To Establish an Independent Appeals Panel in Cases involving the President’s Decisions

Official Workbook overture source text

10-07 
To Establish an Independent Appeals Panel  
in Cases involving the President’s Decisions 
WHEREAS, Holy Scripture warns against partiality and instructs 
that accusations against elders be handled with great care and 
fairness (1 Tim. 5:19–21); and 
WHEREAS, Our Lord teaches that judgment within the Church 
must be carried out with humility and awareness of our own sin 
(Matt. 7:1–5); and 
W
HEREAS, The Synod Constitution and Bylaws provide for due 
process and appeal in matters of ecclesiastical discipline, so that 
decisions may not rest solely on one person’s judgment; and 
W
HEREAS, It is a fundamental principle of justice and good order 
that one should not be the sole judge in his own case, nor should 
final appeals be structurally dependent on the very office whose 
decisions are being challenged; and 
WHEREAS, In cases where the President of the Synod or his office 
is the originating or decisive authority in a disciplinary action, the 
perception that appeals are heard and decided by bodies closely tied 
to that same office can undermine confidence in the fairness and 
independence of the process; and 
W
HEREAS, For the sake of the consciences of pastors and 
congregations, it is beneficial that appeals in such cases be heard by 
an independent body clearly distinct from the Office of the 
President (OTP); therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod affirm the importance of genuine, 
independent appeals in cases of ecclesiastical discipline, especially 
where the decisions of the OTP are at issue; and be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod direct  the Commission on Handbook 
to propose b ylaw amendments establishing an Ecclesiastical 
Appeals Panel (or similarly named body) which: 
• is appointed by the Council of Presidents  (COP), with 
representation from across the Synod; 
• includes both ordained ministers and laypersons known for 
their confessional fidelity and wisdom; 
• does not include current staff of the OTP or current members 
of the Synod’s Board of Directors; 
• has the responsibility to hear and adjudicate appeals in 
disciplinary cases in which the President or his office served 
as the final decision-maker at the first level; 
 and be it further 
Resolved, That such bylaw amendments: 
• provide that decisions of this appeals panel be issued in 
writing with stated reasons; 
• specify whether and how such decisions may themselves be 
reviewed by a broader body (e.g., convention or COP by a 
defined supermajority), thereby ensuring both accountability 
and independence; 
and be it further 
Resolved, That the President of the Synod be encouraged, as a 
matter of evangelical practice even prior to formal bylaw 
amendment, to delegate the hearing and adjudication of appeals in 
cases directly involving his office’s decisions to an independent 
panel appointed by the COP; and be it finally 
Resolved, That the Synod commend all who serve in supervisory 
offices to the Lord’s care, praying that such structural safeguards 
may assist them in carrying out their duties in a manner above 
reproach and worthy of the trust of Christ’s flock. 
Our Savior, Arlington, VA; St. John’s, Alexandria, VA;  
Trinity, Lexington Park, MD;  
Circuit 8 (Washington, South), Southeastern District 
Ov.