In 2007, St. Luke\u2019s Lutheran Church embarked on what was entitled \u201cA New Beginning.\u201d Apart from the terminological or tautological difficulties of whether one can have a \u201cnew\u201d \u201cbeginning,\u201d the idea to be conveyed was that something refreshingly different was to take place. Unwanted elements of the past were to be left behind, good things were to be kept, and new ideas and plans were to be conceived and made, respectively.<\/p>\n
Viewed in and of itself, some of that has happened, and some of that has not. Juxtaposed to the verse from Hebrews 13:8 that \u201cJesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,\u201d the questions arises what a \u201cnew beginning\u201d might mean at all. If Christ truly is the same for all time, does not a \u201cnew beginning\u201d seem to be the wholly wrong idea, and if the wrong idea, a complete waste of time? More broadly, if Jesus Christ is truly eternally the same, are not the unnumerable attempts by churches and denominations to do \u201csomething new\u201d not only a waste of time but contrary to the Christian faith?<\/p>\n
On the other hand, there is no shortage of verses which in various ways talk of God making \u201call things new\u201d (Revelation 21:5). So, how can Christ remain the same and yet have all things made new? How do we know what is to remain the same and what it to be renewed? How do we know when to forego current practices, when to renew old ones, and when to create something as yet wholly new? With this notion in mind, what is the impetus to do so anyway?<\/p>\n
These and related questions arise particularly when it seems that any given congregation is \u201cstruggling,\u201d whether that is numerically, financially, organizationally, or otherwise. There seems to be a tendency for congregations to want to copy other \u201csuccessful\u201d congregations in the hopes that imitation will result in proliferation. To accommodate the notion of church as commodity, the market for programmes resembling \u201cchurch by numbers\u201d or \u201cministry by numbers\u201d abounds. Whereas some of these may prove \u201csuccessful\u201d for \u201cchurch growth,\u201d what theological criteria lie behind the \u201cnumbers,\u201d particularly the \u201ccult by numbers\u201d designed to attain numerical growth?<\/p>\n
Article VII of the Augsburg Confession, the chief Lutheran statement of faith (Confession), states, \u201cIt is also taught that all time there must be and remain one holy, Christian church. It is the assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered according to the gospel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Where is the option for \u201cministry by numbers\u201d in that definition? How does that offer a recipe to mix the right quantities of social programmes and baptismal water to sprout new members and increase cash flow?<\/p>\n
If one looks at this definition of the church in Article VII carefully, there is nothing for a congregation to do but to be assembled, grammatically a passive construction, where one chief activity takes place, namely the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ administered in verbal and sacramental forms. Please note, however, that this proclamation by definition is to be administered \u201cpurely.\u201d In the \u201cchurch by numbers\u201d scheme of things, how does one qualify and quantify such proclamation? How does one know that one has received adulterated or unadulterated gospel, and if adulterated, how pure it is, 95% pure or 73.4% pure or on a bad day just 21.62% pure?<\/p>\n
Lots of so-called Lutherans like to talk about the church and church unity based on Article VII of the Augsburg Confession. Conveniently, many if not most of those so-called Lutherans omit, either by accident or by design, the reference to the \u201cpure\u201d proclamation of the gospel. At the time of the Reformation, the Lutheran theologians stressed the \u201cpure\u201d proclamation as the criterion for the mission of the church. Anything less could and would lead people astray, as was so evident in Luther\u2019s day and is still evident today, especially in many so-called Lutheran churches.<\/p>\n
Whereas it is a preacher\u2019s responsibility to proclaim the gospel purely, it is the congregation\u2019s responsibility to know and to ensure that they are receiving the pure proclamation of the gospel. That is one aspect of the \u201cLutheran difference\u201d in comparison to all other church denominations. Unfortunately, that difference is often ignored, and a significant reason why Lutheranism is in such dire straits generally is because the church has been so \u201cdumbed down,\u201d literally as to defy belief. Pastors and congregations both have been remiss in exercising their rights and responsibilities as members of the priesthood of all believers seeking earnestly to ensure that the church is fulfilling its mission as clearly and as purely as possible.<\/p>\n
So, if Jesus Christ is eternally the same, how do we know what to retain and what to renew? Perhaps the question becomes more clear if viewed differently. It seems not only logical but also prudent to be conversant with the \u201cold\u201d before moving onto the \u201cnew.\u201d In other words, Lutherans possess a priceless treasure in Scripture and in the Lutheran Confessions, as a true interpretation of Scripture. In that light, it would seem neither meet nor right nor salutary to pursue the new until one is steeped in the Word of God revealed eternally in Jesus Christ. How conversant are you in the Bible and in the Lutheran confessional writings?<\/p>\n
A significant driving force for the initiation and development of St. Luke\u2019s Theological Academy (SLTA) is to redress in a small way the sacrifice of theological competence and responsibility in favour of \u201cchurch growth\u201d fads. SLTA provides an opportunity for pastors to teach and train congregational members to know and to understand their theological responsibilities better. That education can then, in turn, be used and applied to help and ensure that congregational members are willing and able for quality control purposes to help ensure that the preacher is fulfilling his call by the congregation to preach and teach on its behalf.<\/p>\n
This autumn, SLTA is offering five courses: Foundations of the Christian Faith (beginning Sunday, 11 September, 4:00-5:30 pm), Introduction to the Old Testament, Worship and Music, The Lutheran Difference, and Christian History and Doctrine (all beginning Tuesday, 13 September, 7:00-8:30 pm). If you would like a refresher or more in-depth learning, there is probably a course just about right for you. You can register online via St. Luke\u2019s website or by telephoning the church office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"