- The "Conservatives" remained
silent when the Core Values were adopted at the Michigan District Convention
- Why the "Conservatives" did not object to
the adoption of Core Values
- Why the Core Values distort the Gospel and Worship
- An explanation of "Process Consulting" from the
Internet
- An explanation of "Core Values" from the Internet
The
"Conservatives"
remained silent when the Core Values were adopted at the Michigan District Convention
The 8 new Michigan District Core Values were sent to Reclaim News readers in a previous news release. Michigan is now
promoting a brave new Lutheranism for the rest of the Synod. Yes, Wallace Schulz was
right. The Synod does look to Michigan for leadership.
The 8 Core Values were tacked on to Resolution 1-09B that designated $1,500,000,
received from the sale of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Detroit to the Baptists, for inner
city ministries.
The title of the Resolution 1-09B reads: "To Substantially Honor the final Request
of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Detroit, and thereby Highlight Core Values of the Michigan
District"
With the final Resolve the delegates voted their commitment to the Core Values as
follows: "RESOLVED, that the District administration seek to involve urban pastors
and leaders in discussion and decisions that affect urban ministry, perhaps through the
CMF/Urban position - thereby showing its commitment to Core Value 1 (locally rooted
mission development), Core Value 2 (congregation and District staff accountability) and
Core Value 3 (networking congregations)."
This writer informed the Convention from the microphone, "These are not my Core
Values."
I asked Floor Committee 1 Chairman, Arnold Brammeier, if we had previously voted on
these Core Values? He responded, "No."
I asked how these Core Values had become the District's Core Values because the title
of the Resolution reads, "...and thereby Highlight Core Values of the Michigan
District."
Brammeier, looked over at District President Hoesman and said these Core Values are
generally accepted by the District. Hoesman nodded.
When Brammeier said "generally accepted" he meant that the Board of Directors
had agreed to agreed to the Core Values. Under Michigan's new constitution, adopted in
1997, the District Board of Directors can adopt and pass resolutions without Convention
approval. The Board of Directors handles any resolutions not dealt with during the time
allotted to the Convention.
Floor Committee 1 only had 10 more minutes on the podium. I moved that the final two
lines dealing with Core Values be dropped from the Resolution. The District President
asked for a second and no one would second the motion, of the some 450 delegates still
seated during the remaining 1 ½ hours of the 2 ½ day Michigan District Convention.
Theoretically, there should be 760 delegates.
Why the "Conservatives" did not object
to the adoption of Core Values
Not one hyper-euro-Lutheran pastor, not one "Confessional
Lutheran" in the Convention would publicly object to the new Core Values to which
they were now going to publicly commit themselves before the world. All that was needed
was a second to the motion and that would have at least let the Core Values be the
District Office Core Values.
A District Facilitor was the next speaker at the microphone. He said that adoption of
the Core Values was a matter of trust, that is trusting the District Office to do the
right thing. The delegates then adopted the resolution.
Two days earlier, these same delegates had overwhelming passed Barry's position on
justification against the Joint Agreement. They were attentive and respectful to Dr.
Nafzger gave a presentation on fellowship principles.
But the "moderate" delegates were not going to vote against Core Values. Why
should they?
The lobotomized lay people were not going to vote against Core Values. Most of the lay
delegates in the Convention had already met with one of the four Facilitors in the past
three years and/or were already a member of the Board of Directors at their own church. As
one lay delegate said from the microphone, "I don't know anything about Walther or
Pieper but we all know that Voters' Assemblies cause grid-lock."
Nearly all the pastors in the Michigan District no longer support Walther's Voter
Assemblies as the only official polity of the LCMS. The same is true for nearly all of the
Faculty at Fort Wayne and St. Louis Seminaries.
All that the pre-Waltherian hyper-euro-Lutheran pastors had to do, who have no
commitment to any particular position of church and ministry except their own sacrament of
ordination, was be quiet and let the "Church Growthers" finish off Walther for
them right there in the Convention. After all, how could there be any danger, the District
Staff had just supported Barry on Justification?
