Decline and Weakness in All the Lutheran Franchises

 ELCA's leaders cannot figure why they have lost so many members since 1987.

https://religionnews.com/2017/10/16/amid-decline-one-lutheran-church-strives-to-live-up-to-its-namesakes-spirit/

The ELCA saw its membership decline to 3.5 million members in 2016, down from 5.2 million in 1988 when the denomination was formed as a merger of three other smaller Lutheran groups. Today, 40 percent of its churches have between 50 and 100 worshippers each Sunday.

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 The hot air merchants of the ALPB forum discuss every reason for decline -
except their apostasy from the Word of God.
"When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith?"
Not much - but lots of UOJ.

https://alpb.org/Forum/index.php?topic=7003.0

Quote from: Pastor Ken Kimball on Yesterday at 07:56:09 PM
It's 420 congregations in the NALC today.  The 140,000 figure looks right, as do the figures for the LCMC.  The saddest thing to note is that the ELCA's membership loss at least triples the total of NALC and LCMC.  Where did those million folks go?  Not sure LCMS or any other Lutheran body got a significant boost.


The ELCA in 2006 had 4,774,203 baptized members.
In 2016 it had 3,563,842 baptized members.
A differences of 1,210,361.

 Keep your diversity selective for best results - total control!

If 490,000 of them transferred to LCMC or NALC congregations, that leaves about 720,000 unaccounted for.


The LCMS in 2006 had 2,417,999 baptized members.
In 2016 it had 2,017,834 baptized members.
They lost over 400,000 people.

 Bishop of Canada and the Inuit Nation - Susan Johnson.
Tim Glende has properly warned her against "Inuitu Fidei," the faith of the Eskimo.

I imagine that many of them went to the same places os the 720,000 missing ELCA folks. I suspect the three most common answers are:
1. They dropped out of church.
2. They joined the active mega-church in town.
3. Oldsters died and were not replaced by new members.

 The LCMS-WELS leaders know it and love it.

Greek Lesson - 7 PM Central Daylight - Romans 3:7-18. The Medical Passage.

Today's lesson finishes the introduction to Justification by Faith in Romans.

Parsing Link

Romans Lenski - Download and save public domain PDF.

Romans 3

7 ει γαρ η αληθεια του θεου εν τω εμω ψευσματι επερισσευσεν, εις την δοξαν αυτου, τι ετι καγω ως αμαρτωλος κρινομαι

Basic words - truth, God, my lie, glory, sinner, judge. Starting with the obvious words, the verse becomes clear. Use the parser for meanings.

8 και μη καθως βλασφημουμεθα - και καθως φασιν τινες ημας λεγειν οτι ποιησωμεν τα κακα ινα ελθη τα αγαθα - ων το κριμα ενδικον εστιν

Blasphemy, aphasia - cannot write or speak; Agatha; base of "just"

9 τι ουν - προεχομεθα? ου παντως! προητιασαμεθα γαρ ιουδαιους τε και ελληνας παντας υφ αμαρτιαν ειναι

Strange verse, concise. Pro echo before. pro aitaoma - previously claimed. 

10 καθως γεγραπται οτι ουκ εστιν δικαιος ουδε εις

Very clear - great to see in Greek. 

11 ουκ εστιν ο συνιων ουκ εστιν ο εκζητων τον θεον

understand, seeking

12 παντες εξεκλιναν αμα ηχρειωθησαν, ουκ εστιν ποιων χρηστοτητα, ουκ εστιν εως ενος

Mental hints - incline, recline, ex-cline. Hapax. Famous half verse.

13 ταφος ανεωγμενος; ο λαρυγξ αυτων ταις γλωσσαις αυτων εδολιουσαν, ιος ασπιδων υπο τα χειλη αυτων

cenotaph - empty tomb, monument; larynx; glossolalia;  lips  various taphs

14 ων το στομα αρας και πικριας γεμει

stoma - used in medicine - mouth;

15 οξεις οι ποδες αυτων εκχεαι αιμα

podiatrist, hematoma

16 συντριμμα και ταλαιπωρια εν ταις οδοις αυτων

Ex-odus

17 και οδον ειρηνης ουκ εγνωσαν

Irene

18 ουκ εστιν φοβος θεου απεναντι των οφθαλμων αυτων

phobias, ophthamologist.

