The new trend in the LC-MS is to affirm, establish, and strengthen
Congregational Boards of Directors and/or clergy authority as promoted by The
Pastoral Leadership Institute, the Church Growth Movement, "Jesus
First" and those wanting to return to pre-Walther European clerical
hierarchy.
This approach runs directly counter to the history and structure of the
LC-MS. One practical reason why the LC-MS has a history of a high level of
congregational achievement, in comparison to other denominations, is because
of the support, involvement, and activity of LC-MS lay people.
One only has to examine the LC-MS parochial schools, the LLL or the LWML as
examples of the Synod's greater efficiency and strength beyond its size in
comparison to other denominations, due to lay participation and involvement.
The Catholic Church has 60,000,000 members in the United States and
operates about 9000 parochial schools. The LC-MS has 2,576,000 members and
operates about 1800 parochial schools.
This means the Catholic Church has one grade school for every 6666 members
and the LC-MS has one grade school for every 1430 members or, four and a half
times the level of LC-MS member support for parochial education. In comparison
with other denominations, the LC-MS combined giving levels and lay
participation are the envy of American Christianity.
Organizations such as the Lutheran Layman's League and the Lutheran Women's
Missionary League hardly have their equal in other church bodies. Why? First,
by the grace of God and secondly, because practically speaking, Walther
understood Law and Gospel and Church and Ministry, which means he also
understood the laity's participation in the church. These organizations could
only have come into being because of the Synod's correct teaching on the
priesthood of all believers.
Walther understood that if the laity was involved and exercising their full
authority of the priesthood of all believers, Missouri would be a powerhouse
of efficiency. Who could pay for all those volunteers? They were trained in
the congregations' to be voters, to be workers, and to be servants.
Now the thought is, that an aging church body like the LC-MS would be more
effective with Boards of Directors and clerical authority. Wrong, wrong,
wrong. Barely 10 percent of the clergy have been recruiting and training their
laity to be voters. They say lay people aren't interested, so the clergy
follows the culture. This is the path of self-annihilation and extinction. The
church must be counter-culture. There must be an even greater effort to
recruit and train voters to meet the challenges faced by the congregations.
But all too often we see clergy capitulation and acquiescence encouraged by
the District Office.
Go back Missouri, go back to the formula for success, go back to Walther!
Elect a new president who supports Missouri's original polity, as did Dr. A.
L. Barry.
The Synod and the congregations could never afford to pay for their current
level of lay participation out of the collection plate. Congregations need to
reaffirm, train, and encourage the laity to run and operate their
congregations and do all of the kinds of work that must be done. Yes, today it
is more difficult to recruit and train voters. This means we make a greater
effort to recruit and train voters and not surrender our future to fatigue and
indifference.
Boards and clergy authority are just ways to marginalize the Synod's
greatest earthly resource, lay people: active, involved, lay people running
their congregations.
If we continue to replicate the structure of the Catholic Church, ELCA, the
Episcopal Church or General Motors we will also replicate their level of
volunteerism.
Our motto: The staff or clergy led congregation goes broke.
Not only is corporate or clerical hierarchy anti-Biblical, it doesn't work
in a country where the church is independent of the state.