This Blog's purpose is to offer information about congregations voting to leave the ELCA. Pastor Barnhart's other Blog offers information about current news events relating to the Church and the nation. It may be found here: http://livinginthetimes.blogspot.com/



Sunday, July 31, 2011

RESULTS JULY 31, CONGREGATIONS VOTING TO LEAVE THE ELCA

1. St. Jacob Lutheran Church, Glenville, PA unanimously passed second vote to leave the ELCA. Previously voted to join the NALC.

2. St. Paul Lutheran Church, (Trauger) Latrobe, PA passed second vote to leave the ELCA, 105-40. Will joiin NALC.

3. St. John Lutheran Church, Boyden, IA passed second vote to leave the ELCA 81-24. Voted to join NALC.

4. Bethel Lutheran Church, Scanlon, MN passed second vote to leave the ELCA 31-1. The vote would have been unanimous but one member inadvertantly voted on the sample ballot rather than on the official ballot, so the vote had to be counted a "no" vote to terminate.

Monday, July 25, 2011

VOTING RESULTS JULY 24, 2011 FROM CONGREGATIONS VOTING TO LEAVE THE ELCA

1. Trinity Lutheran Church, Birchwood, WI passed its first vote to leave the ELCA, 78-32.

2. St. Paul Lutheran Church, Rolfe, IA passed second vote to leave the ELCA. NALC & LCMC

3. St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Uniondale, IN passed second vote by 91% to leave the ELCA and join the NALC. (July 17)

4. Immanuel Lutheran Church, Fresno, CA passed second vote to leave the ELCA, 91-2. Voted to join NALC.

5. Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN failed to pass vote to leave ELCA 57-41.

6. Christ Lutheran Church, Stanley, NC failled to pass first vote to leave the ELCA 60-40.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

THE LUTHERAN CHURCH-MISSOURI SYNOD WEIGHS FUTURE SOCIAL SERVICE WORK WITH ELCA

By RACHEL ZOLL
AP Religion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - The latest casualty of the long-running Protestant conflicts over the Bible and homosexuality is a massive network of social service agencies that work in areas ranging from adoption to disaster relief.

The theologically conservative Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod announced this week that direct work with its larger and more liberal counterpart, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has become "difficult if not impossible," because of doctrinal differences, including the 2009 decision by liberal Lutherans to lift barriers for ordaining gays and lesbians.

Neither denomination would discuss the potential financial impact Wednesday. Many Lutheran-affiliated agencies receive substantial state and federal money through contracts and grants that would not be directly affected by any split. However, similar to Catholic Charities, Lutheran agencies are some of the biggest service providers in their communities and have been struggling to meet increased demand for help during the recession.

Just one of the joint Lutheran agencies, Lutheran Services in America, said on its website that it encompasses more than 300 health and human services organizations with a combined annual budget of more than $16 billion.

"We recognize that this is a difficult issue. It's complicated," said the Rev. Herb Mueller, first vice president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, based in St. Louis. "We're trying to take a nuanced and caring approach to all of these situations that's also faithful to what the Bible teaches on these issues."

The Rev. Donald McCoid, an ecumenical officer for the Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said, "we are deeply concerned about the ministries of care that may be challenged by the recent action of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod."

More: http://www.katv.com/story/15130879/gay-split-causes-upheaval-for-lutheran-charities?

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Harrison issues 'Letter to the Church' concerning military chaplaincy ministry with ELCA



In a "Letter to the Church" released Monday, July 18, LCMS President Dr. Matthew C. Harrison announced that, beginning in 2012, the Synod will no longer co-sponsor its training conferences for military chaplains with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

The decision, which Harrison said was not made lightly, was based on input from the Synod's Ministry to the Armed Forces committee and from active- and reserve-duty LCMS chaplains.

It ends a cooperative ministry that began in 1941 between the LCMS and two other Lutheran church bodies at that time -- The American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America. Those two denominations joined the former Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches to form the ELCA in 1988, and the cooperative arrangement continued, with some modifications.

