Schuller Retires at 83, More or Less - Shrinker Overview

Rev. Schuller retiring from Crystal Cathedral

GJ - Robert Schuller tied himself to paganism from the beginning, adding a dusting of Christianity to make it more appealing. He correctly claimed that he invented the Church Growth Movement. His empire is in ruins now, so his newly ordained daughter with save it? Don't worry - he retained the power to fire her too.

AP – Sheila Schuller Coleman and her husband, Jim, left, share applause with congregants at the Crystal Cathedral …

45 mins ago

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. – The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, founder of Southern California's Crystal Cathedral megachurch and host of the "Hour of Power" televangelism broadcast, announced Sunday he will retire after 55 years in the pulpit and his daughter will take over.

The 83-year-old Schuller told his congregation that Sheila Schuller Coleman will become sole lead pastor, after sharing that role with her father for the past year.

Coleman previously served as principal of a private Christian school run by the cathedral and head of the Orange County church's family ministries division.

She was ordained just a month before she was appointed to head up Crystal Cathedral Ministries.

"I'm very proud that Sheila has earned her doctorate at the University of California, Irvine, and that this university has declared her to (have earned) a distinguished alumnus award," Schuller told his congregation during the 9:30 a.m. service. "Congratulations, I'm very proud of her."

The elder Schuller will assume the newly created position of chairman of Crystal Cathedral's consistory, which is the church's board of directors, The Orange County Register reported.

Coleman's appointment comes two years after Schuller's son, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, split from the church during a family rift that made headlines. The younger Schuller had been groomed to take over for his father.

Robert A. Schuller is now part of Dallas-based American Life Network, a cable channel aiming to produce family-oriented programming.

Coleman, 59, lives in Orange with her husband, Jim, and has four grown children.

"That was emotional for me, and I'm humbled and honored to be asked to take this responsibility," Coleman said Sunday after being commissioned, wiping away tears as she addressed her congregation. "I truly know that God is here, he loves this ministry and my call is to help take the ministry into the future and to continue dad's ministry."

The 10,000-member all-glass church faces significant challenges under Coleman's leadership.

Earlier this year the church said it saw revenue drop 27 percent from roughly $30 million in 2008 to $22 million in 2009.

Church leaders blamed the decline on the struggling U.S. economy. They sold 170 acres in southern Orange County, including a retreat and wedding center, laid off employees and cut "Hour of Power" from eight of the 45 domestic broadcast TV stations that air it.

The church also canceled this year's "Glory of Easter" pageant, which attracts thousands of visitors and is a regional holiday staple along with the church's "Glory of Christmas" show.

Crystal Cathedral also faces legal action from more than 100 vendors who are owed millions of dollars for their work on the church's pageants and other projects.

The senior Schuller first formulated his outreach to the unchurched in the mid-1950s when he opened a ministry at a drive-in theater in the suburbs of Orange County that catered to Southern California's emerging car culture. He pulled people in with his sermons on the power of positive thinking.

The little church later grew into the Crystal Cathedral, a worship hall with a soaring glass spire that opened in 1970 and remains an architectural wonder and tourist destination.

The "Hour of Power" telecast, filmed in the cathedral's main sanctuary, at one point attracted 1.3 million viewers in 156 countries.

Here is a good overview on the Shrinkers.

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Robert Schuller

AKA Robert Harold Schuller

Born: 16-Sep-1926
Birthplace: Alton, IA

Gender: Male
Religion: Protestant
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Religion

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: World's most upbeat televangelist

When minister Robert Schuller first came to Southern California to preach, he began by renting a drive-in theater for Sunday morning services, for $10 a week. For six years, Schuller stood atop the concession stand, while his sermons were heard on tiny speakers hung from car windows. His motto, on the drive-in's marquee and in the church's flyers, was "Come as you are in the family car!" Today his mega-church is housed in Schuller's famous $20 million "Crystal Cathedral", with 10,000 windows and a stream running down the sanctuary's aisles. It is still a "drive-in" church, though -- the glass walls allow worshippers in the 1,000-car parking lot the same view of the pulpit that the congregation has, and the offering plate is passed through the parking lot as well as among the pews.

The Crystal Cathedral is where The Hour of Power is taped, broadcast on hundreds of TV stations across America and dozens of foreign countries, to an estimated audience of 20 million. It is famous for its optimistic themes, and for the usual presence of "special guests", celebrity entertainers who sing or speak during the broadcast. The show usually steers clear of politics, though special guest and Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev did appear two Sundays prior to the 2000 election with warm words about George W. Bush.

Schuller has sometimes been criticized by Christian fundamentalists for his optimistic outlook and his recurring theme of "possibility thinking", generally eschewing hellfire and brimstone. He credits his longtime friend Norman Vincent Peale with showing him the importance of positive thinking. Schuller is a member of the Dutch Reform Church of America, the oldest Protestant group in America. Prior to Schuller, the denomination's most famous moment came in 1628, when the church purchased the island of Manhattan from local Indians for trinkets worth about $24.

In 1997, Schuller was charged with misdemeanor assault after "roughing up" a steward on a United Airlines flight to New York City. Schuller, flying First Class, complained that the steward had been unwilling to hang up his garment bag, and brought fruit and cheese when he had only asked for fruit. The steward said Schuller stood up and shook him by the shoulders, causing whiplash injuries. Schuller eventually paid a $1,100 fine and underwent a six-month diversion program. In a statement to the press, Schuller proclaimed rather pompously, "I am innocent. I have not broken a single one of the Ten Commandments. I have not broken any of the teachings of Jesus Christ."

For decades, Schuller was among the televangelists who generally declined to answer inquiries about his ministry's basic financial information. In late 2006 he retired from the pulpit at Crystal Cathedral, turning over the church's leadership to his son, Robert Schuller Jr., but in October 2008 the elder Schuller fired his son for "lack of shared vision and the jeopardy in which this is placing this entire ministry".

Intrepids Off Course on This Set of Posts

The Intrepid Lutherans have a series on sectarian worship.

The difference is not between Lutheran and sectarian worship, but between worship and entertainment.

