture's authority, not just differing opinions about how to interpret certain passages of Scripture."

"This is not a new issue," he added, citing previous documents and discussions centering on the question of the authority of Scripture and its relationship to Scripture's central message of the gospel.

The Rev. Samuel H. Nafzger, spineless director of LCMS church relations and assistant to the president, asked the ELCA participants if, in their opinions, there were "any positions of a bound conscience that should divide brothers and sisters in Christ at the altar."

"Our two churches are bound together by many things," he said, "and there's no place for Christians to misrepresent the position of our two churches on the issues we are debating."
"But that's not what the LCMS is doing in this statement," he said. "The ELCA wants to respect the 'bound consciences' of both sides in this debate, but in our opinion it cannot do this without having a different understanding of the authority of Scripture than that held by the LCMS. The Missouri Synod regards consciences bound to positions that contradict the simple and plain meaning of Scripture as erring consciences in need of confession and absolution."

Continuing conversation between ELCA and LCMS leaders is important, said the Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, executive for administration, ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop. "In our own church we continue to have those conversations, (and) we don't have consensus. I am grateful that we can see that there's a place where we can talk." [GJ - Missouri has to accept women's ordination to work with ELCA, and now the ELCA staff will all come out of the closet, if they have not already, because ELCA began in 1987 with gay quotas.]

While he does not see much immediate change in the ELCA-LCMS relationship as a result of the ELCA sexuality decisions, the Rev. Raymond L. Hartwig, LCMS secretary, said the decisions create "a special challenge" because the ELCA actions were "imposed" on the LCMS with its constant biblical view of marriage and related issues.

Hartwig said a key question being asked in the LCMS is, "Do cooperative efforts imply doctrinal unity with the ELCA?"

"I think we have a special challenge with this particular issue that is different than (any) we've faced before," he added.

Kieschnick added that the LCMS convention in July will likely address the ELCA sexuality decisions because they are a significant topic of discussion in the church.
Hanson noted that leaders of both churches have come a long way in the past nine years of CLC discussions.

"I think we have deep respect for one another," he said. "We have deep commitment to the gospel we proclaim through one another's voices, and we have a deep resolve to respond to the hurts of the world together … We will pray for your convention, and pray for our shared work together in the world."

Lutheran church leaders meet cooperative ministry leaders, hear updates
On a semiannual basis, the Lutheran church leaders meet with the leaders of Baltimore-based cooperative ministry organizations. At this meeting the leaders heard updates from Linda Hartke, president and chief executive officer, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service; the Rev. John A. Nunes, president and chief executive officer, and Jeff Whisenat, executive president, Lutheran World Relief (LWR); and Jill A. Schumann, president and chief executive officer, Lutheran Services in America.

The Rev. Kevin A. Massey, director, Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) and ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, and Michael Nevergall, assistant director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, also attended. Massey provided LDR updates.

LCMS leaders told of recent happenings in their church body. The LCMS convention will be held July 10-17 in Houston. Significant business will include a series of restructuring recommendations, including discussion of possible restructuring of districts, the national church body and a possible new name for the LCMS.

In addition, the LCMS Fan into Flame campaign to support the Synod's comprehensive evangelism effort, Ablaze!, has raised $56 million in gifts and pledges. The campaign goal is to raise $100 million. The LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations recently adopted a report of Christian stewardship of the environment, "Together With All Creatures: Caring for God's Living Earth." The report is intended for use by small groups and as a teaching tool.
Requests for conversation with LCMS leaders have come from some African churches, including the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, the Malagasy Lutheran Church (Madagascar) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, Nafzger said.

Hanson said the ELCA has been focusing on mission, tending its relationships, discerning who wants to be part of the church body and planning for the church's future. The ELCA approved 41 new mission starts this year, 23 of them in immigrant communities.

For the immediate future, the ELCA is focused on its two strategic priorities: serving congregations, and increasing capacity for service to fight poverty and seek justice and peace. The churchwide organization and its unit directors are working on contingency planning stemming from possible declines in mission support funds from congregations through synods.
Representing the ELCA leadership in the meeting were Hanson, the Rev. Allan C. Bjornberg, bishop, Rocky Mountain Synod, Denver, and chair, ELCA Conference of Bishops; Bullock; Kunz; Larson; the Rev. Donald J. McCoid, executive, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations; Carlos Peña, Galveston, Texas, vice president; David D. Swartling, secretary.

