From Another WELS Layman

August 6th comment:

R Klatt said...

I spent too much time last week watching the streaming internet feed of the Monday-through-Friday national convention of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The main issues were the election of a new president, the closing of the prep school in Saginaw, and money. The synod is going broke, mostly because people in the pews aren't giving more and more and the administration is spending unwisely.
A new president was elected. That does not mean things will get better. The prep school was resolved to stay open. That does not mean it will not close. There will now be pressure, from the top down, on congregations to increase their regular offerings and further to contribute to a huge special offering. The top does not, or refuses to, realize that the bottom has heard so many cries of "wolf" recently that they are tired of the whole thing.

The long-time Lutherans in the pews realize there is something wrong. Many cannot put a finger on it. It is doctrine and practice. For thirty years, the Church Growth advocates in the synod administration have been watering down the published material, setting aside good practice and trying to turn every member into a minister to haul in more members so there will be more money. None of that belongs in a Lutheran church, in any church. That's why Lutheran churches in all the synods are failing. I would not now argue with the premise that Lutheran Christian teaching will no longer be around in 2017, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, so there will be nothing to celebrate.

Because of the plethora of bad Bible translations, no one knows what the Scriptures say anymore. Preaching the Gospel has turned into worldly mutual consolation in a support group. There are Lutheran churches that no longer offer Holy Communion. So there are many little gatherings in odd little buildings on many little corners each led by some guy or gal who thinks he or she has found the key. Americans are largely consumed by a social religion, not a Christian one. That week-long convention did not help. The freedom Christians are given by the Gospel is freedom to reject the false and cling to the true. We can do the former only by doing the latter.