"Today, like two ships at sea sailing apart on different compass headings, the ELCA and the LCMS have lost sight of each other," Harrison writes in the letter. "The two churches are pursuing different courses in our ministries to military members. The doctrinal differences and tensions have been exacerbated by the position of the ELCA on same-sex unions and the imminent repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'"
More: http://classic.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=18969




Sunday, July 17, 2011

VOTING RESULTS JULY 17, 2011: CONGREGATIONS VOTING TO LEAVE THE ELCA

1. St. Jacob's Lutheran Church, Chapin, SC passed second vote to leave the ELCA, 110-2, with 2 abstaining. Already voted to join NALC.

2. St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Hooversville, PA passed second vote to leave the ELCA, 94-18 and join the NALC.

3. Bethel Lutheran Church, Noblesville, IN passed first vote to leave the ELCA by 82%- 315-66.
(This congregation's membership of 1299 baptized members takes the list of congregations that have voted, or that are in the process of voting, to leave the ELCA to a net loss for the ELCA of 300,257 since August 2009. This loss reflects only those congregations whose votes have been successful. It does not include those ELCA members who left to begin new congregations or those ELCA members who simply left on their own.)

4. St. John's Lutheran Church, Goliad, TX passed second vote to leave the ELCA, 65-19. Voted to join NALC.

5. Roslyn Lutheran Church, Roslyn, SD passed second vote to leave the ELCA, July 10, 32-17.

6. Fron Lutheran Church, Roslyn, SD passed second vote to leave the ELCA, July 10, 27-6.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

NEWS UPDATE & INFORMATION JULY 14, 2011

We have added the following to list of congregations that have voted to leave the ELCA:
1. Hope Lutheran Church, Fosston, MN vote July 10 to leave the ELCA, 130-37. Their first vote passed last Fall but the second vote failed this past May. We are uncertain at this time if this vote is being counted as second vote or the first vote in a new process to withdraw. We will report when this matter is clarified.
THEY ARE STARTING OVER. THIS WAS THEIR SECOND EFFORT AT A FIRST VOTE!

2. Peace Lutheran Church, Linton, ND has left the ELCA.

3. Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Goodland, KS passed its second vote to leave the ELCA May 1.

4. Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Harlan, IA has left the ELCA.

5. St. John Lutheran Church, Stacy, MN passed second vote to leave the ELCA May 1. They have joined the LCMC.

6. Salem Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Long Lake, SD passed first vote to leave the ELCA June 26, 25-1.

New start: The first worship service for a new congregation being organized in Nevis, MN will be held July 17 at 9:30 a.m. at the Nevis School. This new start is the result of a failed second vote at Bethany Lutheran Church in Nevis a few weeks ago.

Known congregations voting to leave the ELCA Sunday July 17 include:
1. Bethel Lutheran Church, Nobelsville, IN *
2. St. Jacob Lutheran Church, Chapin, SC **
3. Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN *

At this time the total congregations that have completed their second vote to leave the ELCA stands at 535. At least 70 other congregations have successfully taken their first vote and now await their second vote. The combined membership loss (since August 2009) for the ELCA from these 605 congregations stands at 298,892.

Friday, July 1, 2011

CHURCHES VOTING TO LEAVE THE ELCA - JULY 2011

The following churches have scheduled meetings in July to vote on leaving the ELCA.
Please inform us of any corrections or additions: wordabide@aol.com

* indicates first vote ** indicates second vote


July 17
Bethel, Nobelsville, IN *
St. Jacob Lutheran Church, Chapin, SC ** NALC
Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Ft. Wayne, IN *


July 24
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Fresno, CA **
Trinity Lutheran Church, Birchwood, WI *
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Rolfe, IA **

July 25
First English Lutheran Church, Victoria, TX * (Monday)


July 31
Trinity Lutheran Church, Concord, NC ** NALC
St. Jacob Lutheran Church, Glenville, PA **
Bethel Lutheran Church, Scanlon, MN **
St. Paul Lutheran Church (Trauger) Latrobe, PA **
St. John Lutheran Church, Boyden, IA **