After my article on the cancellation of Issues, Etc. came out in the Wall Street Journal, I sent it to every District President of the LCMS, along with President Kieschnick and 1st VP Diekelman. I invited them to let me know if they had any comments or questions.
A sizable portion of the DPs took me up on that — either publicly or privately. And many had very good and fair questions — asking me for my thoughts on the financial and management situation at KFUO or asking why I only used “Rev.” on first reference for President Kieschnick. Answer? Wall Street Journal style dictates that honorifics are only used on first reference.
Other DPs, however, wrote letters with a different tone.
The Missouri District President Ray Mirly even went so far as to lobby the Journal (unsuccessfully) for a correction. I wouldn’t share the private correspondence I had with the various DPs, but in Mirly’s case, he already copied his letter to me to tons of people, including every District President and the Journal. It’s long, but you really have to read the whole thing to get the full condescension (my response follows his letter):
The Issues, etc., issue is indeed a serious one. Therefore, I would hope that someone such as you, writing an article for the Wall Street Journal would have practiced good journalist ethics. One would hope that a news writer would present an objective, well research article. I would simply point out that one statement in your article, through a simple phone call to Rev. Steve Benke of Jefferson Hills Lutheran Church, would have helped you to not make a factual error. You stated in the article that $25,000 of Ablaze grant money was used to put up the billboards. In my personal discussion with Rev. Benke about this statement (not only made by you, but previously made by others) he stated that no grant money was used for the billboards. I then called the Ablaze office to verify this conversation and they indicated that the last grant given to Jefferson Hills was in 2006. It was given specifically for “a new church start.”
“One congregation near St. Louis took a $25,000 Ablaze! grant and used
it to put up billboards with kitschy statements purporting to come
from the devil (e.g., “JeffersonHills Church Sucks,” signed “Satan”). “I would think that a writer, writing for such a prestigious paper as the Wall Street Journal, would want to check out the facts that they use in an article prior to publishing. What I am most concerned about is that your article appears to be more a propaganda piece than a news article. As I would presume you are a trained journalist, I would think that you could do better! There is a serious financial problem in the Missouri Synod and with KFUO. You seem to ignore this in your article. The Synod must make serious, and often emotional financial decisions in many areas of its ministry. KFUO is one of these areas of the current ministry of Synod.
As a District President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, I have committed myself to work toward the goal of brothers and sisters in Christ treating each other and issues in a Christian manner. I would encourage you, as you should know, that if you believe that Issues, etc., was improperly removed from KFUO that you contact the chairman of the Board for Communication Services, the Chairman of Synod’s Board of Directors and President Kieschnick, asking that an inquiry be conducted into the manner in which this action was taken. We have a mechanism in place in the LCMS, as you well know, to deal with matters in dispute. Please, rather than dealing with this matter in the world’s way you would do so in a Matthew 18 manner. To the best of my knowledge you have not chosen to voice your concerns in this manner.
Here was my response:
Rev. Mirly,
I understand your criticism but I think you point to a distinction without a difference.
You agree that the Synod gave $25,000 in Ablaze! funds to start the church. And you agree that the church launched a billboard campaign to advertise itself as part of that effort. And you agree that the billboards do purport to come from Satan and say stuff such as “JeffersonHills Church sucks.”
Writing under deadline is always difficult and there are many phrases that one can second-guess or wish had been phrased differently. But your comment in no way changes my piece. The Synod gives $25,000 to churches that run ad campaigns with questionable theological justification (a campaign that people thought was run by atheists, as revealed in this KSDK report from last month***) while axing the best voice for confessional Lutheranism.
The point of my article wasn’t whether or not there is a serious financial problem in the Missouri Synod (although I might write about just that for a future article). But I did try to alert people to the concern present among the laity about whether the financial portrait of Issues, Etc., has been portrayed accurately and whether it made sense to eliminate this program in such a secretive and sudden manner without justification.
