Essays and Articles Archives - Page 7 of 7

PSW President Opposes Ecclesiastical Supervision Change

Last summer, District President (DP) Larry Stoterau of the Pacific Southwest District wrote a powerful pastoral letter in opposition to the recent Ecclesiastical Supervision bylaw change. You can download a copy of it here. Several District Presidents have addressed their concern with the centralization of control in the Synodical President’s office, especially as it relates to the recent changes in the area of ecclesiastical supervision. Pacific Southwest District President Larry Stoterau’s letter to his District clearly outlines their cause for concern. IT IS TIME TO ACT More and more LCMS leaders are voicing their opposition to the unconstitutional change to Bylaw 2.14. First, Council of Presidents Chair, Texas DP Hennings stood his ground against this dangerous development in Synod. DP Hennings was voted by a majority of the Council of 35 District Presidents, the Synodical President and the Regional Vice Presidents as their trusted leader. You can read the Congregations Matter article

Meet Our Congregations Matter Advisory Team

October 13, 2017 Congregations Matter Essays and Articles Leave a comment

Congregations Matter is proud to introduce our Advisory Team. These individuals want to restore our Synod to its historic role of providing congregations with advice, encouragement, and resources. By their lives and service, they have long supported the message of Congregations Matter: “The health of our Church is our local congregations.” These four veteran LCMS leaders will serve as a public face for Congregations Matter. The team will provide accountability for the truth and Christian charity and fairness of website postings. Our Synod leadership has gotten away from its historic role. Recently, it is more focused on 0concentrating all authority, direction, and control in St. Louis. That is not healthy for our Church. Now, via this web site, our Advisory Team joins Congregations Matter in a grassroots and nation-wide effort to restore our Synod. Dr. Viji George, Former CUS College President Dr. Viji George served as President of Concordia College,

Guest Essay: The Congregation’s Rights

May 4, 2017 Congregations Matter Essays and Articles Leave a comment

We all expect, even demand our “rights” – right to life, liberty, civil rights, human rights, women’s rights, rights of the unborn. As Americans, we have a “Bill of Rights.” As followers of Jesus and members of the LCMS, we have rights within our Synod. That is, until someone tries to take them away. “The Congregation’s Rights” in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod also demands our attention. Our Synod has a history of drifting away from our foundations, a tendency in our history to lift up the human organization of Synod, or the clergy, or Synod leadership above the congregation. Sometimes there’s a group – or an individual – pushing us down that road away from an advisory Synod. It is happening now. We need to push back. Executive Summary Before the Synod was formed in 1847, the Saxon immigrants under Pastor (later “Bishop”) Martin Stephan had a polity in

Guest Essay: We Stand Against Centralizing Power in the LCMS

May 1, 2017 Congregations Matter Essays and Articles Leave a comment

Sadly, our Synod is moving toward a greater centralization of power. Despite the LCMS being historically a Synod of congregations bound together by a common confession and walking in love, we are more and more ruled by an administration in the International Center bent on control. If we resign ourselves to a Synod with centralized control, we will never have freedom from fear as workers in the harvest, freedom from church-political agendas that limit the Gospel — and we will never be free to be the Church our Lord has called us to be, nor fulfill His commission for us as followers of Jesus.

Standing Up for a Change of Leadership in the LCMS

April 28, 2017 Congregations Matter Essays and Articles, Synod News Leave a comment

Congregations Matter© believes we need a change of leadership in the LCMS. Either the current leaders need to change the way they are doing things — or we need new leaders. Four Reasons for a Change of Leadership There is a lack of cooperation with and support of our district elected leaders — especially our District Presidents. Congregations don’t matter — neither do our District Presidents. The centralization of power in the office of Synodical President sought by our current administration is dangerous for our Synod now and in the days to come. This is an unprecedented power grab in the history of our church. At our last convention, President Harrison showed his lack of trust for the Boards of Regents, theological faculties of our Concordias, and our District Presidents (and the congregations that elected them) as he became the agent of approval of all theological faculty Synod-wide. In addition, at the

Why “Congregations Matter”?

April 27, 2017 Congregations Matter Essays and Articles Leave a comment

Congregations matter. For several years we have been silent, letting our Synod drift into the trouble we see at every hand. We have been focusing on local matters and serving the Lord in the harvest field. As we have worked, our Synod leadership has lost its focus. Synod’s first responsibility is to serve congregations and assist them in their work for the Kingdom of God. That’s not happening now. Silence Doesn’t Mean We Agree We have been silent — and our beloved Synod has drifted off course. Our Synod’s elected leadership is not focused on their historic roles. Instead, more and more power and decision-making responsibility is in the hands of fewer and fewer — and there is less and less opportunity for other voices to be heard. Our current leadership will not listen to our elected District Presidents. Our Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM) is supporting our Synodical President in his