(Ed. The practitioners of Church Growth Principles know that "acceptable losses" will be suffered. Not everyone wants business, managerial and statistical rules to govern their faith and worship life. Some will just "have to go." It is the price of worldly success - bigger audiences, more members (?), bigger buildings and more money. It is just sad to hear the expressions of those who are some of the "acceptable losses." Here is only one of those stories, shared with permission.)
Some one has said: "I think there is a far greater problem in the LCMS than most of us realize: the belief that somehow the ties of family kinship are more important than the heavenly doctrine that binds us together."
This hits home for me. I am planning to visit an ELS congregation (led by Pastor Brumble, former LCMS) in Phoenix. I feel I am being double-minded in a way--and yet, I enter worship at my home church now wondering what I'm going to hear -- a good Lutheran sermon from our associate pastor or a wacky talk on how to "be a good person" from our senior pastor. Our senior pastor recently referred to our sanctuary as "the worship center"! I guess I know where he is headed.
My mom is a member of this LCMS church, but you know, my conscience is pricking me. I feel I need to visit this ELS congregation. From what I have heard, every single LCMS congregation in town offers contemporary worship.
As the abortion issues serves as a quickie benchmark with politicial candidates, so I am beginning to realize that contemporary worship is a benchmark for whether LCMS congregations are confessional or not.
Is it normal to cry in church when you came for a feast and all you got was Kraft macaroni & cheese in a box?
Beth Nieman