Also, you should know that laymen have no standing or status to appeal any formal procedure. Period. We can’t even get our emails to David Strand responded to! We have no ability to make use of any disciplinary procedure in place in the Missouri Synod (unless, I suppose, I were to be excommunicated by my congregation). Even when I served on the Board for Communication Services, the decisions made by my board were routinely blocked by elements within the Synodical bureaucracy, including President Kieschnick himself through executive order.
You also mention Matthew 18. But that deals with private sin. We’ve been dealing with secrecy surrounding public actions. So if we are to agree with Luther’s explanation of the 8th Commandment as taught in his Large Catechism, your admonishment doesn’t apply.
But I do have some questions for you:
Why would the MO District be supporting a congregation that would consider putting up billboards like this a good idea?
Why is the MO District not exercising better supervision?
Why would any congregation think this is a good idea?
And why is Jefferson Hills trying to hide their Lutheran identity?
And why is the Missouri District of The LCMS supporting this, and/or, not stopping it?
In Christ,
Mollie Ziegler Hemingway
P.S.
*** http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=141359You might be interested in this portion of the KSDK report on the billboards:
Benke says it’s a publicity push, in anticipation of the upcoming Christian holiday of Easter.
“Oh, we’re getting a lot of responses,” said Benke. “Christians in the community are saying, ‘Thank God, put the truth out there, that’s what it’s all about, we pray this makes a bigger Easter for everybody.’ We’ve gotten people bothered by it. It is disturbing. Satan is disturbing. That’s the point.”
But a quick sampling of those who saw the billboards Friday afternoon begs the question of whether people are getting the point.
Anthony Hansen said, “No, I just thought maybe some atheist group might have put it up, or something.”
A reporter had to explain to two people that it was the church that had commissioned the billboards.
“Really?” said Katerina Thornton. “I’d say somebody needs to reorganize their priorities, a little bit.”
Rev. Mirly sent his letter to me in the afternoon of March 31. I responded to him by 4:30 the same day. As of today, April 17, he has not responded to my questions.
Filed under: Updates
This is shameful.
Nice job, Mollie. You are a true professional.
I guess Rev. Mirly doesn’t get it, that your piece was AN OPINION PIECE. It looks like he got confused, somehow thinking that an opinion piece means you lack journalistic ethics. Ah, who knows.
Anybody with half a brain or less knows that the WSJ would not print anything that’s not true — and you wouldn’t submit anything that’s not true.
I also love the Rev. Mirly’s last paragraph — sure, let’s go through official channels — maybe we’ll hear something by next October! Or, sadly, maybe not at all. Mollie would still be sitting there with article in hand if she waited for “official channels” to act.
‘Rather than dealing with this matter in the world’s way you would do so in a Matthew 18 manner.’
Translation: if we can’t control what you say, then you’re guilty of dealing it in the “world’s way” (whatever that means) and a “Matthew 18 manner.” What a laugh.
Mollie, thank you for sharing. The condescenion, not to mention the false guilt-tripping from the Rev. Mirly drips off the page. I’m sorry you’ve had to put up with this baloney.
And, gee, I’m so surprised that Rev. Mirly hasn’t responded — NOT!
Excerpts from what DP Mirly wrote, followed by my comments . . .
DP Mirly: “Jefferson Hills Lutheran Church. . . .”
Comment: JeffersonHills does not bill itself as “Lutheran.” That’s probably a good thing, since it would give a bad name to Lutheranism.
DP Mirly: “. . . a factual error. You stated in the article that $25,000 of Ablaze grant money was used to put up the billboards.”
Comment: While the $25,000 Ablaze! grant may not have gone *directly* for “The Billboards from Hell,” it certainly freed up money that JeffersonHills could then use on the billboards. And in any case, the $25,000 supported comparable stupid stuff.
DP Mirly: “. . . your article appears to be more a propaganda piece than a news article.”
