Jesus First rebranded as Congregations Matter. Really?

A new anonymous “group” has formed in the sphere of LCMS politics, it’s called Congregations Matter.  I like congregations and in God’s eyes they matter a whole bunch, because they are made of God’s people gathered around the pure Gospel and rightly administered Sacraments.  So the site seems nice, but then after reviewing some of the content, the site isn’t anonymous at all – it’s literally a rebranding and rehashing of Jesus First.
I am going to quote some things to prove it:

First I want you to read a 2003 article by Jesus First (the organization that championed revivalistic and evangelical theology, liberal politics, and power-seeking Synod restructuring).  I quote it from another source since it has been scrubbed from the internet (I wonder why… the answer is so soon to come).

https://www.lutherquest.org/walther/articles/600/jmc.643.htm

Now compare that to the “new” post by the “new” organization:

https://congregationsmatter.org/power-brokers-lcms/

Notice that they are almost word for word copies.  So the new group is not anonymous at all – in fact we know it well – it’s the group that sought to destroy our Lutheran identity through confusing male/female (where do we see that in our culture today?), opening up communion practices, importing non-Lutheran worship, and don’t forget they managed to centralize power at the Synod level through restructuring in 2010 (which they now bemoan since their guy is not running it).

Don’t believe the title of this new organization.  It’s just as real as the belief that Jesus First was really about putting Jesus first.  Instead, look at the results of the last convention, how 70-85% of delegates (clergy AND lay working together as God’s people) confessed Biblical communion practices, encouraged some level of uniformity in worship, repented to follow Augsburg XIV in a very gracious way, and confessed our Lutheran identity in every sphere of our life.  It seems that this “new” organization is not new at all, but an older and smaller minority now that is upset with something the vast majority of congregations, convention delegates (clergy AND laity), and general church members approved and widely practice in their congregations.

Let’s put aside the politics of division between the way in which God’s people serve their neighbor.  Congregations are important, so are the ways in which our congregations have set up to work together – under the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions as circuits, districts, and yes even Synod.  Let’s pray for our leaders and encourage them in their task.  Let’s let the sour grapes end with this rehash of the politics of old.

 

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