Response to

The Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church: Myths and Facts

Nov 23, 2024

By Bishop Michael Rinehart

Note from the Director:  I was absolutely amazed to read the response from an ELCA synodical bishop to what he calls myths and untruths that are circulating regarding the work of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church.  I am equally amazed over how totally non-communicative the ELCA is about that work.  Here is my response to Bishop Rinehart’s comments.  My responses are in all bold and are preceded by my name, NELSON.   

NELSON: The website for the Lutheran Congregations Support Network did not go public until Tuesday, November 26.  Will his responses become even stronger if and when he becomes aware of that website?

To be honest, I hesitated to write this. I hate giving any airtime to fake news, but the misinformation I’ve seen touted about the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) is so bizarre, it requires addressing. People have asked me, “Where can I go to find the truth?” This article will hopefully answer that question.

At the last Churchwide Assembly in Columbus Ohio, a memorial was brought by several synods to take a look at the structure of the ELCA. Our current operating system was built in 1988 when the ELCA was formed. It was a bit of a hybrid of the polities of the LCA, the ALC, and the AELC, with a smidgeon of 1980’s corporate culture thrown in to boot. Many, including me, feel our structures were built for a former reality, one that no longer exists. Personally, I feel it was built to maintain what existed, rather than adapt to the mission context. Others suggested we should examine our governing documents for any systemic racism that might be built in. I voted for the motion, and the CRLC was created.

NELSON:  The sentence “Others suggested we should examine our governing documents for any systemic racism that might be built in” minimizes the prominence given to dismantling racism in the motion to form the CRLC.  First, “being particularly attentive to our shared commitment to dismantle racism” is the only specific instruction given to the CRLC.  Second, the phrase “dismantle racism” is not ideologically neutral and without context.  Rather it reveals a whole Marxist way of viewing reality.  Third, Bishop Rinehart’s comment does not acknowledge the fact that 7 out of 35 – or a full 20% of the membership of the CRLC – is made up of DEIA officers and/or leaders at their place of employment and/or influence. 

Committees do excellent work, but they rarely bring about the kind of institutional reform I think we need. Once they started the listening process, they got an earful of ideas. Their work then became how to just decide what to do and make it manageable. The language of the motion was their guide. The CRLC shall:

…reconsider the statements of purpose for each of the expressions of this church, the principles of its organizational structure, and all matters pertaining thereunto, being particularly attentive to our shared commitment to dismantle racism, and will present its findings and recommendations to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly in preparation for a possible reconstituting convention to be called under the rules for a special meeting of the Churchwide Assembly.” [CA22.01.06]

So the motion was to review the purposes of the three expressions of the church: congregations, synods and the Churchwide Organization, looking closely at its organizational principles and being attentive to our shared commitment to dismantle racism. The group will prepare a report for the 2025 assembly.

Suggestions completely unrelated to the original motion were put forward. Then afterward, rumors about the nefarious things the CRLC was doing began to float around the Internet.
If you’d like to know what’s going on, here’s a summary of topics and conversations, as well as a schedule of meetings.

Imagine my surprise when I saw detractors of the ELCA reporting that the CRLC was planning to take over the ELCA, take possession of all church properties, grounds, and finances, remove bound conscience, demand a double supermajority (??) for disaffiliation or even make disaffiliation illegal, and more.

NELSON: No ELCA leader who knows and understands people should be surprised that people will become very concerned and fearful of what may be coming when there is so little communication regarding the work of the CRLC and what the ELCA Church Council will be doing with the recommendations from the DEIA audit which the ELCA had done of its governing documents.   

Most people are smart enough to easily recognize this as propaganda from outside the ELCA designed to stir up suspicion, fear, and anger. I don’t like to respond to rumors, but I’ve also found, in the absence of credible information, people can take advantage of the ill-informed.

So I took this opportunity to make contact with some folks who are on the CRLC and get the low down. I learned that the CRLC doesn’t have authority to change polity.

Myth: The CRLC is going to remove Bound conscience.
Fact: The CRLC has not discussed bound conscience at all. It’s outside of their scope. There are conversations about updating the outdated language of our human sexuality statement, which was adopted before the marriage equality act passed. Congregations and clergy cannot be forced to marry or to not marry anyone.

NELSON: That is true that discussing bound conscience is outside the scope of the CRLC.  There is another task force that has the responsibility to review the 2009 human sexuality social statement and reconsider the provision for bound conscience.  So far there has been no report from that task force, even though the 2025 Churchwide Assembly is less than eight months away. 

Myth: Instead of a 2/3 vote, the ELCA is going to require a double supermajority (whatever that is) to disaffiliate.
Fact: No it isn’t. Discussing or amending the process of disaffiliation is not a part of the CRLC’s work at all. There are no conversations about this on the CRLC or anywhere in the ELCA that I’ve heard.

NELSON: I also am not aware of any movement to require a double supermajority to disaffiliate.  I also do not know what a double supermajority is.  Instead what the ELCA requires is two separate, supermajority votes with a certain amount of time in between.  It is a cheap shot to mock those who have mistakenly said “double supermajority.”  With the lack of information regarding the discussions and actions of the CRLC – and with another church body (the United Methodist Church) making it more difficult for congregations to leave – it is natural that people will fear that amending the process of disaffiliation will be a part of the report and recommendations from the CRLC. 

Myth: The ELCA is going to make it illegal to disaffiliate. If you don’t disaffiliate before 2025 you will not be able to.
Fact: This is completely false. This is obviously made up by someone who wants to encourage congregations to come over to their denomination.

