United List…Here We Go

[PrTim15]

Glad to see tradition of the United List lives on. Looks a bit younger on the “down ticket” races. People with my perspective, as casually disinterested,  is that the United List will run the table again and LCMS will pick up more downward momentum nationally and local congregations will be shining lights in political season.

Here’s link

https://theunitedlist.org/

[peter_speckhard]

Glad to see tradition of the United List lives on. Looks a bit younger on the “down ticket” races. People with my perspective, as casually disinterested,  is that the United List will run the table again and LCMS will pick up more downward momentum nationally and local congregations will be shining lights in political season.

Here’s link

https://theunitedlist.org/

I only ever seem to find out about the united list from people complaining about it, and I generally don't know much about anyone on it. How do I know this link doesn't take me to Pr. Tim's secret list of preferred candidates, cleverly labelled united list? 

[wmattsfield]

Other that the fact that there is a list, who on the list do you find problematic?

[Dave Likeness]

LCMS Presidents:

1911-1962......for 51 years we had two Presidents, Pfotenhauer (24 yrs, Behnken (27)

1962-2010......for 48 years we had five Presidents, Harms (7), Preus (12)
Bohlmann (11), Barry (9) Kieschnick (9)

2010 to 2023.....Harrison (13)  In 2023, Harrison will only be 61 years old as he
seeks another 3 yr term in office. Due to Covid the national convention was
postponed for one year and gave him an extra year in his current term.

[Dave Benke]

Thanks for the link, Tim, I guess.

It's completely status quo until you get to the second choices.  The heir apparent from the United List perspective is Ben Ball.  Or Lucas Woodford.  I think the goal is for Matt to take another term.  Then it would be either Ball or Woodford. 

What's the meaning of your second phrase, "local congregations will be shining lights in political season?"  That the spiritual renewable energy resource is going to be from lively local congregations? 

Dave Benke

[Dave Likeness]

LCMS Presidential elections can be full of drama and suspense.

Here are 3 of them which can be classified as surprises:

In 1969, Jack Preus defeated incumbent Oliver Harms by less than 5 votes.

In 1992, Al Barry defeated incumbent Ralph Bohlmann by 12 votes.

In 2001, with no incumbent on the ballot, Gerald Kieschnick won by 18 votes.

[DeHall1]

LCMS Presidential elections can be full of drama and suspense.

Here are 3 of them which can be classified as surprises:

In 1969, Jack Preus defeated incumbent Oliver Harms by less than 5 votes.

In 1992, Al Barry defeated incumbent Ralph Bohlmann by 12 votes.

In 2001, with no incumbent on the ballot, Gerald Kieschnick won by 18 votes.

I thought President Harrison's win in 2010 was a surprise - especially considering President Kieschnick's success with the BRTF proposals.

[PrTim15]

The life of the LCMS is in the congregations, doesn’t matter big or small, wealthy or indigent, urban or rural…the life of the LCMS is in the congregations and does not rest on the elected leaders of the LCMS. My experience is the elected leaders can help make life easier or more difficult, but over all it’s not as big a deal as I thought years ago. The biggest thing President Harrison will have to over come is apathy which is so thick you can cut it with a knife. People simply don’t care.

[John_Hannah]

". . . apathy which is so thick you can cut it with a knife. People simply don’t care."

Which is why the United List will prevail.

Peace, JOHN

[peter_speckhard]

I think this is part of the “great resignation” afflicting society generally. There are as many passionately  active and engaged people as there ever were, but everywhere else the scale sags. Those who were formerly maybe not super engaged but at least reliable participants are now in the maybe column. The former maybe column types are in the rarely seen column, and the former rarely seen column denizens are now in the “Does anyone have good contact information for these people? Are they still in the area?” column.

[Dave Likeness]

A healthy parish will have pastoral leadership which provides a passionate
commitment to strengthen the faith of congregational members and share
the Good News of Christ with people in the local community.

This happens as the pastor proclaims Christ in his preaching and teaching as
the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  When parish members have a generous
intake of Word and Sacrament they are empowered to invite the unchurched
in the community to worship with them.

The Synodical President and District President have their responsibilities in other areas. However, the local pastor has been entrusted with the challenge of leading
a healthy parish.
 

[PrTim15]

Yup…good pastoral leadership is what it’s all about

[ghp]

LCMS Presidential elections can be full of drama and suspense.

Here are 3 of them which can be classified as surprises:

In 1969, Jack Preus defeated incumbent Oliver Harms by less than 5 votes.

In 1992, Al Barry defeated incumbent Ralph Bohlmann by 12 votes.