I will concede that sectarian worship is the springboard for this nonsense, since they often see the Sunday service as their recruiting and evangelism point.

Nevertheless, the model for Church and Change in WELS/ELS, Church Growth in Missouri, and Emerging Church everywhere is entertainment.

Pat Robertson happened to buy (with help from his father's affluent friends) a bankrupt UHF station, and he barely kept it going. Many credit Jim Bakker's tear-soaked plea for money with saving the Robertson dream.

Robertson, Bakker, and Paul Crouch, all connected at one time or another, shared the same model for their shows - entertainment.

The entertainment model took over Protestant churches through the growth of Fuller Seminary, which has about 4,500 students at a time. Fuller became the largest post-grad school for Missouri and most likely for WELS. The ELS did not stay pure, no matter what they claim. One member of the ELS board of doctrine sent a letter around, suggesting that everyone go to Fuller too! Kincaid Smith, borrowed from Missouri/LCA, got his DMin in Church Growth at Ft. Wayne.

He at least admitted in print that he hated my criticisms of Church Growth.

The CORE
The CORE (stealthy WELS) follows the entertainment model exclusively. Someone who leases a movie theatre, buys a popcorn machine, and gets a soda fountain is in show business. Ski conveys any and all false doctrine, cheered by his fellow Fox Valley pastors. It does not matter that all his content is from Craig Groeschel. Glende does the same thing, proving that contact sports do more brain damage than previously acknowledged.

That is also why their hero, Andy Stanley, hides his doctrinal bearings too. People go to the Drive conferences to be tickled and to hear the same management/leadership drivel I have heard at insurance meetings. A group of people may start dancing all of the sudden (sinful for Babtists) or may freeze in place. Organized, crafted coolness. People talk about gimmicks like that and come back for more. They want to go home and copy cool, relevant relationship gimmicks.

Victory of the Soccer Camp
This is another WELS fiasco. When people attend church, to stretch the term, they are handed a drink and a snack as they go in. People are less respectful than they would be in a movie theatre, which is where they gather.

They brag about their numbers. They should, because they are ashamed of being Lutheran and ashamed of the cross.

Why Am I Here?
That is all someone needs to ask when attending these circuses starring various clowns who all imitate one another: Am I here to be entertained?

WELS-ELS-LCMS inability to counter this will haunt their failing synods for decades to come.

They could end it by applying the Word and studying the Confessions. They could even begin by reading the overlooked book Entertaining Ourselves To Death.

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rhs (http://rhs.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Intrepids Off Course on This Set of Posts":

This is a beautiful synopsis of what is wrong with religion today. It is all show and but a stage. Too bad the synods do not see how foolish they look. If I can see it, God surely sees it, and despises it!

Lutherans Would Never Fall for This, Would They?

Crying Wind will make you laugh until you cry.

Compare - WELS pastors who copy and paste their sermons and show up at Mary Lou College to lecture the kiddies on doing mission work. Ski comes to mind.

WELS pastors copy and paste sermons and get rewarded for it - Parlow, Kelm.

WELS pastors copy and paste emails, sobbing along with Hybels, and pass it off as their own - Hybels and Limmer. Limmer speaks to the kiddies too.

Confidential to Fox Valley - college kids already know how to copy and paste. That is how they write their essays.

Warning - Polemics Ahead

Marva Dawn (above) and Herman Otten's sister (Marie Meyer)
are feminist theologians of the LCMS.
In WELS, Kathie Wendland
is filling the same role.

Necessary Roughness

Pray for a Synod United with the Word

Jul 6th, 2010

by Dan.

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod will hold its triennial convention July 10-17. It will take up initiatives that would, without exaggeration, significantly alter the ways that the LCMS conducts business and reflect a theology of how our churches work that is different than what the LCMS has confessed in the past. Consolidated power, proportional representation for larger congregations, less lay representation, and hiding debt through board restructuring are all in play.

Such things will be decided by people smarter than I am. Pray for them.

The current Synodical President, who is seeking reelection, asks in his June 2010 (PDF) issue of “President’s Leadership News” that the delegates in Houston meet with Ephesians 4:1-6 in mind, “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (verse 3). This is a good goal.

We must acknowledge that any such unity of the church and with the church must be maintained by submitting our reason and judgments to the Word of God, and in our case, the Lutheran Confessions. A group of people can be united in confession yet confess something other than what the Holy Spirit has intended for us to know. The ELCA becomes more and more united as those who protest the actions last August in Minneapolis leave. Unity is no virtue unless it is united with the Word of God.

Lenski in Every WELS Pastor's Study

Lenski's commentaries stay in print for a reason.

I bought my set of Lenski at a Mequon seminary book sale. Everyone else already had a set.

WELS students have often repeated this quip, "All you need to be a pastor is a Triglotta, Lenski, and boxer shorts."

Audience: "The horror. The horror."

Fox Valley Statistical Report Needed

Ron Ash, chairman of the Church and Money Changers

Church Growth is the fear that made Milwaukee famous. Yes, WELS was scared witless about losing members, and they imagined the Babtists could bail them out.

WELS Pastor Time Glende, who took over for Ron Ash at St. Peter, Freedom, Wisconsin, confessed that he was using Craig Groeschel material 24/7 because he was afraid of the congregation dying.

Ski, his buddy or co-pastor, is also using Groeschel 24/7. Them Mequon grads really know their stuff, don't they?

After Lillo had served a WELS congregation in the area for many years, Ash took over as a retirement pastor in the same congregation. That sounds like the congregation really boomed under the leadership of a Shrinker (Lillo), just as another one did under the Head Shrinker (Ash at St. Peter).

My question is - Has anyone looked at the circuit's statistics over the last decades, to see its explosion in numbers? That would be important, because these guys are always touted as the great experts. Ski speaks all the time - in the Jeske Synod meetings, at Mary Lou College,at Church and Change conventions, and at Northern Wisconsin meetings.

I am glad the anonymous Appleton blogger keeps drawing attention to his tender CG toes, because everyone is looking at Fox Valley now, to see the wonders performed by Church and Change.

After looking at the statistics, why not put the circuit through colloquy and see if any Lutheran pastors are left? That should include the notoriously inept praesidium, headed by Doug the Unready.