NELSON: Again, because of the lack of information it is easy to understand that many people will be fearful that the changes recommended by the CRLC will make it impossible to disaffiliate – or impossible for a congregation to keep its property if it disaffiliates.  

Myth: In order to dismantle racism, colonialism, and patriarchy, the whole ELCA structure is going to be dismantled. The “new CRLC committee” is going to be in charge of the ELCA.
Fact: No it isn’t. The CRLC has no legislative authority. The CRLC has discussed issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion and how some aspects of the structures of the church have caused pain.

NELSON: True, the CRLC has no legislative authority.  It is the Churchwide Assembly that has legislative authority.  The “new CRLC committee” is not going to be in charge of the ELCA.  But they will be making recommendations to the ELCA Church Council, who will be making recommendations to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly.  And with all the talk about racism being systemic, the need to dismantle racism, the ELCA’s being the whitest denomination in the United States, and white people’s inability to not be racist, it is not too far down the road to say that the ELCA needs to be dismantled.   

Myth: Every ELCA church will need to go through a financial audit. One post claimed there would be fines if a church has not spent money on social justice committees “at the government level.”
Fact: Someone made this up. The fact is, every congregation does an annual internal audit, and it should for its own safety. Synods have an annual external audit.

NELSON: With all the “Recommended Minimum DEIA Standards for Congregations” which are a part of the DEIA audit which the ELCA had done of its governing documents, and with neither the CRLC nor the ELCA Church Council so far saying anything publicly about what will be done with that audit, it is natural for congregations to fear what they may be expected or even required to do and what will happen to them if they do not. 

Myth: The ELCA is going to take possession of all church properties.
Fact: Nope. There is no discussion about or desire to acquire church properties. (And since each ELCA congregation is a separate 501.c(3) it would be nearly impossible.) The idea that some entity (synod, churchwide, etc.) wants to steal your property or close your church is a bizarre, old trope.

NELSON: A synod’s taking over a congregation and its property and closing the congregation is not “a bizarre, old trope.”  Rather it is something synods are doing as they make use of S13.24 in the model constitution for synods. 

Myth: If your congregation does not give a certain amount to LGBTQIA causes or social justice committees “at the government level,” you will be reprimanded and ordered to pay a certain amount to the ELCA structure.
Fact: I truly don’t know where people get this stuff. This has no basis in reality.

NELSON: See comments above re the lack of communication from the CRLC and the ELCA Church Council regarding the work of the CRLC, the recommendations that will be coming from the CRLC, and what the ELCA Church Council will do with the recommendations from the DEIA audit.  Also Bishop Rinehart ignores the fact that people will understandably be concerned in light of the fact that 7 out of 35 – or a full 20% of the makeup of the CRLC – are LGBTQ.  And this does not take into account the additional number that are activists on LGBTQ issues.    

I get to wondering who is making up this stuff and why? (I have some suspicions.) Who stands to benefit? Consider this: Suppose you are part of a small splinter denomination that broke off for this or that reason. When you broke off, you imagined an avalanche of congregations would follow you, but it didn’t come to pass. Now you’re a small struggling denomination, with congregations that are not growing. You have no seminaries, no colleges, no camps, and are no longer part of the Lutheran World Federation. The only way you grow is by poaching congregations from other denominations by stirring up division. How do you do that? You make up stuff and play to their fear. “The bishop is going to close your congregation.” “The synod is going to steal your property.” “The denomination is going to take control of your finances.”

There are lots of other rumors floating around, but I hate to give them the light of day. If you have questions or concerns, give me a call. I’m happy to look into things and find out what’s what. I try to follow my parents’ advice: “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.”

A Churchwide Assembly will be held again in the summer of 2025 as it is every three years. Any recommendations from the CRLC that require a constitutional amendment will be published in advance. Constitutional amendments can be proposed but not ratified until the following assembly.

At the end of the day, people will believe what they want, for whatever conscious or unconscious reasons they have. I am reminded of a Luther quote, which may be apocryphal:

You cannot keep birds from flying over your head,
but you can keep them from building nests in your hair.
– Martin Luther

NELSON: I would hope that all this will show ELCA leaders that they need to do a far, far better job at communicating what will be coming to and what will be voted on at the 2025 Churchwide Assembly because of the work of the CRLC and the DEIA audit.  The lack of communication and transparency has been astounding. 

 

December 2024

Dear Friends in Christ –

Luke tells us that the angel Gabriel said to Mary, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1: 31, 33).  This was in fulfillment of the promise God made to David through the prophet Nathan – “Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7: 16).

This fall I have been teaching a Sunday morning adult Bible class at the ELCA congregation where my wife and I are members on the life of David.  I have entitled the series, “A Man After God’s Own Heart,” which is the way that Samuel described the next king after Saul had been rejected because of his disobedience.

I have shared with those attending that I believe that the two best days of David’s life were (1) when he was anointed to be the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16: 13) and (2) when the prophet Nathan told him that his throne would be established forever.  I also asked them what have been the best days of their lives. 

I am sure that from the time when he was anointed, David looked at himself and his life in a completely different way.  As we read the accounts of his being chased by a severely threatened and fiercely jealous King Saul, there were extremely difficult situations that David handled differently and better because he was completely secure in who he was as the one who had been chosen by God.  In the cave at En-Gedi (1 Samuel 24) and in the Wilderness of Ziph (1 Samuel 26) David would not allow his men to kill the king – even though they had the opportunity to do so – because Saul was “the Lord’s anointed.”  Knowing that he would be the next king, David was willing to let things work out in God’s way and according to God’s timing.

