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Judith Gotwald

Why do churches leave the ELCA? Why do they stay?

A retired pastor and former assistant to the bishop of the Metropolitan Washington DC Synod, Rev. Ronald Christian, wrote a short editorial view in the current issue of the ELCA’s denominational magazine, The Lutheran.

Why do they leave? he asks about the mass exodus of congregations in the last few years.

His question reveals just how clueless leaders in the ELCA are.

NOTE: Not all synods operate with a lack of conscience. We hope the horrific activities we recount are not as widespread as they seem.

Rev. Ronald Christian writes in the first hundred words or so (The Lutheran asks us to pay to read to the end, but I’ve given about all I can to the ELCA.):

The ELCA requires nothing of congregations. A congregation will not be removed from the roster for lack of giving, lack of diversity in membership, lack of a youth ministry, lack of mission activity, lack of social work in its community, lack of Bible studies, wrong vestments or secular music on Sundays.

It is possible to be removed if a congregation votes to disavow the constitution of the ELCA and the congregation’s own documents of affiliation with the ELCA. But then it has removed itself from the family.

He clearly has not heard about the cannibalism going on in SEPA, in Metro New York, in Slovak Zion and in New England Synods (the ones we know about). There is a plague of synod leadership moving in on congregations with stealth, deceit and all the power their awkwardly written constitutions steal from their Articles of Incorporation.

These synods haven’t read their founding documents as Rev. Christian seems to have. They rely on no one else reading them either. They also rely on their protected status under the Bill of Rights to continue their activities without legal challenge—even as they use the courts to force their will on member churches.

Constitutionally, the synods do not have the power to remove a congregation from the roster unilaterally. This doesn’t stop them! If a congregation does not vote to close when asked to do so, the synods simply replace the congregation’s authority with their own. That eliminates the work of serving the congregations—their stated mission.

We found out we were closed a year after the fact when we googled our name and the SEPA Synod Council minutes came up.

There was no conversation, no congregational vote and no notification—just a Synod Council blindly following orders.

The national church is useless. Congregations pay for the infrastructure in Chicago. But Bishop Hanson and the ELCA legal offices refuse to deal with congregations. Congregations are lucky to get form letters in response to complaints. We wrote monthly to Bishop Hanson for almost a year back in 2008. He responded benignly to only the first letter.

There is no impartial place within the ELCA to turn.

How did this come about?

Giving is down. Attendance is down. SEPA synod staff is bigger than some of their congregations’ Sunday morning attendance. Synods are looking for money. Small congregations with endowments are tempting.

It’s all about assets. If the people dare to protest, a synod can identify the most influential lay leaders and attack them personally, pitting the combined resources of a couple hundred churches (failing as they may be) against the household incomes and life savings of individual volunteer church members.

It’s open season on the laity. We have no place to turn.

Laity who served faithfully all their lives are suddenly considered enemies by church leaders. Why? We stood our ground (like a certain forefather). We deserve anything that happens to us as a result is the attitude. That includes being ostracized, losing our church home, losing our personal homes, spending more money than we have on legal bills. Anything! And never an attempt to work with the congregation.

Where are the clergy? They flee. We had two pastors whom we never saw again after private meetings with the bishop. One of them had just encouraged us to “stand firm.”

As part of the merger, ELCA agreed to call our presidents bishops with the promise that the title change meant no change in power. In fact, it has changed attitudes and perceptions. As Dr. Phil says, perceptions are reality.

As a result it is increasingly difficult to recognize or participate in the ELCA. Do as you are told or be closed.

The people do not have access to their governing bodies.

  • Synod councils act in a vacuum getting all their data for making decisions from the synod office. No contact information is listed on our synod’s website.
  • Synod Assemblies are dummied down by the maze of quota voters (many of whom have no knowledge of the issues).
  • The time constraints of a weekend Synod Assembly has turned them into “feel good” showcases for the administration.
  • The entire structure is designed on paper to be representative. In practice it has become top down.

Bishops view their power differently than presidents. People respond differently.

