In my recent post "Where Were the District Presidents?," I wondered how the District Presidents of those Districts who passed resolutions in support of Issues, Etc. could also have signed the April 22 statement on Issues, Etc. issued by the Council of Presidents, since the two conflicted. Pastor Herbert Mueller, President of the Southern Illinois District, has subsequently come out with a personal statement offering further details on his decision. Thanks to President Mueller for speaking out. Here is a portion of what he had to say:
Out of a desire to have something to which District Presidents could refer going back home, the Council of Presidents also adopted a statement with counsel to the members of the Synod. Both statements were quickly posted to the Synod’s web site. The COP’s statement was adopted in the closing minutes of the meeting on Tuesday, April 22, after the COP had rejected a formal resolution that would not have been helpful at all. The web site says the COP statement was adopted by voice vote with no dissenting voices. Personally, I did not raise an objection to the final version of the statement because I believed at the time it was better than the first resolution presented. To those who are disappointed in the COP Statement, I understand and I do share your sense of disappointment. I am sorry I failed to do better. At the very least, I failed to slow what became a hurried process to adopt something. As a result, the COP Statement itself does not fully represent, I believe, the level of frustration on the part of many members of the COP that Issues Etc was cancelled, or that the matter was handled in the manner it was. Having said that, I do not believe it would be helpful or wise for me to have any further public comment on the COP Statement.
The full text of President Mueller's statement can be viewed at Weedon's Blog.
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