Ohio District - LCMS

Reformation Reflections - ABLAZE #19

Terry Cripe — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:23:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE
Rev Terry Cripe
October 28, 2009

It's near the end of October, and we all know what that means: time for trick-or-treating!

What? Well, it is Halloween for everyone except that odd 1 – 2% of Americans who celebrate something called “Reformation.” Celebrating such an event might be seen as an edgy counter-cultural move, except there aren't enough of us celebrating it for the prevailing culture to sit up and take notice. If anyone passing by our churches observes that the lights are on for an evening activity, they'd probably more easily imagine that we were evangelicals hosting an “alternative” event to protest secular Halloween's witches, goblins, and demons. Reformation? What's that?

What's a Pastor to Do?

Terry Cripe — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:55:00 GMT

One of you sent me a little online quiz from Leadership. Supposedly it is designed to reveal a pastor's ministry age based on the answers given to a series of questions. One in particular stood out: “The church's leadership exists primarily to a) empower the people; b) lead the people; or c) protect the people.” According to the key, those whose prime service occurred mainly from 1950-70s view protection as the main function. Pragmatists, who served from the 70's to the 90's, are concerned with leading. Those pastors from ages 25-41 are most concerned with effectiveness and the quality of disciples. I know many of you have heard of or been exposed to all kinds of thinking about the role of the pastor today. If the world has changed, shouldn't the role of the pastor change along with it?

Cops for WHAT?

Terry Cripe — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:49:00 GMT

Now I've seen it all! Cops shilling for gambling. Why? It's a sad day when a representative of law enforcement advocates for gambling. I've already written a piece on why gambling is bad for Ohio when this thing came up for a vote the third time. If you scroll down, you can find what I wrote then. This time, I'm only adding one thing – the cop says that casinos will bring 34,000 new jobs to Ohio. I have no reason to doubt the Hoosiers who say that their casinos indeed brought jobs – mostly low-paying ones. But I do know of one well-paying job category casinos will bring to Ohio – the kind necessary when casinos bring with them accompanying crime. We'll be needing more police. Say, you don't suppose that's why that cop is urging us to vote yes?

Filled with the Spirit

Terry Cripe — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:39:00 GMT

“We began to sing, 'Come Holy Spirit! Fall fresh on me.' We sang this song over and over and over again. The harmony was pretty cool, but my wife and I kept thinking, 'when is the Spirit going to come? Isn't he here yet?' It led me, a trained and ordained LCMS pastor to question whether the Spirit was really given in Baptism, like I confessed and had been taught to believe, or even in his Word.” Marcus J Mackay in Logia, vol XVII, number 4, page 66.

Worthy of Double Honor

Terry Cripe — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:38:00 GMT

It's that time of the year again when congregations turn to District guidelines for compensation guidance. I happened to be preparing for a Bible study when I came across the phrase I had heard often quoted in connection with such compensation: “they are worthy of double honor.” Then I reread the full passage and my eyebrows raised in surprise: “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor. (NIV)” That's no peculiarity of the NIV. The adverb “well” appears in the RSV, God's Word, and the ESV, just to name a few. And they should use that adverb because it is in the Greek text. Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, The Message, reads, “Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job.” It isn't that the pastors themselves are worthy of double honor over against other vocations, but those who do the work well that deserve the double honor.

Middle-of-the-road is good

Terry Cripe — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:59:00 GMT

What? If the title of this piece raises your eyebrows, I think you've spent too much time listening to talk radio. Anyone who has heard Rush Limbaugh excoriate the moderate political position as basically no position at all, as a spineless refusal to take a position, will not understand why middle-of-the-road theology has God's blessing. Stop taking your cues from Rush and start listening to the Word of the Lord: “So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left (Deut 5:32).” “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go (Joshua 1:7).” “"Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left (Joshua 23:6).”

APT TO TEACH - ABLAZE #18

Terry Cripe — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:23:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE
Rev Terry Cripe
July 2, 2009

Twice St Paul says of overseers that they must be “able to teach.” Seems like a no-brainer if the task is to “make disciples (learners) by baptizing... and teaching.” Some have pointed out that this is the only non-relational qualification Paul lists. I find that a fascinating observation in itself, because all those whom I considered “apt” teachers were relational. They interacted with their students in patient, winsome ways.