Presidents can be questioned. Presidents represent the people who elect them. Bishops—not so much.

Clergy increasingly stay arms length—content to stick to their parish worlds and protect their standing with the bishop. They “cannot question the wisdom of the bishop” they repeat as an excuse for hiding their eyes.

OF COURSE THEY CAN! The Church relies on them questioning the wisdom of the bishops.

This has created a mess!

The question is not Why do churches leave? Rather, it is Why in heaven’s name do they stay?

Lutherans used to have something to be proud of. A little piece of me still is.

PS: Redeemer was one of the only growing congregations in SEPA in 2007 when Bishop Burkat, facing a $275,000 annual deficit, decided she needed our assets. Redeemer was cross-cultural, multi-lingual, and entrepreneurial with youthful demographics—all the things churches are looking to achieve. We were self-supporting. We had more money than synod. SEPA’s treasurer had just reported they were within $75,000 of depleting every available resource when it was suddenly determined Redeemer should die. We voted to leave. SEPA refused to engage in the constitutional process for leaving. You can’t leave; we are terminating you. (That way they get the money.) Several churches were similarly challenged before us. We were the first to say NO!

Redeemer is not closed.
We are locked out of God’s House by SEPA Synod.

Entrepreneurial Churches Will Survive

The Church tends to think of itself within narrow economic confines.

  • Church professionals will busy themselves with all things mission-related.
  • Laity will generously give money to them…and work hard, too!

The model is failing.

Small churches face the most pressing problems. We suspect that they hold some answers for changing things but are rarely given the opportunity to explore solutions. It is too tempting to just close them and rake in their assets.

Large church numbers are down too. Status quo must be the mission goal, because that is about the best you can find when reviewing parish reports—even in big flagship churches! A church boasting of 7000 members is likely to see only 10% at worship.

The temptation is to keep this age-old economic model going as long as possible.

  • Beg for money from people—be they dead or alive.
  • Build endowments that must be protected as a legacy for the hierarchy and not spent (or as synod’s tend to say, squandered) by the congregations that provide it.
  • As the smallest churches begin to fail, modify denominational polity to ensure congregational assets are churned into the greater church, whether or not the donors of the wealth agree.
  • Call the acquired assets The Mission Fund. Use it to help the hierarchy survive.

This is the current state of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod (SEPA)of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). They are camouflaging a crisis. The only remedies we see being presented as we travel from church to church is more of the same. Commitment Sundays. Stewardship Sundays. It’s surprising how many of these we have encountered in our random visits. Lots of talk about finding the money to keep doing things the same way.

Churches continue to struggle.

And yet we keep trying to do things the same way—making the same mistakes over and over. 

Reality must be faced. Money for mission and growth is not going to come from the offering plate. There are simply too many worthy causes demanding members’ expendable income and some of them have the force of law behind them.

If congregations are to survive they must start thinking entrepreneurially. The resources at hand must be viewed as money-producing assets for the benefit of the congregations — not the synods! Mission must be the priority. Existing assets must be used accordingly—to ensure that the activities of the Church help fund the mission of the Church.

This may sound like new territory. It is not. Monks have long-supported their mission and lifestyle with entrepreneurial enterprises. 

If we are going to grow in mission in new ways, we must be willing to make new mistakes. Risk is necessary when the dependable model is failing. Otherwise we are fending off failure.

Why is progress so difficult?

The steps that need to be taken are unlikely as long as we rely on leadership from hierarchy that depends on churches failing for their survival.

Ambassadors Visit Trinity, Lansdale

A Sad Day for Redeemer

trintiylansdale

The Ambassadors were out in unusual force yesterday visiting Trinity, Lansdale, one of the largest congregations in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod (SEPA) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). It was our 54th visit to a SEPA congregation.

It’s been a rough few days for Redeemer. Yesterday, Saturday, January 5, was particularly difficult.

At least a quarter of the people gathered in the large sanctuary on this cold Saturday afternoon claim Lutheran roots firmly planted in Redeemer, East Falls.

