Deliberating a Call to Prince of Peace in Goshen, Indiana
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

I am deliberating a call to Goshen, Indiana. My name has been submitted to many call lists but District Presidents and Circuit Counselors have been throwing my name off of every list. This is the first call received in 10 years. Of course, I have not filled out any PIFs. If the congregation wants to know about me they can ask me any question about my doctrine and practice. I also encouraged them to read my Website at reclaimingwalther.org to learn my opinion on lots of things they may never have thought to ask. This means the call to Goshen was received without any prior communication except the question, "Are you open to a call?" In general, all pastors must always be open to a call. I have answered that question in the affirmative just about every other month for the past five years.

To help me in my deliberations I consulted my congregation and all the Voters by mail with the following published statement. I asked them to vote whether or not I should take the call. During their deliberation I left the Voters' Assembly. Since 1921, Redeemer has not had woman suffrage. The call was received on Monday, January 10th. In response to the following notification the Voters' Assembly, with 38 men voting, on Monday, January 17th, at 8:00pm decided the issue for about 30 seconds after I left the meeting and went to my office. They voted 38 to 0 that, in their opinion, the Lord has much more work for me to accomplish at Redeemer.

In my opening remarks to the Voters I shared no details about Prince of Peace in Goshen except the size of the congregation. Some were not comfortable in voting. I reminded them that they were the calling body who authorized my call to Redeemer. They had a divine right to issue me a call ten years ago and, therefore, as Walther says, they should be consulted as to their opinion about the call to Goshen. God gave them the right to make me a pastor and no one is better qualified to evaluate the current situation at Redeemer then the Voters' Assembly.

There were a number of questions prior to my leaving the meeting. Basically, I told them that all the blessings they received in the last 10 years were from God and any errors on my part were the result of my sin.

At this time I continue to pray and deliberate about the call to Goshen and plan to meet with the congregation on January 21, 2000. One can hardly react to the Voters' opinion at Redeemer other than to say, all miracles are from God. I dare not say more.


Statement in the Sunday Bulletin of January 9th, 2000 and letter sent to all Voters of Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Your Pastor has a call to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Goshen, Indiana. I did not solicit this call. I have never been to Goshen and am quite surprised, considering that, when asked about my opinions on theology, I told them to read my Website.

Every legitimate and valid call is from the Holy Spirit and the question is: "Should I take it or should I stay?" The Lord's will must be done. With this letter is an excellent statement from Walther's "Pastoral Theology" about the call. I have included it for your information. I will ask the Voters their opinion about this call and leave the meeting while you deliberate and vote on the issue. This is how I plan to consult the Voters for their advice. I must make the final decision myself, but your recommendation would be very helpful. There are no perfect pastors. We all have to work with the frailties of our own sinful flesh. Each of us only continues in the church by the grace of God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We should all pray that God's will be done in this matter. I t has indeed been a privilege to be your pastor these ten years. I will continue here or in Goshen, as the Lord wills.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Cascione

 

The Decision About a Call
by C. F. Walther
from Walther's "Pastoral Theology" published by CN

The decision whether a preacher should accept another position which has been offered to him, depends on the consideration of the following five rules:

  1. The preacher should wait calmly for a call that may be extended to him and should never seek to get away on his own, least of all to secure a higher salary or a more pleasant or easier position (Jer. 23:21).
  2. He should never leave because of the wicked in his congregation who make his life bitter (Rom. 12:21), unless it were merely a matter of his personal weakness so that another orthodox preacher could carry out what would not be possible for him because of personal tensions with the majority of congregational members (2 Cor. 18:10).
  3. It must be clear before human eyes not only that the new office offered to him is a more important one but also that he could use his gifts for the greater benefit of the church in it than if he would remain (1 Cor. 12:7).
  4. He should not easily decide for himself but should consult for the decision both his present congregation and the one that is calling him away as well as learned theologians (Prov. 12:15).
  5. He should not leave his congregation without its explicit agreement unless it would be obvious to everyone that it was absolutely denying its consent out of pure stubbornness, without considering the well being of the church.

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.

January 19, 2000