Next week starts with - 

19 οιδαμεν δε οτι οσα ο νομος λεγει τοις εν τω νομω λαλει ινα παν στομα φραγη και υποδικος γενηται πας ο κοσμος τω θεω

20 διοτι εξ εργων νομου ου δικαιωθησεται πασα σαρξ ενωπιον αυτου δια γαρ νομου επιγνωσις αμαρτιας

21 νυνι δε χωρις νομου δικαιοσυνη θεου πεφανερωται μαρτυρουμενη υπο του νομου και των προφητων

22 δικαιοσυνη δε θεου δια πιστεως ιησου χριστου εις παντας και επι παντας τους πιστευοντας ου γαρ εστιν διαστολη

23 παντες γαρ ημαρτον και υστερουνται της δοξης του θεου

Creation Gardening Bears Fruit - The Word Is Efficacious

 This three generation photo shows Baby Ichabod in the high chair, Little Ichabod holding the first of three grandchildren.

Last night we had enough rain to make the wheelbarrow damp on the inside, another reason to use stored rain before the promised rain. A reader, who currently enjoys kidding me, finishes my sentence when I say that. I told him, "Don't resist the advice."

I scanned the rose farm today. Peace roses are in full bloom in the back. The climbing rose - a gift in a plastic bag - is growing like a weed. The main rose area in front is packed with blooms and buds, including spent flowers that need to be trimmed away.

Creation Gardening bears fruit, in spite of mistakes and quirks of the weather, simply by a refusal to follow man's wisdom. Even the weeds are splendid in their growth. When a TV host was praising the value of a mosquito mist, Mrs. Ichabod thought it looked promising.

I said, "Yes, it works well. It kills the mosquitoes, the spiders, all the beneficial insects. And then the mosquitoes from next door fly in to fill the breach. The supply of pests is endless, even with constant spraying."

Mrs. Ichabod, "Oh."

I added, "Mr. Gardener tried it. Each time it cost more to spray and did less good. But he damaged my efforts at the same time. I let him try - no advice except a word or two. He finally told me what a waste of money it was. The beneficial insects work for free and do the job 24/7."

Every single aspect of Creation Gardening works that way. Without my management, the creatures and plants work together to maximize output. Beneficial insects and spiders increase their numbers by doing their jobs. I increase their safe harbors with certain plants (mints, daisies, dandelions, sunflowers, borage, comfrey, and any carrot family member).

This works so well that beneficial wasps and hover flies follow the roses into the vases, like friends waving their tourist pals off on a big voyage. If aphids are trying to grow among the roses, beneficial eggs are about to hatch and feed on them.

I was somewhat aware of this, but Jessica Walliser made me look closer at the roses to find my little helpers.

 Three Pink Roses - by Norma A. Boeckler

Leave the Soil Alone - Sell the Ten HP Garden Osterizer Unit
A garden becomes far more productive when  we allow the Creator's principles to take hold, instead of thwarting every good thing with toxic fertilizer, toxic pesticides, toxic fungicides, and toxic tillers.

 Bacteria are the foundation of all life. Fungi are God's Internet.
And why does water in a pool grow algae in the sunlight?
Could all this be randomly evolved?

Save all coffee grounds for the soil, for mulch around favorite plants. I add mine to rainwater, giving the stew a distinctive fragrance, swamp coffee.

Creation Garden effects from God's Word:

• Fungus will connect all plants, feeding and watering them.
• Birds will join spiders and beneficial insects in attacking pests.
• Earthworms will tunnel and fertilize the soil.
• The biomass under the surface will reach its peak and store the water and nutrition through a constant cycle of dying and feeding.
• Roots will open up the soil and provide vast amounts of organic matter to the underground lab.
• Butterflies and hummingbirds will visit, enjoying the abundance of nectar. Butterflies normally specialize in plants, so "weeds" like milkweed will feed the infant Monarchs, which provide a spectacular show of transfiguration, or metamorphosis in Greek.
• The gardener will learn daily 

1. how God provides in abundance, 
2. heals wounds, and
3. prompts thanksgiving for the blessings given from the Means of Grace, the Word and Sacraments.

 Mrs. Ichabod laughed when a doctor asked about her weeding chores. She loves the result of gardening, especially with roses. She decreed, "The lawn is boring. Replace it with roses."