Tragically, the infant we gathered to remember and lay to rest was one of our family. Families at Redeemer have always been intricately interconnected. Remarkably, this has remained true even as we grow to become more diverse. One Redeemer member cannot itch without another scratching.

Indeed, we have a goodly heritage.

Part of the beautiful service was thanksgiving for baptism.

Our Jude was baptized as he was coming into the world. His chances for survival were known to be slim. When his parents learned early on that he was not likely to survive birth, they named him. His name breathed life into him. Jude Michael Boeh belonged.

I am privileged to know the family of both sides of one set of Jude’s grandparents. Many of the names bandied about in the narthex as the family gathered came alive again. Remember Clarence and George, Vicki, Tom, Emma and Jacob?

I wasn’t born into Redeemer, but I remember them well. It was good to hear their names again and to pass their stories on to the younger members of the family. Some belonged to Redeemer and some to the Presbyterian church across the street. But that was a formality. Redeemer members worshiped at Redeemer in the morning and attended services with their Presbyterian neighbors afterwards. Dual citizenship.

Jude’s mother, born Elizabeth Leach, gave a moving tribute to his short life and its powerful force.

Jude was named for the patron saint of lost causes. His life was a tribute to the value of any life-affirming cause, even one that appears to be facing hopeless odds.

We are so proud of his family, especially his mother whom we watched grow up at many Redeemer services and events.

Redeemer, East Falls, and Trinity, Lansdale, are worlds apart. Trinity’s narthex is about the size of Redeemer’s sanctuary. But it doesn’t matter how large a sanctuary is. A lot of good can come out of both large and small churches. As the history we read on the walls of Trinity attest, churches start small. Some grow in size. Some grow in spirit. All have worth.

As I participated in the memorial service for my step great-grandson, I thought of my late husband.

Jude’s great-grandfather, Andrew Leach, was the first baby baptized in Redeemer in 1909. Jude’s grandfather and many of his aunts and uncles of varying generations were also baptized at Redeemer.

He would have been proud of the courage his grandchildren displayed in their compassionate, faithful, heart-wrenching choices. Their willingness to share their heartbreak is a gift.

Jude’s great-grandfather was the heart and soul of Redeemer, devout in practical ways. He managed the church finances and was responsible for protecting and growing the endowment that tempted SEPA from the day of his death. He was universally respected in the church and community and set the tone of what could be called Redeemer’s personality.

He not only managed the church as a business but he had a superb voice, a legacy passed on to many family members. He was never so proud that he wouldn’t clean the sidewalks and scrub floors. His interest in the community made Redeemer the common meeting place for many community groups. When it came to Redeemer, there was no nonsense.

His great granddaughter, Hazel, (Jude’s older sister) was born shortly after Andy’s death. Hazel, at 14, shared with poise a heartfelt testimony of how her journey with her sister, mom, stepdad and baby Jude had awakened her faith. She reminded me of her great-grandmother.

Gertrude Trommer Leach was a member of the Sunday School class I taught at Redeemer. She worked hard with the ladies group, sang in the choir and played the piano. She was a deeply spiritual child of God, a true matriarchal cornerstone. Easy-going and loving, when she occasionally stood her ground, she was a force to be reckoned with.

Andrew’s youngest son, Nathaniel, is still a member of Redeemer. He was seated next to me in the sanctuary, singing with his father’s voice as we remembered Jude. I was reminded of his biblical namesake. Nathaniel in the Bible asks rather flippantly upon learning of Jesus of Nazareth, “Can any good come out of Nazareth?”

Is there any good to be found in trying circumstances, in facing difficult odds?

People of faith must answer yes.

Sometimes you have to dig through a lot of grime. Sometimes you have to wipe away the tears. Sometimes you have to struggle to get up in the morning. Often we have to withstand hurtful gossip and defend against questionable, self-serving advice. But there is value wherever there is life.

Jesus loves us. The Bible tells us so.

