BHE Reconsiders PLI (for the 4th time!) at Irvine
By Rev. Jack Cascione

PLI has more lives than a cat.

The LC-MS Board for Higher Education met at Concordia University in Irvine, California January 18, 19, and 20. These are highly secret meetings. Tensions are running high on the Board over the issue of the Pastoral Leadership Institute. One of the non-voting appointees to the BHE was refused entry to the meeting.

A report was sent by Fed Ex courier to Dr. Ralph Reinke, Chairman of the BHE, containing 24 individually addressed envelopes to the Board members. We know that Reinke or his representative received the report, but as of this writing we are not aware that Reinke distributed the envelopes.

The report explained events of the meeting between Pastor Jack Cascione and Doctor Norbert Oesch, with two witnesses. Doctor Oesch's rejection of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LC-MS) doctrine and practice in this meeting was an affront to LC-MS congregations. Financial support and/or RSO status for PLI must inevitably be viewed as an intrusion and an attempt to destabilize LC-MS congregations by the BHE.

The LC-MS 2001 Convention and not the BHE is the authorized forum to consider any restructuring of LC-MS congregations. The BHE is therefore requested to refer any recommendation concerning PLI to the 2001 LC-MS Convention and not to do an end run around the doctrine of Church and Ministry. The BHE has no authority to initiate actions that would restructure LC-MS congregations.

During the meeting Doctor Oesch:

1. Refused to sign a statement condemning pastors who teach Seminex Doctrine.
2. Rejected Article VI.4 of the LC-MS constitution requiring the use of orthodox hymnbooks, catechism, and agenda in church and school.
3. Refused to support Walther's definition of Voter Supremacy.
4. Rejected Walther's thesis that established the existence of LC-MS congregations, "The orthodox Church is to be judged principally by the common, orthodox, and public confession to which the members acknowledge themselves to have been pledged and which they profess."
5. Rejected the necessity of a correct doctrinal statement in the Congregational Constitution in order to prove that it is a true visible church.
6. Claimed that PLI did not teach Walther.

At this time we are waiting to learn if the BHE has approved RSO status for PLI or if they have in any way planned to fund PLI.

More information will be forth coming when it is available.

[On January 25^th we learned from undisclosed sources that the LC-MS Board for Higher Education has voted not to give Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI) Recognized Service Organization status (RSO). This would mean the Lutheran Church Extension Fund had no authority to grant PLI more than $340,000.00, not to mention additional funding from the COP and the LCMS Foundation.]

January 22, 2001