Location:
Hope Lutheran Church
10701 St. Cosmas Lane
St. Ann, Missouri 63074
Phone 314-429-3808
When:
Friday 1:00 PM November 3rd, 2000 through Saturday November 4th, 12:00 PM
Program:
Conference Moderator:
Rev. Neil Schmidt of Hope Lutheran Church.
Friday, November 3rd
1:00pm Opening Devotion:
Rev. Neil Schmidt.
1:30pm Rev. Daniel Preus
"C. W. Walther, Justification and the Joint Declaration"
Reverend Preus assisted his father Dr. Robert Preus in writing the
C.T.C.R. document titled, "Theses on Justification." He also helped to edit and
publish after his father's book on "Justification and Rome" in 1997, two years
after his father's death. Preus will examine Walther's position on Justification and make
application to the adoption of the Joint Declaration on Justification between the Catholic
Church and the ELCA. As Executive Director of the Synod's Concordia Historical institute,
few would be more qualified to speak on this important subject.
2:30pm Rev. William Bischoff
"The Historic LCMS Polity of the Congregation"
Pastor Bischoff, an astute and experienced observer of LCMS structure and history will
speak about the historic congregational polity of the LCMS as explained in the Bible, by
Luther, and the Confessions later expounded and implemented in the writings of C. F. W.
Walther. e will compare the LCMS historic position to the current abandonment of
congregational polity for hierarchy now taking place in the LCMS.
3:30pm Lamar Blecker
"The Synod As It Is: Closer to Geneva than to Wittenberg"
Lamar Blecker, a layman from the New Jersey District, will show that the forces of
democracy and political expediency are reshaping LCMS church government to reflect the
practice of John Calvin's "Institutes" instead of Walther's "Law and
Gospel."
4:30pm Rev. Norm Dierking
"Clinical Pastoral Education: From a Lutheran to a Humanist View of the
Pastoral Ministry"
As an LCMS Pastor and Chaplain, Dierking discovered that a labyrinth of interrelated
organizations including the LCMS Board of Human Care Ministries, the College of Chaplains,
now called the Association of Professional Chaplains, and the Association of Clinical
Pastor Education, had the authority to fire him from his called position. He was the
Chaplain at the Lutheran Senior Services Home in St. Louis and was removed for not
continuing to participate in CPE, Clinical Pastor Education, regardless of the approval of
his District President to serve as a chaplain. Dierking objected to the criteria and
practices of secular and humanist teaching in addition to Lutheran theology as established
by Walther for all LCMS Pastors.
5:30-7:30pm Supper Break
$8.00 at Hope Lutheran Church
7:30pm Congressman William Dannemeyer
"It's Time For Sunshine to Shine in the LCMS"
A former United States Congressmen and life long member of the LCMS, Dannemeyer will
speak about the need to energize the laity if they are going to believe that their voices
are welcome in the church. Dannemeyer will explain why it would be helpful if District
Presidents had more opportunity to deal with issues of the parish instead of Synodical
politics. He will also explain why the Districts could be more effective if they
redirected their resources to the congregational level instead of funding a growing number
of staff and larger bureaucracies within the Districts.
8:30pm Mr. Timothy Otten, Layman
"How Lay People Get Nominations and Resolutions to the 2001 LCMS
Convention"
Saturday, November 4th
9:00am Opening Devotion:
Rev. Neil Schmidt.
9:15am Dr. Erich Von Fange
"The Genesis World: Foundation or Stumbling Block?"
How do dinosaurs, fossils, and cavemen fit into a young created earth? Do we live in a
young or old earth? Von Fange will explain why the Synod must reaffirm the historic
position of Walther against evolution and continue to teach the doctrine of creation.
10:15am Rev. Jack Cascione
"The LCMS: Can It Remain a Synod Without Unified Congregational
Polity?"
Pastor Cascione will explain why the 2001 LCMS Convention must adopt a resolution
reaffirming Walther's Voter Supremacy as the only congregational polity of the LCMS. He
will explain how and why a growing number of LCMS pastors advocate Church
Growth/Leadership Training as taught by the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI) while
other pastors advocate hyper-euro-Lutheranism, a return to pre-Walther, European, Lutheran
hierarchy. Both LCMS Seminary faculties no longer endorse the historic LCMS congregational
polity of Voter Supremacy established by Walther. Seminary President John Johnson is
endorsing PLI and teaching for PLI, while Fort Wayne, under the Presidency of Dean Wenthy,
officially refuses to answer the question of what congregational polity they endorse
because those who ask "will never be satisfied." Without the attention of the
2001 Convention, the loss of Voter Supremacy must result in the laity loosing control and
ownership of their own church property. The courts will not recognize the rights of laity
who are no longer Supreme in their own congregations.
11:00am Dr. Edwin Seulflow
"Keeping Worship Lutheran"
District President Edwin Suelflow, from the South Wisconsin District, will explain the
importance of the Mequon Theses on Worship. The South Wisconsin District in Convention
recently endorsed the Mequon Theses on Worship and is recommending their adoption to the
entire Synod at the 2001 Convention. Suelflow as the former District President, and now
Chairman of the Board of Regents at Concordia Mequon, was primarily responsible for
Mequon's and the South Wisconsin District's endorsement of these Theses on Worship. For
many, they represent the most significant statement on the proper conduct and character of
Lutheran Worship since the Reformation. They come at a time when the Synod is locked in a
controversy on this issue, from the congregations, to the Seminaries, to the District
Offices.
12:00 Noon Closing Devotion:
Rev. Neil Schmidt
Time allotted:
30-40 minutes for each speaker and 10-20 minutes for questions and a 10 minute
break.
Conference Fee:
$20.00
Arrangements:
Those attending from out of town should make room arrangements at one of the many
motels in the area. Hope Lutheran Church is about 2 and 1/2 miles from Lambert Field. Click here for a map. Call for shuttle
service from the airport to Hope Lutheran Church.
Registration:
You may write to Hope Lutheran Church and make your conference fee payable to
"Hope Lutheran Church: Walther Conference." You may also register by calling
314-429-3808.