The service was beautiful, but as Sunday quickly rolled around, it would have been a comfort to many of the mourners to sit in the pews so familiar to our family, to kneel at the altar where our families knelt together for generations, to pass the font where five generations have been baptized, to shed a tear in our own sacred space—now desecrated with fighting that should have been resolved with love within the Christian family long ago, and to embrace other members of Redeemer who live in fear beyond their control. It would be a comfort to have some sense that in the community of God we have worth beyond the value of our assets.

Redeemer members continue to meet, worship and serve—and grow.

Faith gives us no choice. Affirming life is a part of our legacy.

Jude. The patron saint of lost causes.

Is there really such a thing for people of faith? Sometimes we just don’t know what the real cause is!

The name Jude, by the way, means PRAISE! That’s how I will remember Jude. With praise.

God bless our Jude. God bless Jude’s family. God bless the Christian legacy that brought us all together in the sanctuary in Trinity, Lansdale, on January 5, 2013.

May it continue to grow and affirm life.

And God bless Redeemer!

Chasing Demographics with Selective Mission Work

Dodging Bullets in the City

I often have the television news on in the background while I fix dinner. Lately, I’ve been wondering if my house near the center of Philadelphia, one of the largest cities in the United States, has been picked up by a tornado and plopped down in neighboring New Jersey.

All the worthwhile news seems to be about the Garden State, with place names I recognize but would have to scan a map to know exactly where they are.

The Philadelphia news is crime- and sports-oriented.

That was my impression. Was I imagining things?

Last night when the news came on, I was sitting in my easy chair, so I grabbed a scrap of paper and pen and took notes. CBS-3 local news opened with the story of a woman who was beaten by another woman near a subway stop in South Philadelphia.

The next five or so stories, bringing us seven minutes into the 20-minute broadcast, were about Hurricane Sandy relief at the Jersey shore—seventy or so miles away. (I know NJ Governor Christie’s politics much better than that Tom fellow in Harrisburg.)

Commercial Break

The next segment opened with a teaser about the weather. Great map. Beautiful gal standing in front of it. No real information. That was coming. Promise!

Some poor soul in New Jersey was practicing the art of kidnapping. Glad we got him!

At last, some Philadelphia news. A shooting in North Philadelphia. An update on two shootings at Temple University (where my son works, should I panic?!).

Back to New Jersey. Camden County police will be replacing Camden City police, something all we Philadelphians need to know about our crime-ridden sister city across the Delaware River.

Back to Philadelphia. I was happy to learn that the fired Eagles coach found an $8 million dollar per year job in Kansas City. His family will eat for five more years.

More promises of a weather report. Meanwhile, be advised, it is cold.

Commercial Break

The next stories gave me a view of the world. Another celebrity visited Newtown, Connecticut. There was some trouble in Minneapolis, a drunk on a plane that flew into New York’s JFK Airport, and a health alert.

More about the Eagles and some footage of a tired-looking Sixers team. At least they help each other up off the floor. We are the City of Brotherly Love.

Finally, the promised weather report. It was cold today and it will be cold tomorrow.

It’s great to live in Philadelphia. We just have to dodge bullets. Everyone else has real problems.

It is clear that the local news is about building a platform to sell advertising. They, like the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, want to broaden readership. The news becomes about the New Jersey suburbs. They wonder why Philadelphians stop following them.

They are chasing demographics.

Dodging Bullets in City Ministry

We tend chase demographics in the church, too. We find mission projects upon which we can build our reputation and will be easy to support. It feels good to support the organized efforts of organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Weekend Walk for any number of causes. But let’s not fool ourselves. 

It looks good in the bulletin. It feels good to those who participate. It is good work.

It is not mission work. 

Within the church, an attractive demographic is one that is already predisposed to church tradition, where mission work is not needed to meet a budget that supports a pastor and a building.

This demographic fled to the suburbs decades ago. Replacing it is too much like work—mission work.

When the experts come to evaluate city churches they use that very language. The demographics for success are not here, city congregations are advised. Don’t expect help from us, but keep sending in your offerings. We will provide a minister to hold your hand. Make sure you provide the required benefits package as if ministry were actually happening. Let us know when the money runs out. We will help you then.

