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.