Those Doggone Numbers! ABLAZE #17

Terry Cripe — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:22:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE Rev Terry Cripe
When ABLAZE announced goals of speaking about Christ to 100 million people, of revitalizing 2000 congregations and starting 2000 new ministries by 2017, a number of people responded negatively about keeping track of numbers or setting numerical goals. Some say keeping track of numbers is an American obsession. Others curse the Church Growth movement for infecting our Synod with a seeming obsession to count and set numerical goals.

Off Where Demons Dwell

Terry Cripe — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:39:00 GMT

At the request of one of our members of my former congregation, John Ylvisaker 's I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry came to be sung at confirmations. That song contains a line that always disturbs me. “...in a blaze of light you wandered off to find where demons dwell.” Those times in a young person's life are the stuff of every parent's nightmare. For “to wander off to find where demons dwell” is not to sit safely in a tour bus while the guide points out such fascinating points of interest. “On your right – the house of Lust; over there on your left – the mansion owned by Greed. Up ahead – that one's owned by Cynicism.” No, “to wander off to find where demons dwell” is to be enticed by those demons. It is to be so fascinated with evil's lure as to be pulled into their powerful vortex. It is doing one of those stupid teen-age things that winds you up pregnant, drunk, maimed … or dead.

What If They Hadn't Waited?

Terry Cripe — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:03:00 GMT

The activist within each of us says, “Don't just stand there – do something.” Waiting is a passive activity and even while waiting we want to be busy. The well-thumbed magazines in the doctor's waiting room testify to that. The TV playing to no one in particular testifies to the same thing in the local automotive dealer's waiting room. We can't sit still doing nothing. We can't even endure silence. It will drive us crazy.

Moral Collisions

Terry Cripe — Sat, 02 May 2009 12:57:00 GMT

“There's a story behind every imperfection,” he said, referring to the model train engines that had fallen off his layout table onto an unforgiving concrete floor, but miraculously, had escaped with only paint scrapes or small dents. Although the locomotives were in need of repaint and repair, he assured his fellow modelers that neither was likely. “There's a story behind every imperfection. I'll leave 'em that way."

Dust off the Welcome Mat - ABLAZE #16

Terry Cripe — Sat, 02 May 2009 12:40:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

May 2, 2009

A fellow District President told me, “We have about one hundred congregations that will be closing – and some should be closing. They refuse to look at their surrounding changing neighborhoods. They don't want to reach out to them.” Sadly, that is true in many Districts. But it should come as no surprise. After all, the Church Growth people told us thirty -some years ago that people like to associate with those who are most like themselves. They join churches populated by people who are like themselves. So why scorn behavior that is natural? Isn't it a case of birds of a feather flocking together?

Frauds among us

Terry Cripe — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:19:00 GMT

Poor Bernie Madoff – protestors will gather to complain when a vicious serial killer is about to be executed, petitioning for mercy from those who could stay the execution. But steal our money, defraud us with claims of high return rates on our investments, and brother, there will be hell to pay when the truth comes out. Did anyone beg for mercy for Bernie? Did anyone object, “Folks, this man only stole your money. You are still alive. So you have to work a few more years than you had planned. Should his sentence be as stiff as that of a murderer”?

In the Resurrection

Terry Cripe — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:08:00 GMT

“What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.” ( 1 Cor 15:37-38).

The Corinthians couldn't grasp what a resurrected body might look like. For them a blessed eternity could only be lived freed from the human body. Paul, like Jesus, drew upon an agricultural analogy. What goes into the ground and what springs from it are entirely different in appearance. For the just, that is the true hope of the resurrection. Certainly, the resurrection has something optimistic to say to those who suffer from ill health, or who have lost body parts to war or disease and long to be whole once again. Eternal life does offer physical hope. But there is much more to the resurrection than no longer needing glasses, contact lenses, or pacemakers.

