Filling Future Pastoral Vacancies

[Donald_Kirchner]

And I don't think the pooches trained as comfort dogs are catechized into the LCMS.

Oh, I think Eddie is.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=288403016621424&id=100063551831211

Eddie was there after the Las Vegas shooting, and he even let Anderson Cooper pet him. So there!  😃

[Dan Fienen]

It has been said here before by several people. If an organization, however "charitable," happens to be active in a "pro-choice" or gay affirming way, LCMS should be shaking dust off its collective sandals. The LCMS has Some voices asking it to withdraw from LIRS, not over immigration policy, but just because ELCA is part of it.
And I don't think the pooches trained as comfort dogs are catechized into the LCMS.

Oh, well, if they're in any way associated with the LCMS they can't be up to any good.

[Charles Austin]

Overstatement again, Pastor Fienen, feeding your need to be a "victim."
But if you are baptizing and catechizing and confirming dogs, I guess it's OK to use them in any situation. But if they're just working for you, doesn't that give them more flexibility? They wouldn't be violating any closed kibble policies.

[Donald_Kirchner]

But if you are baptizing and catechizing and confirming dogs, I guess it's OK to use them in any situation.

Overstatement again, Charles.

And whimsy fails again!

You're flailing, Charles. But that's what bullies do when confronted.

[Dave Benke]

My experience with the comfort dogs is limited to the LCMS.  In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Lutheran Church Charities out of Chicago was one of the first groups on site, and the dogs were with them.  And they were quite simply amazing in bringing - comfort.  To kids, to folks who had lost their homes, to people on the street, to folks at events trying to salvage their lives.  The handlers of course spoke to all those people, but when they were with the dogs, they truly found a first article source of comfort.

So there were resolutions of thanks at one of the national conventions, maybe my last one in 2013.  A mini-controversy arose because a few folks were very unhappy that the dogs and their handlers would be on stage, and not on the floor in front of the stage, that somehow the dogs would literally upstage the people.  The dogs ended up on stage, as I remember it, and there was really zero reason for concern.  It was about thanking God for the comfort of the Gospel, and for all the human care and first article comfort that the handlers of the dogs brought when they took the dogs along. 

One of our congregations on Long Island has a ministry connected to a trained comfort dog they brought for their community outreach.

Dave Benke

[Donald_Kirchner]

👍👍 For Dave above and for Dan below!

[Dan Fienen]

A small documentary on NBC Left Field about LCC Comfort Dogs after the Las Vegas shooting. Mentions their response to the Pulse shooting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVJMieuervo&t=119s

[Rev. Edward Engelbrecht]

I have to say it's humorous to see this thread drift from training enough pastors to training comfort dogs. It's a stranger than fiction moment, to be sure. I hope everyone from right to left can see the humor here.

[Donald_Kirchner]

I don't see it. It''s an example of cooperating in externals, a way to bring comfort to victims of disasters, and the opportunity to share the Gospel.

"The Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry is a national ministry utilizing the unique skills of dogs, specifically golden retrievers, to open opportunities to touch people with mercy and compassion."

https://resources.lcms.org/newsletters/rso-news-update-first-quarter-2017/

There's also the whole  visceral aspect of what is translated as compassion in the New Testament and its connection to Christ.

https://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/library/verses/id/3545/jesus-christs-compassion-verses.htm

I guess I'm missing the humor in bringing mercy and compassion in unique ways.

[Dan Fienen]

It has been said here before by several people. If an organization, however "charitable," happens to be active in a "pro-choice" or gay affirming way, LCMS should be shaking dust off its collective sandals. The LCMS has Some voices asking it to withdraw from LIRS, not over immigration policy, but just because ELCA is part of it.
And I don't think the pooches trained as comfort dogs are catechized into the LCMS.

A small documentary on NBC Left Field about LCC Comfort Dogs after the Las Vegas shooting. Mentions their response to the Pulse shooting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVJMieuervo&t=119s

It has been said here before by several people. If an organization, however "charitable," happens to be active in a "pro-choice" or gay affirming way, LCMS should be shaking dust off its collective sandals. The LCMS has Some voices asking it to withdraw from LIRS, not over immigration policy, but just because ELCA is part of it.
And I don't think the pooches trained as comfort dogs are catechized into the LCMS.

Oh, well, if they're in any way associated with the LCMS they can't be up to any good.

