Lutheran Church Canada - LCMS Releated - In Financial Meltdown from Outrageous Monetary Practices

 Why did we loan all that money out with no repayments?

Michael Schutz (Michaelschutz) New member Username: Michaelschutz Post Number: 1 Registered: 5-2018

Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2018 - 1:12 pm:       Hi all, I'm a pastor in LCC. I poke my head in here from time to time to read a little bit of the goings-on, but haven't been compelled to enter into discussion until now. I'm a member of the LCC District in question, and can tell you much of the very long story, but I'll make that very long story very short for now in hopes of answering the original question, at least a little bit. In January 2015, we found out by letter from our District President that the District's Church Extension Fund was essentially insolvent. It was described as a "cash flow shortage" and so all further deposits and withdrawals were frozen at that point while it began to be sorted out. We came to learn that there was almost $100 million deposited in CEF, that the assets were at that point valued at somewhere around $50 million, and that there was no indication that the situation could be improved. We learned there was one project that had been going on for the last 25 or so years that comprised the vast majority of the portfolio - a church, school, and seniors housing project in Alberta. Tens of millions had been lent over the years, and virtually nothing had been paid back, not even interest. This wasn't the only project that had been having trouble with repayments, but because of the size of it and because it was such a large percentage of the fund (and because the CEF was not its own legal entity but a component of the District as a corporation) its problems essentially caused the whole District to collapse financially. Over the past 3 years, all CEF loans have been called in - even those in good standing. All District assets are being sold off; not just CEF properties but everything, including the offices. District staff has gone from about 12 to 2. Depositors have collectively lost millions, though efforts are underway to recover as much as possible, including this big project being turned into a corporation with the depositors as shareholders. It's possible that depositors could gain all their deposits back with the promised interest, but that could be decades away, and with so many elderly depositors, the mandate for this new corporation is to get it ready to sell and sell it off as quickly as possible. In short, it's a huge mess. The situation has been described by District leadership as "erring on the side of ministry", and as you might imagine, there's been the whole gamut of reaction to that, from essentially agreeing with that all the way to a class-action lawsuit that is now also underway against the District leadership. In terms of restructuring, there are two types of restructuring going on right now. Firstly, the District has been under court-ordered protection for the last three years (technically, it's not bankruptcy) so that the assets of the District can be sold off and as much as possible can be returned to depositors. This has been managed by a court-appointed firm. Concurrent to all this, LCC as a Synod, with our 3 Districts, has been undergoing a Synodical restructuring. In my opinion, our District's CEF situation was the catalyst for this actually happening, but the idea had been under discussion for many years (really, ever since the founding of LCC in the late 1980s). Again, opinions vary widely as to the specific need and the specifics of the solution we've adopted, but we are working through it. The financial/business side of this is bad, of course, but the spiritual implications have (and will continue to be) massive as well. When it's church leadership that breaks a trust like this, the spiritual implications are even a bigger deal than the civil ones, in my opinion. Of course, there's much, much more to the story, but I hope that gives some clarity at least to the fundamentals of the situation.

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 In 2012 the Prince of Peace Village development had a loan worth $70 million from the investment fund. (CBC)

 Let's see. The fund gave roughly 70% of its cash to this white elephant, but this ministry did not even pay interest on the loan. When did the auditors begin to smell the pot roast?

Sayings of Charles Porterfield Krauth - Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry – "Faithful to the Reformation"

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Sayings of Charles Porterfield Krauth - Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry – 



"Faithful to the Reformation": "This Lutheran Library “short” is taken from the two volume biography of Charles Krauth published by Adolph Spaeth. Spaeth includes in his Preface to that work the following:

“The Motto chosen for this Memoir is Dr. Krauth’s description of Martin Luther, in the biography of the great Reformer which he undertook shortly before his death – “Faithful to the Truth, and true to the Faith.” It may be properly applied to Dr. Krauth himself. It represents his own religious and theological development. Faithful to the truth of God’s everlasting Word, he became ever more true to the Faith of the Church of his Fathers, and in the end its most consistent, learned, and eloquent witness in the English language. If we mistake not, there are not a few in our American Lutheran Church who, under the influence of their early training, still have their difficulties with that faith of the fathers, but are earnestly endeavoring to overcome them. We trust that this Memoir may be of special service to all such honest inquirers.”1"

