Meeting at Concordia – St. Louis is Set for Next Week, by Pr. Rossow

The meeting I spoke of last week as been arranged. I will be travelling to St. Louis next week to meet with President Meyer and various faculty members to discuss my criticism of the use of small groups and contemporary worship at the St. Louis seminary.

I do not think it is prudent to give more details about the meetings at this point frankly because I do not want the message over-shadowed by the medium. The emphasis needs to be on the matter at hand and not on the people discussing the matter. This is what it is and no more. I am a pastor who has seen in the last few years a drift in the LCMS away from the historic, liturgical, reverent approach to the Divine Service and an embracing of non-Lutheran (and thus non-Biblical) piety. I have been fortunate and blessed to get some attention to these matters through this thing called the Brothers of John the Steadfast group and website and have now been graced with a generous invitation by Dr. Meyer to discuss these things. I think we disagree on them, but maybe we do not. That is what is to be seen. By the way, all the credit for this meeting goes to Dr. Meyer. I see myself as a commentator and annoying gadfly buzzing around the hind quarters of the synod. Dr. Meyer has taken steps to raise my musings to the higher level of fraternal discussion.

I do not want to underplay the importance of this visit. This blogsite has certainly gotten quite a bit of attention and readership. (We are now approaching three million down-loads in just two and a half years of blogging.) I am not trying to ignore the fact that this has become a public matter – and it should be because the seminary has been making all these changes in broad daylight and without any opportunity for input from us in the synod which is why so many of us were surprised and shocked that there is now alternative worship and a small group program at the St. Louis seminary. I also understand that having made this a public matter I now owe the public explanations and reports. (I ask your patience with me as I continue to figure out exactly what the public nature of this animal called the BJS blogsite is all about and how to handle it responsibly.) Those reports will be forthcoming next week. In the meantime, I would like the visit to be as quiet and behind the scenes as possible so the focus can stay on the matter at hand and not on the meeting. Dr. Meyer may see the visit as more open and public. That is fine and is his prerogative. I am his guest. I am also a concerned member of the LCMS who will keep dogging this matter to the end.

Please join me in praying for a visit and for discussions that serve the Lord and His Gospel. More to come soon…

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