The LCMS does NOT have Issues

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Currently browsing thread: The LCMS does NOT have Issues Petersen Mar 25, 2008 14:37:02

The LCMS does NOT have Issues
Petersen email Posted on: Mar 25, 2008 14:37:02	The LC-MS radio station, KFUO, in St. Louis canceled the popular and successful program Issues, Etc hosted by Rev. Todd Wilken and produced by Jeff Schwarz a week ago today. (You can read this all over the blogosphere, but http://weedon.blogspot.com/ seems to have the most comprehensive coverage.) No public explanation has been given and it has been reported that no explanation was given to those fired either. Issues, Etc. was a powerful force for good in our synod an did much to further the Gospel. Whatever the intentions of KFUO were in canceling the program they have effectually reduced the amount of Gospel preaching and outreach in the world. There is less Gospel preaching and outreach today then there was a week ago because of this decision and action. They have also caused a good deal of hardship on the families of Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz. President Kieschnick's administration will go down in history as the administration that also cut down on foreign missions while expanding the Synodical budget and personnel at the "International" Center. Regarding Issues, Etc President Kieschnick has released a statement claiming that while he was present for the canceling of the program and did nothing to save the program or find jobs and benefits for Wilken and Schwarz, it was not done at his prompting. That is probably equally true of the foreign mission work we no longer do. He didn't issue the orders. He just watched while it happened. It would seem the President Kieschnick has found himself helpless in these situations, the poor pawn of economic and demographic forces beyond his reach, things with which his leadership simply cannot cope. I am sorry for that. But it would seem that expansion of other programs and budgets, of filling KFUO with new programming, has been most unwise in a day and age when we cannot sustain or do well what we already have. Alas, we do not know all the factors that lead to these decisions. The synod has a secrecy clause so we're not allowed to know. Thus are we required in all cases to attempt to put the best construction on these things. Knowing what we do, the best construction I can imagine is that President Kieschnick and his administration have had the purest of motives throughout but lacked the wisdom and leadership abilities to make the best decisions resulting in less Gospel preaching and outreach than would have been possible. It would seem then that President Kieschnick is simply not up to the job, despite his pure heart and perfect desires. This is not sinful on his part. It is simply the fact of being fallible. Not everyone has the skills and abilities to lead the LCMS in its current situation. I certainly don't. It would seem that he doesn't either. Fortunately, as President Kieshnick has so frequently preached, we live in freedom in the LCMS. We do not have to rely solely upon the synod to do these things for us. We do not need his permission or budget to preach the Gospel or reach out to the lost. In fact, no one want us to reach out more than President Kieschnick does despite his many unhelpful decisions. Thus we see many excellent organizations that have arisen to avoid the bureaucratic inefficiency and financial woes of the synod. Off the top of my head I can think of Higher Things for youth work, the Lutheran Heritage Foundation for mission work and literature, Good News Magazine for outreach home and abroad, and Concordia Theological Seminary's work in Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Madagascar, Kenya, and South Africa. All those organizations are committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as contained and expressed in the Book of Concord. They are excellent organizations and will make good use of your funds. As the synod seems to be collapsing (how else can we put the best construction on the demise of Issues, Etc?) these organizations have been expanding, reaching and serving more and more people everyday. So if President Kieschnik has the sad duty of captaining the Titanic and sitting by helplessly, at least he can take comfort in the reality that the Holy Spirit is alive and well and the Gospel still works, whether it is officially sanctioned or not. So also I commend to your immediate attention http://wittenbergtrail.ning.com/ where you can find updates, sign a petition asking KFUO to reconsider its decision on Issues, Etc, and perhaps most importantly contribute to help the Wilken and Schwarz families make it through this difficult time. I have not talked to either Wilken or Schwarz. I haven't really talked about this with anyone. But I fully expect that Issues, Etc in some form or another will rise again. I expect it will be an independent organization like those listed above, free of the burdens of synodical red-tape and free therefore to live more fully to its potential. Finally then please remember Wilken, Schwarz, the listeners of Issues, Etc, KFUO, President Kieschnick and his staff in your prayers.