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About the Author

Krauth, Charles Porterfield, D.D., LL. D., was born March 17, 1823, at Martinsburg, Va., son of Charles Philip K. and his wife, Catharine Susan Heiskell, of Staunton, Va. He was educated at Pennsylvania College and the theological seminary in Gettysburg. Having been licensed by the Synod of Maryland, in 1841, he took charge of the mission station at Canton, near Baltimore. In 1842 he became pastor of the Lombard Str. Church in Baltimore; 1847, at Shepherdstown and Martinsburg; 1848, in Winchester. On account of the ill-health of his wife he spent the winter 1852 to 1853 i n the West Indies, serving the Dutch Reformed congregation at St. Thomas’, during the absence of its pastor. In 1855 he became pastor of the first English Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, Pa., and in 1859 pastor of St. Mark’s, Philadelphia. Later on he served the mission churches of St. Peter’s and St. Stephen’s, in Philadelphia. In 1861 he resigned the pastorate of St. Mark’s in order to devote his whole strength to the editorship of The Lutheran, which in his hands became the strongest weapon in the conflict against the shallow, unprincipled “ American Lutheranism “ which ruled our English Lutheran Church of that time. He was pre-eminently fitted to transplant the spirit of true, historical, conservative Lutheranism into the sphere of the English language, and there to reproduce and establish it on such a basis, that its future should be secure. When the theological seminary at Philadelphia was founded, in 1864, he was appointed Norton professor of dogmatic theology, and at the installation of the first faculty he delivered the inaugural address, defining the theological position represented by that institution.

In the establishment of the General Council he took an active and prominent part, being the author of the Fundamental Articles of Faith and Church Polity, adopted by the preliminary convention at Reading, 1866; of the constitution for congregations, adopted in 1880, and of the theses on pulpit and altar fellowship, presented in 1877. He was also actively engaged in the liturgical work of the Church, resulting in the publication of the Church Book. From 1870 to 1880 he was president of the General Council. In 1868 he was appointed professor of mental and moral philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. From 1873 he held the position of vice-provost, and after the resignation of Provost Stills he carried the burden of this office for many months. After a journey to Europe which was undertaken, in 1880, not only for his own recuperation but chiefly in the interest of the Luther Biography with which the Ministerium of Pennsylvania had charged him, the chair of history at the University of Pennsylvania was given him in addition to all his other duties. But the burden proved too heavy. In the winter 1881-82, his work in the seminary was frequently interrupted through bodily weakness. He died January 2, 1883.

He was one of the most prolific and brilliant writers of our English Lutheran Church.2

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LCMS Central Lutheran School posts Gofundme page to help keep it open – Twin Cities

Central Lutheran School posts Gofundme page to help keep it open – Twin Cities:



"The school was dealt another blow last summer when a systems malfunction caused government funding for toddlers and preschoolers to lag two months behind.

“It’s such a tightrope,” Wegner said. “The checks were coming late. We had to play catch-up.”

She estimates that the school is currently $350,000 in debt, of that, $127,000 is debt to vendors. Much of the rest is back pay to teachers and to Wegner, who said she often donates her entire paycheck so her teachers can get paid.

‘DOING SOMETHING NEW’
The option of closing down is something no one at Central Lutheran wants to consider. The staff is proud of the many opportunities they provide their students on a limited budget.

Pastor Nick Kooi from Emmaus Lutheran Church, which helps support the school, said he has been impressed with the dedication and creativity of the staff."



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Greek Lesson 4 - Romans 1:26-32. Bethany Lutheran Greek Lessons

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Romans Lenski - Download and save public domain PDF.

26 δια τουτο παρεδωκεν αυτους ο θεος εις παθη ατιμιας αι τε γαρ θηλειαι αυτων μετηλλαξαν την φυσικην χρησιν εις την παρα φυσιν

Matthew 10:4 - Judas betrayed Him.

1 Corinthians 15:3 - Traditions delivered resurrection.

meta-alla, φυσικην physical - natural. 

