Volume 11, Number 4

LUTHERANS FORM NEW NATIONAL BODY
American Lutheranism reached a milestone at the WordAlone Network's 2nd annual convention in Phoenix, Arizona, March 25-27.

Over 700 Lutherans from across the nation gathered under the theme "Freedom!" and hammered out an agreement for a new association of Lutheran congregations.
Emotions ran high as the convention chairman, Judge Barry Anderson, called for the yeas and nays. In one voice, without dissent, the convention roared approval for LCMC, and a reverent silence descended as the crowd seemed to realize all at once the significance of the event. After several seconds, the convention broke into a deafening and sustained celebration, many embracing, visibly moved to tears.

Drama unfolded on the last day of the convention when an alternative constitution and by-laws were put forward by several convention participants concerned about the ecclesial structure, constituting board of directors, and some of the terminology of the proposed LCMC. After a serious but cordial debate, the convention adopted the essential points of the alternative proposal in a series of amendments to the LCMC documents.

One California pastor, reflecting on the proceedings after the final vote stated, "I came here to see and feel the spirit ofWordAlone and LCMC. The whole process was inspiring. This is how I remember the Lutheran Church used to be."
The new association, Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ (LCMC) is organized without an imposing hierarchy and is free from the historic Episcopate. Crafted as a loose association along the lines of the early church, the LCMC will foster evangelism and ministry at the local level, a model many growing 21 st century Christian associations follow.
"Everyone is welcome within the LCMC", "said WordAlone Executive Director Mark Chavez. Congregations can be a part of both the ELCA and LCMC, and those who are ready to leave the ELCA can find a home within the LCMC."
While the WordAlone Network remains committed to reform with the ELCA, the LCMC is focused on a mission and ministry of its own. Participants in this ground-breaking convention adopted a constitution and by-laws for the LCMC, and commended a declaration of faith to all member churches.

An interim board of directors including WordAlone board members and LCMC congregation appointees will work to prepare for the LCMC inaugural convention, to be held this fall. "It started with lifting up the freedom we have in Christ," observed Chavez, "and where it will go, only God knows now."

ENOUGH TO MAKE LUTHER WEEP
By Dr. Hillmer
These thoughts were shared by Dr. Hillmer with fellow members in the form of an invited article in Bell Echoes, the parish newsletter of Bethesda church, a mid-sized ELCA congregation in the Twin Cities. Bethesda has under consideration a decision to "redirect" its benevolences from a generic yearly gift to the ELCA, to projects more certifiably in keeping with its Lutheran profession of faith. It is also considering joining up with Word Alone Network and Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ. (See accompanying news report by Associate Editor Alan Waite for the recent formation of the latter group).
Martin Luther grew up in a church that had a lot of rules and he almost died trying to keep them. Then one day he found the Bible, and through it rediscovered the Gospel (Good News: Less Rules). When he compared what he found in Scripture to the church of his day, he began, one by one, to exchange the many human rules for the few simple rules found in the New Testament.

One of those human rules he examined was: "Without the pope and the bishops there is no church."
Many of this year's seminary graduates, bound by their vow to uphold the confessions of the Lutheran Church, are depending upon congregations without pastors for a pastoral position. Only thus can they be confident their conscience-bound resistance to the mandatory implementation of the ELCA-Episcopal agreement called CCM will be effected. ELCA congregations in harmony with these seminarian convictions must be able to extend them a call.

"Nonsense," said Luther. "The church is found wherever the Bible is read, gospel sermons are preached and the sacraments rightly done. Didn't Jesus say, 'Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am'?"
For obvious reasons, the pope and the bishops didn't like what Luther said. It made them real close to unnecessary.
So for over 400 years the Lutheran churches have said, "We'll let our church leaders do the ordaining, but they don't do so by divine right, because the Bible does not give them that right." (For most of our history our church leaders were variously called superintendents, district presidents. and the like; they weren't called bishops in the US until very recently-the past 10 or 15 years or so.)

No Church without a Bishop?
Since August, 1999, however, the ELCA, in order to achieve unity with the Episcopal church, has been implementing an agreement known as Called to Common Mission (CCM), in which the ELCA has agreed to operate according to a favorite rule of the Episcopalians. Their rule (called the Historic Episcopate) says, "You can't have church without a bishop."
Sound familiar? (Since HenryVIII couldn't abide the Pope making rules about Henry's sex life, the Episcopalians [called Anglicans in England] have never tried to make the pope necessary for the church. Just bishops.)