All those little churches in the city neighborhoods—still populated with plenty of God-loving, hard-serving people — well, let them dodge bullets. The suburbs will get the benefit of their property sooner that way.

Meanwhile, at Christmas, suburban church members don stylish dungarees, reluctantly shell out $20 parking in center city, dish out some soup to the city’s worst off, and call it mission.

That’s a pretty paltry return for the millions of dollars they are taking from city neighborhoods when they force church closures and lock local people out of the churches they built—contributing to slum-building.

And now for the weather. It’s STILL cold!

By the way, those people you fed at Christmas are hungry again.

Why Social Media? We are fine the way we are.

Who needs social media?
We are just a neighborhood church. No need to reach the world.

Or . .

Who needs social media?
We are a thriving suburban church with plenty to do as it is.

Using social media as an evangelism tool does not stop your congregation from being a local neighborhood church. Nor does it have to detract from your current mission efforts.

You can still have weekly worship in your sanctuary, mid-week activities, and weekend service projects. You can still sing in the choir and teach Sunday School. You will still know your neighbors.

There might just be more of them!

Social Media opens the doors to new possibilities.

  • Social Media helps you network with people you will never meet if you are waiting for them to show up on Sunday morning.
  • You will be able to identify needs that you may be able to serve but which you won’t hear about through the traditional channel of pooling resources and sending them to a regional body.
  • Your view of the world will change as Christians from all over the world begin to contact you.
  • Your broader world view will eventually impress your visitors as they will have more opportunity to connect with their skills and interests.
  • You will be more effective in whatever your mission might be.
  • More effective ministry tends to attract contributors.

Social Media is an investment in time for sure. The investment in money does not have to be great. You can get started for less than $100.

After two years, 2×2 can testify that the attention devoted to outreach on the internet is mission-changing.

It’s a new year. Give it a try.

If you need help, contact us. We’ll be glad to share.

Celebrating 25 Years in (or out) of the ELCA

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is celebrating 25 years!  They are clearly proud.

The merger that created the ELCA has not been particularly successful, although you won’t hear that from the remaining members.

There has been a mass exodus. It’s hard to find the statistics. Early in 2012, the number was more than 700. I’ve heard it has surpassed 1000.

Redeemer tried to leave. Not for the same reasons as many of the recently departing. We just saw no future in the ELCA for our small congregation. Our regional body was struggling to survive economically and cannibalizing its member churches to pay for its expensive infrastructure. Our regional body wasn’t about to let us go with our property and assets, which they had coveted for almost all of the 25 years of their existence. The Synod Council, with no constitutional authority, voted to close Redeemer in June of 2010. We found out a year late when we googled our name and came across SEPA’s minutes. They never even told us! The national office asked no questions. We are gone from the ELCA records by decree. Presumably we have the right to appeal this 2010 decision. Hard to appeal when they never tell you what they are doing! Just for the record—we are not waiving this right!

The ELCA is a big organization, probably too big. The atmosphere differs from synod to synod. The size and style of governance differs.

The ELCA is proud of being big. They are stuck in old thinking that bigger is better. Bigger is more powerful. Bigger gives them status and clout. Big gives them control of more resources. None of this is true in the emerging digitally-connected world, but old ideas die hard.

SEPA has one of the largest regional staffs in the ELCA, along with Metropolitan New York. Both have been pursuing the strategy of closing churches and claiming congregational properties and assets against the promises made to congregations in the founding documents of the ELCA.

SEPA has a high percentage of congregations under direct synodical control of some form or another. There are mission developers, bridge pastors, and interim pastors which report to synod. They boast of their pool of interim pastors who are never asked to make a long-term commitment to a parish, so there must always be a pool of churches without pastors so that they have places to serve. This is a good idea?

When a high percentage of the clergy answer directly to the bishop, it influences the decision-making process at the Annual Assembly.

Lutherans used to operate with a knowledgeable and involved laity. The ELCA’s rules, designed to promote inclusion, have created voting blocks of special interests, including people who have little knowledge of the greater church.

