Conversionism Again

The second issue with conversion: so many who leave seem to be saying, "The LCMS is not Lutheran enough...so I'm becoming Orthodox (or Catholic)." The modus operandi of many of those who leave is unflagging criticism of the LCMS followed by unflagging praise for their new communion. It doesn't make much sense.

But there is something else going on here: crisis. Something overturns the apple cart and it gets these pastors thinking. Something forces these pastors to wonder if the struggle is not lost, if the LCMS is something other than it says it is. Often the sacramental and worship life or practice in the LCMS serves as the tipping point. They realize that the LCMS does not do what it says Lutheranism says it does. This brings them to question not only what we don't do and why, but also the claims of the Confessions themselves. When that doubt strikes, the reaction is unpredictable.

What strikes me about this is that the Contemporary Worship-pop consumerist pastors in our Synod have done the same thing, but as stated below, haven't left. They found something lacking in the LCMS and began asking their own questions about the true nature of our Confession and ontology. But when their search led them in the opposite liturgical direction, they stay and transform their parishes, sometimes completely.

Wish Dreams and Lutheranism: Part IV

So you want to be a rock and roll star
Then listen now to what I say
Just get an electric guitar
Then take some time and learn how to play...

And in a week or two
If you make the charts
The girls'll tear you apart

(The Byrds)

Option #2: Get yourself a Mission Church

The Wish Dream for Lutheranism proposed this for the simple reason that sometimes it is easier to start with a clean slate. Renovations can only go so far. When you take the house down to studs, or even the foundation, it's not a remodel anymore.

The mission church option allows the enterprising pastor to get it right from the start. When transfers or life-long Lutherans come in, it is simply a matter of explaining to their raised eyebrows, "We're a mission church, we do things differently here."

The problem with this option is District Mission officials produce these mission churches...and they don't want this kind. They want "The Alley" or "Jefferson Hills," not "Holy Virgin Mary the Mother of God Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod." Or not even "St. Paul Lutheran Church (LCMS). I write this at the risk of putting a bad construction on them. I wish I were wrong. If I am, we can at least conclude that those who establish mission plants have a poor success rate of establishing even passably recognizable Lutheran congregations.

What about planting one yourself? Getting your congregation to start her own mission plant, going outside of the power structures? It has been done, and is certainly a more organic way for the Lutherans to spread. A church starts a sister church plant and a pastor serves there part-time until the plant grows enough to petition for membership in the synod and a chance to call a pastor.

But it would not be your church. Your call is with the mother ship, not the daughter congregation. It is hard to spend enough time and energy on a daughter to get it large enough anyway.

I suppose it could happen if your calling congregation were large enough that they could call another pastor and free you for full-time sister congregation work, but this would be a long-shot.

P.S for Chemistry types:

Here is my spoof on the song above:

So you want to be an X-ray crystallographer
Listen now to what I say
Just get an X-ray machine
Some crystallized stuff and x-ray all day:

And in a week or two
You'll be analyzing
What composes you.

Good Satire and Great Puns

HT: RAsBurry's Res

Today it Happens

Apparently the Convocation in St. Louis has no spies in attendance, for there has been nary a peep about what has been happening. But today the Task Force on Structure is presenting their plan. Hopefully we will soon here what they are proposing.

I'm anticipating this greatly. Why? This is one the "legacy" items that our Synodical President wants to accomplish; so much is riding on it for him. This is a Big Deal for him and will be for us. Whatever is presented today will be presented to District Conventions next spring and then on the agenda for the National Convention in 2010. And as I said before, some suspect that this is going to be divisive for the Synod and put many pastors and congregations in a tight spot, forcing us to decide to support the Synod as it is being re-made or not.

Others, however, have imagined that after all the sound and fury only minor changes, if any, will be recommended and adopted. With this administration I can only imagine. It seems clear to me that they are seeking to radically change the Synod's public imagine and practice to a more mainstream consumerist Evangelicalism. But at the same time, congregations like are resistant to change. They may tolerate praise songs and general modern Ameri-Christian nonsense, but if forced to make a choice would choose the "old ways" of the 1950-60s.

It's like the man who oogles women at the beach: he's more than happy to watch whatever passes by, but if his wife gives him the evil eye and tells him to make the choice: chase what he sees or come home with her, he'll follow her to the car like a puppy dog.

We can only wait and see.