Fox Valley Leaders
DMin John Parlow, Denver Babtist Seminary.

DMin Steve Witte, Gordon Conwell Babtist Seminary. In a fierce disciplinary action, WELS promoted this founder of Church and Change to a full-time position on the WELS Asian board for world missions. Harsh? You betcha.

DMin Paul Calvin Kelm, Concordia Church Growth BM Program, St. Louis. Not to be outdone by the Witte persecution, WELS gave Kelm two calls at the same time so he could choose which one he wanted. Brutal.

Ski and Glende
These two WELS pastors have set a record in attending anti-Lutheran conferences, with Tweets leaking out about Drive conferences (Andy Stanley - Babtist), Mars Hill (Mark Driscoll), Catalyst (Stanley and Craig Groeschel), and Granger Community Church.

Not Apt To Teach

The Matthew 18 excuse, long used by WELS to cover up their crimes against the Word and against their own members, shows the clergy are "not apt to teach." That is a requirement for pastors.

The apostate leaders cleverly demand Matthew 18, and they train the robots at the Sausage Factory to obey these novo-commandments. These wolves do not apply Matthew 18 to themselves. They constantly engage in backbiting to enhance their positions and to protect their fellow felons.

This approach works splendidly to turn false doctrine into synodical dogma, just as Matthew 18 does.

Even if someone is very careful to follow the steps of Matthew 18, the response, "You did it wrong, you black-hearted sinner." That is shared with the entire synod, of course, because of the Matthew 18 escape clause.

So, let us see Matthew 18 in action, even though it does not apply. Ski and Glende were blatantly copying Craig Groeschel in their sermons and proud of it. Glende was going to "save" St. Peter's in Freedom that way. Isn't it funny that the congregation needed to survive after 30 years of the Church Growth Master hisself - Ron Ash, chairman of Church and Change, holder of many synodical titles?

Public false doctrine can be and should be addressed publicly, as Luther taught, and we confess, in the Large Catechism.

False doctrine is not subject to the Matthew 18 rule. Nor does Matthew 18 protect the scandalous lives of criminal pastors.

Using Matthew 18 inappropriately, a group of Northern District WELS people addressed their concerns about false doctrine in a supposed meeting with the District Pope, Deputy Doug Englebrecht.

They had a meeting date set. Oh joy!

They could hash out these problems. WELS triumphant!

But Deputy Doug did not show up. He skipped the meeting and sent a letter. I don't have the letter, but I heard that Doug blamed me.

Can you believe that? He refused to carry out his duties as DP by skipping and blaming me. The district re-elected Doug, who has proven himself "not apt to teach."

For years I have been getting descriptions of the extent of corruption in his district. The facts have not come from pastors but from the laity, who are disgusted with WELS.

Some people think I am rough on the cowards, criminals, and false teachers.

Quoting someone from the distant past, "You serve God your way, and I will serve God His way."

Your way has smoothed the path for apostasy. Church workers can murder without having their names in the synod news. They can run off with millions and flimsy excuses (lies) are broadcast to keep the older people calm. They can turn an allegedly Lutheran group into a discount store for trashy Fuller programs and no one notices.

Your way is working wonders indeed. As I wrote one pastor, "Don't bring a squirt gun to a knife fight."

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Not Apt To Teach":

The Matthew 18 portion of the "8 and 18 switch" always works the first time around on naive and unsuspecting laity. The problem is that the apostate leaders keep using it, no matter what the circumstances. This prompted one member to jokingly refer to it as the favorite Bible chapter at our former congregation. Here is a seemingly strange coincidence. The circuit pastor recommended a face to face meeting with the pastor and a group of concerned members. The pastor refused to attend, just like Deputy Doug. An elder was there, who attempted to make an audio recording of the meeting. That almost set a lynch mob into motion. Fortunately, no blood was shed. Little did any of our members realize at that time that the improper application of Matthew 18 was synod wide and not relegated to just one congregation.

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GJ - The Matthew 18 against heresiarch Ted Hartwig did not work. Pastors were told to "mind their own business." I know of pastors who went to Kelm - no difference. The C and C list of WELS pastors begged Kelm to cancel Leonard Sweet. He would not even respond.

I recently sent three certified letters, two to pastors, one to an official. The signed receipts came back. Not one of them responded in any way whatsoever. Previously, an email went unanswered. The matter is not over just because the boys will not answer for their lawbreaking.

Nice To Meat You

WELS Tom Kitteh likes his mice tender-hearted and lily-livered.

We Know That Could Never Happen in WELS - At Least They Would Never Admit It

Financial Scandals

The Hidden Wealth of the Catholic Church

By Anna Catherin Loll and Peter Wensierski

Pee-Wee Herman ordained a priest?

Photo Gallery: 4 Photos

DPA

The Catholic Church in Germany, already struggling to cope with the sex abuse scandal, has been hit by revelations of theft, opaque accounting and extravagance. While the grassroots faithful are being forced to make cutbacks, some bishops enjoy the trappings of the church's considerable hidden wealth.

Shortly before Pentecost, Pastor S. received an unexpected early morning visit, not from the Holy Ghost, but from the police.

For the authorities, the words of the Gospel of Luke came true on that morning: He who seeks finds. More than €131,000 ($158,000) were hidden in various places in the rooms of the Catholic priest, tucked in between his laundry or attached to the bottom of drawers. The reverend was arrested on the spot. After several weeks in custody, Hans S., 76, is now back at the monastery, waiting for his trial.

And lo and behold, the proliferation of cash may have been even more miraculous than initially assumed. The public prosecutor's office in the southern city of Würzburg now estimates that S. may have embezzled up to €1.5 million from collections and other church funds. The members of his flock in a wine-growing village in the northern Bavarian region of Franconia are stunned. They had blindly trusted their shepherd, who always seemed so humble and modest.

The Catholic Church is currently being shaken by a number of financial scandals, not only in Franconia but also in Augsburg, another Bavarian city, where Bishop Walter Mixa's dip into funds from a foundation that runs children's homes recently made headlines.

