This past week many congregations received their bottle of “Spiritual
Glue” from “Faith Inkubators.”
“Faith Inkubators” has just sent a mass mailing to LCMS, ELCA,
Presbyterian, and Methodist congregations around the country listing 50
locations to attend seminars about their new catechism training
program.
There are a number of ways to find “Faith Inkubators” on the internet.
Type in www.faithink.com or call 1-888-55faith. You can also find them
by looking up “confirmation and LCMS” or “Concordia and confirmation”
on
your favorite search engine. “Faith Inkubators” is also located on the
LCMS Website under “Lutheran Family Association -Family Friendly
Links”.
“Faith Inkubators” cross references the LCMS and CPH in their website.
Rev. Rich Melheim, creator of “Faith Inkubators” an ELCA pastor, is
also
a writer for CPH.
What is “Faith Inkubators?” Their website, which is constantly being
revised, reads “A quiet revolution is underway.” That means most
Voters’
Assemblies in the LCMS don't know when their pastors have supplemented
or
replaced Luther’s Small Catechism with “Faith Inkubators”.
It goes on to say that “Faith Inkubators” is “A holistic, relational,
parent-led small group approach to confirmation ministry...transforming
congregations, youth, families and clergy.” This is exactly what is
happening.
A long list of testimonials are given by ELCA and LCMS clergy. The
“Faith Inkubators” website explains, “It’s not merely a curriculum,
although a new, wonderfully creative, interactive curriculum approach
has
been developed to supplement it.... It’s not even specifically
Lutheran,
although it fits in beautifully with the ‘priesthood of all believers’
philosophy....” “It is a philosophy that promotes good stewardship of a
pastor’s time.” It is a multimedia approach and employs seminars,
satellites, training, internet, videos, curriculum, images, analogies,
humorous skits, dramas, art projects, and meditative prayer journeys
that
implement methodology similar to Howard Gardner’s (left brain/ right
brain) Multiple Intelligences.
“Faith Inkubators” was started by Rev. Rich Melheim (ELCA) who started
a
mentor-based program at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, MN. By
the Fall of 96 over 1000 congregations were experimenting with the
program as living laboratories. “The movement currently involves 2/3
ELCA and 1/3 LCMS congregations and has its first UCC, Presbyterian,
Methodist and Catholic test sites.” Yes, “Faith Inkubators” is a pan
denominational, globalist, relational, catechism.
“Faith Inkubators” strives for transformation through “PROCESS”. Each
child is assigned an adult mentor or “Guide” on their learning,
serving,
playing, praying, and growing journey. Pastors still teach content but
a
third of everything is taught through interactive small group learning
activities. This writer evaluates the programs as enlisting spiritual
guides, values clarification, and spiritual gift assessments.
Melheim says he developed the program’s small group structure from Carl
George’s Meta Church Model; its philosophy from William Glasser (a
secular humanist and an expert in behavior modification); its business
sense from MIT’s Peter Senge (author of “The Fifth Discipline”) and his
own research. Theological “tips” come from Dr. Pat Keifert of the
Leadership Network (www.leadnet.org). The Leadership Network, who
endorses Willow Creek as a model for American Churches of the 21st
Century, is also advising the LCMS Council of Presidents on how to
restructure congregations and the LCMS.
Who are Carl George, William Glasser, and Peter Senge and what kind of
influence do they have on the new catechism now being adopted by LCMS
congregations?
Carl George is a well known expert and consultant to denominations and
independent congregations on the Meta Church Model, a method of
restructuring congregations within the Church Growth Movement and also
discards Walther’s “Church and Ministry.”
George has regularly advised congregations, District Offices and
pastors’
conferences in the LCMS. The Meta Church Model establishes cells and
group leaders in house churches that then come together for worship on
Sunday. George views the centralization of the pastoral office as one
of
the primary barriers to growth in churches today. Yet, his radical
restructuring takes on many of the characteristics of the cell groups
once associated with the communist party and imposes a centralized
“leadership training” model over the “cells.”
William Glasser writes the following quotations in the introduction to
his book “The Quality School.” “I cannot begin to acknowledge all the
teachers and administrators who help me as I struggle to bring the
ideas
of control theory and reality therapy to the schools.” “I have read
and
reread Deming, and I continue to believe that quality is the answer to
many societal problems and that quality schools are possible.”