Texas Site Reconfigured

Or, How the Temperature is Reduced By Several Degrees

The website for the Texas District LCMS Youth Gathering has now been changed. Kari Jobe, one of the pastors of Gateway Church is now being billed as "Song Leader" and has fallen from top billing to third.

It is good to see that the webmaster and planners of this event have responded to the scandal and offense this has caused. But as another website suggested, spend some time there and ask yourself "Does this look Lutheran or does it look like a mainstream Evangelical non-denominational youth gathering?"

Es sheint als ob einen andere Geist.

Turning Up the Heat

Lord have mercy! I go to Texas for a little vacation and look what I bring with me:

The Texas District LCMS Youth Gathering is featuring a "Lead Worshipper" who is the female worship pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake Texas.

Yes, a pastor of a non-denominational church is leading worship at an LCMS youth gathering.

Yes, she is female.

And yes, we still do not ordain women in our denomination. Call us backward if you will, but we do not believe Scripture supports it.

And yes, we still do not believe in worshiping with those who do not agree with us in doctrine....


Father Hollywood has an excellent post about this. Here is a key section of his post:

This kind of thing will expand, and will continue to send a message to our young people that women's ordination is okay, as are unionistic worship, and worship that not only sets aside our Lutheran confession of sacraments as well as the traditional western liturgy. What will be deemed as an acceptable replacement is emotional, exciting, entertainment based religion of a general non-denominational sort.

Then we wonder why people leave - why those who actually strive for the sacramental and liturgical Presence of our Lord Jesus (as confessed in the Lutheran confessions) seek that Presence outside of Lutheranism. On the other hand, we also see the exodus of young people who have been taught there is no difference between Lutheranism and non-denominationalism, and so they likewise leave Lutheran churches in seek of even bigger and better entertainment.

It is no wonder why so many of our young people are confused and leaving the LCMS. It is also no wonder why so many of our seminarians, vicars, and pastors are appalled at the dissonance between what we confess on paper and how we worship in the real world, and leave the LCMS for Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, or Roman Catholicism. In many cases, the doctrine and practice of those churches is closer to the Lutheran confessions than our own churches! I'm not in favor of either group's departure from the LCMS, but it takes a great deal of self-delusion to overlook why this is happening. Maybe our dwindling membership is a judgment against the LCMS for its infidelity. And if this is the case, no amount of corporate marketing gimmicks can replace repentance.

More on this to come.

HT: Father Hollywood

It's Not About Singing and Music

UPDATED
Please visit RAsburry's Res and my comment there for his gentle correction of something I may have overstated in the third paragraph. Thanks, Pr. Asburry!

People say, "I don't like the old hymns you sing. I like newer hymns and contemporary songs that I used to sing, or that other church sing. That's why I don't want to go to your church."

What's the assumption such people make? We go to church to sing songs we like. When I sing, or hear, songs I like, I feel good and worshipful or something. When I go to church and there are hymns that I don't like or don't know, I feel bad, unmoved--as if I didn't participate fully.

There are many reasons to go to church, but going in order to sing songs is not one of them. Hearing the Word of God and receiving the Sacraments--those are reasons to go to church. To worship and pray--those are reasons for going to church. To sing along with a crowd, to be moved emotionally because my favorite church-style or pop-style songs were sung doesn't make the cut.

If you want moving, worshipful music, stay home and listen to some CDs. You can pick and chose and be the ultimate DJ and never suffer through any song you don't care for.

If you want to sing with a bunch of people, join a community choir. They will sound better than nearly any congregation out there. The only problem with this is you still don't get to pick the music.

Berger on Ablaze!®

My congregation is not Ablaze!®.

Last year the Oklahoma District pushed to have an Ablaze!® presentation at every circuit (grouping of 10 congregations). The purpose of this was not so much to inform the congregations of the Ablaze!® movement; rather it was to get them to commit to the fund-raising side of the program, entitled Fan Into Flame!®. You see, the goal of Ablaze!® is to reach 100 million people by 2017. In order to meet that goal, the Synod has also set the goal to raise $100 million.

But money was not coming in. The books are not open, but it appears from recent reporting that the Synod is millions in debt from the program right now. Hence, the Districts are pressured to sign congregations up to contribute 10% of their budget in over-and-above giving to send to Fan Into Flame!®

The scheme was presented to my congregation in a voter's meeting. The congregation declined to participate.