More than €40 million have gone missing in the Diocese of Magdeburg in eastern Germany, €5 million have disappeared in Limburg near Frankfurt, and it was recently discovered that a senior priest in the Diocese of Münster had 30 secret bank accounts. And while parishes throughout Germany are cutting jobs and funds for community work, many bishops are still living on the high horse. A brand-new residence? An ostentatious home for their retirement? Restoration of a Marian column to the tune of €120,000? None of these expenditures presents a problem to high-ranking church officials from Trier in the west to Passau in the southeastern corner of Bavaria, whose coffers are brimming with cash.

In many places, this blatant disparity, along with reports of mismanagement, misappropriation and pomposity have prompted the faithful to challenge church officials. They are accusing many bishops of just covering up the problem, as they did in the sex abuse scandal. They are determined not to allow anyone to see behind the curtain into their parallel world of bulging bank accounts and hidden assets, which, in some cases, have buttressed their power for centuries. The only aspect of church finances that is public is the diocesan budget, which derives its funding from the church tax -- but the church's true assets remain in the shadows.

Growing Questions About Church Funding

Now all of this wealth is becoming a political issue, however. The unemployed, recipients of housing assistance, families, communities, businesses, the military -- in the coming years, the federal government plans to deprive them all of billions of euros. But the church, of all things, is being spared, and hardly anyone questions the generous support it receives from the government.

Financially speaking, Germany's dioceses are in excellent shape. "The Catholic Church claims that it's poor, but the truth is that it hides its wealth," says Carsten Frerk, a Berlin political scientist who, after years of research, is publishing "Violettbuch Kirchenfinanzen" (The Violet Book of Church Finances) this fall. Frerk estimates the cash assets of the church's legal entities at about €50 billion. The Catholics, who are not releasing their own figures, accuse Frerk of being a prejudiced, atheistic critic of the church.

The assets, accumulated over the centuries, are invested in many areas, including real estate, church-owned banks, academies, breweries, vineyards, media companies and hospitals. The church also derives income from stock holdings, foundations and bequests. As a rule, all of this money flows into the accounts of the so-called bishop's see. Only a bishop and his closest associates are familiar with this shadow budget, which tax authorities are not required to review. The public budgets of dioceses consist of far less than their total finances.

This complicated web is handled with such secrecy that not even the financial department heads of all dioceses openly discuss their finances with one another. Seemingly baroque structures make these finances even more difficult to fathom. Depending on the diocese, the administrators of the church's funds can be members of a church tax council, a diocesan tax panel, a financial board or an administrative board. Sometimes assets are also spun off into foundations.

Of Germany's 27 Catholic dioceses, 25 refused to provide information in response to a SPIEGEL survey, noting that this information "is not made public." Only two dioceses, Magdeburg and the Archdiocese of Berlin, which was on the verge of bankruptcy a few years ago, were somewhat more accommodating, probably because they have so few assets to hide in the first place.

Secret Assets

The vicar general of a well-heeled diocese, on the other hand, said: "Yes, the assets in the bishop's see are secret. But perhaps it would be better if you wrote: confidential." When asked to explain this secretiveness, a spokeswoman of the Diocese of Limburg responded: "That's just the way it is." Finally, a representative of the German Bishops' Conference said: "I don't want to talk to you about this."

Elected lay representatives at the base are hardly more successful. They face a wall of silence, even when they are responsible for financial supervision in their diocese. One of them is Herbert Steffen, whose congregation appointed him to the diocesan council in Trier. Steffen, 75, is not exactly a fierce critic. A former furniture manufacturer, he comes from an arch-Catholic family of entrepreneurs in the Moselle River region. His concern was as straightforward as it was conservative: He wanted to make sure that his diocese was in solid financial shape.

The businessman was irritated by his experiences in the diocesan council. "I was surprised by the small size of the budget. It was something I thought we ought to look at," he says. At a council meeting, he asked a confidant of the bishop whether this was the entire budget. "There is also the budget of the bishop's see. But it isn't intended for the public," the official replied. When Steffen asked, "are you telling me that we can't see it, either?" the official said: "No!"

Trier, Germany's oldest diocese, is a good example of the Catholic divide between rich and poor. Bishop Stephan Ackermann, who also oversees sex abuse cases for the German Bishops' Conference, can be quite generous in financial matters, particularly when they involve prestigious projects adjacent to his bishop's palace. For example, the diocese currently has €1 million earmarked for a planned renovation of the square behind Trier Cathedral. Local church authorities want to make sure that the area looks its best, just in case the pope decides to lead an annual pilgrimage to the "holy robe" in 2012, joining the faithful in worshipping a robe that supposedly contains scraps from the robe Jesus wore.

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GJ - LI was at MLS when it was revealed one of the staff found a way to skim the tuition funds. The shortage was up to $20,000 when the officials stopped talking about it. The students were impressed at how many things the staffer had, considering the low wages paid. They thought he was a very astute stewards of his funds.

Close, but not exactly right.

WELS Northern Wisconsin District - Crossroads

WELS Northern WI District Doctrinal Issues

June 11, 2010 by Rick

The WELS Northern Wisconsin District Convention will be held in Appleton, WI at Fox Valley Lutheran High School from June 13-15, 2010 A.D. The District President (equivalent to a Bishop) will be chosen at this convention, as will the District Presidium and numerous Circuit Pastors. It is imperative that the Northern Wisconsin District choose its leaders wisely.

The Northern Wisconsin District needs leaders who will pay more than lip service to the means of grace, and who will promote and use the means of grace to change hearts. The means of grace is the gospel in word and sacrament, and the first means of grace is God’s Word.

There are serious theological divisions in the Northern Wisconsin District, and there needs to be some serious theological discussion of God’s word to deal with these divisions. From my perspective, there are at least four specific and serious doctrinal problems in the WELS Northern Wisconsin District:

The first problem is exceptionalism. This is the belief that the WELS cannot be wrong. It is a numbness that causes us to ignore the symptoms of unhealthy doctrine and practice. Those who hold to this false and unhealthy belief sometimes express contempt toward those who raise concerns about doctrine and practice in the WELS. Their opinion is: “How dare you question your WELS pastor!”

