Does Wenthe Teach the Pastor Has Authority Over the Congregation?
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

Reclaim News is not the only entity questioning the United List's selection of Wenthe over Preus for LC-MS President at the 2001 Convention.

In the context of a secret meeting, a group of unidentified individuals has recommended that the conservative candidate with fewer nominations, Dean Wenthe, be President of the LC-MS instead of the conservative candidate with more nominations, namely Daniel Preus. The selection defies logic.

The necessity for secrecy points out the intrinsic weakness of "Balance" publishers of "Affirm" and "Vision."

At the Lutheran Concerns Association meeting in Chicago, "Balance" operatives in the meeting successfully moved to table my nomination of Rev. Daniel Preus. Reverend Queck then overruled Mrs. Georgann McKee's request to simply take a straw poll of those present as to their preference for Synodical President.

This writer was disappointed when Dr. Wenthe informed me in January of 2000 that the congregation was not over the pastor.

The Lutheran Confessions say just the opposite. "In 1 Cor. 3, 6, Paul makes ministers equal, and teaches that THE CHURCH IS ABOVE THE MINISTERS." (Treatise, Concordia Triglotta, page 507, par. 11)

Perhaps I misunderstood Dr. Wenthe when I placed my one hand over the other and said the congregation was over the pastor. He replied, "No" and reversed the order with an opposing hand signal.

Perhaps he has changed his opinion. In either case he would do the church a great service by stating his views publicly. If Wenthe does indeed believe that the pastor is over the congregation he would be the first president in the history of the Missouri Synod to reverse Walther on this issue.

The question of congregational authority is particularly important because the ELCA adopted the practice of Apostolic Succession in the Summer of 2000, clearly placing the pastor in authority over the congregation.

In our meeting with Dr. Oesch, Executive Leader of The Pastoral Leadership Institute, this past December 28, Oesch also refused to endorse congregational Voter Supremacy.

Since President Kieschnick and more distantly, Dr. Muchow, are associated with Oesch and PLI, it would be beneficial to the church if these two candidates would also state whether they believe the congregation is over the pastor or the pastor is over the congregation.

The concept of side-by-side authority would be impossible and have the same effect as if the pastor were over the congregation. There is nothing in the Bible or the Confessions that suggests that the pastor has equal authority with the congregation.

Finally, it would also be helpful if Rev. Daniel Preus, the favorite among the conservatives, would state his views on this issue as well.

The umpire only interprets the rulebook for a baseball game. He doesn't write the rules, nor does he have any authority over the game apart from the written rules. Baseball has authority over the umpires. He is just the umpire, he is not the game.

The editor for Texas Concord, Rev. Al Loeschman, questions whether Wenthe is actually the conservative consensus candidate with the following comments:

"This Editor has said from the beginning that he would encourage support for a true consensus candidate. I have asked Balance, Inc. for evidence that Dr. Wenthe was the clear front runner rather than Rev. Dan Preus, so that we would know for sure who was the most viable candidate. I have yet to receive any response to my question. Until I am shown evidence that Dr. Wenthe is a genuine consensus candidate, I cannot encourage delegates to support him. I would be dishonest

What did Pastor Stefanski's poll show? My guess is that it would show a little stronger than Concord's in favor of Dr. Wenthe, but many Ft. Wayne supporters who voted in the Concord Poll went for Preus. The two polls taken by Texas (one was synod wide) were both top heavy for Rev. Preus for President and Weinrich for VP. Did Balance, Inc. go outside the cigar smoke-filled cloakroom to see who was the most viable? We just don't know. We know they have not consulted with any conservatives in Texas about who those in Dr. Kieschnick's District prefer."


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.

May 16, 2001