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Texas Vice Presidents Deny Validity of 1999 Lutheran Annual Statistics
By Rev. Jack Cascione
Three Vice Presidents of the Texas District were present for the
lectures I gave titled "Reclaiming the Gospel in the Texas District." Vice
President Joeckel was present at Arlington Texas on Feb. 11th, Vice Linderman was present
in San Antonio Texas on Feb. 12th, and Vice President Black was present in Houston on Feb.
15th. Both Joeckel and Linderman vehemently proclaimed that the financial statistics of
the Texas District from the Lutheran Annual were false. They insisted that the amount of
funds given to the Texas District by member congregations and the amount of funds the
District sent on to the Synod were incorrect.
They both had no idea what the correct numbers were. He had no advance warning of what
the numbers shown on the screen would be but they immediately told everyone that they were
false. They also insisted that the number of people published in the Lutheran Annual
working "at the District Office" were completely in error. The following numbers
were taken from the Lutheran Annual and Statistical Year Books.
| Total Work At Large: |
| 1968 |
$1,747,549.00 |
| 1972 |
$2,141,338.00 |
| 1992 |
$6,905,724.00 |
| 1997 |
$8,684,579.00 |
| Synod’s Budget: |
| 1968 |
$680,854.00 |
| 1972 |
$835,488.00 |
| 1992 |
$2,454,774.00 |
| 1997 |
$2,025,000.00 |
| At District Office: |
| 1968 |
(no figures published) |
| 1972 |
4 staff listed |
| 1992 |
11 staff listed |
| 1997 |
15 staff listed + three deployed offices |
| (These figures do not include secretaries
and other employees) |
| Confirmed Members: |
| 1968 |
69,245 |
| 1972 |
76,368 |
| 1992 |
100,215 |
| 1997 |
107,550 |
The numbers are so embarrassing and indefensible that President
Kieschnick’s Vice Presidents had little choice but to publicly claim that the
Lutheran Annual numbers are wrong. What they show is that Texas and many other
District’s are steadily collecting more and more funds and giving less and less funds
to the Synod. Texas collected approximately $1.7 million more mission funds in 1997 than
in 1992 but reduced their giving to the Synod by more than $400,000.00 in 1997. Texas has
a resolution that 40% of its funds will go to the Synod but in 1997 they sent in 23%.
Where did the extra funds go? Who can tell? The Texas District added three deployed
offices between 92 and 97. The number of people listed "at the District Office"
rose to 15. They now have four full time "Facilitators." Whatever they are?
There are no "Facilitators" listed in the Bible. They have turned themselves
into the "nanny" district. Congregations can call up the Facilitator to help
with all kinds of "special problems."
When confronted by the numbers from the Lutheran Annual, the Texas District Vice
Presidents deny, deny, deny, as if there was a conspiracy on the part of the Synod to
publish fraudulent statistics about the Texas District.
Local Texas pastors report that the Texas District may have opened no more than two new
mission congregations in the past 10 years. This may be incorrect and there may a few
more. Is this all the lay people get for $6.7 million dollars? But wait! The entire
mission philosophy has changed. Rather than finance "traditional mission
congregations" the Texas District is giving funds to Texas Mega-Churches to start
missions inside these congregations and get more results for their dollar. In essence, the
small congregations are now financing the large congregations because this is where there
is the most opportunity for growth. This is also how the "traditional"
congregations finance their own extinction.
Meanwhile the so-called "confessional pastors and congregations" have started
and financed two "confessional mission congregations." A "confessional
mission congregation" means they use Lutheran hymnbooks, catechisms, agenda, liturgy,
creeds, the name "Lutheran" and etc. according to Article VI.4 of the LCMS
constitution.
Rev. Jack Cascione is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS - MI) in
St. Clair Shores, Michigan. He has written numerous articles for Christian News
and is the author of Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS: How to Keep Your Congregation
Lutheran. He has also written a study on the Book of Revelation called In Search
of the Biblical Order.
He can be reached by email at pastorcascione@juno.com.
March 26, 1999
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