That said, while I certainly don't support LCMC and NALC pastors and lay-people "raiding" ELCA communities with the "missionary zeal" that you speak of, given some of the reprehensible actions I have seen displayed by ELCA officials, clergy and lay-people I can understand why some might be tempted to cast aside proper protocol.
As I posted earlier, the average attendance reported by ELCA Congregations shows that Average Attendance is only around 1/3rd of the reported Baptised Membership figures. And, as we've discussed in other threads, the ELCA, like most denominations, does a really poor job of keeping track of members who simply stop going to church. Look in the Trend Reports on the ELCA website at how many congregations suddenly drop 10%-20% of their Baptised Membership to category "D", Statistical Adjustment, because the congregation finally got around to dropping names of people who hadn't attended or otherwise participated in church life in years. Clearly, the loss of membership in the ELCA and other denominations even before the 2009 CWA debacle gives some evidence that congregations are not doing a very effective job of rounding up their own "strays". So, I ask again, is rounding up strays whose shepherds have abandoned really "sheep-stealing", or is it the rescue of lost lambs?
Your reading of the stats is most likely misleading. While the average worship attendance may be only 1/3 of the baptized membership, it doesn't indicate how many of those baptized members were at a worship service during the last month, or six months. One of the changes I've seen and I've read about is that there are fewer every-Sunday-worshipers. Over a period of 12 months, it is likely that over 90% of the baptized members in most congregations have been to at least one worship service or even 70% in a congregation that hasn't pruned its membership rolls for years. I would venture that it is inaccurate in every case that only 30% of the baptized attend worship services over a period of a year.
I wasn't suggesting that the only 30% of the baptized membership attends at least once. If you count the CEO's and the once-a-months, there are still a significant number of never-ever-attends on the lists. The stats about average attendance being only around a third of baptised was only meant to indicate that "some" of the members on the roster don't attend. The other portion of my post, the part I boldfaced above, should be sufficient all by itself, with no other evidence at all, to indicate that there are "lost lambs" out there whose names might be on a piece of paper in a filing cabinet in a congregation's office (or on a hard drive, this being the 21st century), but who need to be rescued.
Whether it is two-thirds, one tenth, 27.65%, or some other quantity is irrelevant. As long as there are
some Lutherans out there who have wandered away from their congregations, and their congregations aren't being very effective at bringing them back, then there is a need for someone to reach out to them.
Personally, one of the more challenging things about worship on Easter Sunday is not accidentally treating a CEO as a visitor. Many CEO's take offense at not being recognized as members during their two visits to the church every year.
