I Decided To Go Ahead And Vote To Leave The ELCA

After lots of prayers during church today, I decided to go ahead and vote.  I realized that not voting because the church might dissolve is a pretty extreme circumstance that might happen.  I don't think the St. Matthew will dissolve.



I was somewhat disappointed when I found the vote to leave the ELCA failed by one vote.  I hate to see many of my church family leave.  From what I've heard, about 40 families are going to leave St. Matthew Lutheran Church.  That's a lot of people.

Where will I go from here?  I don't know.  I don't know if I'll leave St. Matthew.  From what I'm expecting, I will only be around Logan for another year or so before I go out into the workplace (Nashville? New York City?) There are several NALC congregations in Columbus (Zion LC, Upper Arlington LC, St. John's ELC, Genesis Church, Christ Is Lord Ministries, Rehoboth Mekane Yesus, St. John LC, and Abundant Life Mission Fellowship).  Maybe the North American Lutheran Church will start a mission congregation around here.  If there are not NALC or Lutheran Congregations in Missions for Christ churches where I will be spending the rest of my life, I will go to an ELCA church (that being said, I won't say I will never attend a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod church).

I still think the Affiliation Task Force (the group of individuals who researched and published the official document) blew the whole thing out of proportion.  If we don't want to call a pastor who doesn't believe in the Virgin birth, we don't have to.  I think several people on the task force believed that the ELCA would force upon us a pastor like this.  This is not true.  The CONGREGATION votes on whether to call a pastor.

However, how do we know that the number of pastors who don't follow scriptural authority won't increase?  From the looks of things, this is happening at an alarming rate.  I worry for the generations ahead of me and what they believe.   As we lose older members of the church, the young ones will be taking the reigns of the place.  Are they going to remember this whole ordeal?  Are they going to recall the issues that were presented to the congregation?  I don't want them to fall into the trap of thinking scripture isn't authoritative anymore because contemporary culture says so.

The main problem with the ELCA?  The "Trickle Down" structure.  Too much power has been given to the suits.  The congregations have virtually no say in any matters.  The NALC is congregationally focused.  If something is going to change in the NALC, all of the congregations must vote on the issue. In the ELCA, the suits make all the decisions.  I don't like that.  I think it is important for the congregation to have a say in matters at hand.