Reclaiming the Gospel in Minnesota South District
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

Many thanks to Pastors Ken Koethe, Bruce King and the others on the committee for making all the arrangements for my speaking engagement at the Concordia St. Paul Chapel on Dec. 2, 1999. The meeting was well attended with laity and pastors.

Each time I speak, whether in Wisconsin, Texas, California, Michigan, Connecticut, Missouri, etc., my goal is to find the most effective way to communicate the issues to lay people. At Concordia St. Paul, I first presented information about the history, necessity and origin of Voters' Assemblies in the LC-MS. I then spoke about the attacks by the Church Growth Movement, PLI, and the COP on the Creeds, the name Lutheran, and worship.

If I was searching for the "hot" button, I found it. Those in attendance were treated to a shouting match between LC-MS clergy over the rights of the clergy to change the Creeds and a congregation's worship. I had presented the same doctrinal issues before, but the additional focus on Voters' Assemblies led the laypeople to realize they had the power and the duty to fight their pastors in the Voters' Meetings about changing Creeds, worship, and weakening or eliminating the authority of Voters' Assemblies.

A number of clergy, who favor changes in Creeds, worship and support PLI, were incensed when they realized I had effectively communicated the issues to the laity and had sent them on a mission to stop the changes.

The attacks against me from the LCMS clergy me were the most vicious I have ever experienced. At least three pastors were raving about the rights of the pastors to rewrite Creeds, not use hymnbooks, and invent their own worship. Their claim was, they don't have to follow LC-MS resolutions on these subjects.

I pointed out that these were constitutional issues and not subject to change by resolution. One wonders if Minnesota Governor Jessie Ventura, a member of an LC-MS Church, is aware that the LC-MS Clergy in Minnesota South are virtually inventing their own polity and religion. This may have prompted some of his remarks about weak-minded people in churches.

The following points were covered in the speech.

First point:

All LC-MS congregations have agreed to follow only one polity in the LC-MS, namely Voter Supremacy. The COP and PLI pastors are trying to remove the authority of Voters with Board's of Directors and CEO's so that pastors can invent the Creeds, worship and faith of the membership. This enables them to use Church Growth market research and stay current with changing America. At the same time the hyper-euro-Lutheran pastors want to remove Voters' Assemblies and make themselves bishops of their congregations.

Second point:

When the 1995 Convention voted 67% to 33% to support the name Lutheran on LC-MS congregations they were voting on the congregations' agreement with the LC-MS Constitution. The Synod has no control over local congregations. We (the congregations) invented the Synod. Any pastor or congregation that doesn't want to agree with the Constitution should voluntarily remove themselves from Synod or be expelled from the Synod by the Convention.

Dr. Barry should have stopped the Convention in 1995 and demanded that the 33% of the Synod who did not want the name "Lutheran" on all LC-MS congregations should be expelled from the Synod by the other two thirds. Of course, such a move was unthinkable. It would pit "principle" against "pragmatism."

Third point:

When the 1998 LC-MS Convention voted 83% to 17% to maintain the use of three and only three creeds, the 83% should have voted the 17% out of the Synod. The Creeds are the required confession of the Gospel for any who seek membership in the LC-MS. I reminded those clergy who claimed the Christian freedom to confess anything they wanted, they had sworn on their knees when they were ordained that they would not change one word of the Creeds. If they can change the Creeds, surely they can change the Augsburg Confession, which is not as important at the Creeds. One pastor responded, saying, "'Jesus is Lord' is the only Creed we need for salvation." I asked him if there was such a thing as false doctrine. He said, "No."

Fourth point:

The 2001 LC-MS Convention must vote that Voters' Assemblies are the only official polity of the LC-MS. If they don't, the laity will loose control of their congregations and the LC-MS must become hierarchical. One can imagine a Synod in the future that maintains the use of Word and Sacrament but has little use for the people in the pew. In other words, a Synod that bares the marks of the Church but has little use for its own membership.

Fifth point:

The COP and PLI have united forces with the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, LC-MS Foundation, Lutheran Brotherhood, Wheatridge Ministries and AAL to fund PLI, promote the Church Growth Movement and govern congregations with Board's of Directors instead of Voters' Assemblies. They are using the laymen's money to enslave them in their own congregations without a Vote of the Convention in the name of "progress." Not only was the funding for PLI not approved by the Convention but PLI itself has no approval from the Convention to retrain LCMS clergy.

During the question and answer session a man said the Synod was moving toward hierarchy and Voters' Assemblies had outlived their usefulness. I reminded him that Israel wanted a king and ended up with Saul.

I reminded the pastors who opposed me them that membership in the Synod is voluntary. We invented the Synod and the Convention has a right to restrict membership to those who follow its Constitution.

The laity who viewed and heard the debate between LC-MS clergy on these issues, quickly learned that much of what they had taken for granted in the Synod is in jeopardy, including their Voters' Assemblies. The clergy are not going to come to their rescue. If the laity does not take action to keep control of their congregations, doctrine and worship, they will lose them.

Video Tape available including handling and shipping for $20.00
Send order to:

Rev. Ken Kothe
Redeemer Lutheran Church
1301 East County Rd. 42
Burnsville, MN 55306

or email your order to pastorcascione@juno.com


Report on Cascione At Concordia St. Paul Minnesota
By Michas M. Ohnstad

Dear Pastor Cascione:

It was a stimulating experience to hear your presentation at Concordia College, St. Paul, Minnesota last Thursday evening, December 2. Surprising indeed, was the vehemence with which those who disagreed with you, disagreed with you! My perception upon hearing fulminations of this sort - to the point of personal attack - is that the speaker got too close to the truth for them to be comfortable. In any case, I believe you were right on target and I thank you for your well-reasoned remarks.

I am just starting to read your "Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS" and I look forward to reading "In Search of the Biblical Order." I appreciate the copies you autographed. I am wondering if there is away to mass-distribute them to "other" Lutherans who don't belong to Missouri so that they might likewise be challenged.


Rev. Jack Cascione is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS - MI) in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. He has written numerous articles for Christian News and is the author of Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS: How to Keep Your Congregation Lutheran. He has also written a study on the Book of Revelation called In Search of the Biblical Order.
He can be reached by email at pastorcascione@juno.com.

December 22, 1999