I recently joined the LCMS close to me because the ELCA has spent millions of congregates dollars creating a hundred or more statements, open letters by Eaton concerning every social situation on the planet, gender affirming "demands", transgender bishops and homosexual pastors with a homosexual partner/spouse sitting in the same worship service. So far, I have not seen but a handful of social statements handed out of St. Louis and I pray it stays that way. The church needs to love everyone, however, it does not need to be engaged in insisting it's members are racists and white supremacists or any other "ism". The church should stay out of civil affairs. I feel people want to go to a church that focuses on Jesus and his salvation and teachings and not proclaim itself a partisan church body as most Council of Churches denominations practice!