For your reading enjoyment here’s more on the LCMS convocation Walking Together;
Pastor Todd Wilken offers a counterproposal to the centralization of power that the task force has put forward for consideration.
Pastor William Weedon also opines with a good post that asks whether or not the proposal is “honoring the smallest of our parishes as in every respect the equal of our largest parishes”
I’ll answer Pastor Weedon’s question; it doesn’t. Larger congregations have been promoted in our beloved synod as better at “soul winning" based on “visible signs” in the official LCMS newspaper; the Reporter. The church growth model that has been rejected by the largest mega churches in the country as a failed policy that does not produce Christian disciples is still being held on to as the gold standard in the LCMS. The idea that a congregation is worth more representation because they have more members should give everyone pause. Under this line of thought, Jesus should have stopped all teaching and bowed to the will of the Pharisees and Sadducees as they held the majority of the positions of leadership. Instead, Jesus tells us that where ever two or three are gathered, there he is. (Matt 18:20). If we listen to the task force’s proposal, all I hear is their commentary on Matt 18:20 which says; that was Jesus’s church, ours, not so much.
Pastor Todd Wilken offers a counterproposal to the centralization of power that the task force has put forward for consideration.
Pastor William Weedon also opines with a good post that asks whether or not the proposal is “honoring the smallest of our parishes as in every respect the equal of our largest parishes”
I’ll answer Pastor Weedon’s question; it doesn’t. Larger congregations have been promoted in our beloved synod as better at “soul winning" based on “visible signs” in the official LCMS newspaper; the Reporter. The church growth model that has been rejected by the largest mega churches in the country as a failed policy that does not produce Christian disciples is still being held on to as the gold standard in the LCMS. The idea that a congregation is worth more representation because they have more members should give everyone pause. Under this line of thought, Jesus should have stopped all teaching and bowed to the will of the Pharisees and Sadducees as they held the majority of the positions of leadership. Instead, Jesus tells us that where ever two or three are gathered, there he is. (Matt 18:20). If we listen to the task force’s proposal, all I hear is their commentary on Matt 18:20 which says; that was Jesus’s church, ours, not so much.
2 comments:
It's interesting to hear that these things are going on in the Lutheran church as well as the evangelical churches (and I'm using "evangelical" as a title and not as a descriptor).
I am no fan of the mega-church or the Willow Creek seeker-sensitive model that has permeated our churches. I think your assessment is right on. As my old pastor used to say, "Keep on keeping on!".
BD, one of the cool things about this whole internet thingy is that I can see that there are so many churches (evangelical and Lutheran and others) that still try to preach Christ. The flip side of the coin however is that there are so many willing to programs or fads that put forth the kind of Jesus that the old adam, our sinful selves want, a more seeker friendly Jesus that can’t possibly offend or need to be nailed to the cursed tree because of me...
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