Greetings to you!
I am writing this letter to all of you because it affects all of us. It concerns the administrative conduct of the President of the Minnesota South District, The Rev. Lane Seitz.
What I am about to say is quite alarming and literally places all pastors and all congregations of our district in great danger. We are in danger of losing our pastorate, our livelihood, and our church property.
Here is what happened. On November 15, 1998, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Hastings, MN, held a voter's meeting. In that at meeting a small group in the congregation was able to garner enough votes to evict the pastor from the church, secure the building, institute a new constitution, and then, as members of Shepherd of the Valley changed its name to Hope Lutheran Church-all, it appears, on one Sunday morning. This troubling event has never happened before to my knowledge in the history of our synod.
Prior to November 15 and in the cover of darkness, a few other things transpired. President Lane Seitz and his assistant, Dr. James Pragman, at some unknown time and in an unknown place met with the vice-president of the congregation to carry out a plan known to them... and perhaps a few others. The president of Shepherd of the Valley was not invited to the Seitz-Pragman/vice-president meeting, nor was he informed of it.
Neither was the Pastor. They had no idea what was planned for them and Shepherd of the Valley that Sunday. But when the vice-president showed up that morning he had a plan. A plan for another Pastor, another President another constitution, and another name for the congregation. A plan sketched somewhere within the district and executed by a show of right. Friends, this ought not to be.
Even to this day Rev. Bruce King, pastor of Shepherd of the Valley has received no explanation, no words of concern for himself, his wife, or his children-in fact, no communication from President Seitz or Dr. Pragman. What does this mean?
We have a responsibility to find out. For if we remain silent on the way the president comes in our congregation@and there is a pattern here-the next pastor to go and the next congregation to be lost may just be yours. Unless we remain vigilant and take personal interest in our calls and congregations, who of us can escape the next magisterial action.
Call President Seitz and ask for his explanation. He can be reached at (612) 435-2550.
Sincerely,
Rev. Kenneth R Kothe,
604 Pheasant Run,
Burnsville, MN 55337,
(612) 890-3560