Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Fellowship Principles? Fellowship Only with the Ba...":
It is ridiculous that the WELS cultish mentality leads the pastoral leadership to ignore the plank sticking out of its (WELS) own eye.
I recently had a conversation with one of the stealth leaders of C and C (Patterson). He tried to completely disown C and C and said he has his own concerns about the group ("pure gold?"). Yet he is leading the CG charge in the SouthCentral Babptist District as he gives approval to the Methodist methods of Doebler, journeys off to visit Stetzer, pushes soccer for Jesus, safari hunts to Africa, and grant writing 101 for free vicars and staph ministers.
Patterson's own church is cutting teachers' salaries, yet this small to mid-size church brings on president-in-exile Gurgel to ramp up for Patterson's ascent to DP.
Jeske, Kelm, Parlow, Patterson, et al are persistent errorist that the WELS won't touch. Yet the pastoral leadership screams about the LCMS view of ministry and fellowship principles...huh...
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GJ - The secret hazing ritual at Mequon starts with everyone lying about GA being held, the upperclassmen pretending to be the opposite of what they are (Pietists versus The Hards). False teachers have always deceived people about their doctrine, but GA has honed the skills of the Shrinker leaders. DP Robert Mueller said, "No one in WELS has a problem with Church Growth - just you." Later he admitted Paul Calvin Kelm was in constant trouble over CG doctrine. Say what? - I was the only one who objected.
Patterson and the Shrinkers have two stories, depending on the audience. If they have two conflicting stories, they do not believe either one. The Kingdom of God is not advanced with deception.
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Freddy Finkelstein has left a new comment on your post "Too Bad Patterson Does Not Use the Historic Lesson...":
TM,
Your observation regarding the connection of CGM to Synod administration -- or Administration with a capital "A" -- resonates with me. The principles of CGM grow out of organizational theory, and in the Church, represent the wish-dreams of Administrators become reality.
My father, a rather "mavericky" fellow, has spent his entire life studying organizations and administrators for the sole purpose of knowing how to circumvent them. I think this grew out of his intense dislike for the administrators in charge of his tour in Vietnam... I have found that his observation regarding Administrators has in every case been true: "Administrators don't climb ladders. They start by looking for something -- anything -- to manage or administer (the smaller the better), and proceed to build a ladder beneath them by expanding the project, or adding sub-projects. They are always on top of the ladder. As the scope of their administrative responsibilities expands, so does their value and influence." Administrative growth occurs, not as individuals act out of concern for the organization, but generally as they act out of personal ambition. Administrators, ever the "creative idea men," are always suggesting new programs to administer -- it often comes off as creative philanthropy, but in reality, perhaps even sub-consciously, it's self-promoting.
CGM, with myriad projects requiring someone to administer them, dangles golden carrots in the faces of administrator-types. And when introduced to "virgin territory", to a congregation or Church Body without CGM, aggressive administrator-types become unstoppable: it's an easy opportunity to become important. If we are to get rid of CGM, as a practical matter we really ought to severely reduce the administrative positions that serve to lure such personalities to begin with, limit the number, scope, and duration of "new programs," require frequent turnover of staff who serve in administrative positions, and really scrutinize the roots of "new programs."
My Opinion,
Freddy Finkelstein