However, Paul warns us that even among the leaders of the church

men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. [Acts 20:30-31].

Does this warning not apply to the WELS? If such stringent warnings were necessary in an age of living Apostles, then how much more do these warnings apply to us today?

The second problem is a lack of trust in the means of grace (Word and sacraments). This is the belief that from our perspective, God needs our services in order to grow the church. It is also a denial of God’s promises and omnipotence. One example of this false doctrine can be found in the WELS produced songbook, Let All the People Praise You. The first verse of the song “Ready Lord” states: “… show me Lord, the service you will need.” I cannot count how many times my own congregation has sung that verse.

However, Paul says that God

is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. [Acts 17:25].

The problem here is not an inadvertent error. The problem is a persistent adherence to an error even after the error has been pointed out. Those who claim to believe God’s Word should repent of saying that God needs our services, and cease this blasphemy against the Almighty. God says: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you.” (Psalm 50:12).

The third problem is a belief in post-conversion works-righteousness/decision theology. This is the belief that Christians (after conversion) can not only choose to listen to God’s Word, but can also choose to understand and believe God’s Word. This also encompasses the idea that once God has “saved” us, it is now up to us to keep ourselves in the faith. This theology causes at least four problems: First, sermons to Christians become motivational speeches instead of proclamations of the life-giving Word of God. Second, it creates two “gospels,” one for believers and one for unbelievers. Third, it causes us to view God’s Word as a tool we use to improve ourselves, instead of as a life-line that we cling to in desperation and faith. And fourth, it causes people to base their faith and salvation on their daily choices instead of on the firm promise of God.

In contradistinction to the belief that Christians can choose to believe God’s Word, Paul told the early believers:

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead … For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this [faith & grace is] not from yourselves, it is the gift of God [Ephesians 1:17-20, 2:8].

God’s Word alone creates faith, and causes it to grow.

The fourth problem is a variation of unionism. Unionism is the belief that doctrine is not that important. This unhealthy belief reveals itself in the form of a church council president who tells WELS members that if they have doctrinal disagreements with their pastor, then they should be quiet, or join another WELS congregation. Those who hold to this unhealthy belief view doctrinal discussions as divisive and a waste of time. However, the biblical solution is to discuss and study God’s Word until the issues are resolved.

For example, in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke wrote that

the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. [17:11].

Also, in the Revelation Jesus said,

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked…

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. [3:15-17, 19].

Most of the above listed unhealthy doctrines are not proclaimed proudly from the rooftops for all to see, but rather they are hidden and are mostly revealed by poor practices which are the primary symptoms of unhealthy doctrine. Beliefs always affect what we do. (James 2:18).

No doctor merely looks at a patient and says, “Well, I can see that you have cancer.” Rather he looks at symptoms, and probes, and seeks to discover the true sickness, and then he applies the cure. The cure is the proclamation of the pure clear Word of God. When will the shepherds apply the cure? (Ezekiel 34:1-6). Unfortunately, some of the shepherds and over-shepherds are sick, and they resent the cure.

It is vitally important that the Northern Wisconsin District choose its leaders wisely. The leaders of the districts are called to apply the Word of God. This is their job. This is their calling. The Northern Wisconsin District needs leadership that, instead of squelching discussion and quashing dissent, will commit itself to promoting open discussion and the study of God’s word.

God’s Word is not a tool we use to make ourselves better, but rather it is a life-line that we must cling to in desperation and faith. Therefore, dear delegates to the WELS district conventions, please pray and vote wisely. We need, we need the clear pure truth of God’s Word!

Kyrie eleison.

Too Little and Too Late?

This WELS pastor loves Leonard Sweet.*

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Proxy War":

The question is whether the apostates can be converted or expelled by the politeness of the Intrepid Lutherans.

This is one half of the issue. Can they convert those who are manipulating the Synod and laity, to achieve their New Age Emergent success, with polite discourse on issues that are a result of the core problems and not the core problems themselves? Note that the apostates who have ushered in the New Age doctrines and practices have been exposed to and confronted with the refutations of their actions with Scripture and the Confessions by concerned laity, and have at one time taken an oath to uphold the teachings of Scripture and the BOC before. They have already rejected these for the wisdom and success of men.

The other half of the issue is the laity. Can the IL overcome the effect of doing nothing for years by discussing the fringe effects of the core problems? Can it be accomplished without offending anyone? Without giving specific examples? IL is waging a gentle 30 year campaign in a war that has been waging for years and will be over in 5-10 - it may already be over. Combine that with the fact that the majority of the (W)ELS clergy and laity take their sole lead on what to believe and confess from the authority of the Synod and not Scripture and the Confessions. The fact that IL represents only a few hearty souls means that the laity will feel far safer following the same old path than to take a chance on Scripture and the Confessions. Fear replaces faith and the (W)ELS have destroyed faith with their central doctrine of UOJ. Unless IL starts at the central article of Christian faith they will simply be rearranging the chairs and ironing the linen on the Titanic.

This is not to say that Scriptural and Confessional efforts are without benefit as God works through the Means of Grace alone and the Word purely taught and Sacraments rightly distributed always work to either harden sinful hearts or create contrition and saving faith in those God has called by His grace. The application of the medicine needs to exceed the extent of the infection.

*Leonard Sweet is also adored by Paul Calvin Kelm and the president of Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Louis.

Faith According to Luther - And the Bible

Martin Luther denied UOJ - he was not a Schwaermer-Pietist.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Faith is the abundance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews xi. 1)

This is the noblest and dearest virtue of faith, that it closes its eyes and simply and joyfully leaves everything in the hands of God. It does not desire to know why God acts as He does, and it still holds Him to be the Highest Goodness and Justice, although to all reason, the senses and experience, nothing appears but wrath and injustice. That is why faith is called the proving of things not seen, and even the very opposite in what is seen. Therefore this is the highest honor and love towards God and the highest degree of such honor and love, that in these contrary things you can regard and praise Him as good and just. Here the natural eye must be completely plucked out, and there must be nothing but sheer faith. Otherwise there will be a grim and fearful vexation of spirit.

