The foundational message from God is simple. God loves us!
With this message, Christians are sent out into the world (2×2) to spread the Good News of God’s Love.
Congregations dedicated to outreach take this message seriously and revolve activity around it. All are welcome. Come as you are. Embrace God. Embrace us.
But from the moment the hook touches our eager lips, the message begins to change. You didn’t expect all this love to be free, did you?
More is expected of the new Christian. This is biblical to some degree. We love because God first loved us.
Some of it is pure greed. Newcomers to church will sense it. Some will dive in and become part of church culture. Some will lurk, testing the water no deeper than than their knees. Some will run to shore and keep running, the dollar sign on their foreheads no longer visible.
It is a balancing act for any congregation. What exactly is expected of lay church members? How do we grow involvement without crumbling the foundation of new faith?
It helps to understand lay thinking.
People join church because of family tradition.
People join church to feel part of community.
People join church to know God.
People join church to feel loved and to grow in their expression of love.
People join church to feel better about themselves and their personal failings.
No one joins a church to take on enormous existing debt.
No one joins a church looking to be subject to authority they barely know.
To welcome people openly with love, waiting to begin demands until they are settled in the pew, is a bait and switch. It is what keeps people away from worship and Christian community.
It is something for congregations to think about as they plan outreach, stewardship and new member programs. Are we ministering to them or hitching our lifeline to them?
Social Media makes introductions. It opens doors. It is a vital tool.
But the rest of Church Work is as old as the Palestinian hills.
The people of the Church must worship. We must be aware of our surroundings—our fellow worshipers and the community we will step into when worship ends. We must teach the Gospel. We must help the sick and frail. We must care about the troubled. We must be a voice for the disenfranchised. We must respond to crises. We must do this individually. We must motivate groups.
There is no substitute in Social Media for reaching out with an open hand. The sense of touch may still be the most valuable tool of Christianity. That’s where Social Media ministries must kick the keyboard aside and go to work.
One of Redeemer’s young men graduated from college today. New York University’s commencement ceremony filled a good bit of Yankee Stadium. The president of NYU, John Sexton, gave a talk about how NYU was founded by Albert Gallatin in 1831 (when New York was still a small city) to be a university “in and of the city.” He talked about how NYU has never strayed from the mission of being a vibrant part of New York City but has expanded to become an influence in the world. The graduating class of about 12,000 included representatives from every state and about 133 countries. He described what NYU’s transformation as becoming “glocal”—a combination of the words “global” and “local.”
What he described is what had been happening at Redeemer. As we continued to serve the local neighborhood, we were becoming the faith home of people from many countries—all of whom were becoming active in our neighborhood and ministry. All of them lived with a five-mile radius. They were part of our neighborhood.
Most of our newer members were from Tanzania, but there were about five other African countries represented and a few European and Asian countries as well. Early on, we had determined that we didn’t want to be separate faith communities sharing a building. We worshiped and worked together.
We believe that this approach to ministry has a strong future. Unfortunately, our bishop refused to recognize our African members even though some of them had worshiped with Redeemer for as many as 10 years.
Bishop Claire Burkat was so intensely focused on acquiring our property that she counted only our white members and dismissed our black members, saying
“White Redeemer must be allowed to die. Black Redeemer . . . we can put them anywhere.”
Why? Why didn’t our faithful African members count? Why did white Redeemer . . . who were relatively young and vibrant . . . have to go anywhere? Redeemer had successfully charted a new course without shutting people out.
This divisive inanity is even more difficult to understand when we read of SEPA’s assigned ties as a sister synod to part of Tanzania. This prompted one Redeemer member to comment, “Bishop Burkat thinks Tanzanian Lutherans are great . . . as long as Tanzanian Lutherans stay in Tanzania.”
It remains a puzzle why a synod dedicated to teaming with Tanzanian Lutherans would treat local Tanzanian immigrants in such a condescending manner. Redeemer’s members should have been valued as a potential strength in building this international bond. Instead, they were evicted from Redeemer’s property along with “white Redeemer.”
