Our Newest “Thorn in the Flesh”? by Ginny Valleau

Here is another post we received from guest correspondent Ginny Valleau that shows the real-world impact of continuing to maintain relationships with the ELCA after their decisions this year and in the past.


The LMA-MnN (Lutheran Mission Association Mn North) received word from the ELCH (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti), that some folks are seriously questioning Lutheran churches because they have heard that “Lutheran” churches now accept homosexual Pastors—even allowing them to marry other homosexuals. This arises out of the ELCA’s unbiblical acceptance of homosexual pastors at their 2009 Convention.

Some of the Haitian District Presidents met last week in Port au Prince, Haiti, and discussed the problem. One of the participants was Rev. Eliona Bernard, North Haiti District President and President of the ELCH (in fellowship with the LCMS) Seminary. Rev. Bernard relayed this information during a phone conversation last weekend with Lil Spilde, of the LMA-MnN.

LMA-MnN is a non-RSO organization of mostly LCMS lay people based in MN North District. Since about the year 2002, they have been helping support the Haitian Lutheran pastors who bring God’s Word to this Caribbean nation.

Apparently some of the Lutherans of Haiti, who struggle for church buildings and schools, not to mention food, shelter, clothing, medicine and education, know more theology than the ELCA Assembly that met last summer in Minneapolis. Haiti is a country that has enough problems with poverty, hunger, hurricanes, joblessness, disease, and Voodoo. Now we must add the ELCA to the list.

Is ELCA the “thorn in the flesh” that we must bear? Not only are we called on to deal with ELCA’s unbiblical acceptance of homosexual pastors last summer, but their approval of women pastors in the pulpit did not help Lutherans minister to the Muslim world; it is hard to get a Muslim to respect Lutherans or our faith when “Lutherans” allow women pastors.

What can be done about this? We don’t know, but a good beginning might be to terminate all ties between the LCMS and ELCA. Below is a proposed resolution to cut all ties with the ELCA Synod, but to continue to reach out in Christian love to individual ELCA members. (This is also posted on the LCMSpolitics.org site.)

LCMS also needs to immediately stop the wasteful meetings between LCMS and ELCA executives…until the LCMS is prepared to soundly rebuke the ELCA for their heresies.

Meanwhile, we will trust in the efficacy of God’s Word as we continue our work in Haiti and the rest of the world, in spite of the ELCA. Lord, have mercy!

Ginny Valleau
Independence, MO


Terminate All Cooperative Ministries between the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the LCMS, while Continuing to Reach out to ELCA Church Members in Christian Love and with Clear Biblical Admonition

WHEREAS, God’s Word warns us to, “…watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.” (Romans 16:17-18) and not to be partners with sexual immorality or take part in the unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:3-12), and

WHEREAS, at the 2001 Synodical Convention of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Resolution 3-21A was passed, which, in part, Resolved that “we cannot consider them [the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)] to be an orthodox Lutheran church body,” but that we would continue to reach out to them in love and support, and

WHEREAS, since that time the ELCA has moved further and further from God’s Word until on August 21, 2009, their Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis, MN, voted to ordain homosexual men and women in committed monogamous relationships to serve as pastors, and

WHEREAS, President Gerald Kieschnick said in The Lutheran Witness (October 2009, Vol 128, #10), when referring to the recent ELCA action: “…this matter is fundamentally related to significant differences in how we [our two church bodies] understand the authority of Holy Scripture and the interpretation of God’s revealed and infallible Word.” And

WHEREAS, cooperation between the ELCA and the LCMS is likely to confuse the public who may interpret such cooperation to mean that the LCMS and ELCA agree regarding the unbiblical position of the ELCA in this and other points of doctrinal divergence, and may further confuse our Synod’s identity as distinct from the ELCA, therefore, be it

Resolved, that LCMS church members be encouraged to continue to reach out in Christian love to ELCA church members with clear biblical admonition, and be it further

Resolved, that the LCMS terminate all cooperative ministries between the LCMS and ELCA.

November 3, 2009

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