Overstatement again, Pastor Fienen, feeding your need to be a "victim."
But if you are baptizing and catechizing and confirming dogs, I guess it's OK to use them in any situation. But if they're just working for you, doesn't that give them more flexibility? They wouldn't be violating any closed kibble policies.

Charles, you snark and sneer, you mock in your disdain, you doubt that we can reach beyond our own narrowness. You complain bitterly when you think that your beloved ELCA is misrepresented or disrespected, but feel free to do so to others. After all, when you do it it is whimsy, can't we take a joke? When others disparage efforts by the ELCA, that is a serious affront to all that is decent. It needs to be discipled and banned. 


What good can pooches trained as comfort dogs do? Perhaps if they were cats to be petted? Obviously, in your universal knowledge and wisdom you perhaps overlooked that comfort dogs are not sent in alone but come leashed to handlers who also are trained. Look at the NBC Left Field clip linked above and you might see how the handlers can use the dog as a means to make connection to the suffering and bring Jesus' love and comfort to people. But of course we make sure that the people are fully on board with our marrow, nit picking theology before we would talk to them!    How quick you are to judge us, how little you really know us.


Lutheran Church Charities, who support, train, and manage the comfort dogs is an LCMS affiliated agency, an LCMS RSO (Recognized Service Organization). I challenge you to listen to a description of the work of LCC Comfort Dogs after the gay bar Pulse in Orlando, Florida was targeted by a mass shooter in 2016 and still scorn their effectiveness as a Gospel outreach tool.


The Rev. William (Billy) A. Brath was at the time an LCMS pastor in Orlando, Florida. He currently serves the church as the Vice-President of Ministry Support - East Region for the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF). He was one of the presenters at the 2019 LCMS Michigan District All Pastors' Conference talking about ministry to the LGBTQ community. The following link is for his preview presentation for the breakout session that he hosted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh3tLA6uxJo


I heartily recommend watching the whole thing but the section about the response to the Pulse shooting begins at about 15 minutes into his presentation. For those who scoff at the possibility of an LCMS affiliated ministry utilizing dogs being an effective outreach of the Jesus' love, please consider Pr. Brath's presentation.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgM_6ejcUW8&t=9s is the link for his entire presentation. Much thoughtful material for ministry with LGBTQ from a Missouri Synod pastor.

[Charles Austin]

Pastor Fienen, I love your comfort dogs. Every pawed, sniffer-nosed one of them.
It is a great thing your people do with them.
Cats consider petting to be comfort to them as the petee, not to the petter.
But your dogs are great.

[PrTim15]

There's no hope nationally...only hope locally. Seems to me we, local churches, need to find ways to work together until Jesus comes back. Looks like there's still some serious gnat straining to do, while the souls of men are dying.

[Dave Benke]

There's no hope nationally...only hope locally. Seems to me we, local churches, need to find ways to work together until Jesus comes back. Looks like there's still some serious gnat straining to do, while the souls of men are dying.

NY Metro Lutherans gathered last night to give thanks for the Lutheran Counseling Center, an inter-Lutheran agency that provides Christian counseling.  John Hannah introduced the congregational honoree, Redeemer Lutheran, Bronx, which received thanks by giving the Center a check for $25000 (!).  The counselors are placed in various churches (or now virtually) throughout the region, and are LCMS or ELCA folks, by and large.  Counselee fees are supported by the Center. 

A second honoree was the Interim Commissioner of the Suffolk County Police, Chief Cameron.  He was raised as a Long Island Lutheran and maintains a staff replete with Lutherans - his commitment to community policing, to learning (and speaking) Spanish in an area known for difficult race relations, and strong Christian values were all on display.  Of note to "filling future pastoral vacancies" thread was the presence of three Missouri Synod pastors connected to the ELCA Commissioner - one his personal aide, one a former NYPD precinct inspector, and the third the chief of chaplains for Suffolk County.  One comes to the LCMS through colloquy and the other two are LCMS SMP (non-residential training) pastors.  These three are shining examples of using all the tools in the toolbox to identify and train pastors of and for the Church.  Non-residential training programs not only "fill vacancies," they bring pastoral leaders into contextual ministry opportunity where they are fully equipped to shine. 

Dave Benke

[PrTim15]

You breathed life into my tired soul. Thank you

[Donald_Kirchner]

Looks like there's still some serious gnat straining to do, while the souls of men are dying.

??