"Jesus First" Faces Tough Times in Worship Land
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

We quote the February 2001, Issue 16, article titled, "These are not Easy Times For Worship" by one of the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI) founders, Rev. Vern Gundermann as follows: "These are not easy times for many who are involved in worship. It is not easy for worship leaders. Shall we prepare a 'traditional' form of worship? Shall we prepare a 'contemporary' liturgy? Shall we combine the two and do a 'blended' service?"

Gundermann's words slowly screech down the chalkboard with "we". He uses it three times. What more can be expected from a PLI founder than to say, "It is not easy for worship leaders." Yes, the privileged class of worship fuehrers, leaders, impresarios, dictators, and CEO's are having a hard time creating and dishing out worship from their magisterial position of authority over the troubled, helpless, ignorant masses yearning to be entertained. It is tough at the top, Vern.

Of course, Leadership First and the PLI-Leader have never paid attention to the LC-MS Constitution, Article VI.4, 'Conditions For Membership in the Synod," "exclusive use of doctrinally pure hymnbooks, catechism, and agenda in church and school."

They act as if they have never read that archaic Reformers words:
"Thus the ministry is not mine; it belongs to all the others; it is a public office and confession." Luther's Works 22:480
"Publicly one may not exercise a right without consent of the whole body or of the church. In time of emergency each may use it as he deems best." Luther's Works 40:34
"The Keys [the right to judge doctrine] belong to the whole church and to each of its members, both as regards their authority and their various uses." Luther's Works 40:27

"We" [Vern and his friends] all know that leaders don't consult, ask for permission, or listen to members; they just lead, because, leaders know best.

The article evaluates worship in terms of Pavlovian "style" instead of doctrinal content and purpose. When all the premises about worship are wrong, worship becomes the manipulative tool used by the few on the many. It gets a little cultic, all that leadership, power, and control, for the good of everyone, of course. The leader owns the worship. The members walk in and say, "What is he going to do for us today? I'm not part of this; I'm just a spectator. Entertain me. Say honey, what were the Neilson ratings for the February sweeps on that last worship experience?"

Just because Jesus said, "If two of you agree on earth," and "Where two are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:19,20) doesn' t mean Vern believes that correct doctrinal content is the first priority of worship. And just because Luther commented that, "The Keys [judgment of doctrine] belong to the whole church and to each of its members" (LW40: 27) doesn't mean that worship "content" is the congregation's concern.

However, when worship leaders are confronted by market forces, such as Prestonwood Baptist's 7500 seats gobbling up Prince of Peace, Carrolton, TX, one mile away; or John Hagee gobbling up Concordia, San Antonio, a few miles away; and even Steven Hower's rocking church drawing a "few" from Vern's church; what is a leader to do?

Vern concludes, "There are many challenges [i.e. market forces] to the 'Lutheran Hymnal Project' task forces. We, who plan and lead worship, and all who worship, will benefit greatly upon their success."

We ask, "What if they don't 'succeed'?" Leaders know what to do. Try something else. When it's all about marketing it is not about faith or ever asking the question "Who owns worship?" A question like that may lead the leaders to the unthinkable prospect of asking their Voters' Assembly to vote on what the worship should be and informing the congregation that they have also agreed to Article VI.4 of the LC-MS Constitution. This would turn the "leader" into a mere congregational puppet and such restrictions could destroy growth and leader-income. We must not have that.

From the viewpoint of Reclaim News, if we peel off the PLI-Leader-Jesus First skin we discover a hyper-euro-Lutheran reestablishing pre-Walther European Lutheran hierarchy for the good of all, especially the leader. The peeled leader won't be the Bishop or the Archbishop, no; he will be the Cardinal or the Pope.

Back here, in plain old "Reclaiming Walther" land, the Voters vote on the hymnbook, and the pastor picks the boring hymns and worship service week, week after week, out of the same old hymnbook, that everyone knows from memory. "Leaders? We don't need no stinking leaders." The congregation owns, rules, and governs, the worship of the church and not the pastor. In 12 or 18 months every hymnbook is an old hymnbook.

We ask Rev. Vern Gundermann, "Jesus First," and PLI, "What is the point?" Aren't you all just getting a little tired of inventing, blending, trivializing, test marketing, and experimenting with worship every week, week after week, when you could be making some really big bucks in advertising and the entertainment industry? "Please pass the Osterizer."

We sense from the opening words of the article in "Jesus First" that it is all getting a little tedious for Vern and the retirement solution is just around the corner.

Perhaps it is all God's fault for giving people a memory of what happened last week or worse yet, last year, resulting in that blasphemous word, "tradition." But, there is hope. After ten or twenty years of changes every week in worship, the next generation will have no memory of and no loyalty to, what happened in the past. They won't even care and worship leaders won't have a congregation to lead or worry about. The more the Synod is influenced by "Church Growth" the faster it is going to shrink.

Post-millennial, Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Baptist, worship fatigue is already taking hold and is going the way of the Pilgrims and Millerites. The end didn't come! "Irma, could you please change the channel to Karaoke Night at the 'Improv'?"


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.

February 22, 2001