Letter to Haus v. Rechenberg, 1522. [W.A. 10. 323] Via Day by Day We Magnify Thee, pg. 237.

Via Gnesio Lutheran

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L P has left a new comment on your post "Faith According to Luther - And the Bible":

I notice for UOJers, faith is just the rearrangement of furnitures. Everything is already in the room, the chairs, tables and lamps are already in the room, they are just not in their right places.

Contrary to Luther who found faith a problem, for UOJers, there is nothing to it (faith). It is no problem at all. It is no sweat, it is easy. Hence, to have it requires no miracle. Eventually faith is a Do It Yourself (DIY) activity.

LPC

Freddy Finkelstein Endorses Intrepid Lutherans

Freddy Finkelstein

Freddy Finkelstein has endorsed the new WELS blog:

Intrepid Lutherans.

The best way to deal with doctrinal issues is to discuss them in the open.

Another Failed Entertainment Center To Become WELS Church and Change Congregation?

The owners of Springz dumped $7 million into this.
Does that remind you of The CORE's theatre?


I understand St. Matthew (Church and Change) wants to buy Springz, a failed entertainment center. Here is the Springz link.

The city wants to buy St. Matthew for $2 million. St. Matthew is failing, but it is not their fault. They listened to Church and Change, which will sell the church and keep the change.

CGM Dropout - Lyrical Advice for Lutheran Clergy

Zinzendorf's birthday today reminded me that some Mequon graduates turn against their CGM training and become Lutheran.
All that synod offering money - wasted!


Your story sad to tell,
A pastor ne'er do well,
Most mixed up non-Reformed kid on the block!
Your future is so clear now,
What's left of your career now?
Can't even get a job that’s worth a hoot!

Angels: (La lalala lalala lalala...)

CGM dropout,
Your handshake is like ice,.
CGM dropout,
A mistress would be nice.
Well at least you could have taken time, to fix and pad your vita,
After spending all that dough to go to Pasadena.


Reverend get moving (Reverend get movin),
Why keep your feeble hopes alive?
What are you proving (What are you provin)?
You're not loyal to the hive.

If you market what we have, you could be our new fool.
Forget the Book of Concord and go back to our School. (Fuller)

CGM dropout (CGM dropout),
Hanging around the conferences.
CGM dropout (CGM dropout),
It's about time you knew the score.

Well they couldn't teach you anything,
You think you’ve got a D.Min.
But no call will come to you unless you think and talk like vermin!

Reverend don't sweat it (Don't sweat it),
You're not cut out get a call.
Better forget it (Forget it),
Church Growth is all in all.

Now your Luther’s old, your Chemnitz’ bold, your doctrine is outrageous.
You still won’t get our nod until your parish is contagious.

Junior don't blow it,
Don't put my good advice to shame.
Junior you know it,
Even Valleskey’d say the same!

Now I've called the shot, get off the block, I really gotta fly!
Gotta be going to that beehive, in the sky!

CGM dropout (CGM dropout)
Go back to Fuller
CGM dropout (CGM dropout)
At least to Willow Creek
CCM dropout (CMG dropout)
Go back to Fuller.

Kudu Don's Book

Just give a rifle so I can shoot back.


WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "Gurgle and Kudu Don Patterson Go Multi-Site: Anoth...":

Hi Pastor GJ! I have to get your mind on something else. Now let me see...I know.....Christmas. Any gift ideas? I found just the thing: "The New" Bible Discovery series from NPH.(see inside cover of May Forward In Christ A Lutheran Voice) For under fifteen dollars($13.50)I could send GJ Bible Basics: Finding Tools to Read and Interpret Scripture by Donald W. Patterson. Here is a brief description: "Are you afraid of the Bible? Or so you shy away from reading the Bible because it seems irrelevant or weird? Maybe you never learned how to read it. With this proper introduction, you'll have a renewed understanding of the most wonderful book on earth. Find help in understanding Scripture, and enjoy what it has to offer. 96 pages."

For that price I could send you two copies.(you can hardly wait)

In Christ,
from WELS church lady

***

GJ - That will really help, but I can get it free as a review copy. I am glad NPH has the time and money to publish the heresiarch.

Here are the inspired words of your District VP:

kududon@gmail.com [Yes, he calls himself Kudu Don.]

Subject: You are a fool.

12-10-2008

Hey, Greg,

I am not a part of Church and Change Leadership. I went to one conference a few years ago and had my own reservations. Also, Robert Timmerman does not serve as a church council pres at our church. You are lying on your blog.

Don

Call me sceptical, but Kudu Don went to the last Church and Change conference, in 2009, about a year after saying he was not part of the leadership. Should we believe him or our lying eyes?

Mrs. Ichabod said, when she heard the email read out loud, "I guess he made his own reservations again. He had them before."

He not only went to the Emerging Church pan-denominational Schwaermer-fest called Exponential - he organized a group of WELS workers to go together.

He and DP Glaeske are in charge of doctrinal discipline in Central South, WELS. Yet, he and Gurgle are taking the lead in promoting Emerging Church New Age philosophies.

Patterson and Glaeske have supported Rock N Roll Lutheran Church in Round Rock with great tenacity, and so has the Conference of Pussycats. But now Kudu Don is starting a Emerging Church worship site in Round Rock and moving his portable school there.

Church and Change and the WELS leaders waste prodigious amounts of time and money on duplicated, thoughtless, anti-Lutheran projects. It is bad enough that they hate Lutheran doctrine, but do they have to spread their hatred without anyone saying no?

Gurgle and Kudu Don Patterson Go Multi-Site: Another Latte Lutheran Church?

Pastor Gurgel's Message

Dear Fellow Believers, All praises be to God who continues to bless our efforts to move forward with the SPREAD the WORD project! Since the ministry expansion project began, I have received many questions. That is wonderful! The interest of you, our congregation members, and your commitment and desire to be involved is truly a blessing from the LORD.

This communication will be focused on providing answers to the questions that came up most frequently. In some cases we might not have definitive answers at this time. When this is the case, your leadership team has attempted to provide information as to what is being done to develop clarity and direction, eventually leading to answers.