And think of what it must have meant to David – on the darkest days of his life – to remember that God had said that through his descendant (whom we know is Jesus) his house, kingdom, and throne would be established forever.  It would not end with him – or after one or two more generations.

I have now been serving as executive director of Lutheran CORE for nearly ten years.  Previously I had served as pastor of an ELCA congregation in southern California for forty years.  I feel that my work with Lutheran CORE is the culmination and high point of my entire professional ministry career.  I believe that all that I have done, learned, and been through as a pastor was preparing me for what I am doing now. 

The board of Lutheran CORE and I are fully committed to keeping you informed about the structural and governance changes that are likely to come from the work of the ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church.  The Commission continues to hold its cards close to its chest.  I interpret their behavior as their not wanting us to know what they will be recommending until close enough to the time of the August 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly that there will not be adequate opportunity to make people aware and give people a chance to process the potentially drastic changes.  The board of Lutheran CORE and I are also fully committed to alerting you to the all-encompassing redefinition of mission and ministry that will most certainly result from the DEIA audit which the ELCA had done of its governing documents.  We are deeply concerned about how many of these so-called “Recommended Minimum DEIA Standards for Congregations” will become expectations or even requirements and what will be done to congregations that are not DEIA compliant.  Third, we will let you know whether the provision for bound conscience is at risk when there finally is some official word from the task force that is reviewing and reconsidering the 2009 human sexuality social statement.

The board of Lutheran CORE and I feel that we have been called by God to do this work of alerting you to what is coming and helping you prepare and be ready to respond. 

We are encouraged and inspired by the way in which being anointed by God was a great source of definition of calling and strength for David.  We also think of what it must have meant for him to know that the kingdom would last beyond him.  His efforts would not be in vain. 

Many people have asked me, “How do you keep going?  Do you ever become frustrated, discouraged, or feel overwhelmed?”  I always reply No.  I work with no delusion that our efforts will get the ELCA to change.  Rather I work with the hope that more ELCA pastors, congregations, and leaders will become aware of the seriousness of what is coming and will be equipped with knowledge and tools to make good decisions and take action.  I cannot imagine that God will bless what the ELCA is doing and that what the ELCA is doing will end well. 

In Matthew 16: 18 Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”  In 1 Corinthians 15: 58 the apostle Paul wrote, “Be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Thank you for your prayers and your faithful, generous financial support.  Please find below a link to print a form which you can use to let us know how we can be praying for you.  You can also use that form to send a year-end gift that will enable us to continue to do our work, including the above as well as providing resources such as worship aids, prayers, daily devotions, weekly lectionary-based Bible studies and children’s messages, video book reviews, webinars, and support and assistance for congregations in transition.  Direct links for online payments are also found below.

In the Name of Christ, in Whom we are chosen and through Whom we have a secure future. 

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

The purpose of this communication is to inform you about a movement called the Lutheran Congregations Support Network.  Their goal is to develop a means to inform ELCA congregations of coming constitutional changes in the ELCA and to help congregations be prepared and know how they can respond.

The Network will not deal with theological or culture war issues.  Instead they will deal with constitution issues – what property rights and protections congregations have in the current ELCA constitution and how those rights and protections could be at risk in a new, revised constitution. 

A November 20 news release regarding the November 14-17 meeting of the ELCA Church Council reported the following as among the key actions taken by the Council –

• Approved amendments to “Constitutions, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the ELCA” that were drafted in response to the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA) Audit. The audit report was presented to the council at its fall 2023 meeting.
• Recommended to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly certain amendments to “Constitutions, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the ELCA” that were brought to the council by the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church.

As has been typical, the ELCA is not communicating what those amendments entail, nor do they tell us how much advance notice they will give us prior to the July 28-August 2 Churchwide Assembly which will consider these recommendations.

As part of their goal and purpose of helping congregations protect their property and keep from being taken over, the Network is putting together a list of contract law attorneys that will help congregations think and act strategically. 

Here is a link to the website of the Network. 

lutherancongregationalsupportnetwork.org

This website will activate on Tuesday, November 26 and will contain links to three videos –

• interviews with pastors and congregations that have experienced ELCA tactics
• a description of the process by which a congregation can lose autonomy and come under institutional oversight
• publicly available information about the 2025 Churchwide Assembly.

May the Lord give you courage and wisdom as you consider this information.  Please help us get the word out to others.

Blessings in Christ,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lutherancongregationalsupportnetwork

Youtube:    https://www.youtube.com/@LCSN-us

Instagram: lcsn.social 

Email update signup:  https://mailchi.mp/f24b14632a56/subscribe-to-lcsn

At the church in southern California where I served as pastor for forty years we had a large Christian day school that went from preschool to eighth grade.  The Christmas programs put on by the students (preschool, K-3^rd grade, 4^th-8^th grade) were always excellent and we knew that for many parents attending their child’s program would be the only time when they would hear the Christmas message. 

The reality was that rehearsals and preparations for the programs basically took over the sanctuary from late November through the middle of December.  All the chancel furniture was removed and one hundred forty chairs were set up in the chancel.  The chancel was set up for the rehearsals early Monday morning and it stayed that way throughout the week until Friday afternoon when the chairs were removed and the chancel furniture was put back for Sunday morning.  Normally it all worked out just fine.

