President Schroeder re-elected

The biennial WELS synod convention is taking place this week in Watertown, Wisconsin. We're happy to report that President Mark Schroeder has been re-elected (on the first ballot) by an "overwhelming majority."

(Apparently his reputation was not harmed too much by the fact that we dubbed him an honorary Intrepid Lutheran several months ago!)

Our prayers ascend to our gracious God for the faithful leadership and the solid confessional Lutheran witness of our synod president. I can't remember a WELS president ever stressing our confessional Lutheran identity as much as President Schroeder has. His re-election is a good sign.

On the Road to Emmaus

At this moment, I’m on the road to the Emmaus Conference, which is being hosted by Parkland Lutheran Church (ELS) in Tacoma, Washington, today and tomorrow. Traveling with me (or rather, I with him) is AZ-CA district president Jon Buchholz. At least three other pastors from our district will also be attending the conference.

This “free conference” features the three synod presidents as its speakers: Pres. Mark Schroeder (WELS), Pres. John Molstad (ELS), and Pres. Matthew Harrison (LCMS). Pres. Schroeder has been given three hours on the agenda to present a lecture on the topic of “church fellowship.” I anticipate a very solid, confessional, evangelical essay from President Schroeder. The other two presidents will present their formal reactions to Pres. Schroeder’s lecture. I’m very much looking forward to the discussions that will be taking place over these two days, both formal and informal.

It should be noted that one of the “rules” governing this free conference is that all the presenters must hold a “quia” subscription to the Lutheran Confessions. That is, they must subscribe to the entire content of the Lutheran Book of Concord, not “insofar as” (Latin “quatenus”) but because (Latin “quia”) they accurately expound the doctrine of the Holy Scriptures. This precludes the participation of all non-Lutherans (including representatives of the ELCA) in such a conference, and ensures a solid foundation and common ground upon which the essays and ensuing discussions can build.

According to Pres. Schroeder, this conference is

a good opportunity to try to explain and clarify the WELS doctrine and practice of church fellowship, to remove misunderstandings and caricatures that others may have about our beliefs, and to provide a public witness to our doctrine and practice of church fellowship…A free conference such as this should not be understood as formal "doctrinal discussions" between church bodies. It should not be seen as a step toward the re-establishment of fellowship between WELS and LCMS. Rather, it is an opportunity for us to present biblical truth and to identify areas where Lutherans agree and disagree.

I suppose there are some agreed-upon definitions somewhere as to what constitutes “formal doctrinal discussions,” and apparently this conference doesn’t qualify. But since the three synod presidents are the main (only) speakers on the agenda, and “doctrinal discussion” is the main agenda item, I think that to the average Joe, this conference could easily be construed as “formal doctrinal discussions.” Informal doctrinal discussions are already taking place all over the blogosphere, and between individual pastors and congregations around the country. Granted, none of the three speakers is coming with the authority of his synod to make decisions for the synod, but I see no reason to downplay the significant historical nature of this dialogue.

“To identify areas where Lutherans agree and disagree” is absolutely essential, and if this is accomplished, then I would consider it at least a possible first “step toward the re-establishment of fellowship between WELS and LCMS.” Obviously, if it is determined that true doctrinal differences still divide our synods, then these will have to be discussed at length and studied in the light of Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. This could take years. But it’s a formal discussion that is long overdue, in my opinion, and hasn’t been pursued with sufficient zeal by our three synods. Until now, perhaps?

I will write a follow-up report after the conference is over. Let us pray for Presidents Schroeder, Molstad and Harrison, and for our three synods in which the true Gospel of Christ is believed, taught and confessed.

Sounding a clear voice

This is WELS President Mark Schroeder's message to the synod in the November 2010 issue of the Forward in Christ - A Lutheran Voice magazine. Once again, he knocks it out of the park and earns for himself the honorary title of Intrepid Lutheran. We give thanks to God for President Schroeder's leadership during this Thanksgiving week.
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The history of the Lutheran church in America is long and tangled. Starting before the American Revolution, Lutheran immigrants brought their faith to these shores and sought out other Lutherans to form synods and associations of pastors and congregations. From the start, however, there was never a single Lutheran church body in America. Germans, Swedes, and Norwegians sought out others who shared their language or place of origin in Europe. Other groupings were shaped by the theology and practices they brought with them. There were Lutheran pietists, Old Lutherans, True Lutherans, and Lutherans who had kept the name but little else. As the years passed, there were mergers and splits, fellowship relationships declared and terminated.

A diagram illustrating the history of the various Lutheran bodies in the United States over the years contains dozens of alphabet-soup names, merging and diverging lines, and numerous explanatory footnotes. It nearly makes your head spin just looking at it.

Last August, a new Lutheran church body was added to the list. Responding to the decision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to permit practicing homosexuals to serve as pastors, a significant number of ELCA congregations voted to leave their church body and establish a new Lutheran denomination called the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). The NALC views itself as being in the "center" of American Lutheranism. It retains, however, most of the beliefs and practices of the ELCA, except for ordaining homosexual pastors.

On another front, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) elected a new synod president last July. Many pastors and laypeople in the Missouri Synod were increasingly concerned about the direction of their synod and were convinced that new leadership was needed. President Matthew Harrison is known for his commitment to the Lutheran Confessions and for his desire to unify the LCMS on the basis of the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.