Representing the LCMS leadership were Kieschnick; the Rev. William R. Diekelman, first vice president; Hartwig; Lehenbauer; Nafzger; Ronald Schulz, chief administrative officer; and the Rev. Larry Stoterau, president, Pacific Southwest District, Irvine, Calif.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
Twitter: http://twitter.com/elcanews

Mother's Day

Our visitor noticed blue jays nesting outside our bedroom window.

Since then we have had many rainy days. The mother blue jay does most of the nesting. I have seen her sitting there in the gloom, rain pouring down, her wings spread over her nest. The outside is cold and damp, but her wings and downy feathers keep the eggs warm and dry.

My window is only 20 inches from her nest, so she glares at me when I look at her progress. If I walk around the outside of the house, she distracts me from her nest by flying nearby and calling out "Jay!"

The blue jay is endowed by her Creator with a self-sacrificing love for her children. A philosopher would advise her, "You should serve your own needs first. Blue jay eggs are a dime a dozen. Take wing and find yourself." But her DNA code, like software, dedicates her to a nobler task.

I have been gathering photos from my high school graduating class, 1966. Some of our mothers are still alive, but many are not. My mother taught in the public schools, so she knew hundreds of parents, many of them fellow teachers.

That was the classic age in public education, when the children were safe. The teachers watched over us and made sure we were prepared for higher education. When I see photos of various students, I remember, "Their mother was a teacher too. I saw her at our house, or PTA, or community functions, or all three."

I just finished scanning our high school yearbook, when we were seniors. We are seniors once again, in a different sense. Instead of getting student discounts we are angling for senior discounts based on age.

Now that we have a world-wide financial crisis, my mother's comments about the Depression make more sense. She mowed lawns and cleaned houses to get through Augustana College, which took a long time while she was teaching in one-room country schools.

My mother grew up on a farm and remembered when electricity was brought to their farmhouse. She would say, "You don't know how good you have it." She was right. We did not. That generation learned frugality during the Depression and self-sacrifice during WWII and Korea. We benefited from both and took the advantages for granted.

When we asked Mom how she accomplished so much, she said, variously:
1. Grew up on a farm.
2. Went through the Depression.
3. Taught in a one-room country school.

I thought about that while I was trying to trim old newsprint. Mom could cut out articles with precision and file them methodically. Many of her books had a review from a major newspaper, taped into the front cover.

One of her many photo albums included a Mother's Day card, which I crafted in class, around fifth grade at Garfield. I wrote: "Congratulations for having a genius son." She must have enjoyed that card, because she kept it for 80 years.

My mother went through a long-term crisis as she lost her short-term memory. Many times she was agitated, angry, and confused. We moved her to our house in Minnesota and then to our home in Arizona, where she died at the age of 90. She turned into the ultimate mother at the end, happy and loving, still active, creating poems on the fly as we wheeled her around the care facility. She led us and the staff in a spirited rendition of "God bless America."

The hospital said, "The nurses all love your mom."

Our neighbors said, "All the children love your mom."

I lost count of the students who came up to me and said, "I had your mother as a teacher. She was the best teacher I ever had."

True genius comes from picking the right parents. As Lincoln said, "All I am, or can be, I owe to my angel mother."

---

California wrote:

What a loving tribute to your mother. I smiled when you told of her clipping news articles, and especially of your finding book reviews tucked inside the covers of books. I still do that, as well as "filing" pertinent printed matter related to the subject of the books inside the covers of books. Not too good a practice to preserve book bindings, but someday when I am gone, someone may take the time to read the related articles which were placed there to validate the premise of the respective book. It must have been a practice of going back before her and my time, and I am approaching 81 soon. My grandparents did that, and I have benefited from the newspaper "time capsules" from the early 1930's I found between the pages of their Bible. They used the clippings as references and prayed for the nation riddled with the destructive forces at work during that time.

New Trend in LCMS Cradle Rolls

The Lutheran News Aggregator Link

"This user has elected to delete their account and the content is no longer available."

I found the story the software tried to link.

Suspicions confirmed.

Poof.

Can't Be Blamed

Same sects attraction, Katy and Miley.

Miley Cyrus has a new video, where she crawls out of a Christmas wreath, spreads 500 pound wings, and warbles, "Can't Be Tamed."

MLC students will pounce on this and copy it right away. That is a strength of the WELS education system - illegal copying.