Comment: It was an *opinion* piece, not a news article, and it was located in the “Opinion” section of the WSJ.
DP Mirly: “Please, rather than dealing with this matter in the world’s way you would do so in a Matthew 18 manner. To the best of my knowledge you have not chosen to voice your concerns in this manner.”
Comment: To the best of your knowledge, Mollie, did DP Mirly come and have a face-to-face meeting with you before he copied his letter to all those people?
Mollie:
First of all, I think its absolutely shameful how the LCMS hierarchy hides behind a veil of self-righteousness when they want to “remove the speck” from our eye, but they become completely indignant when we make the slightest criticism towards them.
Second, please keep pushing forward, and don’t stop. We cannot let this issue simmer until we are tired out. That is what the higher ups are counting on, thats why they are hunkering down and not responding, they think we’ll eventually lose our steam.
Third, yes, this is about Issues, Etc., but it goes deeper than a radio program (which we all loved, and kept us tied to our confessions). Like you said, this is a battle for the “soul of the LCMS”. Any psychologist will tell you that when a married couple fights over an issue whether it be pithy or valid, it’s not about the surface issue, its about something greater. For us, yes, we are fighting for 2 wonderful men who were unjustly punished, but in reality and far more essential, we are in a battle for the identity of our Christian heritage and confessions. Men like Walther and other Lutheran immigrants blazed a path for us to follow through their blood, sweat, and tears, but the current regime with ungreatful hearts want to sweep it all under rug and sell ourselves to American pop Christianity. That I believe, is the real issue we are fighting for.
Personally, I think axing two excellent doctrinal voices for political reasons and citing them as financial reasons is a pretty worldly thing to do. You know, cover up part of the truth.
A half truth is a full lie.
Maybe Rev. Mirly should request that David Strand re-read Luther’s explanation of the 8th commandment.
“One would hope that a news writer would present an objective, well research article.”
Um…DP Mirly…one would also hope that you would proofread your letters.
Let’s stay focused, good put downs, though very cathartic, cause the message to be muddled, and it provides fodder for them to use against us, “All they’re doing is throwing cheap shots” etc.
He who is without a typo, cast the first stone!
catechismatic 95,
I agree. Very well put.
He who is without a typo, let him cast the first scone!
LOL!
Reminds me of: scroll down till you see the “pope”:
http://wittenbergtrail.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=1453099%3ATopic%3A40318&page=2
Mollie,
Thanks again for all that you’re doing! It is appreciated by far more than 1/3 of 1% of our synodical membership. Keep fighting the good fight of the faith, my friend! You are speaking on behalf of many of us who do not rate ANY responses from our SP and DPs. And, you are speaking most excellently! Thanks again!
Mirly’s reaction is typical, bureaucratic bullying.
Your sin Mollie? –tarnishing the all-important IMAGE of the LCMS with the truth.
Mirly’s attitude is precisely the kind that has turned the LCMS into a denomination governed by fear, obsessed with secrecy, where deception is the coin of the realm.
His feigned call for an investigation is laughable. Who would conduct such an investigation? Mirly and his fellow District Presidents? The very men, most of whom would be sitting silently (some smugly) by, had the laypeople of their districts not raised their own vocal objections?
In a denomination where those who complain are summarily dismissed as “schismatic” and “divisive,” such an investigation end up being another moratorium on the truthful conversation, and a call for LCMS-brand unity.
A denomination willing to sacrifice the truth to maintain its image will soon find itself possessing neither.
You have touched an exposed nerve, Mollie. Keep pushing. The harder they fight you, the more they inadvertently tell us the truth.
Mirly’s reaction shows where the Achilles heel is. It also reveals his own true colors.
“There is a serious financial problem in the Missouri Synod and with KFUO.”
Then there should be numbers that full financial disclosure would clearly show where members of Synod can help.
Assuming this really was for “financial” reasons….
