In my opinion our synod made a huge mistake when it replaced its BOARD OF APPEALS with the adjudication and discipline policies which now exist. Some of our district presidents are true secular type politicians . They openly continually campaign making the rounds at pastors’ conferences, over and over glad-handing voting members with every chance they get, even picking up the tabs for other pastors’ or lay delegates’ drinks on occasions. When for some reason, a district president or synod president or vice president suspends a member of synod, sometimes in error out of political payback to please one or more of his mislead pastor friends or even influential lay people who without proper theological background may have made ungodly or unconstitutional decisions in their congregation boards harming another member pastor or teacher in our synod. In this case, we now have a sinful synod. Someone might have an ungodly grudge against another member of synod with whom he simply disagrees or perhaps the official does not like that person when no real sustainable charges are able even to be made, much less proven. I know of cases in at least one district where several members worked together to support one another as they openly challenged unscriptural actions by another synod member and an errant decision by a congregation board. In at least four instances in three districts the respective district presidents first threatened a synod member with suspension from synod if they continued to uphold their objections and accusations that other synodical members had violated Scriptural truths and synodical constitutional rules. The threats and actual suspensions were made because by maintaining their proper accusations these faithful servants of God and His Church were causing offense and making waves which might cause some possible division in the church. Some faithful and outspoken defenders of God’s Truths were forbidden to continue to work together to prove and correct the unscriptural decisions of other synod members or boards. In some cases no clear scriptural evidence was ever given or proven and clearly made against them in writing. Their actions were simply disrupting the peace in the district and causing consternation and unwanted problems for the D. P. Finally, at least four members were wrongly suspended in just one district for essentially political reasons without any Biblical or constitutional evidence provided. Eventually at least two excellent and well-known members threw up their hands in true hurt and frustration after years of known and respected service to our Lord and His Church and simply quit the process saying, “I no longer want to be a part of what once was a Godly Church but has now corrupted itself by continuing to have a constitution which encourages “Good ‘ol Boys” corrupted decisions made by friendly and politically sensitive district presidents who are all good buddies or want to be buddies and almost NEVER disagree with their district president friends in adjudicating the appeals panel process of our synod. The appeals process was changed by synod in convention from an independently, synodical elected several member, Board of Appeals, and changed to now use a three district president panel to hear all appeals to district president suspensions. As I said above, these presidents are all friends and seldom if ever overturn another president’s decisions even if those decisions are ungodly and stink to high heaven. After holding their nose and stifling their own consciences I know of a few fairly recently suspended synod members who agreed to no longer make waves by challenging their district president’s threats and wrong decisions because they needed to continue in their work for financial stability and to be able to do the work for which they spent several sacrificial years in preparation and in which they have dedicated their lives. Because of their “cave in conscience hurting decisions” their suspensions were vacated with the verbal or otherwise implied threats by their D.P. not to make waves again. Let our new “LUTHERAN POPES BE POPES!” Let them ruin the consciences and lives and faithful members of their families. Now our D.P.s have the ecclesiastical power to accuse members of committing unproven, undocumented and unspecified sin which he or she never actually committed. All they did was show that something that was happening in their congregation or by another synodical member was Scripturally wrong or that something that someone was doing was sinful. In reality, the Scripturally offended accusers were simply upsetting someone with power and authority’s applecart. I’m retired and in ill health and have no chance of openly working to change things. I’m simply heartbroken over the offense this ungodly process causes by our allowing the stuff I described above to continue in the church body I once truly loved and dedicated my whole over 45 year public ministry to, as very imperfect as it was. We NEED to go back to an honest and impartial synod-elected Appeals Board. Dear God, please build up Your Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod again and bring us back to fully following Your Holy Word again. Amen. Jack Struve