But one year the ninety-nine-year-old mother of a prominent member died in early December.  My first thought was, “I am toast.  No matter what happens, I will not survive this one unscathed.”  If I tell the prominent member that the sanctuary is not available for her mother’s funeral, I am toast.  If I tell the day school teachers that they are going to have to remove all the chairs and put the chancel furniture back an extra time, I am toast.  I saw no way that this one was going to resolve easily and well.

But then the prominent member told me that she wanted to have a memorial service for her mother the following September on what would have been her mother’s 100^th birthday.  I told her, “That is a wonderful idea!”  My heart said, “Thanks be to God!” 

But I have to admit that most of the conflict situations that I had to deal with during my forty years of pastoral ministry did not work out so well or so easily.  So I am very grateful to Lutheran CORE vice president and retired NALC pastor Brian Hughes for offering a free webinar entitled “Managing Church Conflicts without losing your passion, soul, or job” on Wednesday, November 20 from 11 AM – 12 noon Eastern Standard Time.  Here is a link where you can sign up for the free webinar. I have signed up, and I encourage you to do the same.  Brian writes regarding the webinar, “Pastors and other leaders are usually put in the crosshairs of church conflicts as ideas, needs, and personal desires jockey for position.  Join us as we examine stages of conflicts, types of conflicts, and how to bring down the temperature or, when required, press through to a new consensus.”

 

Many thanks to Ken Coughlan for giving us a video review of his recent book, “Understanding Evil from a Christian Perspective.”  Ken is a Christian apologist and religion teacher at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Glen Burnie, Maryland.  He earned his JD from the College of William & Mary and after practicing law for over two decades, graduated with honors from Luther Rice College and Seminary with an MA in apologetics.  He is a frequent speaker, preacher, and teacher on a wide variety of apologetic topics.

A link to Ken’s video book review can be found here. A link to our YouTube channel, which contains over fifty reviews of books and videos on topics of interest and importance, can be found here.

Ken Coughlan introduces this book as a comprehensive explanation of how Christians understand evil.  What does it mean?  Can it exist alongside a loving God?  How did it enter the world?  Is God doing anything about it?  The book is written so that it will be accessible to the layperson without skimping on content.

 

Structural and governance changes will most certainly come about from the work of the ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church.  An all-encompassing redefinition of mission and ministry will most certainly result from the recommendations, expectations, requirements or whatever that will be laid upon congregations because of the DEIA audit which the ELCA had done of its governing documents.  The provision for bound conscience will very possibly be eliminated as part of the review and re-evaluation of the 2009 human sexuality social statement.  As I keep up on the latest of what may be coming for unsuspecting ELCA congregations, I realize that conflict within congregations might only become more severe leading up to and after the next ELCA Churchwide Assembly in August 2025. 

In June of 2013 – just a little over a year before I retired – the synod in which I was rostered, Southwest California, elected the ELCA’s first openly gay synodical bishop.  That election threw the congregation where I had already been serving for thirty-nine years into total turmoil and conflict, and that was a conflict that continued throughout and beyond my final twelve months there.  And I found that since I had already announced my retirement because I would be leaving after forty years there, I was totally unable to provide leadership, guidance, and stability in the situation.  That was a situation that the congregation would have to work through without me.  I was not in a position to help them in any way during my final year there.

Friends of Lutheran CORE who are a part of ELCA congregations will find themselves in many different kinds of situations in regard to the upcoming changes in the ELCA.  Do any of the following describe your situation?

• In some ELCA congregations there will be strong agreement among the pastor, leaders, and members that the time to leave the ELCA is now and action needs to be taken as soon as possible in case the coming changes in structure and governance make it even more difficult if not impossible even for former ALC congregations to leave with their property.

• In some congregations there is no way that a motion to disaffiliate from the ELCA will prevail.  Even if a majority are in favor of leaving, they will not be able to achieve two separate votes with at least two-thirds of those voting approving a motion to disaffiliate. 

• In some congregations the pastor has kept information regarding what is actually happening in the ELCA from the people.

• Some friends of Lutheran CORE are the only one in their congregation (or one of very few in their congregation) that is aware and concerned.  They have faithfully sought to inform others, but their efforts fall on deaf ears. 

• Some former LCA congregations and mission congregations started by the ELCA believe that they would never receive permission from their synod council to leave with their property and/or would not be able to pay back to the synod the mission start funds expended by the synod that the synod would demand be repaid.

• Some congregations are too diminished and/or the membership does not have the energy left to deal with the issue.  If they are aware of S13.24, they are just hoping that the synod will not use that provision in the model constitution for synods against them to justify the synod’s moving in, taking over, and possibly closing the congregation.

• I know of a vibrant, Biblically faithful, Spanish language ministry where the synod owns the building and most of the salary of the pastor is paid by the synod and churchwide.

There are Biblically faithful, confessional pastors in the ELCA who do not believe that the right approach for their congregation would be to seek to disaffiliate from the ELCA.  There are many reasons for this.  Some feel that a motion to disaffiliate would not prevail.  Some fear that it would only be disruptive in the life of the congregation.  Some believe that they can keep the changes coming in the ELCA from impacting their congregations.  We need to be praying for these ELCA pastors and their congregations.  

We are very grateful for the friends of Lutheran CORE who are members of other Lutheran church bodies who are concerned about and regularly pray for their fellow Christians still in the ELCA. 

