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The LCMS has set up a Website for congregations to register the number of people to whom they have shared the Gospel.
http://www.lcms.org/ca/mission/ablaze/index.asp
The Synodical Headquarters Reports:
"August 27, 2004 ................... LCMSNews -- No. 64 World Mission sets up Web site to track 'Ablaze!' LCMS World Mission has set up a new Web site to track 'Ablaze!' activities worldwide. The Web site -- www.lcmsworldmission.org/ablaze -- is designed to record the number of people with whom LCMS and partner church members have shared the
Gospel of Christ, and the ways in which they are sharing their faith with others."
"Ablaze" has its own unique regulations and rules about who to count, how to keep count, and what kind of counts are not acceptable for the 100 million witness list.
For example, let's look at Redeemer Lutheran Church in St. Clair Shores, MI.
From August 2-6, 9 am to 12 pm, the Redeemer Vacation Bible School taught 254 children the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, five Bible lessons from CPH's "Rick the Brick," and lots of songs about Jesus. Less than 30 of the children attend Redeemer. To advertise the program, Redeemer distributed 4000 flyers door-to-door and bought a 1/3-page ad in the St. Clair Shores Sentinel that is
mailed to 28,000 homes.
In September, Redeemer will begin its 14th year of Preschool and Kindergarten, with an enrollment of 120 children, 5 of whom attend Redeemer. The children hear a Bible story and pray to Jesus every day. Sunday School won't start till September 12th.
Redeemer baptized six people in August, and is scheduled to baptize eight in September. Redeemer accepted more than 40 adult and children as new members in the past year and needs about 40 new members a year in order to maintain its current membership of 410 baptized. People move in and people move out.
What should Redeemer list and why should it list anything on the "Ablaze" website?
The Ablaze website has the following answer:
"4. Why count? Why report?"
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=5672
"A: Counting has always been important in the Bible as one of the indications of how things are and what needs to be done. A fine example is the parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:4-7. When the shepherd gets to 99, and he knows that there should be a hundred sheep, he leaves the 99 to seek and find the one lost sheep. Without counting, human beings often do not have a clear picture of the
real state of affairs."
However, Luke 15: 4-7 is not about counting sheep. It is about the importance of one church member who repents and 99 church members who don't believe they need to repent. In fact, Luke 15: 4-7 teaches exactly the opposite of what is claimed by "Ablaze." It is not the numbers but the individual soul that matters to God.
Kretzmann writes in his "Popular Commentary." "The ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance are evidently people like the Pharisees and scribes, who in their own opinion are not in need of a Savior."
"Ablaze" should have a place to register the number of pastors who think it doesn't matter if the LCMS tells the truth about Scripture, just as long as we get the job done.
There isn't one place in the New Testament that says we should count the number of people to whom we tell the Gospel. Not once does Paul report the size of the crowd that hears him preach. We are told that after Jesus preached to and fed the 5000, that the 5000 rejected him when He said His body was real food and His blood was real drink.
But wait, "What about the 3000 baptized at Pentecost?"
We read on the Ablaze Website: "We are not counting baptisms or conversions. We are counting the number of Gospel seeds planted."
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=5670
"Ablaze" wants to keep count of the 5000 but not the 3000. It sound's like the LCMS has given up Lutheranism for Kieschnickism.
The goal of "Ablaze" is to count the works of man instead of the works of God, and the COP said, "Amen." "Ablaze" counts all those we talk to about Jesus but not who is converted and baptized. Yes, human beings like to keep count of all the good things they do such as giving a 10th of cumin and dill out of the spice rack to support the church.
Redeemer will have to deduct the number of baptized from the people we planted "a Gospel seed" in at Vacation Bible School.
But, what about the 300 plus adults who came to hear the 254 children sing about Jesus and hear a Gospel message on the last day of VBS? I think the 300 adults count, less of course, those who are baptized.
The "Ablaze" website states: "An example: A congregation puts 1,500 flyers in the local paper. The 1,500 flyers do not count. But, any inquiries that came as a result of the flyers and opened the door for the congregation to share the Good News with an unreached or uncommitted person will count toward the 100 million goal."
I guess this means that the 300 adults count for "Ablaze," minus our own members.
What about the 700 people who came to hear their preschool and kindergarten children sing in church and hear a Gospel message last Christmas? I guess they also count.
We have to split the Preschool and Kindergarten services into two services to get all the adults into church. For most of these parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., this will be the only service they will attend all year and their behavior shows it. Before the service, I have to give them a lecture about no flashes, no applause, no standing up, no waving, no yelling out, or the
children get so frightened they won't sing. How can you expect a three, four, or five-year-old to sing about Jesus while facing a disorderly mob? Keeping the adults quiet is tough, but they qualify for the "Ablaze" list.
According to "Ablaze," Redeemer can easily register 1400 to 1500 direct witnesses about Jesus Christ, but the converts, baptisms, flyers, and newspaper ads don't count. What about the thousands of people who come to weddings, baptisms, and funerals at Redeemer every year?
If Redeemer used "Ablaze" as a model for evangelism, we would have to close in five years.
How much does "Ablaze" cost? Here the Synod goes schizophrenic.
We read: "5. Is Ablaze! a giving campaign?"
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=5673
First, it says they aren't trying to raise money.
"A: The short answer is no. "Ablaze!" is a global mission movement to sow 100 million Gospel seeds in partnership with North American and global partners."
Then it says they want to raise an extra $100,000,000.
"Additionally, the 62nd Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod voted in July 2004 to support a major effort to raise $100 million beyond the regular LCMS World Mission budget by 2010 for the work of LCMS World Mission through 'Ablaze!.'"
This is gives the Synod great deniability. They can say "Ablaze" doesn't cost money and "Ablaze" needs 100 million dollars at the same time.
Needless to say, a fool and his mission money are soon parted.
Redeemer will spend its mission funds on flyers, newspaper ads, VBS materials, and keep count of baptisms and adult converts. We are not going to bother registering 3000 to 4000 plus non-member adults to whom we communicate the Gospel every year.
Ablaze is nothing more than Pharisaic gimmickry and shameless exploitation of mission work.
The day will come when the clergy who promote "Ablaze" will have to give an account of how they intentionally misled people about evangelism and turned mission work into opportunistic legalism.
"May God root out all heresy And of false teachers rid us Who proudly say: 'Now, where is he That shall our speech forbid us? By right or might we shall prevail; What we determine Cannot fail We own no lord and master.'"
"Therefore saith God, 'I must arise, The poor My help are needing; To Me ascend My people's cries, And I have heard their pleading For them My saving Word shall fight And fearlessly and sharply smite, The poor with might defending.'"
"O Lord, Look Down From Heaven, Behold" By Martin Luther Hymn 260, TLH, Verses 3 and 4,
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