The Battle To Keep Voters' Assemblies
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

The battle for control of the Synod through Episcopal Hierarchy promoted by Hyper-Euro-Lutheran pastors, or by PLI promoting Church Growth and Boards of Directors, or by Congregational Voters' Assemblies rages on. Who will control the Synod, the clergy or the congregations?

For and example of the number of LC-MS pastors opposed to Voters' Assemblies, just read the tens of thousands of words written against them by logging on to www.Lutherquest.org and click on current and past conversations such as "Affect and Effect: A Good Distinction" on conversations for this past week.

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Also in the inactive conversations found on the "Tree View" are lengthy conversations on the topic of Voters' Assemblies whose titles were usually selected by pastors who are opposed to Voters' Assemblies as follows:

  • "Going to Far with Voter Supremacy I, II, III, IV"
  • "A Tail of Two Synods" also "Continued and "Still Continued"
  • "Supremacy of Voters Assemblies Needs No Scriptural Truth" I & II
  • "LQ Can't Define VA"
  • "Jack's VA Resolution"
  • "Voter Supremacy Resolution"
  • "Define the Voters' Assembly"

Part of the "humor" at the Fort Wayne 2001 Symposium Banquet, with some 800 pastors and laity in attendance, took place when Dr. Scaer asked the lay people to stand up. Some 200 to 300 lay people rose to their feet at the convention center down town. Scaer then announced that Pastor Cascione says you can vote and make yourselves into a church. This was supposed to be funny, but the fact is Luther says that the laity can do and indeed have the authority to do exact that.

"If we should come to a large group of people who are not Christians, we might act as the apostles did and not wait for a call; for the preaching ministry is not establish at the place. If, then, a person said: There are no Christians here; I will preach and instruct them in Christianity, and if a group then came together, chose him, and called him as their bishop, he would have a call." ("What Luther Says" page 974 WA 16:36, St. 3:723)

At the same time the Council of Presidents has endorsed the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI) to retrain LC-MS pastor for "leadership." In a meeting with Doctor Norbert Oesch, leader of PLI, Oesch stated that PLI did not teach Walther and that he thought that "Voter Supremacy" and "Voters' Assemblies as the final tribunal in the congregation" was inflammatory language. One can read about the curriculum by logging on to www.PLI-Leader.org. Now click on "Overview" to the left, then click on "upcoming conferences" under "Module One" on the left, then click on "syllabus."

The 2001 LC-MS Convention may be the last chance for the LC-MS laity to keep control of the Synod and their own congregations through regularly scheduled Voters' Assemblies.


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.

March 5, 2001