The battle for control of the Synod through Episcopal Hierarchy promoted by
Hyper-Euro-Lutheran pastors, or by PLI promoting Church Growth and Boards of
Directors, or by Congregational Voters' Assemblies rages on. Who will control
the Synod, the clergy or the congregations?
For and example of the number of LC-MS pastors opposed to Voters'
Assemblies, just read the tens of thousands of words written against them by
logging on to www.Lutherquest.org and
click on current and past conversations such as "Affect and Effect: A
Good Distinction" on conversations for this past week.
+ + + + +
Also in the inactive conversations found on the "Tree View" are
lengthy conversations on the topic of Voters' Assemblies whose titles were
usually selected by pastors who are opposed to Voters' Assemblies as follows:
- "Going to Far with Voter Supremacy I, II, III, IV"
- "A Tail of Two Synods" also "Continued and "Still
Continued"
- "Supremacy of Voters Assemblies Needs No Scriptural Truth" I
& II
- "LQ Can't Define VA"
- "Jack's VA Resolution"
- "Voter Supremacy Resolution"
- "Define the Voters' Assembly"
Part of the "humor" at the Fort Wayne 2001 Symposium Banquet,
with some 800 pastors and laity in attendance, took place when Dr. Scaer asked
the lay people to stand up. Some 200 to 300 lay people rose to their feet at
the convention center down town. Scaer then announced that Pastor Cascione
says you can vote and make yourselves into a church. This was supposed to be
funny, but the fact is Luther says that the laity can do and indeed have the
authority to do exact that.
"If we should come to a large group of people who are not Christians,
we might act as the apostles did and not wait for a call; for the preaching
ministry is not establish at the place. If, then, a person said: There are no
Christians here; I will preach and instruct them in Christianity, and if a
group then came together, chose him, and called him as their bishop, he would
have a call." ("What Luther Says" page 974 WA 16:36, St. 3:723)
At the same time the Council of Presidents has endorsed the Pastoral
Leadership Institute (PLI) to retrain LC-MS pastor for "leadership."
In a meeting with Doctor Norbert Oesch, leader of PLI, Oesch stated that PLI
did not teach Walther and that he thought that "Voter Supremacy" and
"Voters' Assemblies as the final tribunal in the congregation" was
inflammatory language. One can read about the curriculum by logging on to www.PLI-Leader.org.
Now click on "Overview" to the left, then click on "upcoming
conferences" under "Module One" on the left, then click on
"syllabus."
The 2001 LC-MS Convention may be the last chance for the LC-MS laity to
keep control of the Synod and their own congregations through regularly
scheduled Voters' Assemblies.