Parallel phenomena appear to be occurring in our society today. Perhaps, by looking at CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) and their demonstrated behaviours toward.middle managers in the business world, we may avoid impersonating the strategies of, these "CEOs" and keep the control of our church in our own hands. Let me explain.

The first CEO phenomena our society is suffering from is stunningly described by Susan Faludi in her new book STIFFED: The Betrayal of the American Man. Faludi has put five years of research into her material and draws a picture of the downsizing phenomena (i.e., at McDonnell Douglas Corp.) with its devastating results to middle managers. My late husband, Dr. Carl Driessnack, had much experience in Outplacement as he tried to put these middle managers back into one piece again. What Faludi has written about these betrayals is accurate and not overstated.

When a CEO buys into the philosophy of downsizing, he usually is firing a perfectly competent executive, who immediately loses his sense of belonging in their corporation. Confusion reigns. For example, the McDonnell Douglas experience resulted in middle managers blaming their wives, which, as Faludi writes, is an inaccurate reason for their dismissal. These managers had been stiffed usually for the sake of a very positive Profit/Loss Statement, NOT because of incompetence.

Faludi reminds us that it is important to note that, when our men fought at Normandy in WW II, they knew what they were doing and they won the war! But, by Viet Nam, they neither knew what they were doing nor what they cherished, and you know what happened there. The"CEO Pres. Johnson" mentality of the 1960s said to over 350,000 men "Do as I say and don't ask questions." This became the formula for our defeat. Today, in my opinion, the LCMS is being asked to buy into this kind of mentality. In the LCMS today, if we vote to change our Constitutions and eliminate Voters' Assemblies, it can mean:

1. The congregation is run by the CEO (pastors who regard themselves as CEOs).
2. The congregation is operated by a board of directors (promoted by church growth and leadership training from the PLI).
3. It should be noted by every congregation that the PLI (Pastoral Leadership Institute) is NOT approved by the LCMS in convention or the LCMS' Board for Higher Education. However, LCEF V.P. Victor Bryant is "giving" Dr. Norbert Oesch a grant, not a loan of $340,000 between 1997 and 2002. When people invested their monies in the LCEF was it for churches and schools or for allocations of LCEF funds to the PLI? (See my 1988-1989 articles in CN regarding the LCEF). The cavalier allocation of funds without convention approval of funds must stop. Investigations such as the one being talked about regarding the foundation's 40 million dollar loss need to be carried out against any group predisposed to take the bit in their teeth and run with synod's funds.

The elimination of YOUR Voters' Assembly can also mean: a) lack of control by you at the local level; b) lack of information to you at the local and national levels; c) confusion over what we cherish because we can't ask questions and formulate accurate opinions; d) CEO pastors who won't protect the laity from a lack of information. Who coined the phrase "Ignorance is bliss?" Look at Faludi's research to see what CEO managers did as they displaced middle managers. "These middle managers lost a sense of belonging to their corporation." We can also lose a sense of belonging to our church quite quickly in a CEO environment.

The elimination of our Voters' Assemblies can mean we, as loyal and competent LCMS members, have been "stiffed" by the elimination of our Voters' Assemblies, just as many loyal and competent managers have been stiffed by their CEOs.

It is hoped that, from meetings such as these resolutions will go to the floor committees in May 2001 and the laity will be heard by the floor committee. Will the floor committee attempt to silence the laity again in 2001as they did in 1998? We cannot allow this to happen. Walther wanted an informed laity.

Pastor Jack Cascione's article (CN 9/20/99) "More LCMS Clergy Rejecting the Authority of the Voters' Assembly" condenses the situation succinctly:

"The leadership of the LCMS has set in motion a plan to disenfranchise the Voters' Assemblies of the LCMS. The reason is simple. They believe, dictatorship is more efficient and cost-effective than congregational voting. Growing numbers of LCMS pastors regard themselves as CEOs who operate with boards of directors promoted by church growth and leadership training."

In other words, when LCMS clergy reject the authority of the Voters' Assembly, they are, in my opinion, stiffing the laity. What can the laity do about it? Let's listen to Cascione again:

"The goal of ReclaimingWalther.org is to have the LCMS Convention adopt a resolution reestablishing Walther's Church and Ministry as the official doctrine and practice of the LCMS as it once did unanimously in 1852... this resolution may get to the 2001 Convention floor and it may pass. Without an official doctrine of Church and Ministry the LCMS cannot possibly survive as a united church body."

Can we in the LCMS learn something from Faludi's book STIFFED: The Betrayal of the American Man? Betrayal is not an easy thing to overcome, since the person OR GROUP being stiffed" is usually the recipient before the betrayal is openly carried out, recognized for what it is, and dealt with. However, we can see close parallels between what has occurred to hundreds of middle managers (who were perfectly competent) by their companies for the sake of profit and what is happening to the LCMS moving to a mega-church philosophy with, by definition, increased incomes, thus turning our churches into hierarchical, market-driven institutions.

In our case we can learn something from Faludi. Missouri, in convention, can stop the elimination of Voters' Assemblies and keep power in the hands of the laymen as Dr. C.F.W. Walther wrote, in order to maintain a "Sturdy and informed laity." Do you really want to be a lay member of the LCMS who can only drop a check into the offering plate each Sunday and never be allowed to ask for accountability from CEO pastors and a nonexistent Voters' Assembly? Are we who are competent Lutherans going to allow ourselves to be "stiffed" by the elimination of our grass roots Voters' Assemblies? Think about becoming a delegate to the 2001 LCMS Convention and for voting for reestablishing Walther's Church and Ministry as the official doctrine and practice of the LCMS. We must have Voters' Assemblies in order to maintain a grass roots church where the laity knows what it is doing. We need to reeducate any hierarchical CEO pastors and also investigate organizations who have recently demonstrated total incompetence both fiscally and theologically.

As Dr. Robert Preus always concluded his writings, SOLI DEO GLORIA!