It's So and So's Fault

I'm always glad when the "election" season is over. At least one doesn't have to watch the "finger pointing" political ads for a while. Watching those ads always reminds me just how we like to "blame" someone or something else for what seems not to be going right. And you know what, it's just a way of life. For example, I get a nail in my tire and obviously it was because someone was careless with nails and one ended up in my tire. Or, "Yes, officer, I was speeding but it was my cruise control...it wasn't working correctly." (By the way the officer asked me if the cruise control was in charge of the car or if I was.) And yet another, that sliced golf ball was obviously the wind (or the club, or the noise that disturbed me). The question that comes to my mind, "So it happened...now what am I going to do about it?"

I was struck this past week when the LCMS Reporter arrived in my mail box and I read the article "Synod Membership Declines, Giving Increases." While the membership fell, the number of churches increased. While the giving increased, the number of children baptized was down...and so was the number of teens confirmed...and so was the number of adults confirmed.

Money is coming in but we're declining and dying. Oh, by the way, the decline is being "experienced by most Protestant denominations." Oh, by the way, the decline "continues a 30-plus-year trend." Oh, by the way, these statistics are possibly inaccurate because "our statistical summary reports continue to be less than helpful, since only 3,864 (out of 6,178 eligible) congregations returned their 2009 reports."

Let's see: we have more congregations, more clergy serving in parishes, but have fewer baptized members, fewer children, and fewer teens. The population in the United States grew by 1.1% during that same period of time; near 10% over the past ten years. Let's see, we are declining, aging, and giving more. So the solution: have more kids, right?

If we are simply seeking to survive, we analyze the reasons for the decline and spend as much time as possible in meetings discussing the reasons. Maybe, just maybe we ought to get off the dead horse.

I know many of you have read this before, but I couldn't help but think of it during my "pondering":
Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However, in organizations we often try other strategies with dead horses, including the following:
• Buying a stronger whip.
• Changing riders.
• Saying things like "This is the way we always have ridden this horse."
• Appointing a committee to study the horse.
• Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
• Increasing the standards to qualify as a dead horse rider.
• Appointing a tiger team to revive the dead horse.
• Pass legislation declaring that "This horse is not dead."
• Unilaterally declaring, "no horse is too dead to beat."
• Blaming the horse's parents.
• Providing additional funding to increase the horse's performance.
• Do a Cost Analysis Study to see if contractors can ride the horse cheaper.
• Declare the horse is "better, faster and cheaper" dead.
• Revisit the performance requirements for horses.
• Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.

There you have it. My ponderings for this posting. Have a blessed week and remember: "if the horse is dead, dismount."

"Do Something, Do Something New, and Do Something New NOW!

Dr. J