Why we left the LCR
... or rather ... they left us.
There are those who would have you believe that the congregations of the OLCC left the LCR over the doctrine of Church and Ministry. While it is true that the LCR eventually rejected the old Lutheran doctrine on the undivided concrete Office of the Ministry as taught by the Confessions, Luther, and Chemnitz, they did so only after we left, and in truth their present position is so confused and incoherent that we are hard-pressed to say exactly what they believe. While we were still in the LCR, this matter was under discussion. It was clear that there was no consensus even among the other pastors of the LCR, and talks continued at the pastoral conference level, as well as scheduled presentations for the July 2006 LCR convention at Hood River, Oregon.
The issue over which we divided from the LCR is that which is plainly stated in our State of Confession: Women's Suffrage, and Corporatism — the false doctrine that the spiritual body of a congregation under Christ, and the corporate shell under the state, are one and the same thing.
In September of 2005, One voting member of Gethsemane Lutheran Church, and several of the women of the congregation held a meeting in which they voted to dissolve the corporation of Gethsemane. None of the other voters of Gethsemane were present at this meeting. This renegade group filed fraudulent paperwork with the state of South Dakota, transfered the property to Redeemer Lutheran Church, West Point, NE, and ordered Pastor Fehr to vacate the premises. It grieved us to see that not only did the congregations and pastors of the LCR remain silent with regard to the issue, but the Administrator of the LCR, Pastor Kenneth K. Miller, ratified these actions as valid by publicly declaring, even after extensive admonition, that the congregation no longer existed, and that their pastor had no call. This remains his position to this day. As for Redeemer Lutheran, they boarded up the church building, and refused to deed back the property, even after being informed that the congergation had in no wise been dissolved, and was in fact, still holding services in the parsonage.
In February of 2006, after our protests had fallen on deaf ears, we formally declared ourselves in a State of Confession, [in statu confessionis, (a state of confession precluding fellowship)] because the other pastors of the LCR refused to condemn this blatantly unscriptural position and sinful action.
In April, 2006 a special convention of the LCR was held due to the turmoil in our fellowship. We attended this convention in an effort to resolve these very serious matters, but they refused to discuss them, and recinded any motion which we put forward to bring the matter to the floor. They pretended that the entire matter was really about Church and Ministry.
After one of the delegates from our fellowship managed to inquire of those from Gethsemane whether women voted in the dissolution attempt, receiving a yes reply, and inquiring of Administrator Miller whether he considered the dissolution valid, receiving a reply of absolutely, we left the convention. Subsequent to our departure, the convention voted to remove us from the LCR because of our State of Confession. In so doing, they condemned themselves, for in condemning our State of Confession, they were de facto accepting the actions of the women, of Redeemer Lutheran Church, and of Adminsitrator Miller as righteous and scriptural, the very matters which we condemned in our State of Confession.
PLEASE NOTE: It is our fervent prayer that the LCR will turn away from their errant path and return to orthodoxy. As Pastor Martin Diers stated subsequent to the April LCR Special Convention,
And a plea: Do not neglect to pray for our heterodox friends and family in the LCR. They still have God's Word in rich measure, and it can still bear fruit to call some to repentance. [emphasis added]
Below you will find the text of our State of Confession.
State of Confession
To all LCR Pastors and Congregations:
Whereas Pastor Kenneth K. Miller, LCR Administrator, Seminary Dean and Professor, and Chairman of the Doctrinal Committee, has promoted, published public statements, defended, and taken positions which show that he intends to hold to, and practice the following false doctrines:
1) Women voting in the church in corporate settings;
2) The right of the state to dissolve a Christian congregation, while the membership of said congregation still gathers regularly around the Word and Sacraments, and receives the promised forgiveness Christ offers through these means;
3) The right of the state through dissolution of the incorporation of a Christian congregation, to dissolve and terminate the divine call of a pastor; and Whereas
The following pastors have known about these public positions of Pastor Kenneth K. Miller:
Walter A. Baumann, Michael J. Bowers, Timothy Daene, Nathan D. Diers, Jonathan M. Neipp, Paul W. Neipp, Robert B. Netznik, Timothy J. Pedersen, Tobin J. Pedersen, and Jeffery A Young; and Whereas;
The above named pastors have not spoken out in any public fashion against these false doctrines and the promotion of the false practice associated with them; and Whereas
We believe that it is incumbent of every Public Minister of the Word to speak out against public false teaching;
We the undersigned, along with our congregations, recognize the above named pastors to be in public agreement with these doctrines, and with Pastor Kenneth. K. Miller, who has promoted these doctrines.
