In the Spirit: Our Redeemer still without leader:
In the spring of 2010, the pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Madison left the ministry to take a private-sector job in the funeral-planning business.
Parishioners thought it might take a few months to replace him.
Some 575 days later, the congregation is still trying to fill the vacancy. It has issued 13 calls for pastors and received 13 rejections.
Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/lifestyles/faith-and-values/religion/in-the-spirit-our-redeemer-still-without-leader/article_7396fdbe-490d-11e1-9fb1-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1ks4XCSp3
'via Blog this'
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bruce-church (http://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "In the Spirit: Our Redeemer WELS still without lea...":
WELS Answer Man said that exactly how the congregations housed the pastor was a "local matter." Now, however, that the housing market is down, no one wants to take a call and move and thus take a loss upon selling his house. So the entire call system is in gridlock due in large part to the synod's shortsightedness in not advising against selling parsonages and giving pastors allowances to buy their own houses.
By the way, our previous pastor wanted the congregation to sell the parsonage and give him an allowance for buying his own house, but thank goodness our congregation didn't even consider it for a second. That was just one bit of bad advice he gave, because he had his ear to the ground channeled whatever was the latest fad at the synod).
Of course what this means is our pastor can leave more easily and it will be harder to get another pastor, but trouble like that is par of the course in the WELS. At least our congregation isn't contributing to the problem:
WELS Answer Man on Selling the Parsonage:
http://arkiv.lbk.cc/faq/site.pl@1518cutopic_topicid69cuitem_itemid10259.htm
This is a matter to be discussed and resolved on the local level. There is no right or wrong, nor is there really a better or worse approach to meeting the housing needs of all called workers in all situations. Both have potential advantages and potential disadvantages for the called workers and for the congregation.
The Displaced Parsonage
Why more pastors are choosing housing allowances rather than parsonages, posted 11/01/1999
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cbg/1999/novdec/9y6069.html
http://www.divinitylutheran.org/history/
1990 The parsonage is sold and Pastor Henke and his family purchase their own home.
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GJ - The easiest move is parsonage-to-parsonage. The most difficult is from a home "owned" but mortgaged, needing to get a new mortgage and buy another home. Add the difficulty of selling or renting the previous home and getting a new job for wifey, since that is now assumed.