The professed idea is to give voice to all Lutherans, including those new to the denomination—a worthy goal but with problems the ELCA never envisioned.

Clergy can be any gender, age or race. We presume they have knowledge of Lutheran law, but we’ve learned this is not guaranteed by any means..

The laity have to fit a set criteria for age, genitalia, race, ethnicity, and language. This often leaves the most knowledgeable and experienced lay people without a voice. For example, a congregation with a predominant membership of women must come up with a male representative. Physical credentials outweigh his capabilities. Therefore, critical decisions are made by clergy with a decided self-interest and lay people with a fragile knowledge base. With the death of adult education in the church and minimal time spent by our children in Sunday School or church, the knowledge base is getting weaker and weaker. This is at the heart of many problems facing the ELCA.

Down-sizing has been the watchword for much of the denomination’s short history, especially in the regional bodies that are top heavy with administrative staff.

Seizure of small congregations’ properties has been a strategy to ward off budget problems. With brazen confidence that this could go on for many more years without question, SEPA’s Annual Assembly approved large deficit budgets year after year, only recently passing a balanced budget for the first time since SEPA was formed. Except for Redeemer’s challenge, they might still be targeting small congregations as they stated in court was their plan.

Meanwhile, the national office eliminated about 60 positions.

Lutherans just aren’t supporting hierarchy like they used to.

The reality of the emerging world is that hierarchies have less reason to exist and may actually impede the work of the church. The money collected by congregations is more effectively spent at home. Congregations know this.

  • Hierarchies used to control and fund mission outreach. Congregations can work directly with mission churches of their choice these days.
  • Hierarchies used to control social service agencies. Many of these have independent or government funding these days and have lost their religious connection for any purpose save funding. They also have easy direct access to their supporters. They don’t need the hierarchy anymore.
  • Hierarchies used to control publishing and curriculum. Congregations are finding less expensive alternatives with the explosion of self-publishing and online availability of resources they used to have to send away for.
  • Hierarchies used to control seminary education. They still do, but finding candidates has become a challenge. A recent class of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia had only nine members.
  • Hierarchies used to control the interpretation of doctrine. Boy, did that backfire on them two years ago when an unpopular interpretation sparked the recent mass departure.
  • Hierarchies used to work closely with all congregations, both large and small. Now they court the congregations that can provide the bulk of their support. Small congregations are often intentionally ignored and seen as a waste of time and resources. 

The ELCA is a mess. Its interdependent structure allows its leaders to shirk responsibility. The power of checks and balances is given to the Synod Assemblies—which we’ve just shown is comprised of self-interested clergy and a laity with a weakening knowledge base.

The highest church leaders neglect to take stands or become involved in the problems members bring to them. No waves will be made on their watch, even if there are 1000 fewer ships. To switch analogies—we are all on our own in this Wild West denomination. (We could go back to sea analogy. There is a lot of piracy going on.)

Lutherans need a Reformation.

There’s the cue for a Broadway parody: We need a Reformation. Right this very minute. . . .

Maybe a retrospective of the last 25 years will point this out.

The question is: Will the ELCA last another 25 years?

75% of World Leaders Use Twitter

If you are not one of them, what’s your excuse?

The pope uses Twitter. He had millions of followers before his first tweet.

President Obama changed election strategy with his use of Twitter with his 25 million followers. Many are probably not even Americans.

We doubt that either the Pope or President Obama are pulling out their smartphones and drafting every tweet. But it is smart of them to use their available resources to harness the power of the Twitter platform.

TechCrunch reported that “it makes sense that some of the people with the most serious of occupations are finally starting to come around to the value of the platform.”

2×2’s Twitter Experiment

twitter-follow-achiever-12×2 is running an experiment using Twitter. We began in December. We have learned that we barely have our feet wet in its potential and we are still learning how to use it within the church. We will continue our experiment indefinitely, so that we can advise other congregations.