“Although I acknowledge the Johnson City, New York, schools in the
text,
I also wish to acknowledge the work of others like William Spady (PR
man
for Goals 2000) and John Champlin who are deeply involved in Outcomes
Based Education, (OBE) a successful model which many ideas in this book
support.” “In his 1982 book, addressed to industry but whose message
applies even more urgently to the schools, Deming says, ‘This book is
teaching the transformation that is required for survival, a
transformation that can only be accomplished by man.’”
In another book, “School Without Failure,” William Glasser writes “We
have to let students know there are no right answers, and we have to
let
them see that there are many alternatives to certainty and right
answers.”
Peter Senge is a world renowned business consultant at MIT. On his own
website Peter Senge writes about “Spirituality in the Workplace.” A
synopsis of his book “The Fifth Discipline” is found there and states
as
follows:
“Senge’s pathbreaking book draws on science, spiritual wisdom,
psychology, and the cutting edge of management thought to show how
businesses can overcome their ‘learning disabilities’ and beat the odds
of failure. The book provides a searching personal experience and a
dramatic professional shift of mind.”
Senge writes, “I found myself pondering these questions anew as a
result
of participation in “Summit on Reinventing Government,” hosted by
United
States Vice President Al Gore in June 1993.”
Again he writes “...we must also redesign the internal structures of
our
‘mental models’. But anything less will fall short of the changes
required.”
Rev. Richard Melheim has traveled the country since 1993 since he gave
the “wake-up call,” “Conformation (Sic!) is Dead.” He leads
workshops
on how to transform confirmation ministry. Call 1-888-55FAITH.
On the “Faith Inkubators” website Melheim says “There’s a line of
Oswald
Chambers which reads, ‘the purpose of prayer is not to find the
answers,
but to find God.’” ... “We need an incarnational, relational ministry
approach. We need small group bonding.”
Through relational ministry in small groups, “Faith Inkubators” leads
children to share difficult experiences in their lives with each other
and then with the entire class. Once the children become open with
their
feelings, Mark Holmen gives the following “Action Plan” on the “Faith
Inkubators” website to confirmation leaders when children reveal
sensitive information. “Before you get too involved in youth ministry,
it is important that a clear plan be developed which will give you the
direction needed to handle these situations.”
The advice is to go with the information to the:
The relational approach of “Faith Inkubators” helps the students
discover
their felt needs and belong to the group. Their approach to dramas and
skits in role playing can be traced all way back to transformational
Marxist and educational psychologist J. L. Morano who invented role
playing, social metrics, psychodrama, and social drama as effective
tools
to mold thought and behavior. In 1953 Morano authored “Who Shall
Survive”. “Faith Inkubators” also employs the techniques of Group
Dynamics, invented by another transformational Marxist, Kurt Lewin.
“Journaling” invented by Robert Havighurst, author of “Adolescent
Character and Personality” teaches children to write about themselves
and their families. The Red Chinese employ “Journaling” as the most
effective technique to evaluate parents and families. Efforts at
spiritual gifts inventories are little more than thinly disguised
personality profiles collecting data to aid in values clarification.
Mark Holmen has his own home page. He is also part of “Milestones”
ministry where he is quoted with Peter Benson, of the Search Institute.
Many congregations of the LCMS, ELCA, and other denominations in our
area
are using “Faith Inkubators” Hundreds in the LCMS have adopted it and
hundreds more are moving in that direction. Rigid formulations about
the
Gospel in the Creeds become a barrier to change. The average LCMS
layman
knows little if anything of what I am speaking about, but the Council
of
District Presidents knows. As usual, Michigan, Texas, Minnesota South,
Southern, California/ Hawaii, Nevada and Florida/ Georgia Districts
lead
the way.
The COP has already agreed to retrain 225 LCMS pastors for “Leadership”
coincidentally reminiscent of the philosophies of Carl George, Peter
Senge, Covey, and the Leadership Network. Doctor Norbert Oesch has
been
chosen to head the program with funding from LCEF and an unnamed
source.
The transformational processing of “Faith Inkubators” leads children
into
new directions away from facts into feelings and self discovery. Yes,
“Faith Inkubators” is very appealing to young people.
Carl George
William Glasser
Peter Senge
Pastor
This information may be what the children reveal about themselves in
class or what they reveal about their parents. This is most likely
what
they mean by holistic.
Church Council Representative
Youth Committee Representative
Youth Representative
Law Enforcement Representative
Local Family Counselor
Church Insurance Representative
Treatment Center Representative.