I have three criteria for attending the symposium: (1) Does the topic interest me?  (2) Is there a speaker that I'd really like to hear?  (3) Does my dad have tickets for the Packer game the day before?  As it turned out, the answer in each case was, "Yes!"  So I bought the plane tickets in April (before the prices went through the roof, thankfully -- and on my favorite carrier, Midwest Airlines), and off I went to Wisconsin last week.  The symposium was definitely the highlight of the trip.  The Packer game?  Not so much.

The subject for the symposium this year was Church and Ministry.  Perhaps that sounds like a real snoozer to most people, but it's an interesting topic in that it is one of the main doctrinal differences among confessional Lutherans today.  I suspect that most lay people are not aware of the fact that church and ministry is one of the key doctrinal differences today between the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) and LCMS (Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod).  To make a long story short, the WELS position is that the church is "where two or three are gathered" in Jesus' name; the LCMS position is that the church is properly the local congregation.  The WELS position on the ministry is that anyone called by believers to serve them with the gospel (pastors, teachers, professors, vicars, staff ministers, etc.) is a minister; the LCMS position is that the pastor is the (only) divinely ordained form of the ministry.  Rather than reiterate what has been said zillions of times elsewhere, I will simply point you to the symposium essays on the church's members, ministry, and ministers for further reading and study.  This post on the WELS Q&A page might also be helpful.

You've noticed by now that I did not title this post "church and ministry."  The church and ministry discussion brings me to another discussion: the need for the church to stick solely to the Scriptures as the basis for what it believes, teaches, and confesses.

One of the points raised repeatedly during the symposium is that we, as pastors, need to strive to make sure that we do not say anything more or less than Scripture says.  That sounds easy enough.  But in reality, this fails to happen more often than we'd care to admit.  And it is this tendency that results in the differences on the issue of church and ministry between WELS and LCMS.  While I do not subscribe to the "every member is a minister" thinking, I find it difficult to say biblically that only the pastor can be considered a minister, and only the local congregation is the biblical definition of "church."

I have absolutely no intention of picking on the LCMS.  I know many LCMS pastors personally (the confessional guys, that is), and I have great respect for them and what they're trying to accomplish in a synod that is rather fractured right now.  I also know that not all in the Missouri Synod hold strictly to this view of church and ministry.  Finally, I'm well aware of the fact that WELS has its own set of issues, challanges, and problems to deal with.  No mud-slinging from this post!  (Disagreements?  Yes. Mud-slinging?  Go blog somewhere else!)

That said, I can't help but notice (and many others have observed) that the Lutheran Confessions or the writings of Martin Luther and C.F.W. Walther often get more attention and exegesis than the writings of Scripture themselves.  I think that's one of the factors in the church and ministry discussion.  Luther and Walther may have made statements about these issues, but those statements were made in a particular context, and our current context may or may not reflect the same issues.

The introduction of the Formula of Concord (1577), the last of the Lutheran Confessions to be written, even addresses this matter.  I think Lutherans today can learn a lot from these opening comments in the Formula of Concord.  On the one hand, you can see that our Lutheran forefathers did not disown the past or the writings of the church fathers.  There is much to be learned from the past, and we suffer greatly as a church if we become ahistorical.  On the other hand, the Formula's writers are careful not to put the cart before the horse.  There is no question that the buck stops with Scripture.  With that, here is the valuable commentary that opens the Formula of Concord.  This is taken from the Kolb-Wengert translation.

(One note for those to whom this is "new reading," particularly lay people: The reason for the [brackets] around the verse numbers is that verse numbers didn't yet exist for Scripture books at the time of the Reformation.  These were added later, so the editors added the verse numbers in brackets to create more complete references for modern readers.)

The highlight from Walther was this:

The smallest congregation is just as important as the largest one, and the largest is no more important than the smallest, because every congregation is great only because Christ is present in it.

I suggest that the LCMS Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance take a look at what Walther wrote.   Walther would differ considerably with at least one of the their "Proposals and Possibilities".

"Allow congregations with more than 750 confirmed members to be represented by two additional delegates for each additional unit of 750 confirmed members or the majority thereof, with each pair of additional delegates to be one ministerial (ordained or commissioned) delegate and one non-ordained delegate."

Walther says all congregations are equally important because of Christ.  Some in the Synod say larger congregations are more important.  Why?  Because they have more members and constituents.  It seems like this rationale would better apply to Electoral Votes for President of the United States than the church.

I won't go into all of the technical details about the wedding because they really aren't that important. Who wore what and the physical arrangements were not what made in great. It was putting Jesus at the center, a conscious act by the bride and groom, that made the celebration so special.