In response to this un-Lutheran, unbiblical and unwarranted move on the part of the ELCA bishops-60 of the 65 bishops voted for this agreement which gives more power and prestige to themselves-some members of the ELCA have banded together to form an educational network (WordAlone-WA) and an organization (Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ-LCMC)

Every ELCA church will be affected by the CCM. What will the members of Bethesda congregation do?
If Bethesda does nothing, then slowly but very surely what we have understood to be the church (the laity with their pastor, whom to call and ordain is their God-given right) will disappear. In its place will arise a hierarchic (a fancy word for "priests rule here") structure where bishops are all-powerful and at the top, then, pastors (ordained only by bishops who have been ordained by other bishops in the historic episcopate) and deacons, also ordained.
At the bottom and shorn of the rights which are theirs as members of the priesthood of all believers will be the laity, 99.9% of the church's membership.

Will Bethesda stand up for the freedom given them by Luther's hard fought struggles or will Bethesda also make Luther weep?

*Dr Hillmer is Old Testament faculty professor at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Mn.

THE RIGHT OF THE CONGREGATION to interview "first call" candidates for pastor.
By Lenae Rasmussen
Many of this year's seminary graduates, bound by their vow to uphold the confessions of the Lutheran Church, are depending upon congregations without pastors for a pastoral position. Only thus can they be confident their conscience-bound resistance to the mandatory implementation of the ELCA-Episcopal agreement called CCM will be effected. ELCA congregations in harmony with these seminarian convictions must be able to extend them a call.
The right of a congregation to do this can be traced back to the Reformation and the Bible. In 1523 Martin Luther wrote that the Christian congregation, which is known as the assembly in which the pure GOSPEL is preached and heard, has the scripturally established right and power to judge all teaching and to call, appoint, and dismiss teachers. Luther rejected the episcopacy of his day (the papacy), equating it with the human traditions that had driven the gospel far away from the people.

Luther fought a two-front battle, however. He also rejected the disruptive practices of the "Schwaermerei" (enthusiasts'-the spiritualistic fanatics of his day). As is well known, the Evangelical congregations maintained "good order" in the practice of calling and ordaining as shown by The Lutheran statement of faith, the Augsburg Confession in Article 14, as well as in other historic documents.

In 1523, however, the "tyrant" that Luther argued against was the bishop-system ofthe Roman Church. That makes his treatise relevant to our situation today. For almost five hundred years Lutheran church bodies have adhered to Luther's teaching with respect to the calling and ordaining of pastors.
With the passage and implementation of Called to Common Mission, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has circumvented this teaching by forbidding its congregations from setting up interviews directly with pastoral candidates who oppose "episcopal ordination."

Candidates who have been approved by their ELCA candidacy committee are denied open access to interview with congregations who may call them. Candidates whose approval has been delayed because they are opposed to the ELCA's adoption of the Anglican Episcopate are in worse straits--they are left to "die on the vine" if they do not submit.
Over the past decade ELCA congregations have come to look upon the synod office as their human resources department or the employment agency for pastors (see the justification for this practice in the March issue of The Lutheran, the official publication of the ELCA.) Just a dozen or so years ago, however, the ELCA did not even exist and ALC congregations had the option of getting the names of potential pastors from their District President, or calling a pastor that they found on their own by directly mailing the pastor a letter of call. The office of district president, later called "bishop," existed to be an assistant to congregations in exercising their own divine right to call a pastor.

With the formation of the ELCA and its implementation of CCM, however, the assistant has become the overlord. According to the ELCA Constitution congregations must use the bishop's office to identify all pastoral candidates. Congregations are not allowed to interview or call a pastor who has been approved by a candidacy committee unless that person is assigned to their bishop's

Using the bishops' office to identify pastoral candidates was supposed to be a helpful way to link pastors and congregations. Making its use into a' requirement now, has become a device to prevent seminary graduates who oppose CCM from getting calls. If candidates are not allowed to interview with congregations who are sympathetic to their plight or oppose CCM, they will never get a call. If they never receive a call, they will never be ordained because receiving a call is the basic requirement for ordination. Even if a "wiggle room" amendment were to be passed at the Churchwide Assembly in Indianapolis this August, it will not be of any use if the bishops do not allow candidates opposed to CCM to interview directly with a congregation.

If congregations cannot interview them, they can not call them. Consequently, congregations are denied their divine right to call and ordain. The ultimate effect of the CCM and of the tyranny over the call process made possible by the ELCA's Constitution is that the proclamation of the gospel is prevented. Thus, the gospel is obscured as it was in Luther's day.
While tensions between allegiance to the ELCA constitution/ bishops and faithfulness to the Lord of the church will always exist, open violations of scriptural and confessional teaching must be acknowledged and refuted. When the truth of the gospel is at stake, Lutherans must confess and resist.

