Thoughts About the Departure of Pastor David Schlie

By Bill Ihssen

            I have been on very friendly terms with a lot of pastors, but my closest pastor friend was David Schlie.  We first met when in 1972 he took the position of head of the religion department at Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, where I was teaching in the English department.  Because he had previously taught at Bethlehem Lutheran grade school before entering the ministry, he had many friends there and joined the church where my wife and I attended.  We also connected as families.  Since he had seven children and we had four, some of his came before and some after ours, but two in particular were the same age and became best friends.  When Bethlehem was looking for a new pastor, Dave showed an interest, and I nominated him for the position, and he became my church’s pastor in 1977.  Therefore, there has been a lot to connect us, and it was easy for us and our families to bond as friends.

The quality that I remember the most was his humility.  He never treated people in a condescending manner.  He always wanted to be on each person’s level.  He was never comfortable when people called him “Pastor”, although he exemplified the type of shepherd that everyone could relate to.  He was a great listener.  Perhaps it helped that he couldn’t hear real well, but he would really key in on what you were saying but was hesitant to offer solutions to problems.  He made you feel that you were his only concern and indeed at that moment you were. 

When he criticized or gave advice, it was always scripturally based.  He knew his Bible and especially the Old Testament very well and could apply God’s Word to present situations.  One time when we were teaching at Concordia, I happened to save a woman from drowning and he came to me and said, “Now you know Bill, God put you there at the right place and right time.  Now you have to follow up with this woman and become her friend.”  I did that and until her death I had many opportunities to show her God’s love.  Dave always saw God’s hand in every situation.

He taught me how to study the Bible.  He was never in a hurry to move from one passage to another.  But he showed me how to put stories in their context and to see how the Jew’s past history influenced their prophets.  God gave Dave insights into stories and he was a great Bible story teller.  He used these in making evangelism calls.  He wasn’t in a hurry to give his listener the whole package in the first visit, but he wanted them to see the worth of the stories, and to desire to hear more.  When he taught, his lessons also were always based on the stories of the Bible.

He saw the love that God has for all of us as his main message, and he exemplified that message with his life.  No person was unqualified to be a part of his congregation.  He saw every person as vital to the church.  He involved a mentally handicapped person as the standard bearer of the cross.  He always saw the worth of others, and the differences of nationality and race and economic status meant nothing to him.  We were all equal sinners forgiven by a loving God.  Through his example and concern, Bethlehem became a family and a very friendly church.

He had courage in his convictions.  When he felt something was wrong he spoke out about it.  He didn’t like it when Lutheran Hospital was sold.  He saw the importance of the church’s medical ministry.  There were some fund raisers that he opposed because he felt that people were coerced into giving.  We petitioned a pornographic movie theatre, and it eventually it closed.  He was a big supporter of the Food Bank and Lutheran Social Services.  He was always ready to defend the poor.  Some of his battles were not won, but they were always well thought through, and his challenges caused others to think.

            David Schlie was also a lover of words and music.  He wrote the words to many hymns which were used during our church services.  If he couldn’t find a hymn that expressed a truth that he was emphasizing, he’d pick a melody and write the words that enhanced his message.  He never sought to publish these, but they always added cohesiveness to the church service.  He drew upon the music of all cultures.

            Of course, none of these qualities and abilities were present at the end.  What died was the shell of the man.  The spirit and abilities had already departed.  What we can hope for until we meet again is that the memories of what he was and stood for will remain and inspire us to live better with God’s help.