This post is my opinion and does not claim to speak for the < .1% of Japanese-American LCMS members ;-)
I just got an email from LCMS news with an article entitled Non-white Lutherans share concerns, ask for voice and I’m mad because I’m a non-white Lutheran and nobody asked me to share my concerns or asked for my voice. The synod has the Board for Black Ministry Services, the Black Clergy Caucus, and the Center for Hispanic Studies. Where’s the Japanese Clergy Caucus (I know there are a few of you) and don’t try to placate me with any of that “Asian” stuff. For anyone who actually knows anything about Asians, there is a vast difference culturally between Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, et al and if you think an “Asian caucus” would be able to address those differences then you probably deserve the guilt you’re feeling. Nothing a few Ablaze! dollars couldn’t overcome though.
From the article and the accompanying Multi-ethnic symposium statement, “The problem is sin and that has expressed itself historically in our church so that non-Anglo-Saxon minorities are marginalized and seemingly voiceless in our structures.” And even in this, the multi-ethnic symposium has sinned by marginalizing and not giving voice to non-Anglo-Saxon, non-Black, non-Hispanic, non-Hmong, non-non-Japanese minorities. That’s the real sin! Where’s my Ablaze! funds.
Let’s get down to brass tacks:
Even though “race doesn’t exist” as a biological category, Nunes said, people often make it “the defining category of who and what we are,” creating stumbling blocks to mission efforts.
See, you guys aren’t Japanese and you never will be. Your best option is to give us some Ablaze! dollars so we can start our own district like you did for the English and the Slovaks, or how about our own affiliated synod!!!
For those who couldn’t tell, this post was largely tongue-in-cheek with a few actual points. If you need a map, I can lay it out in the comments. My real point is that the LCMS needs to abandon it’s direct concern for diversity and address it indirectly by focusing on pure doctrine. Just as “The Mission” flows from “The Message” so will diversity. It is not up to some man-made program as to how the Holy Spirit will address diversity. And if the marks of the church are the Gospel purely preached and the sacraments properly administered, I’m at a loss to understand where the need for a minority voice comes into that picture of the church.
Finally, the one thing I know that the LCMS news article got right is ‘Even though “race doesn’t exist” … people often make it “the defining category of who and what we are.”‘ Sinful humans have strongly rooted cultural/denominational ties (African-Americans/Baptist, Hispanic-Americans/Catholic, Japanese-Americans/Methodist and Presbyterian) which often outweigh the pure doctrine of confessional Lutheranism. My honest opinion is that a separate body (church, district, or affiliate synod) would be better at addressing these cultural issues from an insiders perspective. Any attempts by typical LCMS structures to come into these cultures will be perceived as the “Great White Hope” trying to save the “Underserved Minority,” not the best way to do outreach.
The last couple of months have been a struggle with the 3yo in church. She won’t sit and listen to any part of the service and I’m having trouble getting her to stand and sit at the appropriate times. This after a few weeks where she followed along with me in the hymnal and bulletin and even sang along with her version of the Gloria in Excelsis. Right now it’s a struggle just to keep her a little quiet while still trying to coax her into following the service.
The Up
One of my goals next year is to teach the 3yo the Lord’s Prayer. While we were playing last night, I thought I’d get a little head start. So I asked her to say, “Our Father, who art in Heaven.” She proceeds to say the whole thing as best as she could enunciate it. You could distinctly hear “Heaven”, “name”, “bread”, “trespass”, “power”, and “glory.” I had to go and interrupt my 8yo and her mom playing Simon Says, sorry Emi, so mommy could hear it. It absolutely shocked me.
So this video uses the Church Growth and Obama Campaign technique of using music to elicit an emotional response. I make no apologies. I just wanted to get that out in the open.
At this point, I’m pushing the limits of iMovie, so this will probably be my last video until I can upgrade to some better editing software.
Many of the BRTFSSG recommendations focus on strengthening relationships and connections within the Synod. One of the consultant’s recommendations is to “Hire ’story-tellers’ who can engagingly and narratively connect LCMS history and identity to the real life experiences of members.” Also, one of the rationales for the recommendation to create five geographic regions is “creating greater relationships and connectivity between the Synod President, the national office, and local congregations.” I certainly hope we’re not looking to heart warming stories and regional loyalty to grow the church.
I’ve been reading through the final report of the BRTFSSG and have noticed several times that the surveys from the district conventions were used to draw conclusions about the recommendations. I previously wrote about how the substance of these recommendations was really glossed over when the surveys were taken. It took only reading the first recommendation to find a gross misuse of the survey data.
From the report:
Recommendation #1: Affirm and Clarify Governing Documents
Amplify, affirm, and clarify the Preamble of the Synod’s Constitution (Reason for the Existence of a Synod), Article II (Confession), Article III (Mission and Purpose), Article VI (Requirements of Membership), and Article VII (Relation of Synod and Its Members).
These recommended changes to the Synod’s governing documents are outlined in Appendix 1 of this document (Pages 1.1-1.7). In the feedback received from the thousands of delegates at the 2009 district conventions, the task force was encouraged by the 83 percent of respondents either agreeing strongly or agreeing with this recommendation.
So 83 percent of respondents agreed that the LCSM should affirm and clarify its governing documents. Did the presentation explain what those changes were? Of course not! If it had there’s no way that number would have been 83 percent. Did 83 percent know they were agreeing to remove the “exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks, and catechisms in church and school?” Did 83 percent know they were agreeing that they no longer would “encourage congregations to strive for uniformity in church practice?”
I won’t go so far as to say that this was the intent of the survey, but now that the surveys are in, the BRTFSSG seems to have used them in an inappropriate manner.
I’ve been having so much fun in my new vocation of basketball coach, and I’ve always drawn so much comfort from the doctrine of vocation when it comes to being a father and a husband that I’ve never really pondered the weight of being placed somewhere by God.
Well, I felt that weight yesterday at our circuit forum. My pastor, the circuit counselor, had just prayed for discernment and wisdom after having two 6-6 ties on the balloting for lay delegate to the LCMS national convention next year. My name was next to one of those sixes. What should I do? Should I vote for the other candidate to break the tie? Could I say I would be a better delegate? Was my motivation for seeking to become the lay delegate appropriate? I got a headache. I voted.
I now have the vocation of lay delegate for Circuit 18 of the CNH District. Of course I draw comfort from the fact that God has placed me in this position, but the context for this vocation has made me more aware of the weight surrounding where God has placed me and it is still giving me a slight headache.
I would like thank Erin for supporting me when I told her I would be running. She knows about all the various time commitments and I would not have run if it would have put too much strain on our family. She also knows that I’m doing this for the faith of our family.
I also want to thank my pastor for his support. I will continue to seek his guidance in the months leading up to the convention.
Congratulations are in order for our circuit’s pastoral delegate, Pastor John Bestul of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior (an Issues, Etc. 300 congregation).
Please pray for all the delegates to the convention as there are so many issues that will have profound effects on the synod.
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