Furthermore, whereas:
1) The above named pastors have clung to these doctrines and practices by refusing to rebuke Pastor K.K. Miller publicly; and Whereas
2) This has injured many souls by sending an unclear and untruthful signal to the other members of the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation; and Whereas
3) This has sent an unclear and untruthful signal to other Christians in the world, and to the world in which the truth of Christ’s Word is to be taught truthfully; And Whereas our confessional symbols declare:
4) “We believe, teach and confess also that at the time of confession [when a confession of the heavenly truth is required], when the enemies of God's Word desire to suppress the pure doctrine of the holy Gospel, the entire congregation of God, yea, every Christian, but especially the ministers of the Word, as the leaders of the congregation of God [as those whom God has appointed to rule His Church], are bound by God's Word to confess freely and openly the [godly] doctrine, and what belongs to the whole of [pure] religion, not only in words, but also in works and with deeds;” Formula of Concord, Thor. Decl., Article X., Of Church Rites, ¶ 10, Trig. p. 1055.
We the undersigned declare ourselves to be in statu confessionis, (a state of confession precluding fellowship) over against these pastors, and the churches which they serve.
We also recognize that these men shall show themselves to be exempt from this state of confession, if they but speak publicly, and condemn these false doctrines and admonish those who confess them in word and deed.
Signed,
Pr. Martin Diers - - Augustana Lutheran
Pr. Roger Fehr - - Gethsemane Lutheran
Pr. Wyatt Rosebrock - - Grace by Faith Ev. Lutheran
Pr. Jim Shrader - - Augsburg Lutheran
Pr. Martin Diers (Vacancy Pastor) Faithful Word Lutheran
Please see [below] for citations of Pr. Miller’s errant statements. [KKM is the abbreviated signature of Pastor Kenneth K. Miller, Administrator of the LCR].
Supporting Material
On Thursday Sept. 29 2005 KKM wrote to at least 42 people, including all the LCR pastors with known e-mail addresses:
The congregation long ago incorporated. It adopted articles of incorporation in order to be recognized by the state of South Dakota as a legal corporation. But thereby they placed themselves under the jurisdiction of the state. That is the very reason many Christians today are warning churches not to incorporate. Now the congregation has to obey the rules of the state regarding corporations, and they have to provide for the disposition of property upon dissolution. Under the state, all members of the corporation have a vote, and that apparently includes all the members of the congregation, which are very few to begin with. With five members they had the authority to declare church dissolved. They declared the church dissolved, by the way; not I.
May women vote? The state says so, as members of the corporation. No constitution, bylaws, or rules of the church can supersede the articles of incorporation. Women may not vote in church meetings, but this was not a church meeting. It was a corporation meeting. So, as far as I know, the church is dissolved.
In a message dated 10/22/2005 7:22:13 P.M. Central Standard Time, kkmlcr@juno.com (e-mail address has since then changed to kkm.lcr@verizon.net) writes:
1. I did not say the state declared the congregation dissolved. The members did; I said it twice.
2. There was a Gethsemane church there to begin with, and the church made itself a corporation, and that corporation dissolved the whole kit and kaboodle. (How's that for legal language?)
3. The state does not tell them they are not a church; the state only certifies as a matter of record that the church-corporation has dissolved itself. Churches often do that when they no longer can or will carry on, for example, or no one will send then a pastor, or they divide over some issue, or they all go to nearby sister churches. They dissolve the church, and there is no longer a church there.
4. I believe that there is no Gethsemane Lutheran Church in North Sioux City any more, and Roger Fehr is without a call - unless those who stick with him call him and acknowledge him as their pastor. There is, probably, (since it is invisible) an invisible church there; but there is no visible church at present.
kkm