A common joke around the Walker household: Q: What do you call Adult Lutherans? A: United Methodists. It may sound a little funny, except when you consider I know at least four people who started their lives as Lutherans only to join the United Methodist Church (including one of my two sisters). Of course, the Lutheran Church is not the only the only church in the United States that is experiencing a decline in its membership. But, the reasons for the decline is to a large extent the fault of the Lutheran Denominations themselves to either fail to open their minds or open their minds so much that they lose the core message of God’s Word in the process of being more inclusive. I have been a member in the 2 largest Lutheran denominations in the U.S., so I have somewhat of an intimate knowledge of the problems of each denomination. Here’s my take on the problems:
ELCA (or the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America): I know a fellow Christ College classmate at Valparaiso refer to the ELCA as the Evil Lutheran Church in America (yes, the guy was LC-MS at the time). But while the ELCA is not Evil, it has been going through an identity crisis from the moment it was first formed in the 1980s as a merger primarily between the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) and the American Lutheran Church (ALC). And they have never been able to resolve the larger issues of that merger.
It has led to ever increasing problems as the ELCA has sought closer ties with other denominations, particularly a semi-merger with the Episcopalian church in the late 1990s. Also, the strain of addressing social issues has affected the churches of the ELCA as well. Last year, the fractures were exposed as several churches left the ELCA to form their own denomination. From personal experience, I know several churches in the mid-Atlantic who would jump over to the rival LC-MS if the LC-MS would soften their stance on just a couple of social issues (one of which I agree with). Their thought is the ELCA has lost their way. And while the head of the ELCA preaches wisely about the Word of God, those below him are not. Many seminarians are trying to re-interpret God’s Word to suit their own desires (also a problem in many Protestant denominations). I know this from personal experience as a member at 2 ELCA churches. In fact, I think the ELCA may have one of the best preachers in Dr. Walter Wangerin, but these preachers are few and far between.
LC-MS (or the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod): The LC-MS is the church of my baptism, confirmation, marriage, and where my son was baptized. It is also the home of the Lutheran Layman’s League, which sponsors the Lutheran Hour and an annual float in the Tournament of Roses Parade (the last Christian organization to have a Rose Parade float). Aside from the Catholic Church, the LC-MS is one of the few church denominations that maintain a strong desire to educate its children from pre-school up through college through churches that also double as schools. My alma mater, Valparaiso University, was bought in 1925 by the LC-MS from the Methodist Church, saving the University from potentially being sold to the Ku Klux Klan. But despite my close ties to the LC-MS, the church has suffered three major missteps since my birth:
(1) Seminex: The controversy of the 1970s about seminarians trying to interpret the Word of God in their own way caused grave damage to the LC-MS that still affects it to this day. When my dad asked a close pastoral friend about the controversy back in the mid 1970s, the answer led to my family leaving the LC-MS for many years (which is how I discovered the problems in the ELCA).
(2) The Lack of Women Ministers: This issue is personal to me, because I can see the need of women pastors in the LC-MS. At my wedding, I had a female pastor read the Gospel for two reasons: (a) She was a family friend, and (b) I believe in the cause. It won’t happen in my lifetime because of the closed-mindedness of the rural Midwestern LC-MS churches, but I will also hope for the LC-MS to open their mind up to the idea. I believe female ministers can spread the Word of God to all just as effectively as male ministers and not using female ministers will hamper the efforts of the LC-MS to preach the good news.
(3) The 9/11 Service Controversies: The biggest issue in the LC-MS since the Seminex debate began after 9/11 when Oprah Winfrey had an interfaith service at Yankee Stadium and the Head of the Atlantic District of the LC-MS decided to attend. Instead of embracing the opportunity to share the LC-MS faith, many leaders of the LC-MS asked for the head of the Atlantic District’s leader. A similar protest occurred a year later at Valparaiso when President Haare, Dean Cunningham, and the Chapel of the Resurrection held an Interfaith service. Of course, the roots of the protest were in the rural Midwest (mainly Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas), while many LC-MS churches in the East, South, and West did not protest. My position is this: We have an opportunity to preach the good news to all. Why are we so worried about getting corrupted in an interfaith environment? We already preach in a interfaith forum in the LC-MS. It’s called The Lutheran Hour. Remember them, Dr. Wallace Schultz?
Well, since the two big Lutheran churches are having problems, why not join #3, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)? That won’t happen, primarily because I’ve been tainted by the other two denominations. I know the WELS has a Web site, but there are two rules about the WELS. The first rule about WELS is you do not talk about the WELS. The second rule about WELS is… YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE WELS!! Seriously, the WELS is so mysterious that they are either more conservative than the LC-MS or they are in-between the ELCA and LC-MS. No one knows…
I don’t plan to leave the Lutheran church anytime soon. Neither of the two biggest Lutheran denominations are perfect, but the LC-MS has brought me the greatest joy and my current LC-MS church has two solid pastors. And the ELCA still has some good churches. But all Lutheran denominations (and all Christian denominations) must understand one thing: Christianity at its core is about preaching the Good News of the Word of God to all. Love, mercy, and yes, faith and good works, are only pieces of the overall message and should NEVER supplant the Word of God.
Still, I say this to my United Methodist friends: Save me and my family a spot in the pews. You never know when the Walkers might get fed up with the Lutheran politics.
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