[redgolum]

They probably started to wain well before I was born (1975). During and after World War I, there was a big push to "de Germanize" the Lutheran synods in the US. This led to a change in how seminaries taught.

In my synod (LCMS), many pastors still give good sermons. The sermon the pastor gave at my old home church last Good Friday was one of the best I have heard.

However, they tend to vary. Many pastors today want to be liked, and don't want to "beat the parishioners over the head" with Law and Gospel.

The church I went to in Lincoln Nebraska was like that at times. Theology a mile wide and an inch deep. The pastors were excellent at teaching however, so that tended to balance things out.

[Choose Ye This Day]

What part of Iowa are you in?