The LCMS does NOT have Issues

Petersen
email
Posted on:
Mar 25, 2008 14:37:02

The LC-MS radio station, KFUO, in St. Louis canceled the popular and successful program Issues, Etc hosted by Rev. Todd Wilken and produced by Jeff Schwarz a week ago today. (You can read this all over the blogosphere, but http://weedon.blogspot.com/ seems to have the most comprehensive coverage.) No public explanation has been given and it has been reported that no explanation was given to those fired either. Issues, Etc. was a powerful force for good in our synod an did much to further the Gospel. Whatever the intentions of KFUO were in canceling the program they have effectually reduced the amount of Gospel preaching and outreach in the world. There is less Gospel preaching and outreach today then there was a week ago because of this decision and action. They have also caused a good deal of hardship on the families of Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz.

President Kieschnick's administration will go down in history as the administration that also cut down on foreign missions while expanding the Synodical budget and personnel at the "International" Center. Regarding Issues, Etc President Kieschnick has released a statement claiming that while he was present for the canceling of the program and did nothing to save the program or find jobs and benefits for Wilken and Schwarz, it was not done at his prompting. That is probably equally true of the foreign mission work we no longer do. He didn't issue the orders. He just watched while it happened.

It would seem the President Kieschnick has found himself helpless in these situations, the poor pawn of economic and demographic forces beyond his reach, things with which his leadership simply cannot cope. I am sorry for that. But it would seem that expansion of other programs and budgets, of filling KFUO with new programming, has been most unwise in a day and age when we cannot sustain or do well what we already have. Alas, we do not know all the factors that lead to these decisions. The synod has a secrecy clause so we're not allowed to know. Thus are we required in all cases to attempt to put the best construction on these things. Knowing what we do, the best construction I can imagine is that President Kieschnick and his administration have had the purest of motives throughout but lacked the wisdom and leadership abilities to make the best decisions resulting in less Gospel preaching and outreach than would have been possible. It would seem then that President Kieschnick is simply not up to the job, despite his pure heart and perfect desires. This is not sinful on his part. It is simply the fact of being fallible. Not everyone has the skills and abilities to lead the LCMS in its current situation. I certainly don't. It would seem that he doesn't either.

Fortunately, as President Kieshnick has so frequently preached, we live in freedom in the LCMS. We do not have to rely solely upon the synod to do these things for us. We do not need his permission or budget to preach the Gospel or reach out to the lost. In fact, no one want us to reach out more than President Kieschnick does despite his many unhelpful decisions. Thus we see many excellent organizations that have arisen to avoid the bureaucratic inefficiency and financial woes of the synod. Off the top of my head I can think of Higher Things for youth work, the Lutheran Heritage Foundation for mission work and literature, Good News Magazine for outreach home and abroad, and Concordia Theological Seminary's work in Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Madagascar, Kenya, and South Africa. All those organizations are committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as contained and expressed in the Book of Concord. They are excellent organizations and will make good use of your funds. As the synod seems to be collapsing (how else can we put the best construction on the demise of Issues, Etc?) these organizations have been expanding, reaching and serving more and more people everyday. So if President Kieschnik has the sad duty of captaining the Titanic and sitting by helplessly, at least he can take comfort in the reality that the Holy Spirit is alive and well and the Gospel still works, whether it is officially sanctioned or not.

So also I commend to your immediate attention http://wittenbergtrail.ning.com/ where you can find updates, sign a petition asking KFUO to reconsider its decision on Issues, Etc, and perhaps most importantly contribute to help the Wilken and Schwarz families make it through this difficult time.

I have not talked to either Wilken or Schwarz. I haven't really talked about this with anyone. But I fully expect that Issues, Etc in some form or another will rise again. I expect it will be an independent organization like those listed above, free of the burdens of synodical red-tape and free therefore to live more fully to its potential.

