Caution: Change Management Steamroller in Operation

Well, today we heard that Rev. Dr. Martin Noland has resigned from the Concordia Historical Institute. He was asked to resign by the governing board of CHI, so this was not Rev. Noland's choice.

So that's three that we know about the about in the last few weeks - Rev. Wilken, Rev. May, and now Rev. Noland - who have been removed from their positions in the Missouri Synod. However, it should be noted that Rev. May and Rev. Noland would have largely slipped under the radar, had not people been put on alert by the firing of Rev. Wilken. I am also convinced that the firestorm that was created by the firing of Rev. Wilken genuinely caught the bureaucrats by surprise.

It appears that President Kieschnick is following a management model called "Change Management". One of the stages is eliminating opposition. (I think Lucky Luciano was the first one to master this phase of "Change Management".) This is the stage we're at today. Kieschnick is trying to remove the roadblocks to change. I believe the plan was to work up from smallest to biggest. People like Rev. Matt Harrison at LCMS World Relief and Rev. Paul McCain at Concordia Publishing house would only be taken down after they'd eliminated most of the less visible "obstacles". The plan was partially derailed by the fact that Rev. Wilken had a broader base of support than they had expected.

Who's next on the chopping block? Probably someone that most of us have never heard of. Those will be the guys they go after next. But sooner or later, the prominent names have to be eliminated. So we should be expecting that. Also, I believe that Kieschnick will have to remove some district presidents as well. So don't be surprised when that happens. The time to be especially alert is going to be August. August is a traditional time for big firings. Beyond that we must be on our guard at any holiday or traditional vacation time. Those are the times the bureaucracy likes to play.