But why is Ablaze!® so bad? David Berger, Associate Professor and Director of Library Services at Concordia Seminary wrote an essay describing the un-Lutheran foundations of Ablaze!® here. Please note: there is no direct link to the essay, but you must click the essay title ("'Ablaze!®- the Movement' by David Berger")

Willow Creek Changes...But Will it Be Real Change?

Some time ago I blogged about the "Reveal" survey conducted by the Ueber-mega-church Willow Creek. The results of their survey found that the "seeker-sensitive" model wasn't working to grow disciples.

Now we have this story, which describes that Willow Creek is following through, re-tooling their worship services for believers. It will be interesting to see how "deep" they make their services and how much they might still resemble pop/consumerist models of "church."

Here's an excerpt:

After modeling a seeker-sensitive approach to church growth for three decades, Willow Creek Community Church now plans to gear its weekend services toward mature believers seeking to grow in their faith.

The change comes on the heels of an ongoing four-year research effort first made public late last summer in Reveal: Where Are You?, a book coauthored by executive pastor Greg Hawkins. Hawkins said during an annual student ministries conference in April that Willow Creek would also replace its midweek services with classes on theology and the Bible.

Whether more changes are in store for the suburban Chicago megachurch isn't clear. Hawkins declined CT's interview request, and senior pastor Bill Hybels was unavailable for comment.

Since 1975, Willow Creek has avoided conventional church approaches, using its Sunday services to reach the unchurched through polished music, multimedia, and sermons referencing popular culture and other familiar themes. The church's leadership believed the approach would attract people searching for answers, bring them into a relationship with Christ, and then capitalize on their contagious fervor to evangelize others.

But the analysis in Reveal, which surveyed congregants at Willow Creek and six other churches, suggested that evangelistic impact was greater from those who self-reported as "close to Christ" or "Christ-centered" than from new church attendees. In addition, a quarter of the "close to Christ" and "Christcentered" crowd described themselves as spiritually "stalled" or "dissatisfied" with the role of the church in their spiritual growth. Even more alarming to Willow Creek: About a quarter of the "stalled" segment and 63 percent of the "dissatisfied" segment contemplated leaving the church....

"It is a huge shift," Pritchard said of the church's planned changes to its services. "But they're still using the same marketing methodology. Willow appears to be selecting a new target audience with new felt needs, but it is still a target audience. Can they change? Yes, but it will take more than just shifting their target audience."

Church Growth the Old Fashioned Way

I performed a wedding at a neighboring sister congregation on Saturday--one of the older congregations in the area, founded by Germans a few years after the land run. Pictures adorn their parish hall--past confirmation classes, the "rogue's gallery" of previous pastors, and in the hallway leading to the sanctuary, family portraits of the founding members. And those portraits were full. Most of them included a half-dozen or more children--the nearly adult children in the back, the smaller ones on either side of mom and dad.

There were about ten families in total--but nearly 100 people in the pictures. It's no wonder Zion Lutheran grew in the first half of the 20th Century. This congregation was by no means exceptional, either. This was the way life was. And a church established with 10 families could grow to a church of 60 families in 20 years-- without any suburban sprawl.

Natural church growth.

Church or Something Else?

Doorman receives an "A" for the assignment. The rest of you will have a one day extension in order not to fail.

But the point of the exercise was: those blogs have nothing to do with Church. Oh, they talk about their church enough, about the ministry all the time, but there was little about Christ, about the Holy Trinity, about prayer, fasting, almsgiving, about Sacraments and Scripture.

As Doorman gently reminded, it is obvious the intent is different. I have my own hidden agendas (we all do), yet one cannot talk about ministry without reference to what we minister: Sacrament and the Life of Christ. St. Paul wrote, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." (KJV)

I find it disturbing that these church leaders and "lead pastors" (is that like a lead guitarist?) speak only of their churches in business, sociological and/or Rolling Stone terms.

Well, actually I don't find it disturbing. I find it revealing of their heart and intent. And that is disturbing.

Your Assignment for Today

The pastors of Jefferson Hills Church--the allegedly LCMS congregation in the St. Louis area that has the "Sucks" billboards--have a blog and, like most blogs, provide a blogroll.

Your assignment for today:

1. Click on the links to the "blogs they read." Also provided right here:
http://www.theresurgence.com/ab_blog
http://tonymorganlive.com/
http://www.journeyon.net/blog-from-the-pastors/
http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/
http://evotional.com/
http://perrynoble.com/
http://stevenfurtick.com/

2. Click on seven links from my own blogroll. Doesn't matter which seven (please note, not all are Lutheran--but they are friends and/or influences).