Nevertheless, Redeemer continues its ministry and although we didn’t coin the term “glocalization,” we understand it, are practicing it, and think that it is a concept that must be explored by every congregation that exists in a changing demographic. Local people from the older part of a changing demographic must not be made to feel that they have been replaced and are no longer welcome.
Newer members of emerging demographics must become active as quickly as possible. It is absolutely absurd to insist that all members of a glocalized church be evicted to facilitate the ending of one demographic while distant regional leadership tries to figure out how to minister in the neighbhorhoods they just wrote off.
Redeemer’s ministry continues to define and redefine the “Glocal Church.” We are making contact with ministries all over the world. We don’t have a manual for how to minister this way, but we are taking notes. We may write one!
Jay Baer of Convince and Convert made an interesting comment today. The average customer has 20 times the communication power available individually than a media giant like NBC had in its entire field twenty years ago.
Jay was speaking to the business community, but think how that translates to your congregation’s power to evangelize.
At the recent Assembly of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bishop Claire Burkat announced with pride that SEPA was adopting its first balanced budget in more than 20 years. It was formed in 1988. That’s almost its entire history.
The practice of budgeting and spending far more than they had any hope of bringing in through voluntary contributions from member churches was a very bad practice that 2×2 believes led to coveting the assets of smaller congregations. Large churches had the benefits of services from staffs they could afford only by relying on small churches giving up everything. This led to neglecting the needs of small congregations. Part time, revolving-door ministries wore down the lay people until they gave in. Several churches were forced into closure with assets going to the synod.
This is presented as good stewardship. We think it is squandering the lay people’s legacy and investments in their neighborhoods.
Constitutionally, there is no requirement that any member church contribute to Synod. There is also no constitutional requirement that congregations must designate assets to the Synod upon closing. Congregations may sell their property at any time and determine how the proceeds are to be spent. This is historic Lutheran polity. There are many stories of congregations voting to close and leaving nothing to their denomination. There is an expectation that remaining assets be used for some charitable purpose in keeping with the congregation’s mission and with the approval of the congregation, but Synods are not to be the determiners. The congregations are.
Bishops and Synod Councils are not given constitutional powers to vote congregations out of the ELCA without serious negotiation. This requires a vote of the congregation. Of course, in SEPA, if the congregation doesn’t vote SEPA’s way — you can always just declare things to be the way you want them to be. Let the people eat cake.
But thinking changed in SEPA. They were passing six-figure deficit budgets and relying on the sale of closed church properties to save the day. They placed the assets in what they called The Mission Fund. They dipped into this fund whenever their deficit budget hit the wall. Declining membership and giving in even the largest churches made this a regular occurrence.
Things have changed. SEPA’s finance committee objected to the practice of including projected sales of properties in their proposed budget. Kudos.
We like to think that Redeemer’s insistence on Lutheran polity helped turn the tide. It is very unfortunate that this new-found wisdom was at the expense of the East Falls faith community (and about six others).
Not so many years past, mission work in far away places was something congregations knew about and supported but little more. It was impractical and impossible for congregational members to be directly involved in distant outreach.
Mission work was the realm of specially trained and denominationally sponsored missionaries who traveled to faraway places, often with their families. They either found work in foreign places and evangelized on the side (the tent-making approach) or worked full time — preaching, building hospitals and schools, gaining trust and creating Christian community.
The method was a choice driven by the philosophy of a denomination or sponsoring group. Christianity spread around the world, but it took decades to train native leadership to take over the “mission fields,” a popular term that became politically incorrect a couple of decades ago.
Back home, sponsoring congregations looked forward to periodic reports. Missionaries would return home, visit congregations with stories and photos, and raise support for future work.
That was then.
2×2 is discovering that it is now possible for congregations to become directly involved in mission efforts. We stumbled upon this mission. We put mission content on our website. For all we knew, there it would sit. But within a year faraway congregations found the content and contacted us. Today, congregations in Kenya and Pakistan correspond with 2×2 regularly. We learn about their ministries, share experiences, prayers and scriptures and offer ideas for ministry.
