This discussion thread ties to poll at right by same name.
Is enrollment at your WELS LES up or down this year?
Thursday, August 30, 2007
It makes good sense to extend divine teaching calls to wives of pastors ahead of other candidates. Agree or disagree?
This discussion thread ties to poll at right by same name.
It makes good sense to extend divine teaching calls to wives of pastors ahead of other candidates. Agree or disagree?
It makes good sense to extend divine teaching calls to wives of pastors ahead of other candidates. Agree or disagree?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Lutheran children are entitled to a free Lutheran education at congregation (or Synod) expense. Agree or disagree?
This discussion thread ties to poll at right by same name.
Lutheran children are entitled to a free Lutheran education at congregation (or Synod) expense. Agree or disagree?
Lutheran children are entitled to a free Lutheran education at congregation (or Synod) expense. Agree or disagree?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
At your WELS Lutheran Elementary School (LES), decisionmaking preference is usually based on . . . what?
This discussion thread ties to poll at right by same name.
At your WELS Lutheran Elementary School (LES), decisionmaking preference is usually based on . . . what?
At your WELS Lutheran Elementary School (LES), decisionmaking preference is usually based on . . . what?
Should MLC, LPS, and MLS require art training for WELS pastor & teacher candidates?
This discussion thread ties to poll at right by same name.
Should MLC, LPS, and MLS require art training for WELS pastor & teacher candidates?
Should MLC, LPS, and MLS require art training for WELS pastor & teacher candidates?
Friday, August 17, 2007
The last time you (or a loved one) were in the hospital, did your WELS pastor visit you?
This discussion thread ties to poll at right by same name.
The last time you (or a loved one) were in the hospital, did your WELS pastor visit you?
The last time you (or a loved one) were in the hospital, did your WELS pastor visit you?
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Should WELS Synodical Council (SC) outsource "Ministry Support" to cut costs and balance the budget?
This discussion thread ties to poll at right by same name.
Should WELS Synodical Council (SC) outsource "Ministry Support" to cut costs and balance the budget?
Should WELS Synodical Council (SC) outsource "Ministry Support" to cut costs and balance the budget?
Saturday, August 11, 2007
What action will your congregation take to help the Synod's financial situation?
This discussion thread ties to poll at right by same name.
What action will your congregation take to help the Synod's financial situation?
What action will your congregation take to help the Synod's financial situation?
Should WELS add "church financial management" to seminary training for pastors?
This discussion thread ties to poll at right by same name.
The Practical Theology and Pastoral Theology (PT) areas of instruction at WELS' Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS) cover down-to-earth topics. Since every pastor participates in church council meetings and/or other business meetings (e.g., ALHS, Thrivent, LWMS, Circuit, Conference, District, & Synod), why not use a few PT classes to train pastors to read financial reports presented at meetings that pastors attend regularly for their entire career?
The purpose of "church financial management" training would not be to train pastors to become bookkeepers, CPAs, tax attorneys, or Christian planned giving counselors. There is no need to train pastors to know the difference between debits and credits.
1. Financial reports. Pastors should know what reports to expect from a congregation treasurer. Is the treasurer doing his job? Pastors should know how different reports link together and what purpose they serve in a non-profit organization.
Time: 1 or 2 sessions
2. Financial controls. Pastors need to hear from law enforcement, auditors, and/or insurance companies (e.g., Church Mutual) about embezzlement that happens every day in churches and other non-profit organizations. Pastors need to hear suggestions for measures to control money and to "keep honest people honest."
Time: 1 session
3. Financial case studies. Pastors should break out into small groups for case study workshops to assess the financial reports and prognosis of financially strong, mediocre, and weak congregations.
Time: 2 or 3 sessions (including presentations)
The Practical Theology and Pastoral Theology (PT) areas of instruction at WELS' Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS) cover down-to-earth topics. Since every pastor participates in church council meetings and/or other business meetings (e.g., ALHS, Thrivent, LWMS, Circuit, Conference, District, & Synod), why not use a few PT classes to train pastors to read financial reports presented at meetings that pastors attend regularly for their entire career?
The purpose of "church financial management" training would not be to train pastors to become bookkeepers, CPAs, tax attorneys, or Christian planned giving counselors. There is no need to train pastors to know the difference between debits and credits.