Mollie, you are a writer. Keep writing! You are a mother. Keep mothering! You are a child of God. Keep the faith! Few things are more encouraging than those who remain faithful to their vocations.
We know that this agenda attacks and takes our faithful clergy away by threatening and destroying their careers, their health insurance, their means to support their families, etc. They have done this damage to seminarians, pastors, missionaries, vice presidents, etc.
They even torment grannies and laypeople who otherwise do not have the energy or means to resist well.
But they can not do the same to all laypeople who are faithful to their real vocations.
Faithful laypeople need to step up, without sacrificing their real vocations. These DP’s and their like are adulterers of a failed kind. Their corporate skills are the worst because their vocation is not that of business gurus. They fail at ministry skills by not ministering. Their favorite lay-ministers are also double failures. They are prostitutes who usurp the vocations of the called and ordained, but they clearly do not know the Scriptures or the Confessions. And they have abandoned their called places in other workplaces.
Yes. We all have God-given vocations–a concept that Ablaze! regularly despises. Its proponents should be keeping to their pledged vocations of upholding the Scriptures and the Confessions. But instead, they attack mothers who protect their children and attack men who protect their families. They ignore, ostracize and afflict those whom they were called to serve. They subscribe to other Driven Purposes. They misuse resources to employ others to blaspheme the “Love of Christ” to “100 Million.” They say that they are “Connecting People to Jesus,” but present an imposter.
They tempt to draw us from our vocations. But it’s not just our vocations from which they try to draw people away. Remember Who is hidden in vocations. The one who attacks us would be wise to know that He, who went to the Cross, values every last one of us as more precious than anything else, even if we are just a fraction of “1%.”
Mollie, thank you for all you are doing. The truth needs to come out and I am sure others who have inside information will tell more. They can not stop the truth. When people do not have the truth on their side they attack anyone who they perceive as being a threat to their power. Power is what they are trying to protect.
One would think that a District President would know better than to get in a war of words with those who buy ink by the barrel.
Mollie, I know you’ll lay this all at the feet of Jesus without sorrow or regrets for the truth you proclaim in the WSJ and elsewhere.
Keep writing, keep up the good work! LCMS hierarchy has a better ear for you than most of us although I did receive a good reply from one BCS member I emailed…realizing the BCS can be overruled from above. Their self righteous arrogance galls me too…GRR!
http://www.sweetwaterhsa.com/~terryc/Arrogance-Reid.jpg
Matthew 18 isn’t about dealing with “matters”, it’s about dealing with your brother who sins against you. If a District President invokes Matthew 18, by doing so he admits that it was a sin to cancel the show and fire Jeff and Todd. It would also be a sin for President Kieschnick to be aware of the decision and allow it to happen anyway.
Remember that Mollie TOLD THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER that she was going to write this article long before it was published. I would also argue that she HAS followed Matthew 18 in light of verses 16 “But if he will not listen” and verse 17 “If he refuses to listen to them.” The article was titled “Radio Silence” not just because the show was off the air, but because the only people Kieschnick and Strand will talk to is the media, otherwise they will only communicate via vague public statements that are wholly unsatisfactory.
Our brothers won’t talk to us. They’re not listening. This is why we must continue to follow Matthew 18:17 and the Church must speak to them. The Church is speaking through Pastors’ Conferences and District Boards of Directors crying foul (not to mention online petitions, demonstrations, and donations to the Wilken/Schwarz fund).
[...] reason remains. Somebody did not like what was happening and they pulled the trigger. Mollie Hemingway has been active in contacting members of Synod, searching for an answer. The responses, it appears, [...]
“There is actually more unity of the church present where Christians of differing confession honorably determine that they do not have the same understanding of the Gospel, than where the painful fact of confessional splintering is hidden behind a pious lie.”