I Hear Voices - ABLAZE #15

Terry Cripe — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:23:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

March 1, 2009

An unlikely pair of voices spoke to me through their writings in the past week. The first is from one of my favorites, the first President of our Synod, C.F.W. Walther:

Cross eyed

Terry Cripe — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:04:00 GMT

Rev Terry Cripe

Ash Wednesday, 2009

I remember a time when a parishioner called me on Easter morning to say that she had fallen and broken her leg and would not be able to help serve Easter breakfast. She sighed, “Ah, well, we all have our crosses to bear.” I think statements like that show how far out of touch some twenty-first Christians – and earlier ones – are with first century reality.

The Mission of God - ABLAZE 14

Terry Cripe — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:02:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

Feb 3, 2009

Whenever the Church wants to tackle a serious topic, it resorts to the ancient languages. Something on the order of when a doctor wants to impress you with the seriousness of whatever ails you and shifts into Latin to describe your condition. The same happens when lawyers rev up for a court challenge.

"Do the work of an evangelist" - ABLAZE #13

Terry Cripe — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:43:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

January 2, 2009

“Do the work of an evangelist.” At installations and ordinations, when verses are read as hands of blessing are laid upon the candidate, those words are sometimes spoken. “Do the work of an evangelist.” They were written to young pastor Timothy by St Paul. But what is Paul saying?

Notes on an old Bulletin Cover - Passionless Preachers

Terry Cripe — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:43:00 GMT

There's a well-meaning but unfortunate style some seminarians have been taught lately. I've heard it discussed with alarm among some of our pastors and it leaves us exasperated. The proponents of this style say that the preacher should not intrude with emotion or inflection upon the Scripture lessons that are read or upon the sermon that is preached. Just let God's Word do the work without any help from the preacher's tone or inflection. “We want the hearers to believe because of the Word itself, not on account of the pastor's sermonic skills.” I have no idea where this idea originated. I have no idea what professor or professors teach this, nor do I want to know. Maybe they don't teach it deliberately but it arose through miscommunication. No matter. It is enough to correct the error itself.

Notes on an old Bulletin Cover - Contemporary musings

Terry Cripe — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:03:00 GMT

I've visited a number of congregations which use, shall we say, alternative worship styles. I pay careful attention to the words of the songs that are used. At first, quite a few of the songs seemed to have been inspired by psalms, especially those which praised God along first article lines. They spoke of the majesty of the creation, and like the psalms, employed metaphors of clapping mountains, roaring seas, etc. As I began to think about this phenomenon, something came to mind. Much of this was what the early church was like – they used the psalms for worship. But of course, something happened, didn't it? Very early on it became clear to the Christians that more clarity and specificity was needed. Christ-centered songs, such as that found in Philippians 2, were composed. For our redemption story is not that of Israel. The horse and rider thrown into the sea were, at best, metaphorical for the victory won at Calvary and sealed by the empty tomb. The earliest Christmas or Incarnation hymn we have, “Of the Father's love begotten,” is more evidence that the Church found the psalter in need of major supplementation.

Taking It to the Streets - ABLAZE #12

Terry Cripe — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:01:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

December 1, 2008

“We have often said heretofore that the Gospel, properly speaking, is not something written in books, but an oral proclamation, which shall be heard in all the world and shall be cried out freely before all creatures, so that all would have to hear it if they had ears; that is to say, it shall be preached so publicly that to preach it more publicly would be impossible. For the Law, which was of old, and what the prophets preached, was not cried out in all the world before all creatures, but it was preached by the Jews in their synagogues. But the Gospel shall not be thus confined; it shall be preached freely unto all the world.”

- Martin Luther, Gospel Sermon, Ascension Day (Lenker Edition, Vol XII, #3)

Have you ever heard it said that the church needs to do no outreach here in the United States because all anyone needs to do to hear the Gospel is go to one of the thousands of neighborhood churches to hear it?

Sowing and Harvesting - ABLAZE #11

Terry Cripe — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

November 1, 2008

My October travels throughout the Ohio District have led me through farmland where machinery kicks up impressive dust storms as it removes the beans and corn from the fields. Seeing the harvest brought in takes me back to the other end of the process: “A sower went out to sow ...”

A BAD BET FOR US ALL

Terry Cripe — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:49:00 GMT

So how is Proposition 6 being played in your town? The “pro” side shouts,

“Ohio is losing revenue to neighboring states that do operate casinos.”

“Gaming will bring 5,000 jobs to Ohio.”

