Approving Failure—Par for the Church
2×2 has often commented on the Church’s ability to accept — even celebrate — failure. Ministries are allowed to exist in decline for decades, often with the same pastor, as things get worse and revenues dwindle until there is no more money to pay for failure or make long overdue changes.
It is inexplicable, but the Church follows the same pattern over and over. Year after year, budgets must be cut and services slashed, but we stick with the same leadership as if asking for better performance is a betrayal.
SEPA Synod just followed the familiar road. Six years of budget struggles. Six years of expensive law suits (all of which could have been avoided). Six years of decline. And SEPA Synod re-elected leadership on the FIRST ballot.
Were there no options? Was the mess too much for someone else to take on? Are people happy existing in failure? Do all the small churches in SEPA think that they are suddenly going to have more options and better accountability?
Or does everyone feel it’s hopeless—as some have expressed to us?
Redeemer has been denied a voice for four years (an issue we consider still open, since Synod Assembly never addressed our appeal on this issue). We have no voice in the Church by decree of the bishop SEPA reelected.
We will continue to watch from the outside as our ministry continues unrecognized by SEPA but effective all the same.
It doesn’t look like there’s much to celebrate for the next six years as ministry numbers will probably continue to decline across the board. We hope not! But . . . Lutherans have spoken. They like it this way!
“Dead Weight” churches are the declining ones that are not inovative and have no plan to turn around the decline. Having a lot of money set aside to survive on for years won’t help the inevitable closing unless there is a change of additude. If you have a “growing ministry” and you are doing the work of the Christ then it must blessed by God. You should have no need to look back, and seek a scapegoat for anything. That is my prayer for you- don’t look back! God’s blessings to you!
Redeemer had a comprehensive plan. It’s posted on this site. We had a pastor who had worked with us successfully for six months, had helped us draft our mission plan, and was eager to accept our call. There was no shortage of innovative ideas and plenty of new blood to carry them out. We had grown five-fold n the previous two years. Sorry, but Redeemer wasn’t dead weight four years ago and is still holding its own — even after SEPA took our money. SEPA’s need to fund a six-figure deficit is clouding its vision—and perception. Pray, please, for a clearing of a decade of prejudice and a change in attitude all around. Come and see!
Meanwhile, Redeemer looks forward (not back) to continuing our ministry without SEPA.
We also look forward to six more years of law suits, personal attacks on our members, justified with gossip and lies, and passing the physical reminder of our rejection from the church every day. Other Lutherans can’t empathize and that’s a failing.
Looking back has benefits. It’s supposed to keep us from repeating mistakes. While Redeemer looks forward, we pray that SEPA looks back. Every congregation still welcome in SEPA must spend the next six years measuring their goals to SEPA’s needs and expectations. That SEPA clergy and congregations can’t see that this is wrong proves the point of this post. Failure to fulfill mission is rewarded in the church — with a “resounding YES!”
Yes, Thank you for pointing that out.
The church IS IN DECLINE, and that is precisely because of our letting go of the old habits and people who have caused the decline.
“It’s called getting rid of the dead weight”
The people spoke spoke with a resounding YES to move forward under the very sucessfull leadership of Bishop Burkat in the SEPA synod for the next six years!
God is doing a new thing (here) do you not percieve it???
SEPA doesn’t have a corner on God and his ability to do new and great things — sometimes in the most unlikely places.
It is difficult to perceive anything particularly “new” in the leadership style of SEPA in the past 18 years, particularly in the courtroom setting, the only place some Redeemer members have ever seen Bishop Burkat. SEPA’s ministry has relied on ignoring the good, well-grounded new ministries of our small church to fund its deficit. We were not operating at a deficit when this conflict started. In fact, we had more money that SEPA! Dead weight simply does not describe Redeemer, East Falls.
Bishop Burkat had never met with us when we heard the first rumor (shortly after her first election) that she intended to come after us. Redeemer was breaking ground in multicultural ministry (supposedly a goal of SEPA). The national church had noticed and asked us for a report on our ministry. But our assets were worth more than Bishop Burkat’s sheep. That failing cannot be willed away.
We are sure there are many good things going on in SEPA. We’ve visited 44 of your churches and seen many of them. Some of the most innovative ministries are happening in those “dead weight” small churches that SEPA has a hard time valuing and serving in even the most basic ways.
All the good that SEPA congregations can and will do cannot erase the wrong that continues in East Falls. Calling any community of faith “dead weight” seems awfully unChristlike. Christ died for all of us. If he can bear our weight, so can Bishop Burkat. Under Lutheran polity, other churches do not have the right to sit in judgement in the way SEPA congregations do. This is a shortcoming that can be corrected, but it’s not likely as long as the problems are ignored.
Our ministry continues despite SEPA’s rejection. In fact, our reach has expanded far beyond our neighborhood. How many “live weight” congregations would still have a growing ministry three years after being evicted from their property?
We invite you to visit us so that you might “perceive” the new things that are part of Redeeemer’s ministry, even as excommunicated Lutherans.