Finally then please remember Wilken, Schwarz, the listeners of Issues, Etc, KFUO, President Kieschnick and his staff in your prayers.

Comments...

Apr 05, 2008 22:46:21 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - LCMSWorthsaving
You clearly do not understand how the operation of the synod works. Your comments about Rev. Dr. Kieschnick, especially on the recall of missionaries is down right false. President Kieshnick has little or no authority over the Board For Mission Services. BFMS has its own board that is selected at convention. Many good missionaries had to be brought home and you dishonor their faithful service by falsely stating the truth about their unfortunate return.
Please stop your rhetoric. I am faithful conservative Christian that was converted to the faith later in life. I love the liturgy, traditional worship, and most things Lutheran. But this senseless public bickering has to stop. Many non-believers look at these web sites and are turned away. Can these discussions be done faithfully in a formate that does not show our laundry to the rest of the world. My brothers and sisters we look like fools. Do we have issues Yes. Do we have to tear others down in order to solve them? I hope not.
Mar 30, 2008 06:52:22 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Brandon Booth
We are trying to get a grassroots movement going to discover the true reason Issues, Etc. was canceled. You can join our email campaign, register to attend our Evening Prayer service April 13th (with a possible event the next day), and stay connected in our Yahoo! group so we can organize things further. Please give augsburg1530.wordpress.com a plug on your blog and help us out!
Mar 28, 2008 16:08:18 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Bob Waters
Oh, the LCMS has issues alright.
Mar 27, 2008 11:56:05 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Pr Nate Peregoy
Please see the new statement below found at lcms.org
http://www.lcms.or...al.asp?NavID=13252

March 27, 2008

Dear Christian Friend:

Last week the decision was made to discontinue the “Issues, Etc.” program on KFUO-AM Radio, a ministry owned and operated by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). A brief statement was posted soon after on KFUO-AM's website citing programmatic and stewardship (business) reasons for this decision.

Following the discontinuation of the program, some KFUO-AM listeners asked for more information as to why “Issues, Etc.” had been ended. Detailed reasons are not usually provided when making program changes, and I intend to continue our policy and practice not to publicly discuss specific personnel matters. However, I do want to provide additional information regarding some of the significant challenges we faced prior to the discontinuation of the program and to respond to the inquiries of those who were particularly fond and appreciative of “Issues, Etc.”

In fiscal year 2007-08, KFUO-AM’s operating deficit was $620,698. Since 2001, the accumulated deficits at the station have been in excess of $3.5 million. The LCMS budget, entrusted to our care by members of our Synod’s congregations, has absorbed these shortfalls for years. After long and prayerful consideration, it became clear that measures had to be taken to stop the ongoing, staggering losses.

Although some are under the impression that “Issues, Etc.” was profitable and self-supporting, the fact is the program lost approximately $250,000 in the last fiscal year. While airing for only 18 percent of KFUO-AM’s programming week, “Issues” accounted for more than 40 percent of the station’s total deficit. These figures are based on the audited financial statements of the LCMS.

Over the years, every effort has been made to cut expenses at KFUO-AM. At the same time, particularly in the past year, extraordinary measures were taken to bolster the financial support of the station. A sizable portion of those efforts focused on assisting “Issues, Etc.,” the most costly program on the AM schedule. Unfortunately, these measures have not solved the problem. As of February 29th, two-thirds into the current fiscal year, KFUO-AM was on pace to suffer heavy losses again.

Some may also be under a misapprehension about the size of the “Issues” audience. In 2005, station management decided it could no longer justify paying for expensive ratings reports in light of the predictably low and static nature of KFUO-AM’s audience numbers. At the time, a blending of the spring 2004 and spring 2005 “books” showed an average listening audience during the “Issues” Monday-Friday timeslot of 1,650. There is no indication these numbers have grown appreciably since.

As for the audio streaming of “Issues, Etc.” via the Internet, the numbers are similarly low. During the last full month (February 2008) for which we have reports, the average number of live, streaming listeners during the “Issues” Monday-Friday timeslot was 64.

