ELCA Has Biggest Split in American Church History

Steadfast Lutherans ^ | 7/12/13 | Rev. Kevin Vogts

[rhema]

Since shortly after its formation in 1988 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has been fixated on deviant sexual behavior, culminating in the endorsement of homosexual pastors in 2009, homosexual “marriage” in 2011, and the election last month of their first homosexual bishop. Dr. James Nestingen, a highly respected scholar and retired ELCA seminary professor, recently concluded that promoting acceptance of deviant sexual behavior has actually replaced the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the primary mission and message of the ELCA.

Those within the ELCA demanding these radical changes asserted it is necessary for the ELCA’s very survival. Supposedly, they simply must move into the 21st century on these issues, or otherwise they will be so out-of-step with modern society that it would mean the demise of their denomination. By the way, this is the same deceptive reasoning behind similar disturbing changes recently in the Boy Scouts of America.

However, the ELCA has now released some startling statistics that show the exact opposite has actually happened:

** When the ELCA was formed in 1988 they had 5.2 million members, but they are now down to only 4 million members–a staggering loss of over 1.2 million members, or 23% of their membership. They have also lost 1,500, or 13%, of their congregations, from approximately 11,000 to 9,500. As they “celebrate” this year the 25th anniversary of the ELCA, the fact is that during that time they have lost more members and congregations than make up many entire denominations!

** Of these losses, over 500,000 members and 1,000 congregations have left the ELCA in just the last four years, triggered by their endorsement of homosexuality beginning in 2009. This is actually the biggest denominational split in American church history, and is directly attributable to that decision.

** Another measure of the ELCA’s decline is that in 1988, 2.1% of all Americans were members of the ELCA, but by 2011 that figure had fallen to 1.3%. The National Council of Churches reports that the ELCA has “the sharpest rate of membership decline” among all mainline Protestant denominations. Like Avis car rental which used to advertise “We’re Number 2–But We Try Harder!” the LCMS has historically always been the second-largest American Lutheran church body. However, at the ELCA’s current rate of losing members–nearly 6% in 2010–in just a decade the LCMS will surpass the ELCA as the largest American Lutheran church body, and a few decades after that the ELCA will cease to exist.

** Even among those congregations remaining in the ELCA average weekly worship attendance from 2003 to 2011 dropped 26%. The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod has 2.3 million members and the similarly conservative Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod has 300,000 members, yet even with our smaller combined membership of 2.6 million the LCMS and WELS have more people actually sitting in the pews each Sunday than the ELCA with 4 million members.

** Donations to the ELCA on the national level were $88 million in 2008 but plunged to only $40 million in 2011.

** Luther Seminary, the ELCA’s largest seminary, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, announced that last year they had a $6 million operating deficit on a budget of $27 million. This was due largely to a recent sharp decline in donations to the seminary, reportedlyincluding a couple that for many years had given $1 million a year to the seminary but stopped their donations after the ELCA’s endorsement of homosexuality. The seminary was forced to cancel many of its programs and lay off a third of the faculty and staff.

** Since the ELCA’s endorsement of homosexuality, many other Lutheran church bodies around the world have severed their historic ties with the ELCA, and are instead seeking new relationships with the LCMS. This includes many of the largest and fastest-growing Lutheran church bodies in the world, such as the Lutherans in Ethiopia with over 6 million members–nearly as many as all American Lutheran church bodies combined. The center of world Lutheranism is shifting from Europe and America to Africa, Asia, and South America, and the LCMS is becoming the theological leader of these growing Lutheran church bodies. While the ELCA is becoming increasingly isolated in world Lutheranism, at our national convention this month the LCMS will enter into formal fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia, Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Lutheran Church of Togo.

The Lord warns:

“There will be false teachers among you, who will surreptitiously introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful, licentious ways.” (2 Peter 2:1-2)

“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you formerly had when you lived in ignorance. Instead, just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-15)

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

These passages show how misdirected and sinful it is to accommodate the church’s doctrine and practice to the world’s wicked ways. It is also foolish and futile.

On the one hand, the world will never be satisfied–until Christians completely renounce their faith. More importantly, the Lord will never bless such unfaithfulness to Him and His Word.

