LCMS districts

[Ministrymama]

My church recently left the English district and joined the Pacific Southwest district. Can someone fill me in a bit on what these districts mean? Is it all politics?
My pastor was talking to an African missionary who was home for a few weeks and they were both furious at the politics going of President Harrison regarding over seas missions. Pastor stated that was one of the reasons for this 3000 member church to switch districts.

 

[filosofer]

There are 33 LCMS geographic districts and 2 non-geographic. One is SELC, from the Old Slavic Lutheran Church. The other is the English District, which was formed in the early 1900’s because most churches were German speaking.

The political stance of districts can change over time. However, the English District has been on the conservative side in the last 30+ years. PSW District has not been in the politically conservative side for many years, but also still conservative theologically. (This is not meant as judgment on either district, only the reality of their leanings.)

The changes in the Mission direction in LCMS over the past three years has been disturbing. I had been LCMS for 56 years, now AALC for 8 years. But i have seen the shift and it is not good. Sadly, the two highest people in leadership serving in Mission positions have no missionary experience. Not saying anything about capabilities or talents, etc. Just that they have no missionary experience.

 

[Moses Medina]

There are 33 LCMS geographic districts and 2 non-geographic. One is SELC, from the Old Slavic Lutheran Church. The other is the English District, which was formed in the early 1900’s because most churches were German speaking.

The political stance of districts can change over time. However, the English District has been on the conservative side in the last 30+ years. PSW District has not been in the politically conservative side for many years, but also still conservative theologically. (This is not meant as judgment on either district, only the reality of their leanings.)

The changes in the Mission direction in LCMS over the past three years has been disturbing. I had been LCMS for 56 years, now AALC for 8 years. But i have seen the shift and it is not good. Sadly, the two highest people in leadership serving in Mission positions have no missionary experience. Not saying anything about capabilities or talents, etc. Just that they have no missionary experience.

Hello, can you explain please what has been disturbing?

 

[Ministrymama]

Filosofer, can you elaborate what you mean by "politically conservative"?

 

[filosofer]

Hello, can you explain please what has been disturbing?

Not only the top mission leaders have no experience, but all regional mission leaders/supervisors with mission experience have been removed in the past three years.

I don’t have a “dog in the fight,” so to speak, so this is only an observation. But this seems like a loss of significant mission experience, leadership, and encouragement for those serving in missions and especially for those receiving mission attention, where they had served.

 

[filosofer]

Filosofer, can you elaborate what you mean by "politically conservative"?

In terms of church politics, not in terms of governmental policies, etc.

 

[Ministrymama]

That was what the missionary and my pastor were discussing. They were very unnverved that so many experienced, capable, obviously called missionaries were being pulled and inexperienced people replacing them only because they had become pastors or deaconesses. Certainly pastors are called to minister but they are NOT the only ones God has called. The Lutheran mission field will suffer from this stance.

 

[PreachersWife2004]

That was what the missionary and my pastor were discussing. They were very unnverved that so many experienced, capable, obviously called missionaries were being pulled and inexperienced people replacing them only because they had become pastors or deaconesses. Certainly pastors are called to minister but they are NOT the only ones God has called. The Lutheran mission field will suffer from this stance.

We've been praying for your synod lately. My husband often jokes that the mission fields would be in trouble if he ever took a call to be a missionary because he is not qualified to be one. I believe that all missionaries should be pastors but that not all pastors are missionaries.

There's also a somewhat prevailing notion in our synod that might be in the LCMS as well. For whatever reason, it is considered bad for a pastor to serve a given congregation for a long time. So maybe the idea was that some of the missionaries had been in their positions too long and it was time for fresh blood. I don't agree with it, but that could be why as well.

Whatever the reason, we certainly hope things calm down again. The LCMS has had her share of too many issues in the last few years.

 

[Daniel Stinson]

My church recently left the English district and joined the Pacific Southwest district. Can someone fill me in a bit on what these districts mean? Is it all politics?
My pastor was talking to an African missionary who was home for a few weeks and they were both furious at the politics going of President Harrison regarding over seas missions. Pastor stated that was one of the reasons for this 3000 member church to switch districts.

Rev. Harrison is attempting to restore Confessional Lutheranism to the rank and file of the LCMS. Many Synodical positions were held by clergy closely affiliated with Seminex and the walkout that followed in the 1970's. Harrison is trying to restore clergy that are well grounded in Hebrew and Greek, which was lacking during the Seminex split that divided Concordia University system between: WELS, LCMS, and ELCA as they're known today. LCMS is using literal missionaries, but ELCA is letting us do the hard work, then swoop in and offer overseas congregations' staff and clergy incomes and salaries; if they'll leave LCMS and join the ELCA.

Money talks in 3rd world countries and the ELCA is larger than LCMS with more financing, so LCMS loses a lot of congregations, after pouring heart and soul into several years if not decades of service to build Christianity where it's often not allowed. It's building hostilities between LCMS and ELCA, and I'm certain the WELS are likely experiencing the same situation overseas that LCMS is. Rev. Harrison needs missionaries that can hold congregations together long enough to become self-sustaining without caving-in to the easy money associated with the ELCA.

Rev. Harrison is taking on the firing squad from many embedded Liberals in the ranks of LCMS, which operate like sleeper cells ready to disrupt order and conduct.

The LCMS hierarchy begins with the congregation, who's pastor elects regional clergy, who elect circuit clergy, who elect district clergy, who lastly elect synodical clergy (hopefully I got the order correct). This is sort of a generic breakdown of clerical authority as to how each group sustains the smaller units below it with various resources and talents. Congregations can complain at various levels if their needs aren't being met or the LCMS can remove their association from congregations that go apostate from the UAC and Triglotta Concordance.