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(This writer recalls the now sainted professor from
Springfield and Fort
Wayne, Dr. Henry Eggold, saying on numerous occasions to his students in
Sermon Theory class, "You don't do the Gospel. That was the
problem with
Seminex.")
WEDNESDAY __ 4 December 2002
Kieschnick Interview in Pan-Lutheran Twin Cities (MN) Newspaper
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=380&NewsID=40
1387&CategoryI
LCMS national president not writing off Lutheranism's future
Dr. Gerald Kieschnick was interviewed by the editor of Metro Lutheran during
a visit to St. Paul.
12/03/02 Michael L. Sherer
During a visit to Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, on November
5, the Rev. Gerald Kieschnick, President of the Lutheran Church--Missouri
Synod spoke with Metro Lutheran editor, Michael Sherer.
Metro Lutheran: Since becoming LCMS President you've had something of a
bumpy ride. Do you have any regrets accepting this leadership position?
Dr. Kieschnick: I'm having a ball. But I'd be surprised if we didn't have
bumps. We have folks in the church of European background, who are highly
educated and are passionate about their views. Single-mindedness can set in.
There's been serious opposition to your leadership in some quarters.
Do you sense a serious split developing in the Missouri Synod?
Leaders are always disappointing somebody. No leader wants to see a
schism. But if people can't persuade others to their position, they have to
decide what to do.
I'm doing everything I can to get people to the table - a round table. We
need to ask together what Scripture is saying to us.
All the Lutheran groups in the U.S. are now on a growth plateau or are
declining. Why do you think that is, and do you think anything can be done
about it?
Decline is attributable to several things. We're in a pluralistic culture.
There's distrust of institutions these days. People don't automatically show
up in our churches as they once did, and the boatloads of Lutheran
immigrants aren't arriving from Europe any more. Now, there's more pressure
on church leaders, especially pastors, to create an environment that compels
people to come in. But a lot of positive things are happening. Many of our
congregations are beehives of activity. They're growing. This is actually
happening in a whole bunch of congregations - not a majority of them, but in
a goodly number. The LCMS now uses 120 different languages for
worship. Mul-ticulturalism is a fact. The key ingredient is effective
clergy and lay leadership. And, of course, that's an thing of the Spirit.
What, in your judgment, is the greatest challenge facing the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod right now?
Agreeing on what the mission of the church ought to be. I maintain it should
be doing the Gospel and transforming lives.
There appears to be a standoff in the Missouri Synod these days, between
those who promote church growth and innovation in worship forms, on the one
hand, and those embracing traditional forms, on the other. Are these groups
mutually exclusive, or can there be common ground?
The controversy often results because people don't take time to dialog and
learn to understand each other. I don't think it matters what style is used.
The key elements of worship need to be there, of course. The important thing
is to have the right spirit. I've been to "7-11" services (where
you sing the same seven words eleven times in a row) and liturgical
services. Both can be edifying. Or both can be deadly. Most growing churches
today use a variety of styles. They're menu-driven.
What do you think is the Missouri Synod's greatest strength?
Its lay people. I travel around the country and am not surprised, but always
impressed, by the quality of our lay members. They're educated and
Spirit-filled. The Synod is really its congregations. And congregations are
their people. People in our congregations are more excited now than they've
ever been about taking active roles in church life. Other strengths I'd
mention include our 2,400 parish schools, ten colleges, two seminaries, our
social ministry organizations (in which we partner with the ELCA), and ourGlobal
mission program.
Are you hopeful about the future of the Lutheran ex-pression of
Christianity?
I'm high on Lutheran Christianity. And that's be-cause we have a
powerful understanding of the Gospel, a proper distinction between Law and
Gospel. Our Gospel theology is unequaled in all of Christianity. I believe
our church is poised to make huge inroads with the Gospel. Our creativity
has been stifled recently. That can change.
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