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The ELCA Ship is Sinking

1/12/2018

3 Comments

 
The ELCA is in trouble. Besides the trouble we see surrounding the ELCA's heretical teachings, they are also dealing with a continual, yearly financial deficit, dwindling membership and a clergy shortage.  
 
- Bishop James Hazelwood, of the New England Synod of the ELCA reports, "Several years ago, I presented a picture to the June Assembly of this synod. I explained that we were a synod of 40-100-40: Forty congregations in near crisis, forty healthy and one hundred in between trying to figure out which way they were going. Three years later, I’d venture a guess that this assessment is no longer accurate. In the last three years, we’ve had churches close, others merge, others partner with Episcopal congregations, and others go from full time clergy to part time. In 2017, I think we are now 20 functionally or officially closed, 60 in crisis, 60 in the middle and 30 that are healthy. These are challenging times.”  (see here)
 
Despite the financial crisis in the bishop’s synod, he is/has taken two trips to Israel within a matter of months. (see here) 

- The ELCA recently released their 3rd Quarter financials for 2017, and they do not look good. (See here)

 
- Then we learn from a publication of St. John's Lutheran Church in Summit, NJ, that, “Bishop Bartholomew of the NJ Synod has asked our pastors to be willing to occasionally serve as supply pastors in 2018 due to the lack of supply pastors in the Synod.” (see here)

- I also came across the following information online. If someone could help me find the source I'd greatly appreciate it. It tells of the enrollment problems happening at ELCA seminaries over the last 10 years. You can see additional ELCA seminary enrollment information here. 



Picture

- A poster on ALPB Forum writes:

"In the Lutheran Forum (Winter 2017 Edition) there is a interesting chart on the enrollment at the 8 ELCA Seminaries for the 2016-2017 Academic year.

There was a total enrollment of 663 ELCA students studying for their Master of Divinity degree. This compares to 1274  ELCA students studying for the M.Div degree ten years ago. This amounts to a decrease of 611 seminarians in one decade.
" (see here)



3 Comments
Carl Roehrich
1/17/2018 01:07:34 pm

Head Clown of the New England Synod continues to re-arrange the deck chairs on the titanic...
But wait! I thought millenials would be beating a path to the doors of ELCA churches, especially in New England where the Bishop is "hip" and "cool" and drives a motorcycle.

Never before in my life have I met a worse leader than Bishop Hazelwood. The man is a coward, he once left unnanounced (without saying goodbye) from an New England Synod candidacy retreat. I had a scheduled one-on-one meeting with the Bishop- a meeting I had been looking forward to and I had been preparing for- even having a folder with relevant documents for him to read (letters of recommendation and character reference letters written from the church I was serving.) At least two or three other candidates voiced their displeasure and surprise at the Bishop sneaking away early from the retreat.

As the synod dies and desperately needs guidance and leadership from the top- a six foot, four inch tall rat motors throughout charming New England on a motorcyle. Paperwork? He has assistants for 'work' like that- a Rat Bishop has more important things to do- like paid vacations to Israel and to Philadelphia and New York and various other important events.

Also: pay attention to Jim Hazelwood's shitty math skills. This clown actually presented, in writing, on page 4 of his December 7, 2017 document "A Church Being Reborn" (version XI)
40-100-40

Now three years later his statistics are:
20-60-60-30

So three years ago there were 180 ELCA churches in the New England Synod.
Now in 2017, the Bishop reports on 170 churches. OOPS! That must have slipped past the bishop during editing. Versions I through XI must have missed that simple mathematical error as well.
And the bishop's paid assistants must have missed it.
Truly pathetic not one individual caught that. No wonder the ELCA New England Synod is on life support! Ten congregations <<poof!>> vanish in just three years time and the bishop doesn't even notice or realize.

You think there is hope with a clown rat at the helm?

Full disclosure: after successfully completing two years of study at an ELCA seminary, and being entranced to candidacy with the New England synod, with no negative marks or negative reports in my file, I was sent via post office mail, a one sentence letter from bishop Jim Hazelwood stating my candidacy is withdrawn.
No explanation, no justification, no advice for what to work on, just one sentence proving how unprofessional and shameless the New England Synod truly is and at its head the man responsible for its demise.

Reply
Mark
8/14/2019 08:35:29 pm

Musing post retirement how much of the above is impacted by congregations being a battleground of the American culture wars?

Reply
Jeanette Hee
1/21/2018 03:49:10 pm

Bishop Hazelwood does not seem to understand why his churches are dying. Perhaps it has something to do with his ELCA churches no longer peaching God's Word from their Bibles but doing their own "New thing" because they know so much more as they are enlightened compared to the people who led by the Holy Spirit wrote the 66 Books of the Bible. Our church has greatly grown by 4 simple concepts, teach God's Word which he has given to us in the Bible, Jesus died for our sins that if we believe and follow God's Word we will be saved, the Holy Trinity-Father Son and Holy Spirit, and God's Bible is true.

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  • Home
  • ELCA Exposed News
    • on The Bible
    • on Homosexuality & Sex
    • on Universalism & Hell
    • on Goddess/Mother God/Gender Neutral Lang.
    • on Israel
    • on Abortion
    • on Social Media (ELCA Wolves Blog)
    • on Radical Hospitality and Prophecy
    • on Transgenders and Drag Queens
    • on Social Justice
    • on Gospel Reductionism / Antinomianism
    • on Called to Common Mission
    • on Other Critical Issues
  • Responses to ELCA
    • The Bible vs. ELCA
    • Churches Respond
    • Pastors Respond
    • Exposed Quotes
    • People Respond
    • More Responses
    • ELCA Finances
    • Alternatives to the ELCA
  • Exposed Blog
  • Share
  • Support
  • More
    • About & Contact
    • Help and Advice on Leaving ELCA
    • Important Information
    • Church Produced Info
    • ELCA Vault
    • Readers' Comments
    • ELCA Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber
    • ELCA Colleges
    • ELCA Seminaries
    • Want to Know Jesus?
    • Exposing the ELCA Newsletters & Important Websites
    • Submit Tips