From the Shepherd's Voice
The special offering being planned will address the synod’s capital debt of $22.4 million. Currently, we are budgeting nearly $3 million to make payments on that debt. If the debt is retired, we will have $3 available for missions and ministry. If the debt is not retired in full, we will continue to budget whatever is necessary to make payments on it.
There are plans under discussion right now to consolidate and restructure that debt. This step will reduce our payments by about $500,000 per year and will pay the debt off in ten years (this assumes that we receive NOTHING in the special offering.) So that is the first step of “Plan B,” if one is needed. On the spending side, we will be looking at many other possible solutions, including increased efficiencies in the way that we do things, potential staffing reductions where possible. On the income side, we have already seen a number of very positive signs that the support for the synod’s work is increasing dramatically. Early reports of congregational mission offerings are very positive. Gifts from individuals are running well ahead of projections. And gifts for the debt offering are already coming in, even before we have begun organized debt reduction efforts.
In other words, even as we plan for the offering to be successful, alternatives are being considered and plans put into place. Those plans will develop and change as more information comes to us during the next several months.
Rev. Schroeder
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "WELS Giving Up":
Does the title mean that WELS is giving up in the sense of "throwing in the towel" or "offerings are up. I suppose you would maybe have put WELS' Giving Up if you meant more offerings... Can you please clarify? Thanks.
Michael Schottey has left a new comment on your post "WELS Giving Up":
So...what would you have posted if the opposite was said.
Schroeder has said many times the WELS is going to look at every possible way to cut costs and be more efficient at spending. Good stewardship principles.
Consolidating debt...eliminating payments and paying ahead of schedule. Also good stewardship principle.
The truth it, the WELS isn't giving up, the Special Offering hasn't even started and has already collected money.
You know, there are some pieces of information that as you try to put your negative spin on at all costs, it just looks foolish.
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GJ - It all depends on where the understood is goes. Right away, after I posted SP Schroeder's remarks verbatim, one person asked about the word play and another one VIOLATED THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT! My motives were impugned.
The headline can be understood correctly. (If one draws out the can, the proper WELS spin is achieved.) WELS Giving Is Up. Did anything in Schroeder's remarks suggest that WELS Is Giving Up? I do not think so. And I did not pour contempt on the next fund drive.
My intention has never been to give a negative spin on anything. As I pointed out before, I am providing a vast amount of material for all Lutherans, about all the synods. Most of the information is negative because the leadership is apostate. (I am giving SP Schroeder two years of grace, knowing only faintly what a pigsty he inherited.)
Some of the time I am just having fun, which is what I did with the headline. I used to do that in parish newsletters because the work could be tedious, remembering all the birthdays and cat-hangings in the congregation. Once I spelled out Go Bengals in the first two paragraphs of the newsletter, left-hand margin. Most read some very tangled and nonsensical sentences. A few saw "Go Bengals" clearly. Imagine what that did to the congregation, when I printed in the newsletter, "Congregation Giving Up."
Once we got free fans to use in hot, humid Midland, Michigan. I published an article in the paper: "St. Timothy Installs Energy-Efficient Air Conditioning System." That appeared on Saturday. One growly layman got very upset on Saturday. The congregation thought it was pretty funny on Sunday. Later, people in town said, "Why do they have air conditioning and we don't?" I put an article in The Lutheran magazine about it, since the hand-held fans promoted the magazine. When that appeared, I put another article in the Midland paper about the AC joke.
I could put a postive spin on the doctrinal, moral, and financial bankruptcy of the "conservative" synods, but they already have highly paid staff to do that for them. And even then they cannot spell correctly or fix obvious errors.
There's my answer - SP Schroeder, in my opinion, is wisely tackling the financial disaster first. WELS members and pastors seem to have growing confidence in his leadership. AnswerMan has been tethered, but not taught to spell.
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A. Nony Mouse has left a new comment on your post "WELS Giving Up":
wisdely tackling the financial disaster first. AnswerMan has been tethered, but not taught to spell.
funny one...please wisely check your spelling.
GJ - Before Mouse posted I fixed the typo. If he had refreshed his page, he would have seen that. Thus I have two Eighth Commandment violations from my innocent posting.
Mouse seemed to have missed several points. One is that I have no staff, but I spell better than The Love Shack. The entire Wisconsin Synod failed to see that obvious spelling error, after a fair number of days have elapsed. And no one at TLS saw it? Another point was hidden but can now be revealed. When I prepare a post, I go over it several times before publishing it. Then I read it over, looking for errors and lack of clarity. I may fix and re-post several more times. So before jumping to the keyboard and making a fool of yourself, make sure you are mocking the final editing of the post, not just the fourth draft.
The ancients had a saying, "Even good Homer nods." I am not Homer's equal.
I have yet to read a blog from Mouse. Maybe he can post a link, anonymously.
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Michael Schottey has left a new comment on your post "WELS Giving Up":
Well Reverend,
If that was your intent "WELS Giving IS Up." Then you have my sincerest apologies.
But remember that next time you admonish a WELS pastor who speaks and is able to be misunderstood.
Once again my apologies.
Michael Schottey has left a new comment on your post "WELS Giving Up":
Also...perhaps next time you link to my site I will not be so ungrateful, in addition to my apologies, you have my thanks.
GJ - No need to apologize. I was just having some fun with your response. I was also having fun with the people who cover their false doctrine with the Eighth Commandment accusation. I was not serious about that. I did want to give SP Schroeder's efforts a boost with some positive information.
Walther wrote that pastors have an obligatin to be clear about doctrine when they speak or write. Do not turn that around. The audience does not have an obligation to understand correctly something that has been ambiguously communicated. I have published many instances of the WELS CG leaders writing, "We know that the Word of God is effective... but..." They follow with the Reformed view of the Word, which is actually an attack on the Word of God. That is plain deception and deserves to be treated as such. Paul Kelm has built his career on those tricks and has gotten away with it. People are justly tired of a cancer, false doctrine, being treated as a case of the sniffles.