-Hermann Sasse, “Union & Confession”
I would be much happier to have an above-board discussion about our differences within the LCMS, rather than to pretend that we don’t. As in the Sasse quote, I can fully respect a fellow Christian who does not accept the Lutheran confessions. I have a much harder time dealing with people who either passively or actively try to stifle discussion of such honest disagreements.
I would like the opportunity to explain (to someone who will listen) why I thought the IE mission was so valuable to the Synod. I would respect someone who explained why they they thought it was harmful. Perhaps with discussion we could change their minds. Perhaps they are aware of issues we’ve not considered would change ours. But we’re never going to wind up on the same page, nor respectfully part ways without opportunity for honest dialog. I think that’s what most of us are asking for from synodical leadership first and foremost. Please talk to us, don’t ignore us or disparage us as a tiny disgruntled minority. If Issues Etc can’t be restored, and least tell us why and listen to us with open ears.
Finally, I also greatly appreciate your efforts to get this discussion going, Mollie. It is unfortunate that it is so difficult and becomes so personal.
This bureaucracy needs to be taken apart. Nothing short of that will resolve any of this.
The money greed is out of control, the power hungry are leading this entire problem.
You know it people, I know it. They will not listen to us, because they don’t have to. Start doing whatever needs to be done.
This condescension makes me ill. Can you imagine if I wrote a letter like that to people in my congregation? I would rightly be thought to be an ass.
Even though “evil confessionals” are blamed for so many problems, if I just did stuff in my congregation without any explanation, I would be in hot water. If I acted like the synod and just said, “I know better” and “you are all just a bunch of morons, and I don’t owe you an explanation for anything,” I would rightly be tossed out.
But, in the name of being “missional,” anything flies. We are the new Jesuits; Machiavellian theory and all.
Mollie,
You have the journalistic focus to ask the right questions, and the voice to ask them of the right people. It seems obvious to me that wrong has been done, but there were also many improprieties before now in the church — your questions help keep us sane by thinking critically rather than being overwhelmed by our personal reactions to this event.
Re. Matt. 18, sometime ago Todd ran a program about the most mis-used passage of Scripture. He said it was “Judge not least ye be judged.” That is, you quote this verse when you do something wrong and somebody calls you to account. I would like to nominate Matt. 18 as the passage you quote when somebody says something you don’t like but that is the truth. I mean, really, did they follow Matt. 18 in firing Jeff and Todd? It cuts both ways.
And while I’m at it, GK’s attempt to “maintain plausible deniability” in this matter–”I was aware of it but did not order it”–has about as much credibility as old King Henry muttering to his knights about Thomas ‘a Becket, “Will no one rid me of this plague?”
Remember what happened to King Henry afterwards?
This bunch reminds me of when I worked for a corporation. There were lots of problems in our area — but my boss’s attitude was always, no matter what, “Everything’s great!”
Somehow they think that just by saying something’s a certain way, no matter the truth, it magically makes it so.
Pastor Baue,
Excellent quote from King Henry! It would seem to me that President Kieschnick knowing about the firings & cancellation beforehand & yet doing nothing makes him more culpable in the matter, not less.
Did he say to Mr. Strand, Have you informed the BCS of your proposed action? How do you plan to explain the firing of a pastor who has a valid call from God to be doing this show? Why now & in this manner?
There are lots of things Pres. Kieschnick should have said & asked, but you’re right, all he seems to want is plausible denialbility. His continued silence speaks more effectively & eloquently than anything he has said so far.
Thank you, Molly, for speakng the truth. You continue to carry out your vocation as a writer in these dark days for our Synod. Thank you for your defense of not only Issues Etc. but more so of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The verse beginning the Augsburg Confession (Ps. 119:46) describes your actions. You are not ashamed to proclaim the truth regardless of who is reading or listening.
As others have said, our contension is not merely on behalf of Issues Etc. Our contension rises over the long haul of events which have thrown our Synod into tumult. Remember, folks, Pastor Wilken and Jeff Schwarz aren’t the first which President Kieschnick et al have run from their watchful posts.