With the changes that are certainly coming and the wide variety of situations that friends of Lutheran CORE find themselves in, Brian Hughes is planning a series of webinars for upcoming months.  The themes for the webinars will follow the life of Moses and his leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt through the wilderness into the Promised Land.  Here are the planned topics.

November – Conflict Management

Groaning under Egyptian captivity; understanding what is coming in the ELCA and the stages and types of church conflict that might engender and how to navigate them without burning out

February – Vision Casting

The hope of the Promised Land; effective ways of pointing to a preferred future

March – Grief and Change

Loss and renewal in the wilderness; understanding the process of transition and how to maintain momentum and forward direction

April – Organizational Structure and Succession Planning

New rules for a new reality; constitution and bylaws for the mission field

Stay tuned.

 

Editor’s Note: Our prayers and words of thanks go to the Reformers group of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.  They have been tireless in their efforts and courageous and faithful in their witness.  

The “Reformers” are a group of members from St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Brenham, Texas,  who began to meet to discuss the need for more Biblical enrichment during services and the lack of engagement among members:  attendance being down; no adult or children’s Sunday School; financial struggles of the church; the lack of involvement by a broader group of members, primarily because of not being asked to serve in leadership roles like church council or key committees. Our concerned group sought the truth, transparency and a dialogue about our church’s and the ELCA’s missions, impacts, and beliefs in the Holy Scripture.  Our group leaders met with our church council leaders first to discuss issues and then with the council, but our requests to bring these issues to the congregation were denied.  Without our leadership’s support, we petitioned, according to our constitution, to hold a congregational meeting to vote on a resolution to call a vote to terminate our affiliation with the ELCA. (This meeting must be called in order to have a discussion and inform the congregation of our findings.) The meeting date was determined by the council, and we had 27 days once notified to inform the congregation. We held four meetings and presented researched and referenced documentation, sent out mailers with documentation, and posted our full story and timeline on Facebook. (“The Reformers of St. Paul’s, Brenham”) Total votes cast were 393, with 158 for disaffiliation, 235 against disaffiliation, and 15 denied and given provisional ballots. In summation, 40% wanted to leave, but with 2/3 or 263 votes required for the first vote, the process ended. There were 677 confirmed members before. Latest numbers are unknown. Since the vote, the council sent members an email naming only singular nominees for important positions, and council adopted new resolutions for membership.

Following are actions of our synodical bishop, church council, and pastors to control the process and outcome:

• Our pastors each preached sermons—despite not meeting with us to discuss issues first—about a group dividing the church and spreading rumors and lies.
• Council and pastors stalled actions they were required to take according to our constitution.
• We asked for a membership list at different times and received inaccurate and not up to date information. Members had been removed without following our constitution. New members were added. There were no membership processes or actions made known to the congregation.
• We were told the “voting member” list would be used, despite the “voting member” list not being used previously for quorum at yearly congregational meetings. The church leadership determined the “voting member” list. We asked for the list, but were denied. Basically, it was a secret list seen only by ELCA church leadership.
• Contrary to keeping the voting member list secret, the qualifying petition signed by members and presented to council was made available to members outside of the council. Petitioners were called or visited by leadership, retired St. Paul’s /ELCA pastors (7+ are members), and supporters to sway them.
• The Interim Lead Pastor sent an email “Church Rumors and the Eighth Commandment” to the congregation. It contained partial truths and warned against “false and misleading” information.
• The council denied our request to hold informational meetings on our own church property.  Many members did not want to be seen or were intimidated to not attend our meetings since we were denied access to church property despite being members.
• Senior citizen members attending a “Game Day” fellowship event–elder members worship, communion, dominoes/cards, and dinner –were confused to believe if they voted for disaffiliation, they would no longer be members or be Lutheran, and would have to leave our church. 
• The ELCA leadership did not allow comparisons to other Lutheran affiliations or an examination of the ELCA.
• At the informational meeting with our synodical bishop, our questioning members were cut off, our information laughed at, and attendees commented “why don’t you just leave.” No attempt was made for this to be a fair discussion.

In summation, we were thwarted in our efforts to get accurate member information, and to give all members information needed to make an informed choice about the ELCA. The  ELCA leaders controlled the process and changed the rules as we went. Assumptions and accusations were spread about our group and documentation.

Concerning the work of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, our synodical bishop denied knowing of the existence of the DEIA audit and report until recently, and minimized the significance of the audit stating “And none of it’s going to be implemented at all.” He said it has nothing to do with the CRLC, even though the CRLC talks about it in written summaries of their meetings: Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America  All this was said in spite of the fact that the ELCA Conference of Bishops recently issued a statement about the need to speak the truth, rather than normalize lies and deceit: ELCA Conference of Bishops Analyzes Churchgoing Trends in Planning for Future – ELCA.

“MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU”

The first time I began to really understand and value Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians was during my second year of seminary. It was a particularly difficult year for me – one of my most difficult – and I found Paul’s letter speaking to my heart and giving me hope, strength, and encouragement.

I knew that Paul had a particularly difficult relationship with the Corinthians, especially after his first letter to them. But in 2 Corinthians he also addresses what he had been experiencing in Ephesus. You read Luke’s account in Acts 19 and it sounds like everything is wonderful and going great. The value of the books that were burned by those who had practiced magic but then turned to Christ was fifty thousand denarii (verse 19). “The word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (verse 20). So many people were becoming followers of Jesus that the silversmiths who made images of Artemis were in danger of going out of business (verse 24-27). And even some of the officials of the province were friendly to Paul and wanted to protect him from the screaming crowd in the theater (verse 31). But then you read a couple statements that Paul made in his letters and you find out how tough that time had actually been for him. He writes in his first letter, “I fought with wild animals at Ephesus” (1 Corinthians 15: 32). And then he adds in his second letter, “We do not want you to be unaware of the affliction we experienced in Asia; we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1: 8).