If you would like to put your God-given talents and gifts to work on this project, please review the last few sections in this newsletter. You will find information about the teams that have been formed and who to contact to get involved.

As the leaders of Jesus' time said...."and pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should." (Colossians 4:3-4), your church leaders and staff request the same from each of you. First and foremost we ask for your prayers that Christ will guide our actions and decisions regarding this ministry expansion project.

In HIM, Pastor Gurgle Gurgel Ichabod is so pervasive I can't even spell my own name right.

It has been stated that this expansion project will result in a second site for Holy Word Lutheran Church. What does this mean?

God willing and the crick don't rise and with the approval of the Voters of Holy Word, we are planning to develop an additional church site. This should not be confused with starting a mission church. Unlike a mission church, which is a separate church initially support by a founding church body, a second church site will actually be an extension of Holy Word at an additional location. Our existing church site and this new church site will make up one church, with one body of believers. We will have one budget, one leadership team and one staff.

There are several examples of WELS churches that have experienced this type of growth. Your leadership team is working to gain as much knowledge and insight from these churches, so that we might leverage their experience to help guide our project.

What are the benefits of being a multi-site church?

The most obvious benefit to having multiple church sites is that we will be able to reach more people with the message of Christ's love and salvation. More specifically, the new site will allow Holy Word to expand and spread the gospel in the fastest growing part of Texas, while remaining and growing at our current location. At each site we will be able to better focus our ministries and programs to meet the needs of the communities in which we reside. As we have added the Spanish speaking ministry at our current Holy Word site, we will find different needs at the new location which provide opportunities for us to become a part of the fabric of the local community, while sharing the Good News.

Will the services and programs be similar or different at each site?

The intent is to have One Church with Two Sites. It is important that there be similarities and programs that draw us all together as one church body; however, we want to recognize and embrace local cultures and needs in the communities of each church site.

We have formed a team that will make recommendations to the congregation on the structure of our initial services and programs at the two sites. Initial discussions have centered around having the services at the current Holy Word site continue to use the current, traditional format. Discussions regarding the new site have centered around having a more casual service, with piano and guitar music, no organ and more variations in the service format.

We will continue to be mindful to strive to strengthen Holy Word as one church while utilizing different formats and unique aspects of each location to bring God's Word to more people.

When will services begin at the second church site?

God willing, and with the approval of the Voters of Holy Word at the May 30, 2010 Voter's Meeting, we will begin services at a second site in the Pflugerville area on September 12, 2010. New beginnings are often associated with the commencement of a new school year. We believe offering people a new option for worship at a time when they are adjusting to change could be a blessing for many.

Why are we starting out with a temporary site now? To finance another safari for Kudu Don.

We have two primary reasons for using a temporary second site now. First, we want current and future worshippers and school-families to begin identifying with our second site as soon as possible. Second, we want to use worship services at a temporary site to help us identify the exact area for the second site and begin reaching out to people without a church home in that new area.

Who will preach and teach Sunday School at each site?

Pastor Patterson will be the primary preacher at both sites. There will be a time or two each month when Pastor Gurgel, a Vicar or our staff minister Chad White will preach. This is similar to how it is today at the current location.

There will be a site leader that is consistently located at each site and this individual will lead the liturgy. This site leader will be a consistent, familiar leader that members and visitor can expect to always be at a specific site location.

Our current thought is that adult Sunday School teachers will vary at each location. Pastor Patterson will likely rotate between the sites, teaching a series at one site for a period of time and then teaching a series at the other site for a period of time. We've also discussed the possibility of having a Wednesday night bible class taught by Pastor Patterson. The thought is that this would be a method to help support the One Church feel, allowing everyone to participate in a class and keeping everyone familiar with both locations. We would be very interested in getting your feedback about this option.

Will there be things that no longer happen at our current site?

It is possible that as a result of the expansion we will have to schedule certain events differently. At this time we are working to gather information from the congregation to help understand the number of people to expect at each location. As time goes on, it will become clearer as to how best to schedule programs and services to ensure God's Kingdom grows and that all (members and visitors) are blessed with hearing God's Word and having opportunities to unite with fellow believers.

It seems like our current staff are already stretched with their current responsibilities. How will this temporary second site be staffed?

Our current staff are faithfully expending themselves with their current responsibilities. Initially we are recommending an increase in support staff to assist our called workers. In the future, as God blesses our planned efforts with increased growth, Holy Word will need to add more called workers. During the planning and implementation parts of this expansion, our called workers are also relying heavily on church members who are assisting in the many aspects of this project.

Will Holy Word School have two sites also?

God willing, and with the approval of the Voters of Holy Word, we will open a new school location and close the current school location. This new location will be co-located with the new church site. Please note that the decision to proceed with this particular part of the long term plan will not be voted on at the May 30, 2010 Voter's Meeting. It will be brought forward for consideration and approval at a later date.

Why are we considering a new Holy Word School site?

The health and growth of the Holy Word School has always been a vital part of our church's ministry. In 2003 Holy Word engaged with Forward with Lutheran Schools (FWLS), a consulting ministry that existed to help WELS congregations advance the gospel of Jesus by starting and strengthening early childhood ministries. FWLS, in coordination with Holy Word's staff and Council, held several member focus group meetings to gather feedback and gain insight into future directions for Holy Word's school ministry. FWLS project leaders also conducted research to learn more about the surrounding area demographics and growth patterns. The outcome from this effort was a recommendation that Holy Word look to relocate the school to the Pflugerville/Round Rock area. It is believed that this move will maximize the number of souls we are able to reach through our school.

Why are we targeting to move the Holy Word School to the Pflugerville/Round Rock/Hutto area?

Currently 75% of our students come from the Round Rock, Pflugerville, and Hutto areas. We believe that by moving towards our target area we will be moving closer to where our current students reside. However, the plans to move the school to this area is not just to support our current student body. We believe that the growth in population of this target area will allow us to reach out to more families who are moving to eastern Round Rock, Pflugerville, and Hutto. In addition to positioning our school so that the majority of our current families are better served, we will also be better positioned for outreach in a high growth area. Finally this new location will also more easily allow for our school families to reach out and promote a school that is close to where they currently live.