When a bishop tells a congregation that it does not have the divine right to interview, call, and ordain approved candidates to the ministry, or when a bishop says that a candidate must be ordained by an ELCA bishop or a bishop in apostolic succession for the ordination to be proper, then it is that congregation's right and duty to reject the bishop's false teaching and confess the gospel in its purity (Gal 1 :8-9; 2:11-14).

The gospel itself compels all believers to discern and confess the truth. In turn that gospel compels us to "stand and deliver" in the aftermath of eeM. This is not merely the small matter of choosing between one rite or another, as some have said. This is a confessional crisis that strikes at the very heart of Lutheran teaching on justification by faith alone, the priesthood of all believers, and the church.

Hearing the word of God proclaimed and receiving it in faith is the very union of God's word and his people that creates the priesthood of all believers. This union of hearing and believing is what makes a congregation an assembly of God's holy people. The church is the place where the "justifying event" happens. It is where God's pure gospel is proclaimed to his people and where his people receive the word of God in faith (LW 41:150).

If this proclamation does not take place (and something else is taught in its place) the people of God will not be able to receive it and the gift of faith and salvation it brings. Calling and ordaining pastors who proclaim the gospel in its purity to God's people are essential to the life of the congregation. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery" (Gal 5:1).

Congregational call committees cannot abdicate their right and duty to the gospel when calling a pastor today; neither can anyone take it from them-- it has been given them by Christ, who is the Lord of his Church. In this time of confessional crisis they are not only called to protest against constitutional provisions that are contrary to scripture and confession, they are called by God to discern the truth of the gospel, and interview, call, and ordain confessing Lutheran pastors who discern the truth as well. Indeed, in testing what they are being taught against their confession of faith, and calling and ordaining pastors who will teach and preach the gospel in its purity, congregations and their call committees are God's very instruments to sustain the priesthood of all believers. In this way they glorify God until Christ comes again.

* Lenae Rasmussen, MA, is a student of the Reformation, writer and editor for Crux Christi Publishers, Clarksville, Tennessee. Her MA is in church history.

Dear Editor:
I can understand someone being upset with actions and policies of districts, synods or national denominations. But, as I read your article ["The ELCA-Who Dat?] you have moved beyond it to questioning what the Bible itself says about the "collective." It has been called "the people of God," "the chosen people," "the Body of Christ," "the church." Scripture certainly makes it sound as though it is far more real than a mere collective of individuals.

Your thinking does help me understand intellectually the doctrine of the Trinity. Up until your article I have had to accept it in faith, since my poor brain could not understand the mystery of the godhead. Now I can see that God is a COLLECTIVE, not a being. God is NO THING like you are advocating. It is Dad and Sonny and Windy who get together up there somewhere to organize life, creation and salvation. Now I can see that is a No Thing, a Collective. I no longer need accept it in faith.

Maybe I did not understand your article. I hope that is the case.

Pastor Stanley Edison, Placerville, CA

Dear Editor:
This is an outstanding publication, which we need to keep us informed. We have had no informational meetings regarding CCM. Most people have never heard about it.

Dagny Sollie, Tacoma, WA

Dear Editor:
Thanks for an insightful editorial in FOCL POINT 2001 Winter issue You articulated very well that the ELCA is NOTHING. I have always enjoyed the articles in FOCL Point. Your article on Human Rights was great.

Pastor Gordon B. Hanson Port St. Lucie, FL

Dear Editor:
Just had to say how much I liked your article ("Wherefrom Human Rights?") in the Winter 2001 FOCL Point. I wish you had a wider forum for your words. You get to the heart of matters so quickly and well.

Arville Finacom, San Mateo, CA

Dear Editor:
I got the Summer 2000 copy. Thank you. Would it be possible to make copies for others to read. Please send copies of later issues and advise me as to when my subscription runs out.

Pastor Howard Stewart, Detroit Lakes, Mn.

[Editor's Note: We invite our readers to ask for free copies of FOCL-Point to give to their friends, and to distribute selectively in their congregation. Because we are supported only by the free-will contributions of like-minded friends, and all our staff members work without remuneration, no cost is assigned to receiving each issue of FOCL-POINT. Dear reader, if you haven't sent in your benevolence gift, our treasurer, Pastor Dan Selbo will be glad to open his mail at 333 EI Molino Way, 95119, San Jose, CA, and find your check enclosed. Use the tax-deductible coupon on p. 7].

