Meet Your Church Consultant, II

PAUL KELM


"Your September 21 article in Christian News perpetuates a lie, slanders

leaders of your church and risks spiritual offense to weak brothers and sisters.

You describe a conference on leadership in which fellowship lines were clearly

drawn and at which testimony to the truths which separate Lutherans was publicly

given as 'a joint ministry conference with a liberal agenda.' Then you add,

'Months later, the three groups [ELCA, LCMS, WELS] joyfully announced a joint

religious radio show, Joy, also funded by Lutheran insurance money. WELS

participated in 'Joy' from the beginning and continues to be a part of the

project.'"

Pastor Paul Kelm (WELS),

Letter to Gregory L. Jackson,

9-23-92.


"The mistaken announcement by a reporter from another Lutheran body was

clearly repudiated in the March 15, 1992 issues of The Northwestern

Lutheran. Yet you boldly state that the WELS continues to be a part of this

project, in which it never participated. Dr. Jackson, I ask you to repent of your

slanderous lie and retract it publicly. Galatians 6:1-2 leads me to ask this of you,

for the sake of your spiritual life. Titus 3:10 urges me to ask this of you for the

sake of the church. cc: District President Robert Mueller, Vice President Paul

Kuske, Vice President Gerald Schroer, Rev. David Grundmeier, Rev. Gary Baumler."

Pastor Paul Kelm (WELS),

Letter to Gregory L. Jackson,

9-23-92. [GJ - As Kelm knew, everything I reported was true. His letter, copied to everyone except Handsome Dan, was utterly false. I spoke with the ELCA representative and a WELS pastor spoke to the Missouri representative. The cover story invented was that WELS' expertise was needed, so they "consulted," helping out poor little Missouri and tiny little ELCA.]


"Doctrines in controversy and applications to those doctrines are a disciple's

meat. They are swallowed only after patient doses of discipling milk. The art of

mission work is to preserve that sequence despite a prospect's desire to chew what

he can't swallow."

Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects," p. 3.


"A last word on sound doctrine is in place. Sound doctrine must be

distinguished from tradition, praxis and preference. The liturgy, translation

of the Bible, vestments and organizational policies of the church are not

equatable with sound doctrine."

Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects,"

p. 3.



"Non-Christians usually become good prospects for personal reasons or as

I like to say: 'They come for sociological reasons and stay for theological

reasons.'"

[Note: this is the felt needs approach of Fuller, also endorsed by Pastor

Forrest Bivens, now a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary: "I went to

Fuller Seminary and I happen to believe we can use sociological methods to bring

people to church so we can apply the Means of Grace." Midland circuit get

together, attended by Pastor - now DP - John Seifert.]

Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects,"

p. 4.



"Small churches need not be small thinkers, but small-thinking churches

will always remain small. Churches and people seldom go/grow beyond their

expectations."

Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects,"

[See Waldo Werning and Robert Schuller for the same thought.

Did the Apostles know this?] p. 6.



"Small thinking churches typically budget to remain small."

Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects,"

See Waldo Werning and Robert Schuller for the same thought.

Did the Apostles know this?

p. 7.


"Thesis One: Sound Doctrine Sounds Good When Good People Sound it.

Normally, people respond to other people before they respond to doctrine."

Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects,"

p. 7.


"Don't let the world paint us into a corner of antiquarianism on subjects

like a six-day creation or verbal inspiration."

Rev. Paul Kelm, "How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects,"

p. 13.


"Thesis Seven: Sound Apologetics Can Make Sound Doctrine Sound

Good...Logic never converted anyone; but Christianity is logically defensible,

once one makes reason ministerial to God and His Word...Read C.S. Lewis, Francis

Schaeffer and Josh McDowell for practical apologetic tools. In fact, lend your

copy to the prospect whose intelligence and education have become his curse.

Once you've read Josh McDowell's 'Lord, Liar, or Lunatic' argument for the deity

of Christ, you'll find yourself using it."

Rev. Paul Kelm,

"How to Make Sound Doctrine Sound Good to Mission Prospects,"

p. 14.


"Lifestyle evangelism is the merger of visual and verbal witness, by the

people Jesus intended, in the way that He modeled. It's the primary element in

a church's strategy to win the lost." [Other endorsements from Rev. Burton

Bundy, Church of the Lutheran Brethren, and Dr. Erwin Kolb, LCMS]

Rev. Paul Kelm, Evangelism, WELS

Your Invitation!

Kent Hunter, (D.Min., Fuller; S.T.D., LSTC)

Church Growth Center, Corunna, Indiana 46730

Phone 219-281-2452

Invitation for Heart to Heart Workshop,

"MOTIVATING AND ORGANIZING THE CONGREGATION AROUND THE GREAT COMMISSION"

[This is the Donald Abdon view of relating all church structures to evangelism,

as noted in Valleskey's PT notes.]

Paul Kelm, editor,

The Evangelism Handbook, WELS Evangelism


"PLANNING, long-range or short-range, should be

S-M-A-R-T...specific...measurable...accepted...realistic...timed...."

Paul Kelm, editor,

The Evangelism Handbook, WELS Evangelism

p. 3.


Finding the Receptive: People in Transition, by James Witt - "The Bible

illustrates the people-in-transition receptivity principle very well. Converts

such as Naaman, a leper; Ruth, a widow; the woman at the well, a five-time

divorcee; the thief on the cross, a convict near death; were all people who in a

period of transition were receptive to hearing the Gospel. The

Receptivity-Rating Scale shown at left...

Paul Kelm, editor,

The Evangelism Handbook, WELS Evangelism

Appendix III,



"Church growth theory suggests the need for seven fellowship groups for

every 100 members."

Pastor Paul E. Kelm, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Winter, 1985, p. 4.

"Upside-down evangelism follows the path of least resistance to the God

of gracious acceptance."

Paul Kelm

The Evangelism Life Line (WELS),

Fall, 1985

p. 5.

"It's just easier for many people to work backwards from the subjective

to the objective in their thinking. In fact, upside-down evangelism may start

with gospel and work back to law, stating the solution as a prelude to the

problem and clarifying both at the cross." [This is Moravian Pietism, as shown

by Walther's Law and Gospel.]

Paul Kelm, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Fall, 1985, p. 5.



"Upside-down evangelism doesn't begin with personal sin and guilt, but

rather with the consequences of sin. Societal consequences (for which each day's

newspaper provides evidence) are the 'perceived need' door to understanding the

alienation of life and people from God."

Paul Kelm, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Fall, 1985, p. 5.


"Upside-down evangelism may begin with different diagnostic questions.

What do you want out of life? lets the other person pick the path for witness.

How do you feel about where our society is heading? uncovers fears and needs

without becoming too personal. What makes people happy (or unhappy) do you

think? allows someone to express preceived [sic] needs in the third person."

Paul Kelm, The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Fall, 1985 p. 5.



"Evangelism upside-down is starting with the subjective issues of

perceived reality and working back to God's objective truths of ultimate

reality - sin and grace. It's offering the attendant blessings of salvation as

the 'hook' to gain an audience for God's plan of salvation." [felt needs used to

sell the Gospel]

Paul Kelm,The Evangelism Life Line (WELS),

Fall, 1985

p. 4.