One of the keynote speakers at the recent LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ) gathering, Dr. Stephen Witmer, led us in a study of 2 Corinthians. Dr. Witmer is a pastor in Massachusetts and adjunct professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He spoke of how the apostle was very open and honest in revealing his struggles and weaknesses. In chapter 1 Paul tells of how he is now able to console others in their afflictions with the consolation which he himself received from God in his afflictions. Dr. Witmer pointed out that this is far more than Paul’s merely saying that he is now more empathetic towards others in their suffering because of his own suffering. Rather Paul is saying that he is able to pass on to others nothing less than the divine consolation that he himself received from God (2 Corinthians 1: 4). And his afflictions have led him to rely not on himself but on “God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1: 9). Any God who can raise the dead can also take care of all my other problems as well.

As Dr. Witmer continued to speak, I was reminded of how – during my second year of seminary when I for the first time began to really understand and value this letter – God also spoke to me through the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the letter. In chapter eleven Paul lists several of the severe trials that he has gone through. I especially remember reading in verse 25 “three times I was shipwrecked.” And the shipwreck on the way to Rome, recorded in Acts 27, has not happened yet. I know that for me, if I have already been involved in three shipwrecks, I would have a hard time getting back into a boat.

And then in chapter twelve Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh and how he had pleaded with God three times to remove it (verses 7-8). I remember how at that time in my life there were some things in my life that I really would have liked to have changed. But God’s response to Paul was, “No, I am going to let you keep it – that thorn, weakness, limitation, or struggle – because of what you will learn through it and because of how you will grow and be changed because of it.” God said to Paul what I also needed to hear. “My grace is sufficient for you” (verse 9). Paul learned that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (verse 9) and that as we have to deal with our own weaknesses, we more and more realize that we are totally dependent upon God’s strength (verse 10).

Dr. Stephen Witmer addressed powerfully the whole issue of weakness, as did the other keynote speaker, Dr. Kyle Fever. Kyle Fever is pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Adair, Iowa (LCMC) and director of academic formation at the Master’s Institute. While Stephen’s presentation was more of a Bible study, Kyle gave a personal testimony where he shared about the pain, struggles, and severe testing of faith that he and his wife endured after their oldest child suffered a severe brain injury from a bad automobile accident. Kyle shared openly and honestly as he spoke to our hearts and lives. Their suffering was great, their pain was overwhelming, but God’s grace saw them through. When Kyle showed a picture of his family on the day that his daughter enrolled in college, everyone erupted into applause. We were all encouraged, blessed, and strengthened.

What an inspiration it was to attend a gathering where the keynote presenters spoke to the real issues of life and strengthened us and helped us prepare for the next chapter of life and ministry. What a contrast to the ELCA’s Rostered Leaders Gathering in July 2023, where I feel that only one speaker expressed care and concern for how we as rostered leaders are doing personally. Everyone else focused on recruiting us for and getting us on board with the ELCA’s agenda.

After flying back to Phoenix and picking up my car at the airport, I started my vehicle. The first song that played on Sirius XM was “Faithfully” by TobyMac. In that song the contemporary Christian artist tells of his struggles after the death of his twenty-one-year-old son Truett from an accidental overdose of fentanyl and amphetamines. He writes –

“But when my world broke into pieces, You were there faithfully.
When I cried out to You, Jesus, You made a way for me.
I may never be the same man,
But I’m a man who still believes.
When I cried out to You, Jesus, You were there faithfully.”

Stephen Witmer, Kyle Fever, TobyMac, and the apostle Paul all encouraged us and helped us by telling us of how they have cried out to Jesus and how they still believe even when their world broke into pieces.

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BEWARE OF THE LATEST
FROM THE ELCA’S COMMISSION FOR A RENEWED LUTHERAN CHURCH

As promised, we continue to monitor the work of the ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC). That Commission was formed in response to action taken by the ELCA’s 2022 Churchwide Assembly, which directed the Church Council to establish a Commission that shall “reconsider the statements of purpose for each of the expressions of this church, the principles of its organizational structure, and all matters pertaining thereunto.” The Commission was instructed to be “particularly attentive to our shared commitment to dismantle racism” and to “present its findings and recommendations to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly in preparation for a possible reconstituting convention.”

A written summary of the Commission’s seventh meeting – held from August 8-10 – can now be found on their website. A link to that website can be found HERE – Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org). There are several items in that written summary that I believe should cause great concern.

Fourth bullet point under August 8 –
The CRLC received updates from the Church Council and a subcommittee on the progress of the DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) audit.

The ELCA continues full speed ahead with the DEIA audit. Please see my article, “A Warning of What Is Coming,” in the March 2024 issue of our newsletter, where I list several of the expectations of congregations from that audit. A link to that article can be found HERE – A Warning of What is Coming – Lutheran Coalition for Renewal (CORE) (lutherancore.website).  In that article I raised the question of whether and how congregations will be penalized if they are not DEIA compliant. I also asked pastors and church leaders to consider how the ministry and mission priorities of their congregation will be derailed and the energy of their congregation will be consumed by efforts to become DEIA compliant. If you do not believe what I said in the article, just look at the Minimum DEIA Standards for Congregations and the changes in the Model Constitution for Congregations as recommended by the law firm that did the audit. A link to that report can be found HERE – DEIA_Report_Part_2.pdf (elca.org).