Dear Editor:
I grew up in rural South Dakota. I began to yearn to know who God was. I began to attend a Lutheran Church where I heard the Gospel, and asked to be baptized. I didn't fully understand what it was about, but the Lord would soon lead me to a marvelous community of faith where I would grow in knowledge of scripture. I moved to California, and found a wonderful community of believers at Emmanuel Lutheran in North Hollywood. Jesus became Lord of my life! I had never known anyone who was as excited about loving and knowing Jesus as these people were. Youngsters, teens, young couples and old alike spoke openly about their walk with God. I was happy now to be a baptized Christian and a member of a Lutheran Church.

I also came to understand Satan had his eye on me, especially as my relationship with Christ began to grow. I wondered about the defense against an encroaching secular environment which devalued and discredited my new Christian belief system. It occurred to me how much I needed to have friends within the Christian faith. The church community of faith became my safe place. I attended classes at the Lutheran Bible School [LBIC – now located in Irvine, Ca.] Teachers taught from the scriptures and I was respected when I asked questions or shared my thoughts.
Then I attended a Lutheran College in Iowa. It was there I first discovered the label "fanatic" was attached (by some) to those who talked about knowing God personally. I found out it was not always safe to express myself about a personal faith, especially in religion classes. When I talked about personally knowing "Jesus" to my classmates, however, several came to know Him through our sharing and praying together.

Today, I see mainline churches losing membership. I discover Lutheran young people choosing to attend other evangelical churches and Bible Schools. Many of our Lutheran young people are biblically illiterate. Memorizing Bible verses appears not to be the norm in many Lutheran families. Some clergy and laity even appear unsure of their stand on basic Christian beliefs such as heaven and hell, the bodily resurrection of Christ, and original sin. It seems the relativism and liberalism of the culture has crept into the church. The basic tenets of faith are attacked right within the church. In that sense many congregations are NOT a safe place to be nourished and strengthened.

The safe place can only be the church community if it continues to have conviction to say that our hope and belief system is based upon a personal God who talks through the scripture. God is knowable Scripture is clear and consistent. The church that is suggesting otherwise is in great danger. We need to be certain our church is on solid ground, a safe place for all who are called by the Holy Spirit to follow the risen Christ as Lord.

Jan Hanson, Medicine Hat, Alberta, CANADA

The letter from one of FOCI-Point readers, together with its dismissive response below, illustrate a major problem confronting those who would lovingly warn the homosexually active community that the "in-your- face" thrust of their incessant agenda makes the task of mutual understanding exceedingly difficult. At issue is the publication of a 4-color picture album of Sierra Pacific Synod official personnel.

To the Bishop, Sierra Pacific Synod
Dear Sir,
Perhaps you can enlighten me as to why two photos are included in the Sierra Pacific Synod, 2001 Photo Roster of Clergy under the heading "Non Clergy." Not only are these two men "non clergy" but non compliant with the constitution of the ELCA, non repentant, non celibate and they should be a non-issue, if the ELCA constitution were followed by the Sierra Pacific Synod. So my question is: Why are they given the honor of being included in this prominent journal of clergy, synod staff-council, and associates in ministry, who are serving the ELCA Sierra Pacific, honorably? And to top it off they come before all other clergy, as though they were to be at the head of those to be recognized. What an insult to the Pastors who are pictured and listed, to follow after the defiant "Non-Clergy". Just wondering what the message is that is being sent here?

In His service, Mr. Robert Horn, 3/9/01

Dear Mr. Horn,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Your letter of March 9th is before me. You have raised questions about the placement of non-rostered clergy in a clergy directory for the Sierra Pacific. As you have correctly noted, Pastors Jeff Johnson and Ross Merkel are on a separate page so as not to be identified as rostered clergy of the Sierra Pacific Synod and of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Placement of their pictures at the front of the directory was not for the purpose of according greater honor to these persons. It was a decision made by the publishers of the directory without consultation with me or with the synod staff. I’m sorry that you find it objectionable. It was my hope that this directory would help us to better to come to know one another as pastors and upon receiving the books in the present format, we decided to distribute them as they were rather than to wait additional months for corrections to be made by the publisher.

It is good that you wrote to express your concern. You may certainly remove the offending page from the directory you are using. It is my hope that this Lenten Season and the coming days of Holy Week and Easter will serve to strengthen and renew you in faith and in hope as our eyes are fixed on Jesus who is the source of our life and our hope.

In God's love and care, Robert W. Mattheis, Bishop, 3/21/01