Let’s Not Forget about the Blue Ribbon Proposals – A Challenge to and Response from the Task Force, by Pr. Rossow

Topics come and go on the blogosphere. I am starting to get a feel for the curious ebb and flow of opinion floating around the “interweb.” It has been weeks since we have spoken of the BRTFSG (Blue Ribbon Task Force on Structure and Governance) on this site. For the sake of the Gospel we ought not forget about it. President Kieschnick’s task force is pressing on with a re-do of synod that would centralize power and remove the decisions of the  denomination farther and farther from the everyday clergy and laity of Walther’s beloved synod. (Some day I hope to do a comparison between the structure proposed in the BRTFSG and the current polity of the ELCA that has brought us such stellar decisions as gay clergy and full communion with the United Methodists. The similarities are striking.)

Several weeks ago I e-mailed the Blue Ribbon Task Force and asked them to consider publishing the pro/con notes from the four layman’s survey site. Their response was predictable and sad. They say that it is not their role to offer reasons why a proposal might be good or bad. We believe that just putting the proposals out there without any commentary however, means that institutional inertia will favor the proposals. Sadly people have a tendency to think that whatever comes out of a committee is a good thing. The other problem with that is that so many of the proposals look innocent enough on the surface but without any explanation of the implications, again the institutional inertia will tend to carry them through.

I have simply asked that a fair and balanced approach be provided to help delegates think through these things more comprehensively as is done on the four layman’s survey.

I will say this for the chairman of the task force, Rev. Robert Greene. He has been very professional and respectful in the numerous e-mails we have sent  back and forth which has called out of me my best behaviour. Thank you Rev. Greene, now please reconsider and publish the pro/con comments.

We encourage you to go to the four interested layman’s website and voice your opinion on the proposals. Sometime in the near future we will ask them if we can publish the results here. You can also see the results so far by signing in and taking their survey.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.