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?