3. Compare and contrast the content of the jhchurch blogroll and the blogs on mine, answering the following questions:

A. Which blogs reflect the Church's life and confession?
B. Which blogs are most self-refrential, self-centered and which are most Christ-centered?
C. Which blogs provide the most jargon from the Church? Which blogs provide the most jargon from business theory, communication theory, psychological theory and social theory?
D. Which blogs share the Gospel best?
E. When you think of Christ and His Church, which blogs seem more representative?
F. Of the two blogrolls, which list would you rather have your pastor read (note: I don't read all the blogs on my own list--at least not frequently)?
G. Which set of blogs should be more representative for the LCMS, Lutheranism, or your denomination?
H. Which blogs are most helpful in your growth as a Christian?

4. Please respond in the comments section.

Please don't take this as boasting in the superiority of my blogroll. This exercise is designed to reflect the complete "andere Geist" that the consumerist churches operate with.

And ok, since you asked: I believe my list is superior, but not because I assembled it; rather, my links are superior because of the quality of those authors.

Newspeak from the Purple Palace

Some comments and questions regarding the Post-Dispatch story. Portions of the story in italics, my response in bold. The entire story is linked in a post below.

In an interview earlier this week, David Strand, the executive director of the church's communications board, said the station had lost $3.5 million in the last seven years.

Are we forgetting that "losing money" is what ministries do? My congregation has "lost" roughly $1.4 million in the last seven years, though the congregation would say they did not lose a penny, having paid a full time church worker (or two), part time church workers, utilities, outreach efforts, helped the poor and aided missions. Is using money for these things the same as "loosing" it?

Strand also said the program's audience was too narrow. —"'Issues' was a strong show, but where we stand now in terms of listenership, it seems wise to try some news things to broaden our reach," he said.

There it is. The statement we have all been waiting for. The audience for "Issues" was too narrow, though the show had been downloaded 480,000 times--in the last quarter it aired. No, "narrow" in Strand's statement could not been "small" or "few," but must mean some other kind of narrow. Narrow-minded? Narrow, as in not appealing to the evangelical masses enough?

Critics say the church's audience numbers don't include the large number of people who listened to the show online via podcasts. Strand said that "Issues, Etc." was downloaded more than any other KFUO-AM program, but that in order to succeed, the station needs "live listeners" and that "it's not accurate to say every download translates to a listener."

How must KFUO-AM "succeed" by live listeners? What measure of success are they using for this ministry? Generating dollars? KFUO-AM is non-profit. Being popular? "Issues, Etc." was syndicated to over 100 markets. I simply don't understand.

The church currently produces seven religious shows, one of which is a replacement for "Issues, Etc." The new program, called "The Afternoon Show," is different from "Issues, Etc.," said Strand, in that "it doesn't dwell largely on Lutheran apologetics at a sophisticated level. It still takes its Gospel proclamation seriously, but it finds new ways to capture attention."

So goes the LCMS.

Strand said politics had nothing to do with the decision to pull "Issues, Etc." "This was a financial decision. All 2.5 million of our members would call themselves confessional Lutherans, so I'm not sure where this idea of division comes from," he said. "Like most denominations, we have differences of opinion on things … but Dr. Kieschnick wants a deeper sense of peace throughout the church."

Again the finances. What is ominous is this denial of division, ("We're all confessional lutherans") coupled with the statement that Kieschnick wants "a deeper sense of peace throughout the church." What does that mean?

"Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace -- and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar -- (Eze. 13:10 NKJV)

Welcome to Your Nightmare

Can you keep your head down and just wait for them to come for you? That's what some who blog and post to message boards seem to say. That's what I've heard from Confessional Types for years: "As long as I can preach the Gospel in my congregation, no worries. If they come to me and a kick me out, then I will do...." What? I'm not sure.

I do appreciate this sort of quiescence. Fear-mongering, conspiracy theorizing, protesting activities seem shrill to me at times. We all have enough worries for today, much the less worrying about Synod or whomever your own personal THE MAN is.

I used to think the same way, but I've come to a different understanding in the past four years. It is later than we first believed, and there is more at stake. There is more disease than we realized. To borrow a phrase from my philosophy days, we have a meta-theological problem, or as one blogger notes, a "Deep Theology Problem." (I'll post on this later.)