Some people have said that they see DEIA as very compatible with the Gospel. My response is that it is the exact opposite of the Gospel. DEIA is legalism at its worst and pure Marxism. Its demands are insatiable, it can never offer forgiveness, and it cannot provide deliverance. No matter how much you repent of and grovel because of your own oppressive behavior as well as the oppressive behavior of your ancestors and others of your race, it is never enough. You cannot do enough. You will always fall short. You cannot be forgiven, because if you are forgiven, then those who claim that you are oppressing them lose their power over you. And it cannot provide deliverance. If you are white, male, straight, and/or a member of any of the other privileged, oppressive people groups, then you cannot not be an oppressor. Rather the systems that privilege and empower you must be dismantled.

Third bullet point under August 9 –
The Who We Are Committee led the CRLC in a discussion about constitutional language updates.

Nothing specific – which raises the question, Why is there nothing specific? The natural concern is that the new constitutional language will make the ELCA more hierarchical and reduce congregational autonomy. If that is not the case, why are the Commission and ELCA leadership doing nothing to recognize and alleviate those concerns?

Fourth bullet point under August 9 –
The How Are We Governed Committee . . . began discussion . . . of matters relating to accountability, autonomy versus uniformity, and the need for structural flexibility.

Again, nothing specific. And again, congregations have every reason to fear that they will lose autonomy and be forced into greater uniformity. And congregations with traditional views are certainly not going to be the ones who will be blessed with structural flexibility.

Second bullet point under August 10 –
The How Are We Governed Committee presented draft proposals of possible changes to governance structures.

Again, nothing specific. And again, congregations have every reason to fear that the changes to governance structures will increase and further empower hierarchy and decrease and further disempower congregational autonomy.

The written summary does say under the fourth bullet point under August 10 –
The Communications Committee . . . presented an update on how the final CRLC report can be shared with the wider ELCA community.

Again, nothing specific. It does not say when or at what point in the process the final report will be revealed, but pastors, lay leaders, and congregations with traditional views have every reason to fear that by then it will be too late. And if the net result of the work of the commission, the DEIA audit, and the reconsideration of bound conscience in the human sexuality social statement is not to tighten the squeeze on those with traditional views, then why is the ELCA not acknowledging and not showing any concern whatsoever for the fears and concerns of those with traditional views?

We will keep you posted.

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VIDEO MINISTRIES

“JOINING JESUS ON HIS MISSION” BY GREG FINKE

Many thanks to Aaron Heilman for his review of “Joining Jesus on His Mission” by Greg Finke. Aaron is currently serving as worship leader at Pointe of Hope Lutheran Church (LCMS) while pursuing a BA in Christian Ministry at Spurgeon College. A link to Aaron’s video book review can be found HERE. A link to our YouTube channel, which contains over fifty reviews of books and videos on topics of interest and importance, can be found HERE.

Mission. Outreach. Evangelism. As a Lutheran, do you feel a twinge of anxiety when you hear these words? These are big and scary concepts to the average churchgoer. The past few decades, we have struggled with these concepts and the fruit, or lack thereof, is painfully evident. Thankfully, God has provided a resource to help us get comfortable with the thought of engaging in mission, outreach, and evangelism.

Greg Finke has blessed us with a great book, “Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to Be an Everyday Missionary.” There are many books written on these topics but many of them are overly process based and seemingly complicated, to the point where they become overwhelming. Greg Finke has recognized this and provided an approach that works for anyone at any comfort level with mission, outreach, and evangelism.

With a down-to-earth, common sense attitude, Finke will make you feel like you can, in fact, join Jesus on His mission in this world. The book reads well with a conversational tone. Each chapter has questions for reflection and discussion which makes this great for small groups. This book is highly recommended and commended.

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As we once again give thanks to God for His working powerfully through the lives and efforts of His people to bring about the Reformation, let us recommit ourselves to preserving and sharing a faith that is based on the authority of Scripture and the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith. And let us recommit ourselves to fulfilling the Great Commission and living according to the Great Commandment.

Blessings in Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

September 2024

ASTOUNDED BUT NOT SURPRISED

Dear Friends in the Savior-King –

I found myself fluctuating between being astounded and not surprised when a friend of Lutheran CORE told me of her synodical bishop’s presentation to her ELCA congregation. When asked about the ELCA’s recent DEIA (Diversity-Equity-Inclusion-Accessibility) audit and how it might impact the future of congregations and the report and recommendations from the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, the synodical bishop said that he did not know about the DEIA audit until recently. When the friend of Lutheran CORE challenged him on his statement inasmuch as the audit was the result of official church action, cost who knows how many tens of thousands of dollars, was presented to the ELCA Church Council in November 2023, has been reviewed by the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, and is available to everyone online, she was cutoff. I really question the honesty and integrity of any ELCA synodical bishop who claims that he or she had not been aware of the audit until recently.

Another friend of Lutheran CORE told me that his synodical bishop tried to minimize the audit by saying that in his synod the recommendations from the audit will never become requirements. Why should we believe that?