Thanks be to our grandfathers’ church. They pased on the truth of the Gospel to us just as their grandfathers’ church passed it down to them. Whether in the WSJ, in a church bulletin or in a Christ-centered, cross-focused sermon, our Lord’s Word stands as our great heritage throughout all generations.
Continue, Molly, in your vocation to speak the truth. The Lord be with you.
President Mirly,
We need leaders not commanders. You are no Kaltoff. Call him. He can mentor you.
The Mollie-Mirly melee!
Nice work, Mollie. Mirly says you should follow channels. Your response to that shows that the problem with laity is that they can’t be controlled by the DP’s the way pastors can. Please stay out of control!
Hmm. Kalthoff. Wasn’t he the one who publicly paid his respects to a previous pope when he visited Saint Louis???
Hang in there Mollie. The future of thousands, including your baby, is at stake. You’re one voice crying in the wilderness. At least you get a reply, ridiculous as it may be. That’s more than many of us, who can conveniently be ignored so long as we keep contributing the $$$!
This behavior by synod doesn’t suprise me. After 9/11 I wanted to serve my country as a chaplain in the armed forces. I worked with the recruiters, got into shape, passed my physical and was getting ready when St. Louis refued to endorse me for the chaplaincy. This happened TWICE, and one time with the current head of chaplains.
What hurt me, and upset my recruiters, is that both times I was told that they could not tell me why I wasn’t endorsed. The recruiters were upset because all of our time and effort was wasted and they couldn’t undestand why St. Louis wouldn’t work with me inorder for me to receive my ecclesiastical endorsment.
I know that my story is tangental, but it is another illustation about how St. Louis treats people. They are supposed to be our servants and sometimes I think they forget that. The fundamental problem with the church is lack of trust, and actions like these only serve to hurt instead of heal.
Rev. Mirly is my DP. It seems that Rev. Mirly is more worried that offence is taken about a title than the real issues.
Did Mollie disrespect Rev. Kieschnik by dropping the title? No. Not on purpose. As Mollie stated, this is standard practice at WSJ. I think that the lack of respect seems to be flowing from the other direction also.
My Grandfather told me two things that seem to apply here.
I always need to respect the office, but not the man.
Respect is earned.
Frankly I think that if Rev. Mirly could only find fault with the two points he mentioned, the balance of the article must be fairly accurate.
Rev. Mirly needs to be reminded how we feel as individuals, and as congregations, and that he needs to also represent us to Synod. I’m not sure how to do that yet, with respect.
I’ll pray on that.
OBTW Pastor Wilken will be preaching at Peace Lutheran Church tomorrow which is also broadcast on KFUO this month. The re broadcast should be on the archives in the evening as usual.
John Hooss
Mollie,
If I’m not mistaken, didn’t you write an article on Pres. Benke’s participation in the unionistic & syncretistic service at Yankee Stadium? And didn’t you get criticized for the exact same thing Pres. Mirly brings up, that after the first reference you dropped the Benke’s title & went with his surname only?
If so, talk about deja vu!
Mollie, I was going to write to Ray Mirly to enlist his help, but having just gotten back into town and reading this latest debacle, all I can say is God help us. All the people I have put my trust in so far have had two faces and the ugly faces are the ones being exposed. I am more determined than ever to see this stuff exposed. The double talk and finger pointing by leaders who stand four square against us and our Lutheran heritage is astounding and disappointing. I don’t think we should let ANYONE intimidate us. We are right. They are whining and refuse to fight for what is right and that is inexcusable. I still say, if the LCMS leadership fails to lead in the cause of Christ according to our traditions, the laity may well find someone else who will. We don’t care if we are big, we care if we are right and true to the cross. Keep up the good work. We are praying for you and for all who are coming under attack by those who should be kind enough to listen to our cries to reverse this terrible path they have chosen for us. In the end, no matter what, because of the cross..WE WIN.