If the existing school is closed, what will become of that facility?

There are numerous ways in which the current school site can be used to provide new relevant outreach into the surrounding community. Current possibilities being discussed include the development of an Early Childhood Program and expansion of our Spanish speaking ministry. The specific answer to this question will develop over time, as the project progresses. If you have suggestions and input, please pass them along to your church leaders and staff.

What are the key milestones & dates for this project?

We have three major milestones for this project.
God-willing and the crick don't rise and with the approval of the Voters of Holy word, our basic milestones are:

1. to begin worship services at the temporary second Holy Word Site in September 20102.
2. to purchase land for the permanent second Holy Word Site during 20113.
3. to begin operations of Holy Word School at the second site for the 2011-2012 school year.

How will this project be financed? You pay!

Holy Word is blessed with people who love to read, study and hear God's Word. Motivated by the Word they also have been eager to Spread the Word to others. Anchored in the Word they have also, personally, committed themselves in the past to monetarily supporting the Ministry of Holy Word Lutheran Church. Monetary challenges have often encouraged them to increase their support for the Lord's Ministry. The extent and timing of this effort to Spread the Word needs to be the subject of our personal and church prayers, asking God for his guidance and blessing.

Who is on the Leadership/Coordinating Team for this project and what are their roles?

Leaders from the current Church Council and standing committee were asked to serve on the Spread the Word Leadership/Coordinating Team. By forming the leadership team in this manner, these individuals will be well positioned to coordinate proposed expansion plans with what the Church Council and standing committees are currently doing. The overall coordinator for the project is Holy Word's Church Council President, Brad Johnston. The Church Council is also represented by Jason McLerran, the Assistant Treasurer. Nathan Steinke serves on this team from the Elders and Jonah Paul serves representing the Evangelism Committee. The Board of Education representative is John Harrington, Tim Moll is from the Property Committee and Jeff Slavin represents the Technology Committee. Pastor Gurle. Tarnation! I did it again. Gurgel serves as the Lead Advisor and Consultant to this Leadership/Coordinating Team, supporting our current staff, Pastor Patterson, staff minister Chad White and principal Kyle Raymond.

Thank the vicar for doing my spell-check for me. MS Word is so complicated.
PS - Rock N Roll in Round Rock is toast, once we get started.

***

GJ - Fortunately I was able to get an early draft, along with the strike-outs.

Kudu Don and the ex-SP have imbibed deeply from the false doctrine of Emerging Churches. Does anyone doubt now that Gurgle was a Church and Change leader from the beginning? Patterson? Gurgle's numbskull brother Rich at the Sausage Factory?

Quoting my source:

"http://apprising.org/2010/01/06/multi-site-church/

http://multisitechurchrevolution.com/ --- Third, multi-site churches are all about ego

Neil Cole indicates that pastors of multi-site churches are primarily concerned with getting more butts in seats and bringing in more money in the offering plates."

WELS Kingdom Workers Work-Righteousness

WKW National Director, David Timm, from the WKW Spring Issue, 2010, volume 23, issue 1. Note the laying on, not lifting off of, guilt in the second to the last sentence.

"We all agree on the doctrine of justification – objective and subjective, that’s a safe topic for WELS Lutherans to discuss. The doctrine of sanctification is a bit more on the edge of the safe zone. If we focus too much on how we live as redeemed children of God, some will say we detract from Jesus and the gospel.

WELS and WELS Kingdom Workers (WKW) don’t have the resources we enjoyed in the past. Change has been forced upon us. Some believe new and different methods of reaching the lost with the message of justification are now necessary as part of a strategy to turn around the 20-year trend of decline in WELS. Some are against the idea of change. Others don’t want to argue about it, hoping things will get better if we all just get along. WKW is considering an association with the Center for Parish Renewal, formerly known as Parish Assistance. We are under the impression this is a good thing to do. As promoters of peace and harmony, we love the relationship we enjoy with WELS Boards for Home and World Missions. We are still providing people and money to serve WELS missions. If we can also help plateaued congregations see the mission field beyond their own property, if we can equip and empower lay people to actively serve their congregation and their synod, they will become value added kingdom workers when their life circumstances permit. It is said, “to be safe and avoid criticism, say nothing, and do nothing.” That’s not the model we see in Acts 7. Stephen spoke a straight forward message to the Sanhedrin. It wasn’t the safe thing to do, but it was the right thing to do. We are kingdom workers not kingdom watchers. Let us walk together (not just stand together) and ask the Holy Spirit to bless our action to reach the lost both near and far."

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WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "WELS Kingdom Workers Work-Righteousness":

WELS Kingdom Workers:
Be on the look out for Pastor Stroh! Unfortunately this warning is TOO LATE. Didn't SP Schroeder kick Stroh and buddy Kelm off their Parish Assistance apostasy? (Yes he did!) We need Kingdom Workers, we do not need Kingdom Exploiters. When these guys come knocking at your door, they are after the money. Stroh went looking elsewhere and he found WKW. Why does everything have to be a C&C program? I am not against the WKW, only upset over these "changes."

In Christ,
from WELS church lady

***

GJ - And they tried to deny they went out looking for money from WKW. If the Antinomian Chicaneries deny it, the disputed fact is true.

Froward Is a Better Word

Ski in Wonderland

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Time of Grace Is a Missouri Synod Ministry":

Perhaps the "foward" at the bottom of the Satan Sex ed should have been "froward". The Middle English word appears in the much despised KJV and means "habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition". That seems to be the case here.

WELS Never Tires of Patting Itself on the Back, Thanking God for Being So Superior

Easter Egg hunts are a habitus practicus, or is that habiti practici?

oldjoe (http://oldjoe.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Holy Word Should Read the Appointed Gospel for Jub...":

Without a doubt, thank God, we are among the best trained for the public ministry anywhere in the world.

Unfortunately that high-quality education leaves a lot to be desired in terms of understanding Scripture and basic skills like spelling. Mr. Gurgel, you should avoid making claims that are so patently false. Making false claims destroys your credibility and that of what you say about the Word of God.