In 2001, with no incumbent on the ballot, Gerald Kieschnick won by 18 votes.

I thought President Harrison's win in 2010 was a surprise - especially considering President Kieschnick's success with the BRTF proposals.

Having been a delegate to the Houston conventions (2007 & 2010), my take was/is that 2010 wasn't as surprising as some might've thought. IMO, it was the culmination of many things that had been building since Pres. Barry's death just prior to the 2001 convention. Those nine years packed an awful lot of things that contributed to the reaction that resulted in the, for lack of a better descriptive term, "Issues, Etc. Revolution". I recall hearing (perhaps overly wishful thinking) rumors of Matt as early as that 2007 convention.


Oddly enough, I think that LCMS convention floors like to engage in some ironic, almost Faustian, gamesmanship - to wit:
*1969:  Fellowship with ALC paired with Jack Preus
*2010:  BRTF paired with Matt Harrison


We've always been an interesting bunch...

[Jim Butler]

LCMS Presidential elections can be full of drama and suspense.

Here are 3 of them which can be classified as surprises:

In 1969, Jack Preus defeated incumbent Oliver Harms by less than 5 votes.

In 1992, Al Barry defeated incumbent Ralph Bohlmann by 12 votes.

In 2001, with no incumbent on the ballot, Gerald Kieschnick won by 18 votes.

I thought President Harrison's win in 2010 was a surprise - especially considering President Kieschnick's success with the BRTF proposals.

Having been a delegate to the Houston conventions (2007 & 2010), my take was/is that 2010 wasn't as surprising as some might've thought. IMO, it was the culmination of many things that had been building since Pres. Barry's death just prior to the 2001 convention. Those nine years packed an awful lot of things that contributed to the reaction that resulted in the, for lack of a better descriptive term, "Issues, Etc. Revolution". I recall hearing (perhaps overly wishful thinking) rumors of Matt as early as that 2007 convention.


Oddly enough, I think that LCMS convention floors like to engage in some ironic, almost Faustian, gamesmanship - to wit:
*1969:  Fellowship with ALC paired with Jack Preus
*2010:  BRTF paired with Matt Harrison


We've always been an interesting bunch...

I was at the 2010 convention. My assumption was that Kieschnick would be re-elected at that convention (based on the BRTF voting) but that Harrison would be elected SP at the 2013 convention or whenever Kieschnick retired.

But here's the thing: I supported many of the BRTF recommendations simply because I believed that the Synod needed reorganization. It didn't make sense to me that the Synod execs reported to their Boards which reported to Synod. Any decision those execs made would be credited to or blamed on the SP. So, in my mind, he should have supervisory power over them.

I remember one guy saying something along the lines of that he assumed I was upset because the wrong guy now had all this authority. I told him that I believed that the SP should have that authority, regardless of who that person was. He didn't quite know what to do with that answer.

[Dave Benke]

LCMS Presidential elections can be full of drama and suspense.

Here are 3 of them which can be classified as surprises:

In 1969, Jack Preus defeated incumbent Oliver Harms by less than 5 votes.

In 1992, Al Barry defeated incumbent Ralph Bohlmann by 12 votes.

In 2001, with no incumbent on the ballot, Gerald Kieschnick won by 18 votes.

I thought President Harrison's win in 2010 was a surprise - especially considering President Kieschnick's success with the BRTF proposals.

Having been a delegate to the Houston conventions (2007 & 2010), my take was/is that 2010 wasn't as surprising as some might've thought. IMO, it was the culmination of many things that had been building since Pres. Barry's death just prior to the 2001 convention. Those nine years packed an awful lot of things that contributed to the reaction that resulted in the, for lack of a better descriptive term, "Issues, Etc. Revolution". I recall hearing (perhaps overly wishful thinking) rumors of Matt as early as that 2007 convention.


Oddly enough, I think that LCMS convention floors like to engage in some ironic, almost Faustian, gamesmanship - to wit:
*1969:  Fellowship with ALC paired with Jack Preus
*2010:  BRTF paired with Matt Harrison


We've always been an interesting bunch...

My belief is that the 2010 convention was the finest hour of .............The United List.  Those cats had iced down each and every circuit to provide the margin needed between 2007 and 2010.  Lots of time, energy and money was spent, and it was for the overwhelming part not done out in the open, but in confabs centering around the lovely campus in Indiana, and then out of the Northern Illinois/South Wisconsin nerve centers. 

My own estimation is that the ancient ones who burned brightly for United List include the two Walters, Otten and Dissen.  More recently my estimation is that some of the folks rising up the ladder there on the United List list are themselves members of the United List.  Why not?  Who would know that they're self-selecting? 

Dave Benke