Lutheran (EL
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Glory to the King of kings!
Posted on 11/23/2013 7:26:11 PM PST by 11th_VA
YORK, Pa. (AP) — At 89, Helen Behler still drives into York from her West Manchester condo every Sunday to worship at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The oldest member of a dwindling congregation, Behler cut the cake a few weeks ago when Trinity completed its centennial celebration.
She is part of a fading community of churchgoers, staunchly Lutheran worshippers who trace their faith to German-born ancestors who flocked to central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries. Christ Lutheran on South George Street is said to have been the first church built west of the Susquehanna River. It was followed by dozens of Lutheran churches in and around York.
Some of those city churches are struggling to counter alarming drops in membership, attendance and giving....
(Excerpt) Read more at lewistownsentinel.com ...
Both Smithville and LaGrange TX have a large population of German Lutherans.
They make some of the best kolaches in the world, I’m sure!
But how’s the gemutlichkeit?
I don’t know that one—at least not by that name......LOL!
No, it mentions it about half way down. Look under the subhead “ CONSOLIDATION CAN BE ‘NONSTARTER’ “
The Lutherans have moved from being conservative both theologically and politically 30-40 years ago to being liberal today. They along with most other mainline Christian churches have followed the same pattern. (ditto universities and government) This is the story of what happens.
However, you will find individual parishes within all denominations which have been able to remain conservative by careful selection of pastors and smart lay leaders who have recognized the problem of liberal infiltration and maintained a disciplined order of business. They have generally prospered over the years. Not many, but they are there.
According to refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com:
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2013 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) resettled over 10,000 refugees in fiscal year 2013, thereby contributing, as America’s second-largest resettlement agency, to the United States reaching its refugee admissions target for the first time since 1980.
LIRS has resettled 10,095 refugees in 2013, including many refugee kids who arrived without a parent or guardian and in desperate need of protection and human care,” said Terry Abeles, LIRS Director for Refugee Resettlement. “This achievement comes as we approach our 75th anniversary in 2014, and marks an important new milestone in a history in which we’ve helped nearly 400,000 refugees rebuild their lives."
I know exactly what you are talking about—I’m Catholic—LOL!
ELCA - Liberal 4 million
LCMS - Moderate 2.3 million
WELS - Conservative .4 million
My neighbor was talking about how her (ELCA) Church and its school were slowly dieing. It was really sad.
The ELCA has lost over 500,000 members and 1,000 congregations since their endorsement of homosexuality. Its donations are also drying up: Donations were $88 million in 2008 but only $40 million in 2011.
We are having the same problems here in Akron Ohio (LCMS). My husband got in an argument at a council meeting, because no one ever checks into the reasons members are leaving. The Mo. Synod is forcing churches to move to the left. new hymnals that water down our doctrine. Words are changed for no reason. I have an idea many are leaving because of the modern ideology and contemporary hymns and services.
I always thought LCMS was special in it’s doctrine and hymns—as opposed to Protestant Churches. Members are not happy with these changes—synod thinks they will get more members-—WRONG. We were raised to believe in strict doctrine—now we wonder why we even bother to attend.
Is the Lutheran university in conservative Seguin, TX, also a liberal enclave? Maybe they should change their name to (Martin Luther) King Church. A lot of Americans can’t distinguish between the better known MLK and the original Martin Luther.
$40 million is still too high. It might be that the generous donors left are uninformed about the direction of their own church.
You may want to see this.
Evicting Christ from Christianity hurts it all right....
Well if the doctrines are the chief reason, you’re going to get disappointed. Most important is to have the Christ that the doctrines are intended to describe. You don’t get Christ by making a web of doctrines and waving it in the air. Once you DO have Christ, then getting the doctrines as correct as you can makes sense.
Ah, out of the frying pan into the fire
But even conservative, confessional Lutheran congregations (such as mine, in the LCMS) are struggling.
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Glory to the King of kings!
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