Watch the Missouri Synod

Christopher Barnekov, who runs Scandinavia House in Fort Wayne, sends this report on Tuesday’s election of a new president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which he called “a triumph of the Lutheran wing of the Lutheran Church.” The LCMS is the largest and best known of the non-mainline branches of American Lutheranism.

Rev. Matthew Harrison was elected Synod President over the incumbent Rev. Gerald Kieschnick. (His bio is  found on page twelve of this document .)

Harrison is a solid, Confessional Lutheran beloved by the conservative, liturgical wing that wants to maintain genuinely Lutheran doctrine, practice and worship   . . .  and who is committed to mercy care and real help for the poor.  He knows that real help doesn’t come from Washington, it comes from God’s heart through His people in His Church.

He also believes Word and Sacrament ministry is the key to genuine evangelism, and the key to genuine help for the poor. He has been an inner city pastor who did marvelous things here in Fort Wayne, and also active in rural ministry, and headed up our disaster relief efforts after Katrina, the Tsunami, Haiti, etc. LCMS has been having severe financial problems lately, just like mainstream churches — except for Harrison’s World Relief and Human Care operation, which has no problem raising funds.

Kieschnick has been Synod President for the past nine years.  His vision was “church growth”   . . . which the conservatives view as adopting the worst of American evangelical style and losing Lutheran substance (and traditional liturgy).  The worst of the church growth movement watered down doctrine, adopted cheap grace, praise bands, drums and overhead projectors (more recently, giant screen displays) . . . and didn’t work.

In the past, LCMS conservatives were always splintered, unable to unite on a single candidate.  It is testimony to the truly outstanding character of Matt Harrison that the entire Confessional wing of the Missouri Synod united around him . . . and early.  There was no other serious challenger to the incumbent this time.

Keep an eye on this man. Keep an eye on LCMS – I think it is about to do amazing things.

We don’t have any position on this, though it is nice to see a conflict within a church over means and not over basic beliefs. LCMS readers on the other side from Dr. Barnekov, please respond with your take on things.

Update: Dr. Barnekov sends the link to Harrison’s acceptance speech . It begins about three minutes in.