Gayle,
Looks like Ray Mirly isn’t your man. I’m sorry.
Thank you for what you’ve posted. You’re right. Is the LCMS now a business, only concerned about growth and numbers? What on earth ever happened to faithfulness and the Cross? Seems to be out of fashion with the current Administration.
Mollie: Thank you for the relevant information you disclosed in your “Radio Silence” article. Your insightful comments revealed troubling facts about the firing of Rev. Todd Wilken and Jeff Schwarz, and the disturbing agenda of the bureaucracy in St. Louis.
According to David Strand, the decision to cancel Issues’ Etc. came “after long and prayerful consideration”. As a Christian, I find it hard to imagine God’s response to these prayers required the use of misleading information designed to deceive the public.
Yet God, in His power and wisdom, works in wondrous ways, thwarting the plans of those who seek to distort the Scriptures, bringing about good in the midst of evil, instilling strength in the face of weakness. This situation, though disturbing, has made many people aware of the divide within the LC-MS. Perhaps it will start a grass-roots movement powerful enough to thwart the plans of those who push pop-Christianity and church marketing over the historic Lutheran confessions of faith.
I find it interesting President Mirley said Mollie needed to handle things according to the “mechanism in place in the LCMS … to deal with matters in dispute … rather than dealing with this matter in the world’s way,” that mechanism now being different than it had been for many, many years (if it was changed back, I am not aware of it) a “face to face” meeting with someone you believe has sinned, even if the “sin” is public, yet did not do this himself IRT Mollie. Don’t we call this a double standard?
To Dr. Keischnick and the LCMS Leadership
Sirs,
I am writing this in reference to a letter that I received from Dr Keischnick through his senior assistant just last week. I had written 3 open letters to you before your reply. All 3 of my letters concerned the inexcusably sudden termination of Jeff Schwarz and Pastor Wilken along with the Issues Etc. radio broadcast on KFUO.
Dr. Keischnick, the closing statement of your reply to me stated something that has somewhat upset my wife and has also caused me some concern. You stated that your e-mail to me contained privileged information intended only for me and that any use or disclosure was strictly prohibited. Sir, please tell me, what does this mean? Does this mean that if I tell others what you have written to me that you could take legal action against me? My wife is seeing this as some sort of a veiled threat from you if I continue to speak out against your Ablaze marketing technique or my protest against what you have done to Pastor Wilken and Jeff Schwarz along with Issues Etc.
Sir, perhaps this is merely a standard confidentiality statement that many corporations use to protect their trade secrets, and maybe this is used with all their correspondence as a matter of routine. I’m hoping that there is nothing more to it than that, but still it makes no sense to me. Sir, why would you include this statement to me in response to an “open” letter that I sent to you?
Dr. Keischnick, can’t you see what effect this type of communication has upon your members? We see the sudden unexplained and inexcusable termination of Jeff Schwarz and Pastor Wilken and then receive this type of communication from you as a result of our legitimate protest letters. Does this do anything more than generate fear within the body of the LCMS?!! And the reason I say fear is not just from this action alone, as I have heard many stories from others within the LCMS who also have that same fear of the LCMS leaderships heavy handed ways.
Dr. Keischnick, please allow me to say something about leadership as I do have some experience with it. Effective leadership is the art of influencing your members in such a way as to gain their loyal cooperation in the accomplishment of the mission. The key word here is loyal and loyalty is most certainly undermined by any actions which generate fear within the body!
Sir, I would submit to you that the greatest resource that you have available to you in the accomplishment of your mission of evangelism (as stated on your Ablaze website) lies with the many theologians within your church body. And when you suddenly and inexplicably terminate those under your authority while making statements through David Strand as quoted in the St Louis Post Dispatch which say that “only” 1/3 of 1 percent are opposed to your heavy handed techniques and that you are appealing to a larger number, it does nothing less than to alienate you from the very people who could potentially help you the most with your mission! Sir, with all due respect, it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon or an Alfred Einstein to figure this out!
