As folks do so in the next several months and years, remember a fundamental insight of C. F. W. Walther (wish I could cite where he said it, but I'm relying on memory). It ran along these lines: the only thing that makes a large congregation great is the exact same thing that makes a small congregation great - the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. We should all ask ourselves how these proposals accord with our tradition of honoring the smallest of our parishes as in every respect the equal of our largest parishes, and thus cutting ourselves out of the equation and leaving all the glory to Him who alone is to be glorified, who with His Father and All-Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever!
In these last days of sore distress
Grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastness
That we keep pure till life is spent
Your holy Word and Sacrament.
Restrain, O Lord, the human pride
That seeks to thrust Your truth aside
And with some man-made thoughts or things
Would dim the truth Your Spirit sings. LSB 585:2,5
For years we Missourians have stridently rejected the claim that our Synod's polity is a reflection of American democratic principles.
ReplyDeleteThat will be increasingly hard to do when we give more votes to larger congregations.