A few weeks ago, 2×2 sent an MP3 recording of a simple anthem we thought would translate well in any culture or language. One African church wrote to us this weekend to tell us their children learned the anthem from the recording and sang it in worship last Sunday.
Another congregation asked for ideas for Good Friday and later for a youth retreat. Another asked for help with a children’s curriculum.
We make it a policy to answer requests as best we can. When we have no answer from our own experience, we point to online resources.
But there’s more to it. We are learning from their ministries as well. The “mission field” includes us!
This was not possible ten years ago. Today, any congregation can expand its mission expression anywhere in the world. The role of regional and denominational offices is likely to change. They may begin to concentrate on helping congregations create and maintain direct connections.
Congregations are entering new territory and must “get over” the sense that mission work is only for the experts—an attitude we’ve encountered even in local outreach. This path was followed in the past because it was the only way possible. The danger we face today is to assume that this is the only proper way to reach out with the Gospel. Because top-down control was the only way then, does not mean it is the only way now.
There are signs that this transition will not come easily. Denominational leaders have invested a great deal in creating mission infrastructure that is becoming outdated. There will be challenges to be sure, but they must be met, because things are going to change. (Use the word “transform” if it helps!)
The Church is not experiencing anything exceptional. Every realm of society is learning the uncharted byroads of the information superhighway.
How this develops congregation to congregation remains to be seen as we explore new territory. Meanwhile, our suggestion is for congregations to keep it real.
Communication must be heartfelt and genuine with participants working to share actual experiences with credentials honestly presented. What your congregation cannot handle should be referred to those who can.
Explore possibilities but never assume patronizing or expert status.
Study the methods of the past. Learn from their vast experience and adapt.
Never publish anything about another faith fellowship without their knowledge and permission. You may make life difficult for Christians in cultures that do not encourage minority religions.
Make sure communication is two-way. Other cultures have a lot to teach us!
Be prepared for the energy of distant congregations to change your congregation’s perspective.
How will you find one another? Add helpful ministry content regularly to your congregation’s web site. Write in a way that search engines will find you. Wait. It may take months, God will work his wonders in mysterious ways.
God is doing something new, but if we stick to the old mission manuals, the Church will never be able to perceive it.
There is Mothers Day in 2009 when two Synod Council members visited Redeemer, barely abiding our worship. Before the service was over, they walked to the front of the sanctuary and announced that, from now on, they are “in charge.”
Tracey Beasley and Larry House were quickly surrounded by Redeemer members who, after heated dialogue, sent them packing. Happy Mothers Day.
This Mothers Day, Redeemer Ambassadors gathered in a hospital room of one of our major clergy supporters. We worshiped and prayed together. Later in the day, we met for a Mothers Day party.
This morning we could have used a van. One of our members had to stay behind because our car was full.
That led us to recall Bishop Almquist’s attempt to take control of our property in 1998. A Synod Staff member dangled a ridiculous carrot before the congregation. Turn your property and endowment fund over to us and we will purchase a van for your congregation to travel to another church. We didn’t fall for that obvious ploy. We were sure that once SEPA had Redeemer’s coveted property there would be a reason to renege on a promise that made no sense in the first place.
Oddly, today Redeemer is doing what Synod suggested back in 1998. SEPA has succeeded, for the moment, in locking the congregation out of the Church, and we travel together to other churches on Sunday morning.
No offer of a van this time. Just criticism and law suits. Happy Mothers Day.
We welcome Glory of Pentecost Fellowship from Eastern Kenya.
Silas Kadenge found 2×2 through our VBS-aid initiative. He wrote and hoped to sponsor a VBS-aid school. We were sorry to tell him that the program is start-up program for small American churches. But we engaged in correspondence and pointed him to some online resources we thought would be helpful.
We were surprised when we asked him the size of his VBS and he said he expected 200 children and wanted help training teachers.
There is a Brazilian-born sculptor who creates incredible art out of pencil stubs. Dalton Ghetti chisels the thin shafts of graphite into marvelous little statements. The image shown here doesn’t begin to do his portfolio justice. Take a look. We might have to add to the biblical analogy of faith and the mustard seed faith like a pencil stub!