The music was traditional and ancient. I can't remember the last time I heard anything by Bach in a church, let alone at a wedding. The scripture for the celebration was taken from Ephesians 5:22-33, and Christ's love for the church and His death for our sins was woven throughout the service. It was a good, old-fashioned wedding service in the fine tradition of the Lutheran church. And it was wonderful.

The wedding was held at Our Redeemer in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, about an hour south of our home. They have a fantastic pipe organ that was masterfully played, along with violins, trumpets, and a soloist who gave us a breathtaking rendition of the hymn "How Deep The Father's Love for Us" by Stuart Townend.

Here are the lyrics:

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
And make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulder
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

What made the day so special was the way that these two young people, believers in Christ, put Him at the center of their wedding celebration. And they shared Him with us as their special gift.

May you have a blessed Lord's Day. Until next time, Peace in Christ.

D

The Brothers of John the Steadfast is an advocacy group formed by LCMS laymen in reaction to the termination of the Issues, Etc. radio program and the firing of its host and producer during Holy Week.  The new organization is named after John the Steadfast, a brother of Frederick the Wise, a layman, and a stalwart defender of the Reformation.  Its purpose is to promote the truth of the Lutheran Confessions in an age of anti-truth, and does this primarily by supporting the resurrected Issues, Etc.™

However, the greatest achievement of the Lutheran Confessions was in unifying Lutherans around the truth.  I hope that unity in truth will also be one of the achievements of Brothers of John the Steadfast.  Among Lutherans, a declaration of fellowship says that there is complete unity of doctrine and practice of doctrine.  True Christian unity is unity in truth.

If they can resurrect Issues, Etc., maybe they can also resurrect the old Synodical Conference.  That would be amazing.  The Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America was a joint Lutheran fellowship organization between the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS).  It dissolved in 1963 over fellowship issues.

• Past Fractures

Confessional Lutherans are fractured.  The 75 congregation Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC) which broke away from the WELS in 1960 is a good example.  To get a flavor of the challenges Lutheran unity faces, read the CLC's explanation as to their current differences with the WELS.

The CLC's differences with the WELS are entirely about fellowship.  For example, the CLC says that even though the WELS split with the LCMS in 1961 over fellowship issues, they should have split in 1955.  In their defense, the CLC says this is not just a question of speed or timing, but of doctrine.  Is the speed with which fellowship is broken a doctrinal issue?  Or is it simply a matter of how fellowship doctrine is applied?  Is there a difference?

• Fellowship Issues Continue

Today, many Lutherans face similar issues.  How do we maintain unity in truth?  How do we exercise doctrinal authority?  Do we have a new Martin Chemnitz?  Or are we forever doomed to split into smaller groups in the search for doctrinal purity?

Lutheranism seems to have taken the path of splitting into ever smaller synods.  This may not be wrong per se, but it is not the best leadership either.  As Christians we are at our best when we fight, not just heresy, but also division.

• All Christians

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for his disciples and then for all Christians.  He prayed that all Christians would be united through his word of truth.  Jesus prayed for unity in truth.

I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  [John 17:20-23].

• Further Reading

For further reading please read the satire "Folks Like Us" by Pastor Todd Wilken to emphasize the point that unity should never be obtained at the expense of truth.  (The ELCA is a good example of "Lutheran" unity at the expense of truth).

We had a few immediate needs for a simple LMS system, one that would track a user's progress through a simple video course, but we needed to make sure that the solution we chose would be able to grow with us as we expanded our e-learning course catalog.

We looked at open source solutions like Moodle, hosted services like Macromedia Breeze and WebEx, and customized out-of-the-box solutions from various vendors. Each had advantages and disadvantages.

One thing that was certain was that we wanted to have the ability to use SCORM or AICC compatible learning modules. This would allow us to bring in third-party courses to offer to both internal and external customers.

As we examined each option, a few things began to stand out.

• If we went with a proven, feature-rich system, we would be getting way more than we needed, especially at first. These came with a huge price tag as well.
• Using an open source solution alleviated the price issue, but we couldn't be certain that we could get the support we would need. Even as we were researching open source options, we noticed several that seemed to have been abandoned and had no community support to speak of.
• Hosted solutions like Breeze didn't give us the flexibility we wanted. Since we were just getting started with our LMS, we knew we would learn some lessons as we went (so to speak) and would want to expand in a relatively uncharted area of e-learning (personal finance).

As we talked with experts in the LMS arena, we started considering the advantages of building our own custom LMS from the ground up.

First, we could pick and choose the features we needed and build them as we needed them. This was a big plus, as Dave is big on starting small and growing your business as the need and opportunity are available.

Second, we would never be paying for features we didn't need, as would likely be the case with out-of-the-box solutions.

Third, we have one of the most talented group of developers in Nashville, certainly in the state, and likely, in the nation. We knew that we could produce a better product than any vendor. Why not set the bar high and turn us loose on it?