Sir, let me add one more thing about this state of fear that has been generated within the LCMS church body and ask you one question in closing. The most effective leaders know that “concerns and ideas” from within their member bodies are potentially their greatest resource. Knowing that, they strive to maintain and even to encourage “open” dialogue within their member body, particularly including concerns. I can only imagine what it must be like for those who are “employed” under your direct authority (either at KFUO or at the LCMS headquarters or perhaps other members of your clergy) and perhaps have concerns with your ideas or methods. I’m certain that many are very hesitant to submit to you any ideas which may conflict with or be critical of your Ablaze marketing techniques and even the inexcusably sudden termination of Jeff Schwarz and Pastor Wilken along with Issues Etc.
Sir, having said all this, here is my question to you: Dr. Keischnick, can you sincerely say that your style of leadership has been beneficial to the LCMS church body as a whole and is this style of leadership able to take the optimum advantage of what those within your church body has to offer?
Sir, I do expect a reply,
Sincerely, Mike Hillyer
Mrmike1998@hotmail.com
P.S. Sadly, I will once again state that no one is aware that I am writing this letter and that no one has in any way ask me or encouraged me to write this letter.
Mollie,
I am sure that it must have occured to you by now that you have run up against some very “fearful men” who think they can obscure truth by instilling “fear” in others.
The opposition to the unjust and fearful is “Faith” that the Lord is using you as an instrument of His Will in this matter. There is nothing these fearful men can do to you, so you are in a unique position to continue to use your skill to shine the light on their foolishness. If it helps them craft their own self destruction then so be it.
Molly – stay the course! There are many of us who are so thankful for the voice that you have via the WSJ. In a similar vein (I think) – was anyone else at the service for vicarage assignments yesterday? The text for the sermon was Matthew 6:24. I could only fume through the whole thing as GK, who I’m sure has a 6-digit salary, and the DPs (some – not all! – of whom also bring in a 6-digit income and seem to serve money rather than God) sat there while the preacher (Golter) spoke to these future vicars (many of whom will carry debt from their years at the sem throughout their ministry) re: you cannot serve God and money. (Putting the best construction on things, maybe GK is donating a sizable portion of his sizable salary to the seminary in support of future pastors.) Anyway, listening to this sermon, on top of the arrogant attitude of Mirly, GK, Strand and others regarding IE, the disregard of many of them of the poor management of the funds donated by LCMS members, and their unwillingness to “come clean” about the whole thing, made me furious. If what they say is true re: the state of KFUO, I think an independent audit, published in all synodical media, would clear up a lot of questions. Conversely, it could be a cause of great embarrassment to Strand, et al. Hmmm….. Anyway, I was – and still am – furious about the whole thing!
I thought Mirly was solid. I have to count it as just another reason to question the credentials of pre-walk-out pastors.
All this secrecy reminds me of what our Lord said in John 3: “19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Also, the declaration that the lcms is a unified body reminds me of the illusion cast by the Soviet dictators when the truth was something vastly different.
Finally and sadly, fear tactics work. I know many pastors who privately decry the state of the lcms but are afraid to say something publicly–many are counting the days/months/years until they retire. For the sake of our children and the pastors coming after us, we must contend for the Gospel and the truth of God’s Word against those who would return us to the Babylonian Captivity of the Church.
Laity, please support your faithful pastors and stand by them no matter what.
Thank you, Mollie, for your God-given courage to question synodical abuses and false teaching.
This action of Ray Mirly does not come at too great of a surprise to a number of us pastors in the MO. district. The first communication that I received from him after election as dp was a letter rebuking me (and my congregation) for not assisting the district financially. No attempt was made to discover what might be behind such a situation. Imagine that if I began my pastorate by contacting the members who were not giving and rebuking them for not giving. How long do you think I would be there? My bags would not even get unpacked.
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