But a moment of reckoning may be coming soon. Save The LCMS draws our attention to the Task Force for Funding the Mission (2006). He/They quote from the report and comment:

The Task Force recommends that the Board of Directors and the Council of District Presidents convene a summit meeting of “respected leaders” to draft a unanimous statement that harmonizes our divisions into a “symphony.” Unanimity is presupposed; there is no place for a dissenting minority.

This Task Force believes the Council of Presidents and the Board of Directors are the elected “leaders” of the Synod that should be given the responsibility to initiate a specific plan to clarify for the sake of the whole church a strategy to restore harmony in our Synod. We encourage them to consider bringing together a representative group of respected leaders throughout this church for a summit. At the end of this summit these church leaders should author a unanimously adopted “symphony” that demonstrates how this great church body can provide a God-pleasing witness of our confession and practice.

Let them deal with current topics to define how narrow or wide is the road we “walk together” (SYNOD) must be when it comes to worship practice, the role of the laity, close communion, the role of women and our interaction with fellow Christians. But let the product of their coming together be to honor the Scriptures (including the Great Commission) and Confessions and dishonor the work of Satan that diverts us from the “way of the Lord”. (p.14)

Those who do not wish to "embrace the convention mandated mission of our church" are invited to leave the synod. However, the previous paragraph deals with a unanimous statement of harmony by a summit of respected leaders. Is this the same as the convention-mandate mission of our church? The Task Force is ominously ambiguous:

The generation long divisions among us have frustrated us all. Allowing for proper dissent through by-law allowed procedures, we also recommend that those members of this Synod that cannot embrace the convention mandated mission of our church should feel free to leave this fellowship with truth-filled integrity and find another association with whom they can partner. (p. 14) (see the whole post here)

Knowing the Synod as I do, it's premature to claim that they will be rounding up soon. But the machine is being built; the process is being established. When and if the dogs will be released, we don't know.

An Accounting Scandal Too

The "Issues, Etc." scandal has taken on an added dimension. Many blogs have reported on the strange financial aspects of the radio show, and how that factored in with its cancellation.

Save the LCMS--which is apparently run by someone with some serious connections--has received a leaked copy of KFUO AM and FM's financial statement. It has some seriously fishy numbers.

What does this mean? There are several options:

1. There are unseemly accounting practices at KFUO, the BCS, the Board of Directors (or somewhere) of a criminal nature.

2. The economic reason was an excuse, and in haste to back that up, mistakes were made in reports. In other words, someone lied, and in covering up the lie, a worse appearance was given.

3. Someone has been cooking the books to make "Issues, Etc." look bad for some time, and this is the evidence. No actual criminal behavior is happening.

4. These fishy numbers were done out of ignorance, mistake, or out of asinine policy. It's bad accounting, and that's all it is.

5. These reports are evidence of a larger conspiracy to cover unethical budget expenses elsewhere. In other words, this is a piece of a much larger picture of cooking books to pay for other things in the Synod's budget. There is some evidence to this. See here.

Ok. Take a deep breath. As members of the Synod, we need to ask for the truth in this matter. As laypeople, you need answers to where your money is going.

Take another deep breath before you read the next sentence.

This is no big deal, and no reason to be mad at the LCMS. IF there is intentional, knowing unethical or illegal activity happening, it is simply the result of sin. This happens all the time. Those responsible need to repent and face the consequences. It is a scandal, a black eye on the Synod, on all of us, but it is sin. We all do it; we all face the consequences. With God's help, I will forgive them and be happy that they are sinning no more.

However, let us not forget what else we have learned in all this: There is little question that the "programmatic" reasons for canceling "Issues, Etc." were primary. That the show was canceled without the Board for Communication's approval, that the show angered some in authority, that the show ran counter to the "seeker-sensitive", consumerist church model that is being promoted throughout the Synod is fact. "Issues, Etc." did not represent the "Lutheranism" that the Synod is now promoting.

Confessionals Are No Better

"Transitioning" a congregation can be a minefield--"Transitioning" meaning taking an established congregation and completely overhauling it to make a modern, consumerist church on the Willow Creek/Saddleback model (there has to be a better word for all this). It is difficult work that some in the congregation will oppose, many will eventually accept, and some gladly welcome.