Bonus - MLC can test their new gaydar installation, which should sound the alarm when the homely teen kisses a girl. That could be a photo-op for Ski in the future, to add to his collection, next to Katy Perry's photo with him.

Imagine how proud the future Betty Ford Clinic patients will feel when they consider how many celebrities Ski and Glende have posed with. "And to think, we knew them, before they joined Thrivent."

Sasse and Mary

Sasse!

What Sasse Said - Note the URL - http://sassedotalist.blogspot.com

High Churchism, Mary and the Gospel

A devotion written by Professor A.C. Piepkorn of St Louis* is an especially disturbing indicator of the dangers of the 'High Church' tendency. It is entitled 'Blessed Art Thou Among Women'**, and is an attempt to set forth the true Lutheran position on Mary in opposition to the extremes of Roman Catholic veneration of Mary on the one hand and modern Protestantism's 'excessive downgrading of the Mother of God' (Piepkorn's words) on the other. This is indeed a worthy task, and the three Marian festivals set down in the old Lutheran church calendar, which are simultaneously Christological celebrations, provide ample opportunity to do this. But in light of these celebrations we must note that the position taken on Mary will always be a reliable indicator of the presence of a true or false understanding of the Gospel. In modern Protestantism the Nestorian denial of the doctrine of the Theotokos reveals that this position, even if it bears the name 'Lutheran', no longer understands the doctrine of the person of the God-man. On the other hand, the confession that Mary is indeed the Theotokos isn't yet solid evidence of a true understanding of Christ - for it can be combined with the veneration of Mary, which is always a sin against the 1st Commandment and a challenge to the unique mediatorship of Christ. The cult of Mary (which also took root and grew among the Nestorians), along with the Marian doctrines which have grown from it, is most definitely to be rejected as being in contradiction to the Gospel***.

From Liturgy and Confession, A Brotherly Warning Against the 'High Church' Danger, first published in Lutherische Blaetter (Christmas 1959). [trans. mine]


* Arthur Carl Piepkorn (1907-1973), a scholar and theologian of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, sometime professor of historical theology at the Concordia, St Louis seminary, translator of some of the Lutheran confessional documents for the Tappert English edition of the Book of Concord, and an official participant in the early rounds of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue in the US. Piepkorn was a man of prodigious learning who served as a mentor to a number of LC-MS pastors who later styled themselves 'Evangelical Catholics', some of whom would convert to Roman Catholicism, notably Richard John Neuhaus.

***

GJ - I highly recommend the Sasse blog, and Sasse's writings. The ALC published Sasse until merger, and Sasse wrote the best book about the Real Presence - This Is My Body. David Preus led The ALC and consequently the ELCA into communion with the Reformed. Augsburg-Fortress got rid of Sasse and Lenski books and began selling books by female rabbis.

Mary-obsession is one of the first signs of a Lutheran pastor leaving for the Church of Rome. In the blogosphere, Weedon gushes about Mary and the pope, while McCain gushes about Weedon. McCain's last gusher was Fenton, who left the LCMS for Eastern Orthodoxy and denounced justification by faith in the process. McCain, who loves UOJ, is a man of many Enthusiasms. He dresses as a pastor for formal portraits even though he is a book blogger for CPH - (Mark Jeske's publisher).

More Hilarity from Beast Vollerslime

ELCA Bishop Vollerslime organized the rump group Saving Faith,
and now wants Faith Lutheran Church in Moline to give up its name.
Most people think ELCA should drop Lutheran in its name.


May 4, 2010


The Reverend Mark Gehrke &
Church Council
Faith Lutheran Church
1611 41st St.
Moline, IL 61265-3499

Dear Reverend Gehrke and leaders of Faith Lutheran Church,

Grace to you and peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is and who was and who is to come. Amen.

The Northern Illinois Synod Council, having noted that the congregation at Faith has elected to withdraw from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, kindly requests your consideration of a change in the name of your congregation. Our request is based on the following rationale:

Ø Faith Lutheran Church has been associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for more than two decades. A change in the congregation’s name may assist you in developing your new identity as a congregation affiliated with another body of Lutherans.
Ø A congregational name change may assist the people of Moline and the surrounding communities in coming to know the difference between the Faith Lutheran Church congregation and Saving Faith, the Synodically Authorized Worshiping Community.
Ø Finally, a change in your congregation’s name will be of mutual assistance to you and to the Northern Illinois Synod in marking an end to our long-standing partnership.

