pretty good lutherans

Lutherans Concerned/North America said it opposes resolutions that diminish the status of Lutheran CORE members to hold elected synod offices.

In a statement posted on its Web site, Lutherans Concerned said it had learned the Upper Iowa River Conference has passed such a resolution.

Lutherans Concerned cites the resolution, adopted by the conference in the Northeastern Iowa Synod, as follows:

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Lutheran CORE issued a press release today that said the organization was announcing its plans for a “reconfiguration of Lutheranism.”

Here’s the vision statement.

Here’s the latest CORE newsletter.

CORE members desire for “reconfiguration” exploded after the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly decided to welcome partnered gay and lesbians into the church’s ministries. CORE members oppose this action.

News coverage:

*First Things Journal: “Just what we need, another Lutheran denomination”
*Religion News Service “Lutheran CORE unveil plan for North American Lutheran Church”
*Minneapolis Star Tribune (Minn.): “A new Lutheran denomination unveiled”

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© Pretty Good Lutherans

Even before the ELCA’s national assembly last August, the North Carolina Synod’s mission support had dipped by 15 percent. Since the assembly, that support has dropped another 15 percent, according to the synod’s Web site.

“With such a shortfall in mission support, the North Carolina Synod has been forced to make difficult ministry decisions,” a statement on the Web site says. “All of these decisions have resulted in staff and ministry changes.”

Charlene Deese Maness, an 11-year-employee of the synod, is being let go and her job eliminated on Feb. 28, the Web site says. Maness was primarily an administrative assistant to Pastor Judy Klusman, whose last day in the synod office was Feb. 1.

Klusman had held a position in the synod office as well as with Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas. When her position with Lutheran Family Services ended in December, she decided to re-enter to call process to be a parish pastor, the Web site says.

The statement attributes some of the financial decline to withholding of money by some congregations. That practice is occurring nationally as a form of protest to decisions made at the national assembly to welcome partnered gays and lesbians into the church’s ministries.

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© Pretty Good Lutherans / By Susan Hogan

Thank you for visiting Pretty Good Lutherans. Come again!

© Pretty Good Lutherans

A junior high student told me last weekend that he wasn’t going to sing any Christmas songs this year.

All the well-wishing and overtures about  ”peace on Earth” come across as false sentiments to him.

“All people do at my church is argue and fight,” he said.

They’re arguing over gay clergy and whether to stay in the ELCA.

“It’s all my parents talk about,” he said.

Pretty Good Lutherans agreed not to publish the student’s name. He’s a minor. One of his parents is a pastor. And, as the student said in a dramatic fashion, “Are you kidding me? I would be in soooooo much trouble!”

In his mind, the grownups at church are acting like children — calling one another names, using the Bible as a weapon, refusing to see or hear Christ in people who don’t  share their understanding of human sexuality.

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© Pretty Good Lutherans

Leaders of a Lutheran group opposed to partnered gay clergy serving in church ministries say they will help draft a proposal for a new denomination.

They said the new denomination intends to serve people breaking ties with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA is the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination.

The leaders of Lutheran CORE made their announcement Wednesday.

Their frustration with the ELCA escalated in August after voting members to the denomination’s national assembly decided to lift a rule requiring gays in ministry to be celibate.

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(Note to readers: What follows is an e-mail message sent out this week by Bishop Peter Rogness of the St. Paul Area Synod.)

PART THREE: Registering Dissent

Dear Partners in Ministry,

I am aware that some of the networks that opposed the ministry policies have begun formulating strategies of dissent. You’ve seen the media reports about the meeting of Lutheran CORE this past weekend. WordAlone, Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, and other networks also gather to ponder their strategies.

I understand the desire to register dissent. As I described in part one of this e-letter, what the assembly action sought to do was to not change policy or teaching from one position to another, but to recognize and give affirmation to two differing positions and to ask that policy be drafted to allow room for both. It sought to say that we will adopt a “structured flexibility” that gives expression to the convictions of both those who support and those who oppose the possibility of homosexual persons in relationship serving in this church.

But to those opposed, it feels like those in support “won,” which, of course, they did if the opposing view is that there should be no possibility for such persons serving anywhere. So how do “traditionalist” congregations register their continuing opposition? The options seem limited:

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Updated at 6:15 p.m. Saturday

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A national gathering of 1,200 ELCA dissenters took action Saturday to move ahead in creating a free-standing synod, but stopped short of calling for followers to break off from the ELCA.

“We’re hoping there will be a major reconfiguration of North American Lutheranism,” Pastor  Mark Chavez told Pretty Good Lutherans on Saturday after the meeting near Indianapolis.

Attendees appointed a committee to develop a proposal for a free-standing synod. A report and  recommendations are to be presented at their 2010  convocation.

“We’re not ruling out any possibilities or options, from continuing relationships with the ELCA to something entirely different,” said Chavez, the director of Lutheran CORE and vice president of the Word Alone Network.

Lutheran CORE, which sponsored the gathering, serves as an umbrella coalition for like-minded Lutheran individuals, congregations and organizations. On Saturday, the group changed its name from Lutheran Coalition for Reform to Lutheran Coalition for Renewal. Its shorthand name remains Lutheran CORE.

Members oppose decisions on gay clergy taken by the ELCA national assembly in August. By a narrow margin, the assembly voted to open ministry to gays and lesbians in committed relationships.

“The ELCA is going to be teaching people that to have sex outside of marriage is okay,” Chavez said.

At least two ELCA representatives attended the gathering: Pastor Marcus Kunz from the presiding bishop’s office and Pastor Stephen Bouman, who heads the ELCA’s evangelical outreach and congregational mission unit.

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UPDATE: Here’s the link to Bishop Hanson’s video message released late today. A written transcript is provided below. Did he hit the right note? Will his appeal make a difference?

OBSERVATION: ELCA  dissenters over the “gay clergy vote” seem empowered by Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson’s plea yesterday not to cut off donations. Now, the ELCA plans to post a video message from the bishop at 5 p.m. today. All of this in the final hours before this weekend’s meeting of members threatening to leave the ELCA.

QUESTION: Is the bishop being smart by going public about the money situation just before the Lutheran CORE meeting? Or is he playing into the dissenters hand, giving them more weight and power than they deserve or have?

Pretty Good Lutherans invites you to share your thoughts. The rules: No cheap shots. Nothing hateful. No slandering. Be thoughtful. Remember the question is about the timing of the bishop’s statement on a potential financial crisis.

Here’s the transcript of Bishop Hanson’s video message:

I greet you in the name of our crucified and risen Christ. I’m Mark Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop.

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