Most troublesome is the perception of what happens: a pastor, called to shepherd his people, begins his ministry in order to destroy and re-create. It makes the pastor an enemy of the congregation that called/hired him, for the purpose of making it into something new when all will be reconciled to the new way. Confessional pastors in the LCMS point out the harm such men do to congregations and wag our fingers at them. Skim through the pages at the link above. You'll find advice to stay connected with the older generation with the ulterior motive of making them part of the "change team." The author denies that he is advising manipulation, but that is what it is. It appears pretty slimy to me.

Yet one can read these steps to "Transition" a congregation and easily substitute a few words here and there and find that Confessionals do the same thing. Exchange "praise song" for "canticle," and "medley" for "Gospel Processional." All the advice and steps of transitioning a "traditional" congregation into the new "seeker model" can apply to good ol' Confessional pastors who arrive in a congregation that is not perhaps confessional enough, or who suffered some poorly done transition in the past. At Concordia Seminary I heard Professors on "both sides" giving us the very same advice on how to effect change in a congregation. It was up to the student to determine if he would change for praise choruses or away from them.

There is something very wrong with this picture. There must be a better way.

Pres. Kieschnick Responds

A piece in the Wall Street Journal is hard to dismiss, especially when it finds fault.

Pres. Kieschnick responds to M. Z. Hemingway's article:

As President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, I express my extreme disappointment over the column “Radio Silence” published March 28 under “Houses of Worship.” Its author presents a distorted account of the reason for the discontinuation of the “Issues, Etc.” program on the Synod’s KFUO-AM Radio station. What is even more disturbing is the false and misleading picture she presents of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) as a deeply divided church regarding its mission and ministry.

First, let me say our church is happy to own and operate KFUO-AM, the oldest continuously operating religious radio station in the country, if not the world. We are proud of the ministry it has provided listeners for some 84 years, and we endeavor to continue this ministry. I must also note that all ministries of the church, of which KFUO-AM is but one, require financial support from their constituencies.

Here are the facts surrounding the termination of “Issues, Etc.” This program was cancelled by the Synod’s director of communications after years of attempts to keep the program financially solvent. In fiscal year 2007-08, KFUO-AM’s operating deficit was $620,000. Since 2001, the accumulated deficits of the station have been in excess of $3.5 million. While airing for only 18 percent of KFUO-AM’s programming week, “Issues, Etc.” in the last fiscal year accounted for more than 40 percent ($250,000) of the station’s total deficit. These figures are based on the audited financial statements of the LCMS. As of February 29, two thirds into the current fiscal year, KFUO-AM was on pace to suffer heavy loses again.

Listeners of “Issues, Etc.” have had nine years and countless invitations and opportunities to support the program financially, and some have, but not nearly enough to offset the show’s deep, ongoing losses.

More importantly, I wish to address the unfortunate comments in the column that The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is deeply divided and that it is pushing “church marketing” over the historic confessions of the evangelical Lutheran Church.

In truth, last summer the LCMS had its most positive and unified convention in years. Our church remains faithful to the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions, an integral part of our identity as a church body. As stated in a resolution adopted last summer by the national Synod convention: “From the founding of our Synod 160 years ago, we have been blessed by unity in our common confession and the articles of our shared faith, such as the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, original sin, baptismal regeneration, the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament, the inerrancy of Scripture and many others.”

In accordance with our unity in what we believe, teach, and confess, the Synod adopted the mission and vision of Ablaze!—a focused and concentrated effort to “share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who do not yet know him.” One goal of Ablaze! calls for the Synod to start 2,000 new congregations by the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in the year 2017. This outreach emphasis is not “marketing” as suggested by last Friday’s column; rather, it is one of many ministry endeavors developed to foster the mission of our Synod “… vigorously to make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities, and the world.” (LCMS Mission Statement)

In summary, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is more committed than ever to proclaiming the one message of Jesus Christ and his love for all (1 John 4:9-11).

On behalf of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, I invite readers to visit our website at www.lcms.org for more information on God’s grace and salvation in Christ.

Response (numbers refer to paragraphs):

#3: It is not Hemingway who's got the distorted picture. This Site has some alarming reports about re-allocating funds, the actual "loss" sustained by KFUO in comparison with other ministries of the LCMS, and a more accurate picture of just how popular "Issues, Etc." was, based on the number of downloads of radio programs. It also contains some nice charts and graphics :)

#4 Why is that "Issues, Etc." was required to have their own fundraising appeals when it is a "ministry of the LCMS" as Kieschnick reports in paragraph #1?