1. Financial reports. Pastors should know what reports to expect from a congregation treasurer. Is the treasurer doing his job? Pastors should know how different reports link together and what purpose they serve in a non-profit organization.
Time: 1 or 2 sessions
2. Financial controls. Pastors need to hear from law enforcement, auditors, and/or insurance companies (e.g., Church Mutual) about embezzlement that happens every day in churches and other non-profit organizations. Pastors need to hear suggestions for measures to control money and to "keep honest people honest."
Time: 1 session
3. Financial case studies. Pastors should break out into small groups for case study workshops to assess the financial reports and prognosis of financially strong, mediocre, and weak congregations.
Time: 2 or 3 sessions (including presentations)
Friday, August 10, 2007
Predictors for success in pastoral training?
WELS could learn something about recruiting future pastors by observing methods used since 9-11 to recruit U.S. Special Forces.
After 9-11 the U.S. switched to offense in the Global War On Terror and needed to increase the number of U.S. Special Forces without dropping training standards. Training attrition being over 70% the military focused on research and strategies aimed at reducing this attrition by improving selection methods and processes for identifying viable training candidates.
Military research found a few predictors of training success and adjusted recruiting strategies accordingly.
Predictors with positive correlations included:
-- Candidates who grew up in the coldest states
-- Candidates who participated in several contact or aerobic sports
-- Candidates with certain psychological traits involving hardiness, flexibility, and leadership
What would be predictors for success in pastoral training?
After 9-11 the U.S. switched to offense in the Global War On Terror and needed to increase the number of U.S. Special Forces without dropping training standards. Training attrition being over 70% the military focused on research and strategies aimed at reducing this attrition by improving selection methods and processes for identifying viable training candidates.
Military research found a few predictors of training success and adjusted recruiting strategies accordingly.
Predictors with positive correlations included:
-- Candidates who grew up in the coldest states
-- Candidates who participated in several contact or aerobic sports
-- Candidates with certain psychological traits involving hardiness, flexibility, and leadership
What would be predictors for success in pastoral training?
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Lutheran Elementary School & Outreach
My observation in my own congregation, my previous congregations, and in neighboring congregations leads me to the conclusion that there are different attitudes and procedures for LESs in WELS. Each of the attitudes is represented in every congregation; however, local dynamics between the attitudes determines the procedure for each independent WELS LES. Further, these dynamics are not static, therefore LES procedures may change from year to year, depending on which attitude prevails in a given year. Some of these attitudes affect using the LES for outreach.
Does an LES charge tuition? One attitude is that every Lutheran child is entitled to a free elementary education at congregation expense. The opposite attitude is that charging tuition is necessary for an LES to carry its weight. Some individuals who believe that education should be free, do pay tuition begrudgingly then zero their offerings.
Which committee decides tuition rate? Is it the Budget Committee or the Board of Education? Does the congregation set tuition at a voters' meeting? What factors do they consider in setting tuition? Which factors do they follow? One attitude leans on market price, and another attitude leans on cost of operating school. How does highest tuition rate compare with cost of operating school?
Does the LES enroll non-members? Some do, and some don't. What are admission requirements for non-members? One attitude is that an LES should enroll every child who walks in off the street. Other attitudes impose admission requirements. Will the family pay tuition? What is the family's past record for paying tuition at previous schools? Does the LES administer a pre-enrollment exam? Who administers the exam? Does the LES consult the child's previous school for recommendation? Does the LES allow teachers to participate in decision of admitting non-member children, or is it a decision by the principal and pastor? Who reviews the cumulative folder before a child is admitted? Does the cumulative folder contain a psychiatric file? Does the LES enroll families who are solid members of non-WELS churches as well as families who are unchurched prospects? Who has admission priority? Does the LES enroll non-member transfer students mid-year? Does principal conduct home visits before admitting non-member students?
Does the LES enroll every member child who wishes to attend, or does the LES tell some member families that the needs of some children would be served better by a school with more resources?
Does the LES grant members a tuition discount? How much is the discount? Which committee decides the amount of discount? What is the stated reason for granting a tuition discount to members? Does the sum of all general fund offerings by all member school families cover the sum of all member tuition discounts?