On Sunday nights, when the first hour of “Issues” was syndicated in a number of markets (an opportunity for which, during the past fiscal year, the LCMS actually paid $66,000 in broadcast fees), and where the second hour was available only on the Internet, the peak number of online listeners on the KFUO stream was 39.

Sadly, very difficult financial conditions sometimes require decisions that are not popular among all affected. In the case of KFUO-AM, the time had come when good stewardship of the church’s funds required a decision that meaningfully curtailed the deep, ongoing losses at the station. Ending the costs associated with “Issues, Etc.” was the only viable option, and the decision to do this was prayerfully and contemplatively made.

I am sorry that those who enjoyed “Issues” are disappointed, but I have made the show’s archives available, and I respectfully hope that all listeners will support the ongoing radio ministry of our beloved Synod.

Sincerely in Christ,

David L. Strand
Executive Director
Board for Communication Services
- Mar 27, 2008 13:53:16 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Petersen
  This is exactly what I expected. But I also know enough about accounting to know there are lots of ways to slice that pie.
  
  I would be hugely surprised if Pr. Wilken agreed with those numbers, that is, if he thought they fairly represented the weight of the station's costs that Issues, Etc was expected to bear, and so forth. So also I notice that none of the other programming deficits are here reported. How are the other programs doing compared to paying their upkeep? If cuts were necessary, was this the best program to cut in terms of sheer finances.
  
  I suppose the proof will be known if this causes the synod to sell the station for 40-60 million dollars. If that happens then canceling Issues, Etc will prove to have been the financial backbone of KFUO and its cancellation a windfall for the synod in the short term but the end of Gospel preaching in the airwaves. So once again I fear that President Kieschnick's struggles in office have led to less preaching, less Gospel outreach, along with more scandal, bad press, and division. It is a terrible time to the president. I feel sorry for him even as I continue to pray for him.
  
  Certainly these things are subjective. Obviously Rev. Strand's report is subjective as is my response. He is interpreting the numbers, not reporting facts. There is no way to report facts in this thing because the LC-MS does not have full disclosure. It is not that his numbers are lies. They are simply spun. They could easily be spun another way. How you assign costs for the station upkeep and so forth and what you expect back in percentages of the programs is key. Anyway, who knows what the wisest course was in light of the on-going financial struggles and controversies of this administration? These things have been brought upon our administration by their decisions. And their decisions (or sitting back helplessly) continue to diminis our outreach in terms of real numbers (but, of course, we can pad those numbers too so that we do less work than before we count differently to make it look like we're doing more, i.e., elevating the status of the wives of missionaries to double the numbers we report even while we cut the actual number of people doing work in the field, etc.) I think poor decisions, albeit not necessarily sinful ones, have continued to be made. I think canceling Issues, Etc was a mistake and it will prove costly even it means a short-term financial gain the sale of the station. It might be seen as a windfall but the reality is that we give another opportunity to reach the lost away.
Mar 27, 2008 10:53:26 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - craybern
Brother,
This is an excellent, well thought out letter that exposes
the wrong-headed thinking that has gone into "being about the mission." May I have permission to reprint this for the leaders in my congregation?
Thank you!
Carl
- Mar 27, 2008 13:40:07 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Petersen
  You're most welcome to it.
Mar 27, 2008 06:52:37 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Barry O'Connell
I am praying for Todd and Jeff but also for President Kieshnick. The real problem with President Kieshnick is that he lacks vision. Issues could be a mighty weapon in advancing the Body of Christ. Even at it's best it was never what it could be. If that program could preach the message of Christ as properly understood through Lutheran theology on more and bigger stations in better time slots then it could draw new people and fill the LCMS coffers. There is a desperate need to unleash Issues and fight for a reawakening of our sleepy synod. President Kieshnick just does not get it, he lacks the understanding to make the best of this. When I spoke with him Easter Sunday night he still was framing Issues in terms of a local show on a Saint Louis station. He completely ignored or did not understand the outreach of the show and the power of the Internet.
Best wishes,
Barry O'Connell
- Mar 29, 2008 13:31:39 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Helen
  
  Quote:
  
  When I spoke with him Easter Sunday night he still was framing Issues in terms of a local show on a Saint Louis station.
  Of course. He doesn't want to believe anyone else knows about it.
  (The resulting uproar has them hiding out!)
  
