Below are the links I referred to in my email. The first five links are to articles posted on Saddleback's Pastors.com website and they are the 'how to' playbook for 'transitioning' a church to becoming 'purpose-driven / seeker-sensitive.
How to transition an established church – Part 1
How to transition an established church – Part 2
How to transition an established church – Part 3
How to transition an established church – Part 4
How to transition an established church – Part 5
After reading these article please listen to Dr. Kieschnick's interview on KFUO's Morning Show which aired THE SAME day that Issues Etc. was cancelled. It was NOT a coincidence that Issues was cancelled the exact same day that Kieschnick re-cast his Vision for the church and called for the LCMS to "change its methods without compromising it's message. (that is Rick Warren speak).
For further reading, Dr. Kieschnick's vision statement for the LCMS can be found by clicking here.
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Below is a copy of the original email that I sent out to the LCMS' best and finest men. I am posting the email here so that anyone who is new to the discussion is brought up to speed regarding the theory that we are working on.
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Gentlemen,
My name is Chris Rosebrough and I am the author of the ExtremeTheology.com blog and I teach at Pastor Ron Hodel's church. I was a regular guest on Issues Etc and my specialty was the seeker-sensitive / purpose-driven movement.
At the risk of sounding like an alarmist conspiracy theorist, I am sending you this email and asking you to weigh my opinion regarding the cancellation of Issues Etc.
For the past few days, I have been applying my MBA education as well as my years of research regarding the Purpose-Driven / Seeker-Sensitive movement to examining the reasoning behind canceling Issues Etc. and have concluded that the Synod’s canceling of the program is more than likely part of a MUCH larger plan and strategy, the goal of which is to re-define the LCMS “brand” as a Seeker Sensitive / Purpose-Driven denomination.
To help you see and understand the point that I am making I am supplying the link to a page that will direct you to 5 articles that Saddleback church has posted that were written to instruct pastors how to ‘transition’ existing church bodies into Purpose-Driven / Seeker Sensitive congregations.
The link to the page is
http://crosebrough.typepad.com/lcms_purpose_driven_take_/2008/03/is-the-lcms-bei.html
The articles I linked to are the ‘how to’ playbook that Purpose-Driven pastors follow to takeover congregations. After reading up on Dr. Kieschnick and his ‘Vision’ for the LCMS through the Ablaze Movement I am absolutely convinced that he is in the process of ‘transitioning the LCMS’. I know this is a serious charge that is why I am inviting you to read the 'playbook' for yourselves and supply your input.
Gentlemen, I have experienced a 'church transition' first hand and over the years I have received hundreds of emails from people who have had their churches hijacked and ‘transitioned’. This move has all the classic signs and symptoms of a 'transition'.
I am convinced that canceling Issues Etc. is just one step in a very well thought out transition plan for the LCMS. This was not a random act of stupidity by synodical bureaucrats. This was a premeditated action designed to silence a competing voice that would have created opposition to the synod's transition strategy as it moved forward and became more visible.
Below are some “Highlights” from the steps outlined in the Saddleback articles. Even though these articles were written to teach pastors the steps to transition a church, the same principles apply for transitioning an entire denomination. Here are the highlights....
• Start a gradual worship style transition.
• Focus on preaching for change to set the stage for determining your church purpose.
• Emphasize the church's responsibility to reach the unchurched.
• Encourage your members to embrace the church purpose as their personal purpose.
• Adopt new church by-laws so that the organizational concept and structure of the church comply with the biblical structure for a church.
• Transition the education ministry to make it life-empowering.
Work Your Plan
(Philippians 3:13-16; Psalm 90:12)
You must stay committed to your plan of transition in spite of the challenges that arise, the people who leave your church, and those who will try to take your vision hostage by imposing their preconceived or traditional ideas on the church.
Communicate Your Vision Regularly
(Galatians 6:9, Proverbs 19:21)
The entire process is too much to communicate at once, so communicate the validity of each stage of the process as you work your way through it. We utilize our New Member's Class to share the process with those coming into our church. We tell them that the New Member's Class does not exist for us to determine if we want them as a member, but to help them know the type of church we are, so they can determine if they want to join us.
Refuse To Abandon Your Process
(Psalm 37:7-8)
The pastor must stay focused on the vision of the transition, evaluating everything that happens in the church in light of the impact it will have on the transition. The distractions will be numerous; problems will arise, but stay with the process.
Possibly, you will face challenges from staff, particularly those who were present when you arrived. You must deal with those swiftly and decisively, preferably putting those issues to rest before you start the transition process. It will mean dismissing staff if they do not "buy in" to the transition.
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After reading these articles please listen to the radio interview that Dr. Kieschnick gave on KFUO’s morning show on the exact same day that Issues Etc. was cancelled. (The timing of this interview was NOT a coincidence). I supplied the link to that interview as well.
If I am right, then we've got a very nasty battle ahead and getting Issues Etc. back in production is actually the lesser of our problems.
In Christ,
Chris Rosebrough
ExtremeTheology.com