Our end of December observations:

  • Using Twitter is a mental discipline more than anything else. We must always be thinking of short and meaningful ways to connect. There is a reward and focus in doing so.
  • It takes a while to develop a following. Just how long? Too soon to say. We have 17 followers on two Twitter accounts after our first month.
  • We don’t know if there is a correlation, but our web site traffic doubled in the first half of December, slowed over the holidays, but shows signs that the holiday dip was temporary.
  • Twitter is fun. There is value to being part of both sides of the Twitter conversation.
  • Twitter is a great way to grow insight and understanding as we meet thought leaders with interesting viewpoints. While we currently have 17 followers, we have found 40 or more people on Twitter who regularly add to our knowledge and interests—and make daily blogging a lot easier. We believe this feature of Twitter is the answer to a major challenge for churches who want to use social media.

The Myth of Redeemer’s Resistance

A Bishop Abuses the Respect of Her Office

Bishop Claire Burkat of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod (SEPA) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has frequently criticized Redeemer for “resisting” her leadership. With scant detail, she seeks to create the illusion of a renegade congregation that must be reined in for benefit of the whole Church. Her mission is easily accomplished in a synod where the rank and file is passive.

In her words, she sensed “resistance”—a definite taboo in her leadership style—but definitely allowed within the church’s democratic processes and under the beliefs of our faith.

In another tirade Redeemer was “adversarial.”

Adversarial. Resistant. Not bad words. By definition, nothing for Redeemer to be ashamed of — except by innuendo and the surety within the ELCA that no one will investigate.

Redeemer was placed in an adversarial position by unreasonable and unconscionable behavior of a bishop who uses name-calling to disguise self-interest.

Congregational leaders should stand up for the people they lead (be adversaries) and resist selfish outside agendas.

If congregational leaders are not permitted to represent their congregation’s interests, they serve no purpose. This may be the problem in SEPA and the ELCA. Its governing structure is ineffective.

If you read the three illustrations we recently posted about SEPA’s concept of mutual discernment, you will notice that Redeemer was very cooperative whenever SEPA leadership asked them to do anything that made sense and would further their mission efforts. Redeemer often sacrificed self-interest in its cooperation.

Redeemer resisted when the congregation was asked to do things which would endanger their ministry.

  • Redeemer cooperated with Bishop Almquist’s proposal to call Pastor Matthias for 18 months. Bishop Almquist broke the call agreement three months later.
  • Redeemer cooperated with Bishop Almquist when he declared synodical administration. Redeemer resisted within Lutheran rules but worked with Bishop Almquist and the trustees, bringing the matter to peaceful resolution within a year. Redeemer resisted when he failed to return our money upon the release of synodical administration for an additional year.
  • Redeemer agreed to accept the only pastor Bishop Almquist offered. Redeemer resisted locking in to a term call when the pastor announced his intentions to provide only the barest amount of service. Redeemer supported a term call, which Bishop Almquist refused to consider.
  • Redeemer cooperated when we were approached to help Epiphany when its building was condemned. We worked in good faith for 18 months. Redeemer was not given the opportunity to resist when SEPA began working with Epiphany in secret to close down their ministry, without considering the covenant made with Redeemer.
  • Most of the attention of the covenant for the first year was on settling Epiphany’s pressing problems. As soon as the covenant began to show some promise of benefitting Redeemer—the covenant was broken with all benefits to SEPA. Redeemer did not protest the inequity, but we felt used.
  • Redeemer cooperated for an additional six months, allowing both Epiphany and synod ready and rent-free access to our property. Less than a year later synod tried to lock us out!
  • Redeemer brought our successful outreach ministry to local East African immigrants to the attention of Bishop Burkat. She told us we were not allowed to do outreach ministry and refused to recognize our East African members—some of whom had been members for a decade.
  • Redeemer met with the trustees in good faith and shared our ministry plan with both them and Bishop Burkat, unaware in the beginning that the trustees had lied to us for five months. We learned from a synod staff member that Bishop Burkat never intended to give Redeemer’s ministry consideration.
  • Redeemer followed ELCA and SEPA constitutions, asking to withdraw from the ELCA, which clearly was not serving the congregation. SEPA resisted, refusing to allow Redeemer the 90 days of negotiation called for in the constitution.

