# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1849_S79
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 79 —

...congregation, he announced his decision to resign his office and
thereby to withdraw from the fellowship of our synod. The enclosed
minutes of the negotiations conducted in this matter attest to the
details. — Concerning the current whereabouts of the former pastor at
Marion, O., Mr. Schneider, no official report has yet reached the synod.
Pastor Ernst has made known, in "Lutheraner" No. 9 of the current
volume, that this man — who, on account of his domineering character,
had repeatedly and in vain been reproved by several brothers — has
gone over to the Roman sect.

IV. Unfortunately, the undersigned president found himself
compelled, immediately after the close of last year's sessions of the
synod, to declare a member then belonging to it, namely Mr. Pöschke,
publicly excluded from the fellowship of our synod, after a private
admonition proved fruitless and a public one, given before the
assembled synodical ministerial conference, likewise failed to address the
several scandals he had caused. It is true that the president had not
received explicit authority under our constitution for such an act; but
since, in the present case, no other officer of the synod had the
competence to carry out a public exclusion either, and since the public
exclusion had to take place not only under our constitution — by which
continued fellowship with the synod is conditioned on "blamelessness of
conduct" [Unbescholtenheit des Wandels] (Chap. II, § 5) — but also on
account of the grave scandal otherwise arising and weighing upon our
synod, the undersigned, after deliberation with the synodical ministerial
conference still assembled in St. Louis on July 4 of last year, and with
its participation and consent, considered it his duty as president of the
synod to take upon himself the responsibility of a definitive decision in
this matter in the synod's name, and hereby submits his conduct to its
examination and judgment. Let it only further be mentioned that Mr.
Pöschke had at that time already left his post and was seeking another
appointment from the synod, and that he did not deny the fact of
which he was accused, though he would not admit its immorality.

V. As regards the appointed visitation journeys, in the past
synodical year the president visited pastors Saupert in Evansville, Ind.,
Schieferdecker in St. Clair County, Ill., and Löber in Altenburg and
Frohna, Perry County, Mo.; and the vice-president visited pastors
Hattstädt in Monroe, Mich., Crämer in Frankenmuth, Mich., Gräbner in
Frankentrost, Mich., Husmann in Allen County, Ind., and Streckfuss in
Van Wert County, Ohio. The synod may be assured that all the brothers
visited, each according to the grace given him, meet the requirements
our synod makes of them as its members, and prove themselves pure in
doctrine, blameless in conduct, and faithful and zealous in shepherding
and governing their congregations. It gave the undersigned particular
joy to receive the vice-president's detailed report on the zealous,
genuinely evangelical, and blessed work of our dear brother Crämer, both
in his office as pastor and in his calling as missionary among the
heathen. The undersigned was no less refreshed — indeed humbled —
to be able to see with his own eyes fresh proof of the self-denying
faithfulness with which our dear brother Schieferdecker has so far
administered his office, both as regards public preaching and as regards
private pastoral care and instruction of the youth in his widely scattered
congregations.