Do children from sister WELS congregations attend the LES? Do they pay member or non-member rate?
Do the pastor and principal pay tuition, or does the LES "comp" tuition for clergy? Does the pastor from a sister congregation pay tuition?
Does the LES grant tuition assistance? Which committee approves tuition assistance? If the pastor and principal pay tuition, do they receive tuition assistance?
Does the congregation integrate the school budget with church budget, or are they separate? If they are integrated, does someone compute school subsidy? Has the subsidy changed over the past few years? Is subsidy growing or shrinking?
Do some classrooms have full enrollment and others have empty seats? Is it the same every year, or does it change as a bubble moves through the school?
How often does one parent join church (to enjoy member discount and tuition assistance) but other parent does not?
Does the LES begin the school year before or after Labor Day? How many days are in the school year? How does this compare to other schools in the area? How long is Christmas vacation? Does school resume on Jan 2 or mid-January? Does school year end in time for male teachers to attend district convention? Does school year end in time for teachers to take summer on-line courses from MLC? Is school air conditioned? Does climatology for your region affect school year decisions? Does LES allow families to take vacations during school year, or are missing days treated as truancy?
How long is the school day? How does this compare to other schools in the area? Do teachers want a longer or shorter day? Do parents want a longer or shorter day?
Does the LES operate before & after school child care? Does child care revenue cover cost of child care operation? (Don't forget cost of flushing water, playground water, heat, a/c, liability insurance, workers compensation insurance, and building & playground maintenance.)
Are there schools in the area with waiting lists? Why are people fighting to get into some schools but not others? Do schools with waiting lists advertise, or do they rely on word-of-mouth only?
Looking more specifically at outreach, how many years has the school operated? When did school begin to admit non-members? Looking at LES graduates who are 10 or more years past Grade 8 graduation (that is, age 24 and above [giving 4 years for high school, 4 years for college, and 2 years for transition]), how many of those students or their families are current members of the congregation? How does this retention rate compare with neighboring WELS congregations who do not have a school?
In recent years has the school subsidy grown or shrunk? Has the evangelism budget grown or shrunk?
Does the congregation's Sunday School program operate with same health as the LES? Do non-member children (enrolled in LES or not) attend Sunday School? What fraction of LES-enrolled students attend Sunday School? If LES has X number of students, are there X number of students in Sunday School?
Some of the attitudes and procedures listed above affect the way we run Lutheran high schools, as well. For example, some WELS high schools admit non-members, while others are for members only.
Charis Institute is a research arm of Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) in Milwaukee. Charis has studied information contained in WELS Statistical Reports and has drawn conclusions regarding WELS LESs in congregations. Our Synod publishes annually the source of Charis' data, the Statistical Report. The Statistical Report is a simple spreadsheet of numbers submitted by all 1,000+ WELS congregations. Each row represents a congregation, and each column represents a statistic, such as the number baptized members.
Two Charis studies on WELS LESs are:
http://www.charis.wlc.edu/publications/charis_spring05/bauer.pdf
and
http://www.charis.wlc.edu/publications/charis_summer05/update3.pdf
Charis' conclusions resonate with WELS homeschoolers because homeschoolers have a unique perspective in congregations and can see what others cannot.
If you are a statistician you could reproduce Charis' analysis or generate a different analysis using the same data from WELS Statistical Reports found at:
http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?2601&collectionID=827
Does an LES charge tuition? One attitude is that every Lutheran child is entitled to a free elementary education at congregation expense. The opposite attitude is that charging tuition is necessary for an LES to carry its weight. Some individuals who believe that education should be free, do pay tuition begrudgingly then zero their offerings.
Which committee decides tuition rate? Is it the Budget Committee or the Board of Education? Does the congregation set tuition at a voters' meeting? What factors do they consider in setting tuition? Which factors do they follow? One attitude leans on market price, and another attitude leans on cost of operating school. How does highest tuition rate compare with cost of operating school?