27 ομοιως τε και οι αρρενες αφεντες την φυσικην χρησιν της θηλειας εξεκαυθησαν εν τη ορεξει αυτων εις αλληλους - αρσενες εν αρσεσιν την ασχημοσυνην κατεργαζομενοι - και την αντιμισθιαν ην εδει της πλανης αυτων εν εαυτοις απολαμβανοντες

28 και καθως ουκ εδοκιμασαν τον θεον εχειν εν επιγνωσει , παρεδωκεν αυτους ο θεος εις αδοκιμον νουν ποιειν τα μη καθηκοντα

29 πεπληρωμενους παση αδικια πορνεια πονηρια πλεονεξια κακια μεστους φθονου φονου εριδος δολου κακοηθειας ψιθυριστας

righteousness - not righteous - a; porn

30 καταλαλους θεοστυγεις υβριστας υπερηφανους αλαζονας εφευρετας κακων γονευσιν απειθεις

hybris - destructive pride, by extension - an insulter

31 ασυνετους ασυνθετους αστοργους ασπονδους ανελεημονας

Two words are easy - not storge (family love), not eleemosynary - merciful. Not the five words all start with alpha - a good teaching device.

32 οιτινες το δικαιωμα του θεου επιγνοντες οτι οι τα τοιαυτα πρασσοντες αξιοι θανατου εισιν ου μονον αυτα ποιουσιν αλλα και συνευδοκουσιν τοις πρασσουσιν

Father Abraham - More Ignored and Overlooked by Lutherans Than Martin Luther. Gospel Promise - Faith - Righteousness. The Confused and Bewildered Should Read Romans 1:16 and Romans 10

Genesis 15 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Gen 15:6 - καὶ ἐπίστευσεν Αβραμ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην

The chapter begins with God telling Abraham not to fear, but to have faith in God's Promises. But Abraham's complaint is that he has no heirs, apart from the servant's son. Then Abraham was directed to consider the stars in the sky. "So shall your seed be."

This Promise is extraordinary, because kingdoms do not, and families often diminish in number to nothing. This Promise includes the Messiah and all those numbered in the Kingdom of God by faith. Abraham believed in the Lord's Promise, and God counted this faith as righteousness. This counting or imputing (ἐλογίσθη) is the same concept and word in Romans 4.

Romans 4 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 

3 τι γαρ η γραφη λεγει επιστευσεν δε αβρααμ τω θεω και ελογισθη αυτω εις δικαιοσυνην

Verse 3 leaves no doubt about how one is justified - declared forgiven. Abraham believed and it was counted (same verb as the Greek OT) as righteousness.

If one looks at all the mental pretzels the UOJists offer to say the entire world was justified here or there and everywhere, before birth, before our existence, then how was Abraham justified when he was already justified, like those who drowned in the Genesis Flood?

 Norma A. Boeckler

We are expected to accept their precious Objective Justification after this verse! But what did St. Paul already write in Romans 1:16?

Romans 1:16 ου γαρ επαισχυνομαι το ευαγγελιον του χριστου δυναμις γαρ θεου εστιν εις σωτηριαν παντι τω πιστευοντι ιουδαιω τε πρωτον και ελληνι

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the God-Power unto salvation for every one who believes, both the Jews and the Greeks.

In Paul's most important doctrinal epistle, Paul declares early that the efficacious Gospel is the God-Power with two results - faith and salvation.

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

4 τω δε εργαζομενω ο μισθος ου λογιζεται κατα χαριν αλλα κατα το οφειλημα

5 τω δε μη εργαζομενω πιστευοντι δε επι τον δικαιουντα τον ασεβη λογιζεται η πιστις αυτου εις δικαιοσυνην

So we see the same verb again - counted - λογιζεται. Working earns pay, but that does not count for grace - ου λογιζεται κατα χαριν, but counts for debt - κατα το οφειλημα. 

This comes after the Apostle has established that no form of righteousness is the righteousness of God, not civil or Mosaic or any other kind of human righteousness.

Note the emphasis by word-order. First -  not working but believing on the One Who justifies the ungodly - his faith is counted - λογιζεται η πιστις αυτου - as righteousness. 

How can anyone extract Objective Justification from those words? Easy Peasy - they isolate a part of a verse, because they are lummoxen driven by conformity, and informed only by their boastful stupidity.

One UOJist proved his mental distortions by saying that faith meant "believing that we are already forgiven," which moves the true object of faith - Christ - to the dogma of rationalistic Halle Pieties, a bad bargain.