Now the Michigan District is like the Catholic Church. If you agree with the Creed and
trust in your Baptism you have eternal life. But if your heart is really trusting in Mary
and your own good works to save you, you have eternal damnation. Now, in the Michigan
District, if you agree with the statement on Justification you have eternal life but if
you have committed your soul to the Core Values you have eternal damnation.
This writer's only "Core Values" are the six chief parts of Luther's Small
Catechism.
If the hundreds of pastors in the Michigan District want to bow down to the politically
correct verbiage of social psychology, humanism, consumerism, psyco-dynamics, and
relativism, they can explain their "Commitment" to Core Values at the last
Judgment to Jesus Christ. I found that what I mistook for their lack of courage, over the
years is really a different spirit.
Why the Core Values distort the Gospel and
Worship
The Michigan District didn't replace the Gospel with the Core Values
it simply gave its membership an alternative to the Gospel.
Luther insisted that all the churches use the same words of the Small Catechism. In
this way the lay people would all know what they were talking about. Now each District and
many congregations are developing their own vocabulary to "repack the Gospel" in
secular terms. The laity are becoming so confused they don't know what they are talking
about. There is no "Bible, Catechism, or Lutheran" talk in these Core Values.
People don't even know what they are committing themselves to. They are just going along
with the program.
During the reading of the first Core Value, the Michigan District President indicated
that it included our commitment to the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions. But the reader
should be advised that the District President added these words from the lectern. None of
the Core Values actually mentions any "commitment" to the wording of Article II
of the LCMS Constitution.
The delegates committed themselves to the entire Church Growth Movement in the first
Core Value with their commitment to "culturally relevant congregations" and
mission congregations. That means they endorse contemporary worship styles; an open
disregard for article VI.4 of the LCMS Handbook. So, who needs those culturally irrelevant
catechisms, Lutheran hymnbooks, and agendas?
With their commitment to the second Core Value they committed themselves to statistical
reports. It is hard to do Church Growth without statistical reports. (The sixth word of
the Core Value is "accountability".)
In the third Core Value the delegates committed themselves to "process
consulting" and "healthy congregational systems."
"Process consulting" is the jargon of dialectic processing, group dynamics,
transformational processing, and synthetic consensus. Hegel would be proud. In other
words, people are encouraged to surrender their opinions for the sake of the group. The
definition of a Soviet is a diverse group of people dialoging to consensus on social
issues in a facilitated meeting. We are almost there.
The reader is invited to do a word search on the Internet on "process
consulting." I found more than 14,000 websites with just one search engine.
"Healthy Congregational Systems" is a contemporary reference to the
"mental health" of the congregation as it relates to its performance. Walther
had a system he wrote about in "The True Visible Church" and the "Form of
the Christian Congregation." However, any functioning productive performance based
governance system may be considered "healthy." This would include any effective
CEO, Dictator, or Archbishop. Many people are now willing to sacrifice the
"priesthood of all believers" for efficiency.
The third Core Value ends with the exciting words, "Affinity-based learning
clusters and networking events." This term is reminiscent of "cell groups"
and the "cell church" promoted by Beckham. For further information we recommend
"The Second Reformation: Reshaping the Church for the 21st Century" by William
A. Beckham, particularly chapters 21 and 22 on "Critical Mass."
If we do not get a "commitment" to Walther's Voter Supremacy as the only
polity of the LCMS everything is lost.
An
explanation of
"Process Consulting" from the Internet
The following are just a few examples of Websites that speak about
"Process Consulting."
"The Alban Institute connects laity, clergy, and executives to resources that help
them lead more fulfilling, faithful lives as they seek to serve God in their
congregations, communities, and the world at large. www.alban.org - Alban Institute -
Bethesda MD"
"National Association of Temple Administrators Fellow in Temple Administration
Selected List of Certification Thesis Projects Since 1980 Building Management Goone,
Miriam S. "Asbestos in the Synagogue." 1985, 11 pp. Gordon, William.
Energy...www.rj.org"
"Amazon.com: buying info: Healthy Congregations : A Systems Approach Books All
Products Explore this book buying info table of contents customer reviews See more by this
author all books by Peter L. Steinke Customers also bought these books these other items
Share your thoughts write a review e-mail a friend about...www.amazon.com"
"FaithWorks Consulting Service, LLC - Home Page http www.faithworksconsulting.com.