So that's what we chose to do. We brought an expert with years of experience in the e-learning industry on board, locked him in a room with some of the top software development and systems architecture people in the industry, and our LMS was born. At least in concept.

What we got was a scaleable, extensible system that is being improved every day and running underneath FPU Online and the Bankruptcy Education systems.

I thought about how the landscape has changed in my years of ministry and in my experience in the Lutheran Church. If there's ONE thing that stands out, surely everyone will agree it is the changes to our worship. There was a time when you really could just about bet on either p. 5 or 15, and if you had a certain kind of parish, maybe Matins. But Lutherans didn't obsess on liturgy; they just worshipped. They followed what was in the book (more or less - we've never been ones for liturgical straight-jackets).

And then enter the whole contemporary worship scene (which should really be called by what it is: the adoption of the liturgy of the Pentecostals and Charismatics). What has been the result?

Are our churches stronger in mission than they were when the liturgy was honored nearly across the board in our Synod? Do we send more or fewer missionaries? Are our people more united now than they were then? How about our support of Synod - stronger or weaker? Is our preaching better or worse? How about our catechesis? Our confessional commitment?

Now I'm just a layperson but having been one that wanted to see more contemporary worship at one time only to now desire the traditional divine services, I'd agree that all contemporary worship does is bring disruption and disillusionment (because the focus is no longer on the Theology of the Cross). So I think the answers those questions are worse and weaker.

Now if the point could just be driven home that to reverse course and make things better and stronger a return to divine worship and an elimination of "flavor of the month" worship in the LCMS is what is needed. We want the focus back on the "Theology of the Cross" because that's what we need to hear every week.

Top Ten Bad Jobs in the Synod If you are a Confessional Lutheran
(From Pr. Preus)

10. Overseas missionary. Really bad job security.

9. Any one whose sole job is working for Fan into Flame. “How do you explain that two year gap in your resume during the years 2007-2009?”

8. Executive director of Concordia Historical Institute. Really bad job security.

7. Seminary professor at Ft. Wayne without tenure. How would you like to know that your future depended upon Wayne Graumann, John Kieschnick and David Buegler - all Jesus First supporters?

6. Seminary professor at either seminary. How would you like to have a job where you had to gulp hard, plug your nose and say nothing negative about Ablaze?

5. Mega church pastor. The pressure of weekly performance and growth should generate NFL and Rock star salaries, and you are making only $120,000.

4. First lady. Turns out you can’t say anything from the pulpit without getting hammered.

3. Confessional talk show host. Really bad job security.

2. Executive Director to the Board of Communications Services. One day you’re respected. The next day you’re not. Ouch! And all of that for someone who will never reciprocate.

1. Synod’s treasurer. “You spent what on travel for your wife? You spent that on consultants? You want me to sell that? I can’t possibly balance that! You fired who?”

So where are the good jobs?  Then again these would be the good jobs if the LCMS returned to it's historic roots instead of going down the "wrong path".

I. Keep the good

II. Avoid the bad

III. Fix what's bad now

IV. Make it better

You can read each area in further detail here.

Here is a list of links related to the show's resurrection:

• Issues, Etc.org is the old site resurrected.

• Pirate Christian Radio.com is the web service streaming the show over the internet.  So far, I enjoy this new "radio" station.

• Brothers of John the Steadfast is an advocacy group formed by LCMS laymen in reaction to the termination of the Issues Etc. radio program.  The new organization is named after John the Steadfast, a brother of Frederick the Wise, a layman, and a stalwart defender of the Reformation.

These organizations along with many other Christians are stepping up to meet the same challenges that every confessional church in America is facing: the replacement of truth with jelly.

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning . . . It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes."  (Luke 12:35-37).

Previous Posts:

Issues, Etc. & Financial Transparency
Issues, Etc. & the LCMS

• Issues, Etc. can also be heard live in the St. Louis area from 4-5 p.m. CST weekdays on KSIV, 1320 AM & the Bott Radio Network.

• LCMS = The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
• C/W = Commission on Worship
• CCM = Christian contemporary music

And here is a recent article from the LCMS that is behind the title's alphabet soup:

LCMS Approves 100 Worship & Praise Songs

When I have a moment, I may comment more on this. Those of you who know me well will probably be able to guess my coming comments' content (hey, not bad alliteration at 7:00 in the morning!). An essay I wrote a few years ago, now posted on the WELS Commission on Worship website, offers some commentary on CCM with a few specific examples. An updated version of this essay will be published later this year; keep your eyes open for more details!

Proclaiming the Gospel in Worship

The pertinent quotations come from pages 17-20 in the version linked above. Go to the third major section, "Proclaiming the Gospel in Song," under the subheading, "Text Issue: Emphases in Praise Songs."