These major changes and events in American Lutheranism present an interesting challenge and opportunity for WELS. Now, perhaps more than ever, it is vital for our synod to clearly articulate our identity as a confessional Lutheran church body. We need to speak with a scriptural voice—one that bases its teachings on the clear Word of God, proclaims faithfully both law and gospel, and relies firmly in the means of grace for results. We need to speak with a distinctly Lutheran voice, a voice that cannot be mistaken for a watered-down, generic, evangelical Christianity that emphasizes sanctification over justification, favors praise over law-gospel proclamation, and responds to the felt needs of the consumer culture rather than the desperate spiritual needs of sinful people. We need to speak with a united voice, demonstrating that we are committed to walking together in both doctrine and practice. We need to speak with a historic voice, connecting our synod's teachings and practices with the clear statements of the Lutheran reformers and with the Christian church extending back to the apostles. [emphasis added]

We do not know what the future holds for the Lutheran synods in America. We do know this: As other Lutheran bodies wrestle with important issues, now is not the time for WELS to hide in a corner. Rather, now is the time for us to be ready to give an answer to those who ask. Now is the time for us to pray that the Lord of the church will move faithful Lutherans everywhere to stand together, as Luther did, on the clear Word of the Scriptures and on nothing else.

All in favor, say "Yep!"

The Brothers of John the Steadfast have posted this comment by WELS President Mark Schroeder and are making arrangements for this most official summit. If you would like to see such a summit take place, say "Yep!"

WELS President Schroeder Reaches Out with Offer of Banjo/Guitar Summit, by Pr. Rossow

The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) President, Mark Schroeder, dropped a fun little comment on our site this week. He said:


I sugggested to President-elect Harrison that, if I brush up on my guitar, the two presidents could tape a YouTube video entitled, “Dueling Confessional Banjos.” (see comment #5 on this post by Norm)



We are very honored to have President Schroeder visit our site. His work and leadership in the WELS is consistent with what we are doing here at BJS to uphold Biblical, traditional, historic, liturgical Confessional Lutheranism. President Schroeder has been no stranger to the BJS site. (Use the search mechanism on the right hand sidebar and under “WELS, Schroeder” you will find six posts on the WELS here on BJS. Here is the shortcut to the list.)

Issues, Etc. host Todd Wilken has hosted President Scrhoeder on the show and has done Lutheranism a big favor by providing a means for confessionalism in the LCMS and the WELS to hear each other. Schroeder’s Banjo/guitar gesture suggests that there will be a healthy interaction on the highest administrative levels between the two orthodox Lutheran bodies.

The LCMS is a two-million member denomination head-quartered in St. Louis and is the largest Lutheran denomination in America. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is the largest Lutheran body by name but with their recent votes against the Bible’s teaching on sexuality it is accurate to say that they bring shame to the name of our beloved church father Martin and ought not to be considered Lutheran. The WELS asserts on their website that they are the third largest Lutheran body in America but by our count, dismissing the ELCA as Lutheran, our buddy, President Schroeder can consider the WELS to be the second largest Lutheran body on the continent with nearly 400,000 baptized members.

But of course the Lord does not focus on numbers. He focusses on faithfulness and so the real question to ask is this: “Is your denomination faithful to the Scriptures and the Confessions?’ For the most part the WELS and LCMS are faithful and so are other smaller bodies such as the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), Lutheran Church – Canada (LC-C), the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti, the Church of the Lutheran Confessions (CLC), the United Lutheran Mission Association (ULMA), ELDONA, etc.

Surfing the WELS website I was reminded that both the WELS and the LCMS have large parochial school systems. Our Concordias have certainly done their fair share of turning out undesirable “church growth” church workers but overall, our schools have contributed to confessional strength in Lutheranism and ought to be supported.

In true Lutheran fashion I have taken a fun gesture and turned it into a serious discussion of church and theology. In an attempt to return to the fun I’ll close with a challenge to our readers. Let’s help the two presidents out by providing some ground rules for the Lutheran Banj0 Diplomacy Summit (LBDS). I’ll open the bidding with the following:

Rule #1 - No riffs on “Pass it On.” We might allow “The Lamb” but under no circumstances shall there be any “fires lit by any sparks.”

(Comments on other points above are also welcome.)

President's Report - Amen!

The following is an excerpt from WELS President Mark Schroeder’s recent Report to the Twelve Districts. HT to Rick at Light from Light.

“There is a growing sense that WELS has an increasing number of opportunities to articulate and present its identity as a confessional Lutheran church body, in contrast to the trends and decisions of other church bodies that bear the name ‘Lutheran.’ We have maintained our commitment to placing our confidence and trust in the Means of Grace as the only way that God-pleasing and genuine growth—both outward and inward—takes place in the church. Congregations are actively discussing the importance and relevance of worship and are working to plan and conduct their worship in ways that are biblically sound and Word-and-Sacrament focused…

With the world we live in changing so rapidly, there will be the temptation to alter our understanding of the very nature of the church and to adjust its message in order to be more ‘relevant.’ In the face of that temptation, we will need to articulate our conviction that law and gospel are always relevant to the lives of people, whether they are inside or outside of the church. We will need to emphasize that even though we live in a culture that does appear to be changing, the message of the Scriptures does not change in its ability to bring sinners to repentance and assure repentant sinners of their full forgiveness in Christ. In the face of trends in the Christian church today to adopt a theology of glory, we will need to maintain our commitment to a theology and practice that is centered on Christ crucified—the theology of the cross. We will continue to strive for a unified understanding of and approach to matters of Christian freedom and to develop a common understanding of how practices in the realm of freedom can and should be addressed…

All of these challenges can only be met as we gather at the foot of the cross, rejoice in the grace of God, and equip ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, the unchanging and powerful Word of God.”

We couldn’t agree more with President Schroeder’s message. Intrepid Lutherans was formed, not in opposition to Pres. Schroeder’s efforts, but in support of them. (Although we’ve probably caused him already more than a few headaches!)