A consultation process to help congregations, government and agencies work together to
address poverty, welfare, homelessness and related issues.
www.faithworksconsulting.com"
"Leadership Links A few good leadership links on the WWW! www.nwlink.com Corporate
Responsibility Welcome to the website of the Moderator's Consultation on Faith and the
Economy. We will be using the Internet as a major form of communication among Consultation
participants www.faith-and-the-economy.org"
"Social Justice Catechesis Social Justice Catechesis Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am
with you always.. www.justpeace.org"
An explanation of "Core Values"
from the Internet
This writer found 55,000 hits just on Google. The following are a
few examples of Websites that speak about "Core Values."
First, there are some books on the subject in the Harvard Business School's Baker
Library. Go to the Baker Library
site, click on Library Catalog, Keyword Search, and then enter "core values".
Database Name: Harvard/Baker Library
Search Request: Keyword = Core Values
Search Results: Displaying 1 through 25 of 724 entries Core Values
Author: Sai, Yasutaka, 1930-
Title: "The eight core values of the Japanese businessman : toward an understanding
of Japanese management / Yasutaka Sai. Subject(s): Management--Social
aspects--Japan.Social values--Japan.
1. Contents: Group orientation
2. Diligence
3. Aesthetics and perfectionism
4. Curiosity and emphasis on innovation
5. Respect for form and hana yori dango
6. A mind for competition and outlook on rewards
7. Silence as eloquence
8. Perception of time.
Title: "Playing for keeps: how the world's most aggressive and admired companies
use core values to manage, energize, and organize their people and promote, advance, and
achieve their corporate missions"
Author: Harmon, Frederick G.
Subject(s): Management.
Employee motivation.
Values.
Work ethic.
Value added.
Notes:The author looks at the "factors which most contribute to a company's
profitability... He shows how a company's core values are often the true determinants of
its overall success or failure. New strategies, reorganization plans, management
techniques ... depend, in the final analysis, on a foundation of basic values that
influence even the most routine acts. ... [The author] explains how to define and
implement core values in an organization and how to measure their effect on [these routine
acts], and therefore, on the bottom line."--Book jacket. Includes bibliographical
references (p. 275-278) and index."
Here are some added Websites from Dogpile.com
MindSpring Core Values and Beliefs: If the MindSpring Core Values and Beliefs page does
not automatically load, click here. www.netcom.com
Earth Link Core Values: http://www.earthlink.net/about/mission.html
http://www.corevalues.com/
Learn how your core values, behaviors, and emotions all work together to foster an
abstinence lifestyle. Condom Facts and STD's Is anyone really safe. The facts are in and
no one telling the truth. Straight Talk - 86% www.projectsos.com - Health
Reproductive_Health Birth_Control Organizations Planned_Parenthood - 90%
Nutrition For Life, we call ours the Core Values. The Core Values are at the heart of
our business. Every decision we make, large or small, is based on these enduring beliefs
Individual Worth, Freedom, Equality and - 85% www.eandsnutrition.com - Earnest And Sams
Nutrition - Sacramento, CA 95822 Biz Corporate_Services Human_Resources Consulting
Leadership_Development - 21%
Sierra Club Foundation Home Page Our work reflects the core values of people
everywhere. That we all have a right to a safe and healthy environment, clean air, clean
water, open space, wild lands and a healthy and diverse ecosystem. We join the - 85%
www.sierraclubfoundation.org - The Sierra Club Foundation - San Francisco, CA 94105-3441
Society_and_Culture Environment_and_Nature Organizations - 90%
WooHoo, Inc. - THE Resource for Corporate Culture and Experiential Learning! Response
to your requests and in keeping with the core values of WooHoo, Inc., we have updated our
web site and divided it into 2 parts. Part 1 Our Story. The stuff you know and love. The
inside scoop on WooHoo, - 85% www.woohoou.com - WooHoo Inc. - Ft Worth, TX 76120-2440
Reference_&_Education Higher_&_Cont._Ed. University_Listings - 17%