It seems like everybody and his brother is suddenly writing about “this is not your grandfather’s church,” the notorious quip used over the years by the president of the LCMS.  I’ve been working through my thoughts on this for a while (that is to say, I’m sure I thought of blogging about it first), and so I suppose everybody, his brother, and his brother's dorky friend with the acne has now written about it.

What bothers me most is where the phrase comes from. It’s taken from the Oldsmobile slogan “this is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” Our president speaks of our church as if he were the ad man for an automobile company! The ad is a blatant appeal to the vanity. About the target it says “You’re cosmopolitan. You’re sophisticated. You demand more than getting from point A to point B: You move in style.” About the car it says “Elegant. Sporty. Chick magnet. Better than your neighbor's car.” The ad man doesn't know you. But he speaks flattering words in order to manipulate you, and doing so, taking advantage of another's weakness, is wrong.

And so when our president says “this is not your grandfather’s church,” he's appealing to the vanity. Considered and deliberate or not, that’s the physics of such a phrase. To the hearer it says “You don’t just need law and the gospel. You deserve more than that. You demand more than that, because you're intelligent and discerning and stunningly sophisticated. You look 20 years younger than your really are and frankly, you’re worth it.” About of church is says “We’re not fuddy-duddies. We’re hip. We're on the move. We are ready to Par-tay. We’re cool. (This is a church that grew up in the 60s, you understand, or it would say “WE h1P. we k00L.” We’re up 2 date and ready 2 speak 2 where U R, boi.”)

I’m not kidding. There's nothing else that such a phrase could mean. As collateral damage, it  disparages the work and persons of the church and saints that have gone on before - those who heroically stood for the gospel in the face of liberalism, those who died at the hands of those to whom they were spreading good news, those who lived quiet and fruitful lives of faith, those who suffered in a thousand ways, quietly and all unremembered for the name of Jesus. It says: Old-fashioned, quaint, outmoded, ineffective, unneeded. This is not how Christians speak about the saints and their work. This is how the one who said "You will be like God" speaks.

The triune, holy, eternal God has not changed. The sinful nature of man has not changed. The far-reaching genetics of man have not changed. The inflexible, holy, impossible demands of the law have not changed. The fate of man has not changed. Society, since our grandfathers’ day, has changed but only to weaken the knowledge of sin and to expand the mechanisms of its influence. The sufficient, completed, astonishing work of Christ has not changed. The way of salvation has not changed. The means of grace have not changed. The needs of man have not changed.

I’ll take my grandfather’s church and pass on the tempting words of the snake.

You can find some background on the bizarre cancellation of the original IE program at these links:

• Bring Back Issues blog
• Augsburg 1530 blog
• Wall Street Journal article by Mollie Hemingway
• White Horse Inn radio interview with Hemingway
• Statements from LCMS website
• LCMS official Issues, Etc. Q&A
• LCMS Reporter news story about reaction

But, now for the good news: Today, I received an email that a new Issues, Etc. program will be on the air effective this afternoon (6/30/08)!

Here's the email that was sent out; this has all the details you need to know:

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the Eastern District Office Professionals Encouragement Luncheon with our cool office chicks: Alicia Zimmerman and Kathy Figini (above). The luncheon was at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Batavia, New York.  There were office professionals from lots of different churches and schools--and one of them (from Faith Lutheran Church in Penfield, NY) was a guy!

It was a nice day. One of the highlights was listening to Rita Nickel. Rita and her husband Tim are missionaries in Western Asia. She is such a fantastically honest Christian woman. If you EVER have the chance to hear her speak, don't miss it. What I learned from Rita yesterday: God will use us even when we go kicking and screaming into His plan for us.

Rita was great, but my number one highlight of the day was accompanying and celebrating Alicia and Kathy. They are FANTASTIC and they make working at First Trinity a real joy. The next time you call the office and one of them answers, say, "YOU ROCK."

The staff of Issues, Etc. plan an independent return to radio in late June; and their new organization, Lutheran Public Radio, will have full financial transparency.

The LCMS radio station, KFUO, continues to earn an "F" grade from Ministry Watch for financial transparency.  Todd Wilken, the terminated host of Issues, Etc., had attempted to get the proper forms filled out for Ministry Watch, but that job was above his pay grade.  Here is the clip from Wittenberg Media:

[audio http://wittenbergmedia.org/audio/Financial_Transparency.mp3]

God willing, Issues, Etc. will be back, independent, and directly supported by its listeners.  For this purpose they have reestablished their website at Issues Etc.org.  There they have pictures of their new radio home, a sneak preview of the show's new journal, and a document fully disclosing all their finances.

Other Issues, Etc. Posts

¹LabTechnologist.com

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