The Northern Illinois Synod Council understands that it has no authority over the name by which your congregation is known. By this letter the Council simply and respectfully requests your consideration of this topic.

In Christ,


The Reverend Gary Erickson, Secretary

Hard Copy to Follow

Cc: Bishop Wollersheim
Mr. Bill Bartlett, Vice President
Posted by oneno at 7:13 PM
1 comments:

Anonymous said...

When the synod says changing the name would assist the people of Moline and surrounding communities in coming to know the difference between Faith Lutheran Church and the group known as Saving Faith are they saying this Saving Faith group is going to continue on?? This request is ludicrous, Faith Lutheran Church preceded the ELCA and it should continue as such long after.

***

GJ - I walked, biked, and drove by Faith in Moline 45+ years ago, on my way to Coolidge and MHS. I imagine they will change their domain name:

http://www.faithelca.org/pwsite/

Having ELCA in the domain name is not a good evangelism today today, unless the parish needs more people in the altar guild.

The LCMC formed out of The ALC churches that left ELCA immediately upon merger in 1987. The ELCA drones probably chuckled and said, "We only lost a few." But those few became a core of leadership for today. The LCMC is already bigger than the Little Sect on the Prairie (nee ELS).

The Core (not to be confused with The CORE) is forming another Lutheran group, and several others are also collecting entire congregations and groups of people who will never enter an ELCA church again.

Lutheran Allergies - Luther, Chemnitz, Lenski,

Lenski was the greatest author of the old ALC, and they formed a committee to silence him about inerrancy.
Read about him and his daughter Lois here.

I became a Lutheran at the age of 16, when there was great excitement about the publishing of Luther's work. In my seventh grade class at John Deere Junior High, Moline, the teacher mentioned Luther and half the class erupted in cheers.

The typical Syn Conference pastor does not read Luther or grasp his basic teachings. The professors are even worse, passing along their ignorance and veiled animosity.

The Hyper-Europeans of the LCMS seem to read every theologian except Luther.

Chemnitz is ignored. Chytraeus is unknown.

WELS makes a point of putting down Lenski, a man of remarkable achievement. He was a parish pastor, a district president, a seminary professor and dean, and the author of many books beside his famous New Testament commentary.

The authors mentioned above would be the best antidotes to the neo-Pietism buzz of today. No one who read Examination of the Council of Trent would think of joining Rome.

A study of Luther's basic writing would destroy UOJ forever.

The best one-volume companion to Lutheran theology is the Book of Concord, which contains the writings of Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, and Chytraeus.

My favorite Book of Concord symbol is the Large Catechism of Luther, which was edited from his sermons.

A close second is the Formula of Concord, because all the topics of today are addressed in eloquent, clear language. You will never hear the UOJ fanatics quote from "The Righteousness of Faith" or even ponder the meaning of that sub-section. They have far greater authorities to quote, like J. P. Meyer from Cocoa, MO.

The Schwaermer are allergic to these authors because they detect the aroma of pesticide: they are the pests.

---

Shelby County History

In 1899, the Lenski family took up residence in the Anna parsonage as Pastor Lenski began his duties. In 1907, he saw the dedication of St. Jacob Evangelical Lutheran Church which he helped design and oversee in construction. Today this 92 year old edifice still stands as a testimony to his vision and foresight to build a magnificent house of worship.

In 1930, my father, Rev. F.J. Mittermaier, became the pastor of St. Jacob Church. He had been instructed at the seminary by Dr. Lenski. My father devoted all his energy to the work of the Lord. He loved to read scripture in the original Greek and would often have to be told to "put down his book and eat his oatmeal before it got cold." Receiving an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree as the most outstanding rural pastor in Ohio, he preferred not to be known by any title but that of pastor. Throughout the 33 years of his ministry in Anna, he maintained the deepest regard for his mentor, Dr. Lenski. For him it was a special blessing to be pastor of the Anna church. Often he loved to go to the church, sit in the pew, and watch the rays of the setting sun as it shone brilliantly on the head of Christ window above the altar.

In 1932, the congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary. Dr. Lenski returned to preach. As a small child, I clearly recall seeing this man who had olive skin, a heavy mustache, and intense blue eyes. Dressed in a white linen suit and Panama straw hat, he was a striking figure as he smoked a large cigar. After asking permission of my mother, he took my hand and off we went to the local ice cream parlor.