Have you ever had a valid criticism about yiur church's practice and doctrine, only to be told "well no church is perfect" and "well we're all sinners here"? Not only are these responses are a quick passive aggressive way to shut down criticism and discourse. But they also subtly undermine a key part of Christian identity and our growth in grace and spiritual maturity. Your pastor may exhort you to good works in his preaching, he may emphasize the third use of the Law according to the Formula of Concord, but in modern Lutheranism I've often found a significant gap between theory and practice especially when you have valid criticisms that go unanswered, and are usually responded to with the same accusations of 8th commandment breaking or some other unrepentant sin.
Of course I hold to the simul et peccator and I emphasize the continual need for repentance in the Christian life. We're not talking sinless perfectionism here. However as I read Scripture, the Apostles writing to the churches never address them as sinners. None of Paul's letters start "to the sinners" but rather he addresses them as saints. This saintly status is positioned in Christ's death, life and resurrection but it carries with it an important change, Paul addresses the churches as those who have put off the old life and put on the new. The old Adam is now an enemy to put to death, and the Spirit is our primary guide into a life of holiness, however weak, fragmentary and imperfect that might seem. What the "there is no perfect church" etc comments seem to suggest is that God is perfectly happy to leave us where we are and any kind of suggestions on how to improve church life and practice are unwelcome. That we're supposed to learn to live with leaven and controversy in our midst, keep our mouths shut, and be good little peons.
All these observations inevitably lead me to the current state of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, a church body which at the time of writing I have taken the decision to leave. This decision is for personal reasons as well as for theological ones, but the last nail in the coffin was the publication of the newly annotated Large Catechism with ELCA and women authors adding essays imbued with CRT and other troubling passages, and that are meant as teaching tools in our seminaries and churches. The involvement of Steven Paulson, a Radical Lutheran who denies vicarious atonement, in this confessional document was a bridge too far for me, and I will no longer fellowship with a church body that allows wolves in its midst, and a church body that responds to valid criticisms with vague charges of unchristian conduct and racism. A church body that conducts witchhunts to go after laymen who dare speak out while opening the arms of fellowship to someone like Paulson. Furthermore I am saddened by the depth of silence I hear from faithful pastors in the LCMS with public clout like Bryan Wolfmueller and others. Our supposed watchmen at the gates have not only allowed the wolves to enter the sheep pen, but to eat at our tables. I can no longer tolerate this behavior and so I do what I must, I'm breaking fellowship.
And may God have mercy on the LCMS. (I wish I did.)
In the name of Christ. Amen.
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