Does the LES enroll non-members? Some do, and some don't. What are admission requirements for non-members? One attitude is that an LES should enroll every child who walks in off the street. Other attitudes impose admission requirements. Will the family pay tuition? What is the family's past record for paying tuition at previous schools? Does the LES administer a pre-enrollment exam? Who administers the exam? Does the LES consult the child's previous school for recommendation? Does the LES allow teachers to participate in decision of admitting non-member children, or is it a decision by the principal and pastor? Who reviews the cumulative folder before a child is admitted? Does the cumulative folder contain a psychiatric file? Does the LES enroll families who are solid members of non-WELS churches as well as families who are unchurched prospects? Who has admission priority? Does the LES enroll non-member transfer students mid-year? Does principal conduct home visits before admitting non-member students?
Does the LES enroll every member child who wishes to attend, or does the LES tell some member families that the needs of some children would be served better by a school with more resources?
Does the LES grant members a tuition discount? How much is the discount? Which committee decides the amount of discount? What is the stated reason for granting a tuition discount to members? Does the sum of all general fund offerings by all member school families cover the sum of all member tuition discounts?
Do children from sister WELS congregations attend the LES? Do they pay member or non-member rate?
Do the pastor and principal pay tuition, or does the LES "comp" tuition for clergy? Does the pastor from a sister congregation pay tuition?
Does the LES grant tuition assistance? Which committee approves tuition assistance? If the pastor and principal pay tuition, do they receive tuition assistance?
Does the congregation integrate the school budget with church budget, or are they separate? If they are integrated, does someone compute school subsidy? Has the subsidy changed over the past few years? Is subsidy growing or shrinking?
Do some classrooms have full enrollment and others have empty seats? Is it the same every year, or does it change as a bubble moves through the school?
How often does one parent join church (to enjoy member discount and tuition assistance) but other parent does not?
Does the LES begin the school year before or after Labor Day? How many days are in the school year? How does this compare to other schools in the area? How long is Christmas vacation? Does school resume on Jan 2 or mid-January? Does school year end in time for male teachers to attend district convention? Does school year end in time for teachers to take summer on-line courses from MLC? Is school air conditioned? Does climatology for your region affect school year decisions? Does LES allow families to take vacations during school year, or are missing days treated as truancy?
How long is the school day? How does this compare to other schools in the area? Do teachers want a longer or shorter day? Do parents want a longer or shorter day?
Does the LES operate before & after school child care? Does child care revenue cover cost of child care operation? (Don't forget cost of flushing water, playground water, heat, a/c, liability insurance, workers compensation insurance, and building & playground maintenance.)
Are there schools in the area with waiting lists? Why are people fighting to get into some schools but not others? Do schools with waiting lists advertise, or do they rely on word-of-mouth only?
Looking more specifically at outreach, how many years has the school operated? When did school begin to admit non-members? Looking at LES graduates who are 10 or more years past Grade 8 graduation (that is, age 24 and above [giving 4 years for high school, 4 years for college, and 2 years for transition]), how many of those students or their families are current members of the congregation? How does this retention rate compare with neighboring WELS congregations who do not have a school?
In recent years has the school subsidy grown or shrunk? Has the evangelism budget grown or shrunk?
Does the congregation's Sunday School program operate with same health as the LES? Do non-member children (enrolled in LES or not) attend Sunday School? What fraction of LES-enrolled students attend Sunday School? If LES has X number of students, are there X number of students in Sunday School?
Some of the attitudes and procedures listed above affect the way we run Lutheran high schools, as well. For example, some WELS high schools admit non-members, while others are for members only.
Charis Institute is a research arm of Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) in Milwaukee. Charis has studied information contained in WELS Statistical Reports and has drawn conclusions regarding WELS LESs in congregations. Our Synod publishes annually the source of Charis' data, the Statistical Report. The Statistical Report is a simple spreadsheet of numbers submitted by all 1,000+ WELS congregations. Each row represents a congregation, and each column represents a statistic, such as the number baptized members.
Two Charis studies on WELS LESs are:
http://www.charis.wlc.edu/publications/charis_spring05/bauer.pdf
and
http://www.charis.wlc.edu/publications/charis_summer05/update3.pdf
Charis' conclusions resonate with WELS homeschoolers because homeschoolers have a unique perspective in congregations and can see what others cannot.
If you are a statistician you could reproduce Charis' analysis or generate a different analysis using the same data from WELS Statistical Reports found at:
http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?2601&collectionID=827
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