On the occasion of his death, we briefly examine his work and the blessings
the Lord gave the LC-MS through Dr. A. L. Barry. This writer had the privilege
of meeting and associating with Iowa East District President, A. L. Barry in
March of 1984 when called as associate pastor to Grace Lutheran Church in
Waterloo, Iowa. Barry found me another call a year later after my conflict
with the head pastor who was chasing his mistress. Barry removed him from the
Synod five months later. The congregation has prospered.
Little did we know at that time that by March of 1992, I and many other
pastors from all corners of the Synod would be diligently working for his
election as LC-MS president.
There was a great need for a new direction in the Synodical headquarters,
which was at the time, clearly steering the LC-MS toward the ELCA.
Barry's election bought Synod the time and the opportunity to affirm
historic Lutheran identity and witness.
The door for Barry's election was opened through a number of outrages and
threats to the survival of the Synod. A few of these issues were:
- President Ralph Bohlmann had engineered the removal of Dr. Robert Preus
at Fort Wayne, partly in retaliation for Preus having removed Dr. Alvin
Schmidt from the faculty for promoting the ordination of women.
- Through a series of Convention Resolutions, Bohlmann had increased the
authority of the Council of District Presidents to the most powerful
entity in Synod. They were operating as a Convention without the
Convention.
- Bohlmann and President of the Council of Presidents, John Heins,
engineered the removal of the Synod's Adjudication System and replaced it
with the so-called "win win" Dispute Reconciliation System
adapted from American Industry and the United Nations.
- Bohlmann had engineered a departure from Confessional Lutheran Theology
at Fort Wayne and, from all appearances, was preparing to close the
Seminary.
- The Synod's financial institutions were dictating Synodical policy.
- The vast majority of the LC-MS District Presidents openly campaigned
for, and endorsed Bohlmann for President when meeting with delegates from
their districts in 1986, 1989, and 1992.
Barry won the election in 1992 by 14 votes. Without question, his most
effective campaigner was Dr. Laurence White, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran
Church, in Houston, Texas. White was and is an "Affirm" outsider.
Doctor Robert Preus, after being forced into retirement, coordinated,
counseled, and encouraged those working for Barry's election across the Synod.
"Affirm" had become so ineffective and insulated; Preus was the only
one who could effectively rally the "troops."
This writer was Preus' South Eastern Michigan connection. We arranged three
speaking engagements for Barry in March and May of 1992 for laity, pastors,
and particularly, delegates. Barry showed me a stiff letter from John Heins
warning him to stay out of Michigan. Heins was and is convinced that the
District President owns the District.
At St. John's Lutheran Church, in Fraser, Michigan we arranged a photograph
with Barry and renowned former LC-MS First Vice President, Dr. Ed Weber. At
that time Weber publicly endorsed Barry for LC-MS President. This was a highly
influential endorsement in the Synod's largest district. We were amazed that
LC-MS pastors in all three locations were afraid to be in any photograph with
Barry. I tried to hold one pastor by the sleeve for a picture with Barry, but
he pulled hard and ran away.
During one of a number trips to pick Barry up at the airport, he told me he
had received written death threats if he continued to run for Synodical
President. In the same conversation, Barry said "Jack, you have no idea
how much influence $100,000,000.00 on deposit in someone's bank can buy."
He was referring to the placement of Synodical Funds. The Synod now has more
than five billion in its fund accounts.
The following are just a few of Barry's accomplishments:
- He kept the Fort Wayne Seminary open and set it back in the direction of
"Lutheranism." We are saddened that after all Barry's efforts,
Fort Wayne has departed from endorsing the practice of Walther's Church
and Ministry, namely Voter Supremacy, in favor of clergy hierarchy. We are
also saddened by the St. Louis Seminary President's endorsement and
promotion of the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI), recently rejected
for RSO status by the Synod's Board for Higher Education.
- Barry made the boldest and most courageous stand for maintaining the
doctrine of justification and the correct teaching on the Lord's Supper of
any nationally based American Church body President in response to the
ELCA' s agreements with the Pope and other American Reformed
denominations.
- Barry "opened up" the Convention so that congregations could
again have their resolutions given consideration by the Convention.
- Barry clipped the wings of the Counsel of Presidents and compelled three
of them to repent to the Convention for their activities against the Synod
in 1998.
- Barry tenaciously reaffirmed the doctrine of fellowship and closed
communion.
- Barry continued to resist the influences and infiltration of the Church
Growth Movement in the Synod and promoted the use of orthodox agenda,
hymnbooks, and catechisms in church and school. To this we say, "Well
done!"
These and many more examples not enumerated here, show that in summation
Barry continued to affirm and confess the Gospel and the historic Lutheran
understanding of the Bible as taught in the Lutheran Confessions.
President A. L. Barry, President of the LC-MS, was called to his heavenly
home at 10:15 p.m. Friday, March 23 in an Orlando, Florida hospital. He
succumbed to liver and kidney failure induced by a staph infection.
We thank God for the blessings given to the LC-MS through His faithful
servant, Dr. A. L. Barry. While he was President, Barry worked to keep the
LC-MS a Lutheran church body instead of a religious, non-profit corporation,
financial institution, and a real-estate holding company, as has been the
direction of nearly all American denominations.
As Barry would say, "the Word, the Word, the Word; keep the
Word."