  This is not about "advancing the Body of Christ"!
  It's about advancing the Kareer of Kieschnick...and he's hitched his wagon to the willowcreek star, which even Bill Hybels of willowcreek has admitted a failure.
  
  Prayers for sure! You might include all the congregations scheduled to be "transitioned" to limp versions of Joel Osteen this year, and the ones who already have been.
Mar 26, 2008 20:47:25 Thanks Pr Peterson - Joe Harwell
Thanks you Pr Peterson for your letter, it is very well written. I can only pray that our church leaders will read it and think about what they have done.

Joe
Mar 26, 2008 13:31:10 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Pr. David Fleming
Pr. Petersen, I believe you have hit the nail on the head. Thanks for writing it well.
Mar 26, 2008 13:04:20 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Erich Heidenreich, DDS
The KFUOam.org website cites "business and stewardship reasons" for the cancellation of the show. As a significant Reformation Club financial contributor to Issues, Etc., I ask the following important questions. IF the reason for the cancellation of Issues, Etc. and the firing of Pastor Wilken and Jeff Schwarz was FINANCIAL, then…

1) Why isn’t the revenue generated by Issues, Etc. underwriters, church sponsors and ALL Reformation Club income included in Issues, Etc.’s total revenue figure?

2) Why would the most listened-to program produced by KFUO-AM be the first budget cut of 2008 at KFUO?

3) Why was Issues, Etc. the only KFUO-produced program required to raise and account for its own funds?

4) Why was Issues, Etc. the only KFUO-produced program that generated major financial underwriters like Concordia Seminary-St. Louis, Concordia Theological Seminary-Fort Wayne, Concordia Publishing House and LCMS World Relief?

5) Why cancel all of Issues, Etc.? Why not first cancel the more expensive Sunday night nationally, syndicated edition of Issues, Etc. and continue to do the three-hour weekday local broadcast of Issues, Etc.?

6) Why not make cuts at top-level, higher-paid management at KFUO?

7) Why were the audio archives of Issues, Etc. initially removed? This doesn't cost KFUO any salaries and benefits?

8) Why fire the only Lutheran Pastor on staff, of the more than 20 full-time employees at KFUO?

9) Does the LCMS Treasurer, Tom Kuchta, think that Issues, Etc. was the cause of KFUO’s financial woes?

10) Does KFUO management think that Issues, Etc. was the cause of KFUO’s financial woes?

11) Why cancel the show just as it was launching a major development initiative (Issues, Etc. 300)? This campaign had the potential to eliminate the entire fiscal year deficit for KFUO-AM.
Mar 26, 2008 09:19:18 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Susan
I hope the bureaucracy takes heart in knowing that the whole world is watching. Corners of it, at least.
And, no, that's not a delusion.
Mar 26, 2008 07:31:47 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Michael Paul
Thank you for putting your well-conceived thoughts in writing here, Pr. Petersen.
Mar 25, 2008 19:49:14 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - David B.
Pastor Petersen, I've been wondering what your response would be. It was worth the wait. I've excerpted some of this and linked to it at the Bring Back Issues Etc. blog.
Mar 25, 2008 19:13:21 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - wcwirla
Nicely written, David. Thank you.
Mar 25, 2008 14:50:58 Re: The LCMS does NOT have Issues - Petersen
I just made a donation at the Wittenberg Trail site linked above. Note this: you have to leave a note for the WT administer with your donation that it is for Wilken and Schwarz.

Pr. Petersen

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