#6 Church unity is found in Conventions???? Even if, does our President forget the small margins which enabled his win, and the small margins on many other votes? Does he forget that that some candidates were singled out as "lawsuit signers" before every vote was taken? And mentioning one resolution does not unity make, especially when it is as vague as he quotes it.

#7 Ablaze! is not marketing, eh? What of the $2 million spent on mugs, t-shirts, posters, pens, mailings, stationary, staff members, advertising and so forth?

Another Analysis of the "LCMess"

This one is from First Things Blog. Here's a sample:

The LCMS, in which I was baptized and confirmed, is unlike any other Protestant body: It’s not mainline and not quite evangelical, at least in the altar-call, clap-happy sense. Rather it is orthodox, confessional, and liturgical—or at least it’s supposed to be. For those Christians who are tired of the strip-mall approach to church-hopping, in which the congregation with the best music and most emotional appeal wins your heart this week, the LCMS has always been a traditional, sober, and catholic alternative. Unfortunately, many within the LCMS have decided that being Lutheran isn’t enough; they also want to be BIG and compete with the nondenoms around the corner. And so some congregations have gone all Baptist and charismatic in terms of worship style, and in some cases present a soteriology that contradicts that of a church with a very high view of the sacraments—a view that includes a doctrine of baptismal regeneration.

Read the rest here.

HT: Weedon

Letting A Pro Explain It

Mollie Ziegler Hemingway writes for the Wall Street Journal:

He may well be right. The program was in all likelihood a pawn in a larger battle for the soul of the Missouri Synod. The church is divided between, on the one hand, traditional Lutherans known for their emphasis on sacraments, liturgical worship and the church's historic confessions and, on the other, those who have embraced pop-culture Christianity and a market-driven approach to church growth. The divide is well known to all confessional Christian denominations struggling to retain their traditional identity....

Since Mr. Kieschnick narrowly won election in 2001, the church has embarked on a program, called Ablaze!, that has the admirable goal of "reaching 100 million unreached and uncommitted people with the Gospel by 2017," the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Historically the church kept statistics on baptisms. Now, however, it keeps a tally of what it calls "critical events." On March 17 a man reported discussing Jesus with his waitress -- and the Ablaze! count went up by one.

One congregation near St. Louis took a $25,000 Ablaze! grant and used it to put up billboards with kitschy statements purporting to come from the devil (e.g., "JeffersonHills Church Sucks," signed "Satan"). A Michigan mission congregation replaced the historical message of Lent with a speaker series on sex. Following marketing principles, neither congregation uses the word "Lutheran" in its name or advertising campaign.

While "Issues, Etc." never criticized Mr. Kieschnick or his colleagues, its attacks against shallow church marketing included mention of some approaches embraced by the current leadership. It opposed, for instance, the emergent church -- an attempt to accommodate postmodern culture by blending philosophies and practices from throughout the church's history -- and the Purpose Driven Church movement, which reorients the church's message toward self-help and self-improvement.

This isn't the first time the Missouri Synod has been divided between confessional Lutherans and those enamored with the latest religious fads. In the 1970s, alert confessional laity thwarted a top-down imposition of chic liberal theology in the church's seminaries. (Read the whole piece here.)

HT: Dan at Necessary Roughness.

The Congregational Ostrich Move

Early in my ministry it was relatively easy for me to ignore the troublesome things that were happening in the Synod. I made the refrain many do, "I am pastor here, not there, and what happens out there does not really affect my people here." Or, "I have been called by God to this place, not to the Synod." Those of you who are clergy in this denomination have heard it all before.

But such responses forget a few important items:

1. You are a member of Synod. Your congregation is a member of Synod. And while Synod is "advisory" and all that, we are still responsible to others. We do have "ecclesiastical supervisors."

2. We are a Synod, and there are other congregations that people will visit. They will have friends in other congregations. You may stick your head in the sand, but other people will not.

3. The Synod does not seem advisory to many laypeople. And the Synod has ways of reaching your congregation around you, through radio, the internet, mailings and so forth. The message from the pulpit and newsletters is not the only message they hear from the LCMS.

4. If you really care about your people, you should care that one day you will not be there and someone else will be, and may undermine all that you have taught. You may respond, "That is not my concern; it is in God's hands." It is in God's hands, but if you care about the people and believe you are right, you will care about what happens to them when you are gone.

Any additions to this list?