Lutherans are an accepted mainline Christian denomination. They can’t possibly be considered a cult, can they?
There is debate about what constitutes a cult as opposed to a religion. Some authorities refuse to use the word “cult.” Others believe the word appropriately describes religious groups with certain common characteristics.
Interestingly, both extremes agree on one point. Cults include religious groups that exist outside the law — including their own governing laws.
This was part of the court ruling in the SEPA/Redeemer conflict. The Pennsylvania Court of Appeals ruled in a split decision that the case brought against the congregation by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (SEPA/ELCA) could not be heard because of First Amendment separation of church/state. However a strongly worded dissenting opinion found thatif the law is applied, Redeemer’s position is well-grounded.
The question for lay church members and all Lutherans is serious. How are we to function when our constitutions cannot be interpreted by the law and when leaders are immune from the law but do not hesitate to use their protected status and the law to attack church members?
We predict this will be a continuing problem in the Lutheran church.
As this conflict unfolded over a period of about five years, several other cultlike characteristics came to define SEPA’s leadership.
The ELCA describes itself, its congregations, synods and agencies as interdependent. There is no hierarchy. Each expression is to be supportive of the other. These characteristics are not necessarily descriptive of every synod or every congregation. However, each characteristic we cite can be documented in the SEPA/Redeemer conflict. The following posts record some of what went on.
Cults are control-oriented. Bishop Claire Burkat refused to work with Redeemer’s elected leaders, insisting on taking every issue directly to the congregation. This destroys constitutionally mandated congregational leadership structure. Redeemer insisted that she respect the elected leaders of the congregation as spokespeople for the congregation (which is why congregations elect leaders). Bishop Burkat replaced Redeemer’s leadership by decree — without meeting with either the leadership or the congregation to discuss this.
Isolation is used as a control tool. The pastor serving Redeemer in 2006 resigned with 10 days notice after a private meeting with the bishop. A year later, the pastor Redeemer hoped to call visited with the Bishop’s office and never returned to Redeemer. This gave Redeemer no clergy vote, voice or influence.
Cults make it difficult to leave. Redeemer passed a congregational resolution to withdraw from the ELCA, which is constitutionally allowed. According to the constitution, a request is supposed to activate a 90-day period of negotiation. SEPA responded by informing Redeemer it could not withdraw; it was officially “terminated.” The congregation would no longer have a vote or voice in any gathering of Lutherans.
Rights of members are not clearly defined. Redeemer was told it had no right to appeal until a week before Synod Assembly in 2008. The cycle repeated in 2009. Throughout this process, Redeemer’s requests for appeal guidelines were ignored. The format for the appeal was provided just days before Synod Assembly. At the same time, Redeemer was told they could attend Synod Assembly ONLY for the purpose of the appeal—despite the fact that their delegate registrations had already been accepted.
Questioning leadership is discouraged. Redeemer’s attempts to communicate with the synod were ignored.
Cults treat the property of members as if it is their own. The whole purpose of the Redeemer conflict was to make Redeemer’s property synod’s property. Today, four years after the courts deeded our property to synod, Bishop Burkat can barely say the name Redeemer. She calls us “former” Redeemer (although we never voted to close). She refers to our property as the land “once occupied” by “former Redeemer” as if we never purchased it, owned it, and built and cared for the buildings. In her mind our ownership of land seems to have been in trust — waiting for the day she wanted to claim it. Other SEPA congregations take note. If SEPA’s logic applies, you think you own your land. SEPA thinks you occupy THEIR land.
Cult leadership exploits vulnerable circumstances, even creating the illusion of crisis, with no attempt to address the problems. Although, SEPA refused to help the congregation find leadership, Redeemer was not in crisis. The church was growing and ready to call new leadership. Many congregations are under the false impression that Synod was financially supporting Redeemer. Other way around!
Cult leadership answers to no higher authority. Redeemer requested assistance from Bishop Hanson and the legal offices of the national church but were turned away. An attempt to talk to a Synod Council member (who are supposed to represent the congregations) was rebuffed.