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

The same word from the Greek OT is used again

6 καθαπερ και δαβιδ λεγει τον μακαρισμον του ανθρωπου ω ο θεος λογιζεται δικαιοσυνην χωρις εργων

7 μακαριοι ων αφεθησαν αι ανομιαι και ων επεκαλυφθησαν αι αμαρτιαι

8 μακαριος ανηρ ω ου μη λογισηται κυριος αμαρτιαν

The counting is used two ways - 

• It is blessed to have righteousness counted without works - λογιζεται δικαιοσυνην χωρις εργων
• It is blessed to have sins not counted - μη λογισηται κυριος αμαρτιαν

9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

ελογισθη τω αβρααμ η πιστις εις δικαιοσυνην

10 How was it then reckoned? - πως ουν ελογισθη - when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith - σφραγιδα της δικαιοσυνης της πιστεως της εν τη ακροβυστια which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe - εις το ειναι αυτον πατερα παντων των πιστευοντων -, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also - εις το λογισθηναι και αυτοις την δικαιοσυνην:

12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

This rather small but concise section discusses in greater detail, lest anyone get this wrong. that righteousness does not come to anyone except through faith in Christ. The faith of Abraham was not that he would be the leader of a great nation, but that he would establish the line of people who would provide the Savior and believers as uncountable as the stars in the sky.

Gen 15:5 - ἐξήγαγεν δὲ αὐτὸν ἔξω καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἀνάβλεψον δὴ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἀρίθμησον τοὺς ἀστέρας εἰ δυνήσῃ ἐξαριθμῆσαι αὐτούς καὶ εἶπεν οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου (arithmatic)

This is an interesting play on words - Abraham cannot count the stars in the sky, and how does God count someone righteous? With the same faith in the Savior as Abraham saw from afar. That is how righteousness is counted. Verse 6 - Abraham believed and it was counted as righteousness.

The Righteousness of Faith - The Name of the Formula of Concord article on Justification - FC III

Romans 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

How do people wander so far from the righteousness of faith? Like Jay Webber, they make the Pietist Rambach their theologian, rejecting Chemnitz on 1 Timothy 3:16. They imagine that the sex cult leader - with no degree - who led the Saxon Migration was a better theologian than Luther. Do not be shocked. The ELS picked a New Testament professor who had less training than his Bethany students with a college degree. The ELS loved Moldstad's UOJ so much that they made him pope.

Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:

The emphasis in these verses is not unbelief, but the importance of faith. The Messianic Promise canceled his natural doubts about being a father, let alone the father of many nations, and Sarah being a mother at that advanced age. 

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. - διο και ελογισθη αυτω εις δικαιοσυνην

How does unbelief make someone a guilt-free saint - as the Kokomites claim? Could any illustration be more clear than this - and it ends reflecting the Genesis 15 passage again. Romans 4 rests upon Genesis 15, and Genesis 15 foreshadows the New Testament Church and Gospel preaching.

 Norma A. Boeckler

Romans 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him - οτι ελογισθη αυτω

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead - αλλα και δι ημας οις μελλει λογιζεσθαι τοις πιστευουσιν επι τον εγειραντα ιησουν τον κυριον ημων εκ νεκρων

25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

To inject the toxin of UOJ into this argument, one must wrench the previous argument away from the righteousness of Abraham's faith. Thus the pea-brains of Universal Forgiveness without Faith say "Raised for our salvation!" as if part of a verse makes sense without the entire argument, without Father Abraham, the Father of Nations, the Father of Faith.

Thus Paul concludes the Romans 4 argument with this transition to Romans 5 -

 Norma A. Boeckler

Romans 5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

5 δικαιωθεντες ουν εκ πιστεως ειρηνην εχομεν προς τον θεον δια του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου

2 δι ου και την προσαγωγην εσχηκαμεν τη πιστει εις την χαριν ταυτην εν η εστηκαμεν και καυχωμεθα επ ελπιδι της δοξης του θεου

 Lamb by Norma A. Boeckler

And Now - A Word from the Biblical Illiterates Who Advocate Justification without Faith

I'd Rather Have Rambach, a hymn destined for the new WELS-ELS Hymnal.