Letter to the Editor

Reporter, September 1998

Too much, too soon

Recent articles have sought reasons for the erosion of financial support of the Synod. Perhaps the following true scenario will give further insight as to why many parish members become disillusioned with the Synod and its seminary training to the point where they leave the church or curtail financial support.

Last month, an LCMS parish installed a newly ordained candidate from one of our seminaries. 0 his first Sunday, he unilaterally changed several long-standing worship practices. He introduced Matins from Lutheran Worship, a service unfamiliar to most of the worshippers. He no longer allowed lay persons to read the first two lessons. The traditional parting greeting was eliminated.

His second Sunday and communion brought even more extensive changes. In the worship folder he printed an announcement that from now on the parish would strictly practice “close communion and that all non-members would have to agree with all the stated doctrine of the Missouri Synod, about which they should speak wit the pastor. He eliminated another dearly loved practice, that of the congregation reading together the Collect for the Day. From now on, only the minister would read it aloud. He wore a chasuble, also unknown by the congregation. He eliminated grape juice for those wi abstained from alcohol for medical reasons — now they would receive ‘just a drop” of wine diluted in water. He introduced the common cup. Only a fleeting paragraph about any of these changes was printed in the worship folder.

Even though these changes could be considered admirable — perhaps even preferable — they brought swift changes to a congregation that left them wondering. Are newly trained pastors taught nothing about pastoral ways of introducing change in a congregation? Do they know anything about employing an equitable pace when introducing changes? In short, the behavior of this new pastor is already resulting in an erosion of membership — and, I suspect, of financial offerings, where the reverberations will be felt by the Synod treasury as well.

Please omit my name to protect this new pastor.

Name withheld

Response to "Too Much, Too Soon" in September '98 Reporter.

Dear Editor:

How terrible! The pastor written about in the September 1998 Reporter by "Name Withheld" should be tarred and feathered. How dare he institute an order of service from the official hymnal of the Synod in his first service there. He should be ashamed to follow the guidance of the CTCR in not allowing lay people to read the Scriptures in the service. And horror of horrors that he should eliminate the "traditional parting greeting." And then, to add insult to injury that he should practice "close communion" and follow the direction of the constitution and bylaws of the synod and resolutions of the synod, how shocking! And that he should himself read the collect for the day according to the liturgy of the hymnal -- has he no shame? And what business did he have of insisting on the use of wine in the Sacrament of the Altar just because our Lord used it and directed us to use it in His institution of the Lord's Supper? And then he has the audacity to use the common cup in the administration of the Sacrament, gasp! Who could blame members of the congregation for leaving and withholding funds?

By the way, could we have this pastor's name? We are currently vacant in our congregation and we could use a LUTHERAN pastor.

Rev. Earl W. Elowsky, EM
Hillman, MI

Enough Vacancies in LCMS?

Grape juice?

Messed up Liturgy?

Lay Ministers reading the liturgy?

No familiaritiy with the ancient worship forms?

Makes me wonder (and wanna write a letter asking) why this young candidate was obviously sent to a non-Lutheran church. Don't we have enough vacancies in our own church body?

Rev. Thomas W Hoyt
Forsyth, Il

Letter to Editor in Response

It is obvious that this congregation has an enormous identity crisis. Perhaps they should immediately apply to the Methobapticostals for membership, since they obviously have left the Lutheran camp. Could it be that they are contributing to Synod's financial woes becasue they are sending their mission offerings to Billy Graham?

This Pastor, just as obviously, knows he is a confessional LCMS Pastor and desires to be one in reality, not just on paper for the big bucks and excellent Worker Benefit Plans.

When one follows a Pastor or series of Pastors who allowed the congregation to "go to pot," it is very difficult to restore them to the Lutheran faith without a great deal of pain. But the pain should be short, rather than drawn out over years. A short instruction period and then "Choose this day who you will serve...."

I pray that this Pastor will receive the support of his fellow Pastors, his Circuit Counselor, his District President and the Synodical President as he deserves. Others have fallen because there was not support for the right. May this courageous man's destiny be different!