“Those who are against it are the operators from other states who stand to lose revenue if Ohio gets one.”

Don't Give Up! - ABLAZE! #10

Terry Cripe — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:01:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

October 1, 2008

ABLAZE has set a goal of starting 2000 new congregations by 2017. That is an ambitious goal on several accounts. Tim Down, in his book Finding Common Ground, reveals why our Synod's goal is an ambitious one. He asks, “In a world that's growing more hostile to the gospel, what can Christians do? How can we communicate with our unbelieving friends and coworkers in a way that won't seem pushy, intolerant, or judgmental? In a world that's heard it all before and no longer seems to care, where do we begin?”

Notes on an old Bulletin Cover: The Past is prelude to the Future.

Terry Cripe — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:29:00 GMT

The Fall 2008 Issues in Christian Education features an essay by musician Carl Schalk, entitled The Church's Song: Getting to the Heart of the Matter. These sentences gave me pause to think:

“... as Pietism developed, its hymns, often written for personal,devotional purposes, became increasingly and more intensely personal, subjective, individualistic, and less suited for corporate worship. Ultimately, its lack of intellectual strength and vigor resulting from its strong emphasis on human feeling, left the field open for a movement known as the Enlightenment or Rationalism.” (p. 15)

"Our School Is Our Mission" ABLAZE #9

Terry Cripe — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:51:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

September, 2008

I often hear congregations say that: “our school is our mission.” Many times that is spoken in a context meant to explain why they don't financially support mission work done through their district or synod. “The school is our mission” means “that's where our mission dollars go.” If your congregation thinks this way, I would challenge that thinking. Did Jesus call the disciples to begin parochial schools?

Notes on an old Bulletin Cover: In Pursuit of Excellence

Terry Cripe — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:32:37 GMT

A couple of weeks ago my daughter called to say that my granddaughter had done extremely well on the Ohio competency math test. I shouldn't have been surprised. I had noticed that her school was using an experimental curriculum that was introducing them to basic algebra and geometry already in the 4^th grade. I was impressed and happy for her.

But what I really want to talk about is what I heard at a recent installation service in Cleveland. A children's choir sang Luther's Kyrie God in Heaven Above. If you're not a soprano and try to sing the melody on that one, you will hurt yourself. I hope it is not too blasphemous to say that I doubt that the angels themselves could have done much better than those kids did. It was a treat to hear them sing well a pretty tricky hymn that many adults will give up on as being impossibly difficult to sing, after attempting just one stanza.

Matthew 28 vs Acts 1:8 ABLAZE #8

Terry Cripe — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:38:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

August, 2008

Who's in the Scriptural driver's seat with regard to ABLAZE? One criticism of ABLAZE is that it replaces the “strong” missiology of Matthew 28, prescribing preaching, teaching, and baptizing, with a “weak” Acts 1:8 program of simply witnessing.

The Dark Knight and dark days

Terry Cripe — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:36:00 GMT

Books I've been reading lately suggest that if one wishes to know what's going on in the culture, the arts are a fruitful place to begin. I kept that thought in mind recently while sitting in a darkened movie theater watching “The Dark Knight.” Although comic book fans thank Marvel Comics for injecting serious reflective issues into characters not accustomed to being taken seriously, the writers assigned to beef up the Batman film franchise have certainly not ignored the trend. This Batman is filled with good intentions that go wrong. He is a vigilante run amok, according to his detractors. Even his defenders and cohorts notice how his desire to right wrongs and clean up injustices creates unintentional moral dilemmas and bad consequences not only for himself but for those whom he tries to protect. His development of a universal eavesdropping mechanism designed to impede the Joker's plans earns him a scolding from an associate who rebels at justifying the end with this means. Batman himself is plagued by questions of self-identity and purpose.

Goal-Setting - ABLAZE #7

Terry Cripe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:01:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

July, 2008

Will Rogers said, “Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.” Had the Holy Spirit not been poured out on the disciples, Will's words would have applied to them. The Holy Spirit was not about to work apart from moving human voices to carry the Gospel to human ears. I think St Paul's words also fit here when he said, “He who sows sparingly reaps sparingly.” In this seventh ABLAZE segment, I want to talk about one of the specific ABLAZE goals, that of reaching 100 million people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ by 2017.