In the September issue of our newsletter, CORE Voice, I have written regarding the work of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. Again, I am astounded (but not surprised) that while the ELCA Churchwide Assembly that called for the formation of the Commission was held in August 2022, it was not until July 2023 that the Commission held their first meeting, and now more than half of the time has passed between their first meeting and the time when they need to present their report and recommendations first to the Conference of Bishops and then to the Church Council. At the beginning of the process a lot of people used grand and glorious language to describe what they hoped would come forth out of the Commission, but the written summaries of their meetings only speak in generalities and are completely non-informative. In my article I suggested two possible reasons. First, they are just spinning their wheels; they are not getting anything done; they do not know how to make grand and glorious ideas into reality. Or second, they are purposefully not telling us what they are doing. They do not want to create chaos and turmoil until the end. Again, how can you trust the honesty and integrity – and/or the competence – of a Commission that functions like that?

I was astounded but not surprised when I watched the livestreams and recordings of the evening sessions for the ELCA’s Youth Gathering this past July. As expected, the young people attending were totally indoctrinated in the LGBTQ+ agenda, transgender and non-binary ideology, and the virtue of being social justice warriors. The only time when Jesus was mentioned in the Video Summary of the gathering was when the bishop of the host synod said that Jesus calls us to challenge systems of oppression. Certainly, the Old Testament prophets like Amos and Micah call us to “do justice,” but does the ELCA really believe that the main message and mission of Jesus and the Church is to challenge systems of oppression? What was equally astounding (but not surprising) was how quickly the recordings of the evening sessions were taken down from the internet. The only conclusion that I can come to is that the ELCA does not want us to know what was “pumped into the minds” of the young people.

As we have promised, we will continue to keep you informed about whether traditional views and those who hold them will continue to have a place of respect in the ELCA’s revised human sexuality social statement, as well as about the work of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church and the place of DEIA ideology in the Renewed Church.

But as we do all that we will continue to provide resources and support for confessional Lutherans who hold to the authority and reliability of the Bible. We will continue to offer on our website worship resources such as prayers and hymn suggestions, daily devotions, weekly lectionary-based Bible studies and children’s messages, and video reviews of books and on topics of interest and importance. In addition we will continue to support the local and cross country mission trips of River’s Edge Ministries in Mt. Airy, Maryland, and the NEXUS program of Grand View University. We will continue to have a support group for seminarians and young people considering going to seminary, and we will continue to offer our Congregations in Transition and Congregational Lay Leadership Initiative ministries for churches that are between pastors that are still hoping to call a pastor as well as churches that are realizing that there will possibly or even probably not be a seminary-trained, ordained pastor for them to call.

A new ministry, which was described in our September newsletter, is our series of webinars for pastors and lay leaders and members of congregations. The first one is scheduled for Wednesday, September 25 and is entitled “Planning as a Paradigm Shift.” Future webinars are being planned and will provide inspiration, encouragement, and practical ideas for leadership and ministry.

Thank you for your prayers and your faithful and generous financial support, which enable us to continue to do our work of being a Voice for Biblical Truth and a Network for Confessing Lutherans. Please find below a link to a form which you can use to let us know how we can be praying for you.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you” (Philippians 1: 3-4). That is how we feel about you.

Blessings in Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 – 11 AM EDT

In addition to alerting people to ways in which the ELCA is going further and further off the rails, we of Lutheran CORE see as part of our work providing encouragement and resources for congregations and their leaders and lay members. 

Lutheran CORE is about to embark on providing a new series of resources – webinars on church leadership and ministry led by practitioners who know what they are talking about because they will be sharing insights and approaches that they have learned from their own ministry experience and have put into practice in their own ministry settings.  Many thanks to three members of the board – NALC pastors Brian Hughes, David Charlton, and Doug Schoelles – for articulating and developing the vision for this new ministry and doing the work to bring it to life.

The first webinar, entitled “Planning as a Paradigm Shift,” will be offered on Wednesday, September 25 from 11 AM to 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time.  Lutheran CORE vice president Brian Hughes says concerning the webinar, “Planning is deciding about a preferred future, especially when it comes to creating faithful disciples.”  He also said, “Planning for ministry means setting priorities which might, even in the best and healthiest of situations, require pruning something in order to add a new emphasis.”  He also shared that as we deal with the diminishment of our ministry amid the accelerating de-churching of America, church leaders need to figure out what path to take and how to convince others to join.

When asked why this webinar series starts with planning, Brian answered, “Planning assumes we’ve looked at our current reality and want to be somewhere else.  What is not working and what do we want to be about that’s different?”  When asked whether this webinar is a one-time event, he replied, “This is a taster offered by Lutheran CORE that will likely become a monthly offering with more content and other presenters already in the wings depending on the response and needs we hear.”

Brian Hughes is a retired pastor now rostered with the NALC and living in South Carolina.  After serving ELCA congregations in places like Capitol Hill (Washington DC), Pittsburgh PA, and the Bay Area of California, he finished up with almost twenty years in Columbia MD.  For several years he served as assistant to the bishop in the ELCA’s Sierra Pacific Synod (northern California and western Nevada) with seminary candidacy and first call leadership development as part of his portfolio.  He continues to be part of a movement of reintroducing faith formation into homes, multi-generationally.   After retiring from his ELCA congregation in Maryland in 2019 (where they had nine services a weekend in five languages) he launched an NALC street ministry in Baltimore that evolved into leading a Sunday morning worship service in a strip club.  His former congregation in Maryland is now LCMC.  He currently serves as vice president of the board of Lutheran CORE.  Mission and discipleship have been his passions throughout his entire ministry.

Here is a link to register for this webinar.  There is no charge for attending.