Cult leadership employs deception. Synod-appointed trustees introduced themselves to Redeemer as “fact finders” not “trustees.” Redeemer was not informed it was under synodical administration for five months. Bishop Burkat came to a meeting announced for one purpose and had a locksmith hiding in a van behind the property.
Cult leaders use fear and intimidation. A Redeemer officer was warned to “get out while the getting is good.” The first resort of Bishop Burkat was a lawsuit naming individual church members personally. Add to this the pastors who “disappeared” after meetings in the bishop’s office. And then there was the Showdown on Midvale Avenue.
Cult leaders use character assassination. The story persists, first told by trustees in 2008, that Redeemer members tried to have the bishop arrested. This never happened. That was the beginning of the gossip against Redeemer leaders.
The lack of open debate is a sure sign of a cult. SEPA made all rules for the appeal forum. A mere 10 minutes was allotted for discussion, extended at the last minute by the bishop to 20 minutes. All of that 20 minutes was filled with pre-arranged speakers—more than doubling Synod’s presentation time. The first person to reach the microphones with a question was told “time is up.” Redeemer was not allowed to participate in the discussion. In three years, no active pastors have spoken publicly on these issues.
Events are controlled. (See above)
The behavior of the leaders is excused no matter how harsh or harmful to members. Eleven volunteer lay members of Redeemer are threatened with the loss of their homes as the result of four years of litigation. No one in SEPA is asking if this harsh treatment of Redeemer church members is necessary or advisable.
Dependency on the group leader is encouraged.Analytical thought is discouraged. Redeemer was told in 2006 that they couldn’t do outreach ministry except through synod’s mission office, which would direct and control mission activity. There are no such rules in either the synod’s or the congregation’s constitutions. It is the mission of every congregation to do outreach ministry. Synod cannot possibly control them all! Or maybe they can! Our Ambassador visits reveal a high percentage of congregations have interim, bridge, or mission developer pastors, which report to Synod. There is a reason why Synods demand congregations work with a Synod Mission Office. It’s an underhanded abuse of the constitution. Once a congregation accepts help from a Mission office, they lose property rights. But congregations don’t know that until it’s too late.
Practical solutions are excluded in preference of a leader’s wishes. Redeemer has offered numerous compromises for peace and been ignored. There are many ways to resolve this conflict that would be in line with Christian teachings.
The use of loaded language. Bishop Burkat opened her only meeting with Redeemer representatives with a tirade using the word “adversarial” repeatedly. Most of the people present had never met the bishop before. The incessant and false re-telling of the “attempt to have the bishop arrested” is another example.
Excessive use of guilt. Members are never good enough. Their history is criticized. Their leaders are criticized. Their social connections are faulted. Redeemer knows all about this!
Leaders claim no responsibility. Members bear all the blame.
And finally . . . . Cults operate in defiance of the teachings of their scriptures. Lutherans should be practicing what we preach . . . love, compassion, reconciliation, forgiveness and atonement. Not in SEPA!
We’ve heard similar stories in at least three other ELCA synods, but we are not suggesting that all ELCA synods and congregations fit the above criteria. But some Lutheran entities have clearly lost their way.
There is cause for concern. We trust there is also hope.
Join Bishop Ruby Kinisa as she visits small churches "under cover" to learn what people would never share if they knew they were talking to their bishop.
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MISSION INSPIRATION OFFER
A visual and biblical guide to help congregations define their missions.
Contact Info
You can reach
Judy Gotwald,
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at
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or 215 605 8774
Redeemer’s Prayer
We were all once strangers, the weakest, the outcasts, until someone came to our defense, included us, empowered us, reconciled us (1 Cor. 2; Eph. 2).
Be calm. Wait. Wait. Commit your cause to God. He will make it succeed. Look for Him a little at a time. Wait. Wait. But since this waiting seems long to the flesh and appears like death, the flesh always wavers. But keep faith. Patience will overcome wickedness.
—Martin Luther
