Sour Grapes?
The Lutheran Magazine recently reported on the hundreds of churches that have left the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America this year. At the August Synod Assembly, ELCA Secretary David Swartling reflected on the statistics, issuing a statement that smelled a bit of sour grapes. 54%, he noted, were congregations in communities of 10,000 or less.
“Given the small size of these communities, profound questions exist about the long-term viability of many of these congregations and their capacity to be effective in ministry and to develop the kind of interrelationships that they had in the ELCA.”
ELCA, wake up!
Speaking from our own experience in Southeastern Pennsylvania, small churches can no longer count on the ELCA for interrelationships or support in ministry. Small churches are being written off.
Our denomination acts as if they can continue to get away with serving as if they are the only game in town. This is most noticeable at the synodical level, but frankly, the national church has also looked the other way when small churches asked for help.
In Redeemer’s case (which you can read about elsewhere on this site), Bishop Hanson responded to Redeemer’s first request for help in our now four-year conflict with SEPA Synod by telling us of his regard for our bishop and urging both sides to negotiate. (Record of correspondence) He ignored every other letter our congregation sent to him . . as did the bishop and the rest of SEPA leadership. We understand his regard for a colleague in ministry. We do not understand why this regard translates to no regard for the people they both serve.
Small churches are frustrated with good reason. Church leadership should ask how long corporations would remain profitable if (and Redeemer experienced each of these):
The corporate office did not return phone calls.
The corporate office did not respond to letters.
Requests for appointments were given dates 3-5 months away–which then became 11 months.
Decisions regarding local management and profitability were made with no interaction with local management.
Key leadership positions went unfilled for years.
Customers and clients were totally ignored but expected to eagerly embrace every new product.
The workforce was asked to go through a grinding 12-18 months of interim limbo with every change of manager.
Sales initiatives for each branch had to be managed by one corporate officer serving scores of branches.
The manager had orders from middle management to placate workers until they grew discouraged and quit.
Corporate never visited the branches unless they wanted something from them.
There was a time when congregations had no choice, but things have changed. New Lutheran denominations are emerging and time will tell if they are able to serve effectively.
More critically, small congregations now have mission opportunities outside the ELCA with organizations that pay more attention to them and are eager to work together.
If the ELCA wants to continue as an effective presence in our nation’s small towns and urban neighborhoods, they must find ways to help congregations face modern challenges. Meanwhile congregations are sending a message.
All those ELCA interrelationships — we aren’t feeling it!