Outreach and the Church Year ABLAZE #6

Terry Cripe — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:35:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

June, 2008

In this month's ABLAZE segment, I'd like to address those who love our church year. Its schedule of seasons and readings really does help us preachers cover more of the whole council of God. It does create a nice rhythm and flow that rings truer than observing a bunch of other contrived celebrations. It helps us rehearse and re-present to ourselves the whole life of Christ and our place incorporated into that life. But there is a hidden treasure here that I'd like to use to challenge you, and it also has to do with the church year. In the distant past, the Church set aside the season of Lent as a time for catechesis, to prepare catechumens for baptism on Easter. The Church Year drives so much of our ministry, why not let it shape our outreach strategy as well?

Another Type of Revitalization ABLAZE #5

Terry Cripe — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:34:00 GMT

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

May, 2008

This month I'd like to talk about revitalization. If you remember the goals of ABLAZE, you recall that one of them is to revitalize 2000 congregations by 2017. While a number of our congregations have asked to hear a presentation on this process, and while some have already begun the process, I want to draw your attention to a different kind of revitalization that four of our District pastors have been involved in at one time or another in their ministry (and not all of these happened while they were in the Ohio District). When they reached their congregations, these four pastors made a surprising and sad discovery: their congregations were no longer Lutheran. Oh, they were Lutheran in name, but certainly not Lutheran in teaching and practice. In several instances, some lay leaders and members proved to be quite hostile to any suggestion that Lutheran teaching should be reintroduced. Yet, to their credit, these pastors very patiently and lovingly set about to bring those congregations back into something resembling Lutheran congregations. For the most part, they taught and preached from Luther's Small Catechism. In some cases the teaching was received happily; in other cases, life became very difficult and challenging for them, especially when strong objections came or when people packed up and left. But these pastors persevered and with God's help, most saw progress. To their credit, when some laity saw that they were now being taught Lutheran doctrine, they left. They admitted they really did not believe our Lutheran teaching after all. I commend them for that integrity.

Revitalizing Congregations in the Ohio District

Terry Cripe — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:17:00 GMT

(Presented at the NE Circuit Convocation, April 26th, 2008)

In a staff meeting two months ago, we decided to see how many of our congregations were what we might call “at risk” congregations. “At risk” congregations are those that conceivably, could pass out of existence in the next 5-10 years. “At risk” congregations are those who may not be able to afford a full-time pastor and may need to reconfigure how ministry is done there. We stopped counting at about 60 congregations. A bit more than one-third of our total number of congregations! The same percentage that our Synod has set for a national goal for revitalization throughout our church body. Not all of those sixty are at risk for the same reasons. Not all of them are candidates for revitalization.

Your Crown of Glory Ablaze #4

Terry Cripe — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Ohio District Ablaze

Rev Terry Cripe

April, 2008

Your Crown of Glory Ablaze #4

To have attended the funerals of three Ohio District pastors in the first three months of 2008 has been sobering. Scripture rightly urges us to pray, “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”

All Stirred Up ABLAZE #3

Terry Cripe — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Rev Terry Cripe

March 2008

The third ABLAZE installment takes us to advice from the author of Hebrews, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to good works.” Where do you locate evangelism/outreach/witnessing in the life of the Christian? Lutherans would put it in the area of sanctification. Good works are meant to be part of the Christian's daily, joyful response to the realization that he/she has been set free from the cursed consequences of our sins by Christ's death on the cross. The Spirit leads the believer to ask, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?” Lutherans have defined good works as those things which believers do that bring glory to God and benefit the neighbor. Witnessing certainly falls into that category.

What Is a Disciple? ABLAZE #2

Terry Cripe — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The Ohio District Ablaze
by Rev. Terry Cripe
February 2008

What Is a Disciple? ABLAZE #2

What is a disciple? In this second ABLAZE installment, I'd like to review what it means to be a disciple. Why? It is important for us to recognize one, because Jesus commanded that disciples be made from all nations. How are they to be made? By baptizing them in the name of the Triune God and by teaching them to treasure (my thanks to Pastor Gerry Mohr for this translation insight) all that the Lord has commanded.