Many of the continuing travesties of this sad and horrific chapter in SEPA’s history—that everyone just wishes away—would not have happened had SEPA worked with Redeemer. That’s the subject of another post.

Adult Object Lesson: Epiphany

Tuesday

 

wisemenIsaiah 60:1-6  •  Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14  •  Ephesians 3:1-12  •  Matthew 2:1-12

Epiphany falls on a Sunday this year. Christmas included only one Sunday this season. We’re betting many in your congregation missed it!

This Sunday is a celebration of the arrival of the three kings. The symbolism of the three kings is vast. It wasn’t by accident that the story of Christ’s birth includes the interruption of an undesignated number of truth seekers from unnamed parts of Earth. From the very beginning, the birth of Christ was a story meant for all mankind.

Tradition has decided that three kings came. The Bible is not specific. Three is a great number for storytellers. It gives their story a chance to rise and fall and is not so many that people can’t remember. Among the gifts they brought (yes, there were more) were three named items: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

For today’s object lesson sermon, wrap three small gifts. One should contain a small cross. Another should have a candle. The third should have a match.

Ask three congregation members to open the gifts one at a time. You can decide which order will work well with your message, but here are suggestions of what they might mean in your sermon.

The cross: a reminder that God’s gift to us was his Son who would be sacrificed for our sins.

The candle: the light of the world (light being a symbol of Epiphany).

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.  For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

The match: the spark, the spirit, the need for the faithful to do something with the gifts bestowed upon us.

We are reminded that one of the unnamed gifts of the Magi was the journey. The Magi went to great effort just to get to the bed of the baby Jesus. The journey was like striking the match. It set the story still told today in motion. The light from their match (or star) has never burned out.

photo credit: Jenn and Tony Bot via photopin cc

New Year’s Resolutions for Church Social Media

13 Resolutions for 2013 

It’s a new year. 2013. No better time to refresh our thinking for Redeemer’s ground-breaking ministry in social media evangelism, otherwise known as 2x2virtualchurch.com.

Redeemer, East Falls, Philadelphia, began its social media ministry in February of 2011, reaching 1,994 people its first year—most of this number during the last two months of the year. We projected that we would reach 12,000 in 2012. We have reached more than 13,000. With steady growth in the last six months, we project that we will reach 20,000 in 2013.

Between 50 and 100 people visit 2×2 each day. 300-600 each week. Redeemer (which the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America no longer recognizes as existing at all) reaches more people than most of its congregations.

Resolutions for Our Social Media Ministry

Here are some things we resolve as we approach a new mission year.

  1. We resolve to honor the Gospel imperatives to reach the world with a message of love.
  2. We resolve to be mindful of the needs of others as we create content for small congregations.
  3. We resolve to respond to every comment posted on our site.
  4. We resolve to think beyond our membership to provide helpful resources for seekers.
  5. We resolve to energize the laity and provide a voice for the lay point of view.
  6. We resolve to strengthen the mission bonds that were planted during the last year in Pakistan, Kenya and Sweden.
  7. We resolve to keep minds open to new mission ideas and opportunities.
  8. We resolve to add video and podcast content to our editorial mix.
  9. We resolve to assist other congregations in entering the rich but unknown territory of social media.
  10. We resolve to not desert East Falls and stand idly as the assets and resources contributed by Redeemer members and friends for mission purposes are seized to pay the operating expenses of a Synod that failed to serve us.
  11. We resolve to explore making 2x2virtualchurch.com a ministry that can support the work of Redeemer, East Falls, should the Lutherans of the Southeastern Pennsylvanian Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ever stir its collective conscience to revisit its horrific behavior in this neighborhood.
  12. We resolve to help find active ministry solutions for small congregations and put an end to SEPA’s selfish “stand and watch while they fail” policies.
  13. We resolve to be ready for a day of reconciliation with a ministry plan that is ready to resume speed.

Redeemer has never stopped following its mission.

Redeemer is not closed.
We are locked out of God’s House by SEPA Synod.