THE ORDER OF CREATION is the theme of The Canadian Rockies Theological Conference which will be held April 16 through 19, 2012. Featured speakers at this Conference are Rev. Dr. James Nestingen and Dr. Nathan Yoder. For more information search for "Canadian Rockies Theological Conference" on Facebook.

The following are comments that have been made regarding the Failure of Dissent and New Beginnings Conference held September 21st in Calgary:“I felt it was very beneficial to myself personally, and to the pastors and Lutheran members there to have attended and have our concerns heard and answered with solid teaching from the word of God. We were also spiritually fed, which my pastor found to

Pastor Jaynan Clark gave a stirring presentation at the Calgary Solid Ground gathering, challenging us to refocus on discipleship under the Lord of All, Jesus the Christ. As his disciples we will be constrained to reach out to others, sharing the message of his love and salvation through word and deed. Unfortunately, Pastor Jaynan did not have a script suitable to post on the web site. Two weeks later,

Rev D. Haugen was one of the featured speakers at the Solid Ground hosted meeting in Calgary on September 21st.   View PDF

Beloved in the Lord, grace and peace be unto you from God our Father. and from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and from the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver oflife!I will begin this closing meditation with a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer from a wedding sermon from his prison cell in Letters and Prayers from Prison.“Marriage is more than your love for each other. It has a higher dignity and power,

The first presentation at the Failure of Dissent and New Beginnings Conference was by the Rev. Tim Johnson, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Dawson Creek, BC. His presentation will included:Brief critique of the convention decisions Prerequisites for institutional church unity A reaffirmation of the ultimate authority of the Scriptures for faith and life A renewed emphasis on evangelism

Dr. Lothar SchwabePresented at theSolid Ground Conference “THE FAILURE OF DISSENT AND NEW BEGINNINGS”, Calgary,Sept. 21, 2011                                          Takeheart.  Be of good cheerJohn16:

The decisions made at the 2011 ELCIC National convention marks a seismic and irreversible shift of ELCIC’s theological foundation. There was the re-election/election of a liberal, continually endorsed leadership. There was the endorsement of the proposal to begin the lengthy process of restructuring the ELCIC, to respond to present financial realities. However, most of the focus for the majority

(An article from www.canadianlutheran.ca)The online magazine of Lutheran Church–CanadaResponding to a vote by delegates at the convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) meeting in Saskatoon, July 15 and 16 which authorizes its pastors to conduct same-gender marriages and finds sexual orientation no longer an issue for ordaining pastors, the leaders of Lutheran Church–Canada

View PDF of article by Pastor Edward Skutshek, President of the Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations (CALC)

Dear delegate, There are some very important and potentially divisive issues facing our church in convention this July. The more information that delegates can have in front of them before making decisions, the better it is for the delegates, for us and for the ELCIC. And so, in the interest of church unity and a more informed dialogue, here are some reflections on the theology and implications

Download pdf of Cover LetterJune 1, 2011Dear 2011 ELCIC Convention Delegate,Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!Congratulations on your being chosen a delegate to the 2011 ELCIC National Convention.  The upcoming convention will be the most important in the ELCIC's 25-year history in that the outcome will have a profound impact on the short, medium

Download pdf of letterby Keith R. OdegardBishop Susan Johnson and the NCC of the ELCIC have proposed that the ELCIC introduce significant changes to ELCIC doctrine regarding human sexuality.  Before delegates vote on these initiatives, Solid Ground believes that each convention delegate should consciously address the issues represented by these questions.  Biblical quotations are from the

Download pdf of letter June 1, 2011 By Keith R. OdegardOn April 2, 2011 the National Church Council (“NCC”) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (“ELCIC”) released the Proposed ELCIC Social Statement on Human Sexuality (“SS”), and proposed human sexuality motions for the 2011 ELCIC National Convention (“the Convention”).  These proposed motions include motions

Many lay people find it hard to understand the language of the News Release and ask the famous Lutheran question, “What does this mean?”In plain language, at the next National Convention the National Church Council will introduce motions to facilitate the following changes:1. The ELCIC will bring forward motions to reorganize into three synods, have National and Synod conventions meet every three

I presume you have seen the letter from the ELCIC National Church Council.  I'm beginning to agree with the naysayers that the only way to deal with this is to leave the ELCIC.  In the short term, the motion, even if it passes, will not make much of a difference to local churches.  If one takes a longer term view however these proposed changes are pretty disastrous. The sheer deviousness

“A Pastor’s Devotional Life” is the theme of an upcoming pan-Lutheran event. While especially beneficial for clergy and seminarians, interested lay people will find it helpful also. This 3-day course, hosted by Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations, will be held at River’s Edge Camp and Retreat Centre, Water Valley, Alberta on June 7, 8, and 9, 2011.The Course

To learn more about Lutheran Church bodies in Canada and the U.S., click here

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By Keith R. OdegardThe Proposed Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (“ELCIC”) Social Statement on Human Sexuality (“the Statement”) is a significant improvement over the radical theology presented in the ELCIC Study of Human Sexuality (“the Study”). Many of the objections raised by Solid Ground Ministry/Canada in its 41 page submission to the Human Sexuality Task Force (“the Task Force”)

A new Lutheran denominational body was born on Friday, Aug. 27, as Lutherans from throughout North America voted overwhelmingly and enthusiastically to form the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). The decision to form the new church body was made at the annual Convocation of Lutheran CORE which attracted more than 1,100 Lutherans Thursday and Friday at Grove City Church of the Nazarene in Grove

from Jaynan Clark, President, WordAlone Minitries(To the Reader)I admit that something just said "Enough already!" as I read Mark Hanson's (Presiding Bishop of the ELCA) release regarding the Gaza strip. This came only days after news that the Tanzanian, Ethiopian and Chinese church leaders would be engaging in ongoing, private conversation with him regarding their concerns with the ELCA's actions

by James A. NestingenApril 16, 2010The controversy fired by the Minneapolis assembly vote ratifying practicing homosexual pastors has exposed a major change in the office of the bishop carried out by the ELCA. The bishops themselves have compounded the difference. The net effect leaves congregations and pastors objecting to the Minneapolis vote without voice or standing. The bishops arrive in

As I read the first draft of the proposed “ELCIC Social Statement on Human Sexuality”, it seemed to me that the task force is envisioning a very different church than the church I have served as a pastor for 43 years. The Scriptural and confessional basis on which the ELCIC was established has been abandoned for assumptions which are more appropriate to the social and political realms.The proposed

I have received the first draft of a proposed ELCIC social statement on Human Sexuality and your request for a thoughtful and prayerful consideration of the same.I have been preparing a series of lectures on the sacraments and the spiritual disciplines for a presentation this Fall. I had just finished reading Luther’s Large Catechism when this draft arrived. I was dumbfounded at the contrast that