We see from the sad example of what’s happened to the ELCA–the biggest split in American church history–that whatever churches and other organizations such as the Boy Scouts imagine they will gain by giving in to the world is dwarfed by what they will surely lose.

[Balding_Eagle]

Your post was unclear, I was wondering if that’s what you were saying?

[rhema]

Thank God! As a teenager I sometimes felt the LCMS was way to unyielding (about things like guitars in church) Now I am very greatful for the stiff spine. Of course I’m also greatful for the change in attitude about guitars in church. We have a rocking contemporary service!!

May God cont to bless the LCMS and other confessional Lutheran denominations until He returns for us.

There certainly is a darkness-versus-light difference between the ELCA and the LCMS.

[TArcher]

Buzz off jackwagon.

[TArcher]

[Luther was a prolific writer, how does your slection of a quote compare and contrast with the greater body of work? ]

If he was wrong about Jews and the Crucifixion, what else was he wrong about?

[xone]

A Catholic retread, may your current stay be shorter than your last one.

[Balding_Eagle]

That I get, #132, not so much.

[TArcher]

>>A Catholic

FAIL

[TArcher]

You don’t get what Christ said when he told the Pharisees to render unto Caesar what is his?

Whose name is on the 501c3 coinage being squirreled away via the Thrivent L.I.F.E.R. Wolves in the pulpet these days as they waddle their way around the syncretic “church” calendar?

There are other ways of rendering to God what is his that don’t involve prostituting the Bride of Christ in tax exempt subjugation to a state-established abstraction of wealth.

What’s the going rate for Concordia “Health” plan fleecing the flock these day?

It’s just bidness.

[TArcher]

"...who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world, and through all time"

--The Virginia Act For Establishing Religious Freedom
--Thomas Jefferson, 1786

http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/sacred/vaact.html

 

"ERRORS CEASING TO BE DANGEROUS BE DANGEROUS WHEN IT IS PERMITTED FREELY TO CONTRAD..."

click click

{static}

 

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

[xone]

And a Quix-ee one at that. Yeah, I hear you, but all you are making is noise. Don't follow man, follow God. Don't assume dominion over anyone's faith, God's job, yet it looks like you are auditioning for His job.

Enjoy your stay noob.

[TArcher]

Don’t forget to floss.

[TArcher]

>>Their translation would be the original one

The publication dates say otherwise.

But...


"...What difference does it make"

[xone]

So what did an LCMS pastor ‘do’:
-closed communion
-wouldn’t let one ‘sponsor’ at a Baptism because one doesn’t ‘do’ creeds
-Mom gave her money to the church when she passed
-made the congregation stand during the Athanasian Creed
-taught on stewardship
-wouldn’t allow a marriage in church between the unequally yoked
-too much Law in the sermons
-taught repentance
-wouldn’t give a pass on the favorite sin
-didn’t sufficiently emote in a crisis
-forsook drama queens
-Coffee too hot
-no decaf
-too much jello at potlucks

Nice to see your hero posted again, Queen of the Perpetually Offended. Now her controller might be able to force the LCMS to issue that paper called for lest they be charged with racism. Good luck with the windmill.

[TArcher]

You Assume a lot for someone who evidently can’t read a publication date.

But “What does difference does it make”.

[xone]

Original translation means they didn’t rely on someone else’s. Keeping quoting your favorite pol you look great!

[TArcher]

You sound just like her.

The LCMS version was published 10 years after what?

10 years after some other organization translated it into English first - and didn’t leave out certain passages that the LCMS evidently lacks the character to either recognize nor refute.

FAIL

[xone]

LCMS evidently lacks the character to either recognize nor refute.

Yeah, I remember when the LCMS generated it. After all it's on the Net, must be true.

[TArcher]

As true as the LCMS paper on Christian Identity?

[xone]

What is your problem with that, outside of it being Luther’s fault. Doesn’t happen much around here but you really are that guy.

[TArcher]

Is it Luther’s fault that the LCMS’ paper on Christian Identity doesn’t mention the fact that Identity groups used “On the Jews and Their Lies” as propaganda — or is that the LCMS’ omission?

At least Martin Luther was honest.

The LCMS evidently not-so-much.