# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S341
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Appeal Matters | 341
‘IX. APPEAL MATTERS

Report of Board of Appeals
(Memorial 901)

our Board of Appeals begs leave to submit the following
rts,
‘The first meeting of the Board ‘of Appeals was held in ‘Fort
ayne, Ind., Sept. 12—13, 1941. At this meeting the Board or-
Ak ed, with Prof, Paul F. Koehneke as chairman, Rev. W. C.
gerin vice-chairman, and Prof. Erwin Schnedler secretary.
other members of the Board are Mr. E. C. Jacobs, Mr. Carl
, Mr. Carl Zollmann, and Rey. F. Oberschulte, the last named
ving become a member through the resignation of Rev. E. W.
renk, Twelve meetings were held during the triennium, five, in
lwaukee, five in Fort Wayne, one in Detroit, and one in St. Louis,
ch meeting extending over two, three, or four days. Because
of; the disqualification of certain members of the Board in par-
ticular ° cases and the illness of another member, members from
the reserve list were called upon to serve, namely, Rev. E. T. Otto
and Teacher H. A. Stolper.
' When. the Board of Appeals assembled for its first meeting,
one of the first questions that had to be answered was, What kind
of board did Synod have in mind when it created this new board?
Was the board to be merely a fact-finding body to study appeals
presented to Synod and report its findings and decisions to Synod
for final action, or did Synod intend that the Board should decide
questions in the name of Synod?

In 1938 Synod’s Constitutional Committee had suggested two
plans for taking care of the vexing problem of appeals. The second
plan suggested was to handle appeals by having a permanent com-
“*mittee of appeals. Paragraph six of this recommendation read as
follows: “Every decision of this committee shall be considered final,
= Subject, however, to the approval of Synod, which may amend
“or reverse the decision. at the convention next following the
handing down of the decision.” Committee 9, which considered
this recommendation of the committee on constitutional matters,
made some changes in these suggestions. This report was referred
to the new Committee on the Revision of the Synodical Handbook.

This new committee presented to Synod a more detailed sug-
~gestion for the Board of Appeals. In this report, which was. .
.adopted substantially as presented, no reference was made to, the
provision of the 1938 suggestions that “every decision. of this. com-
‘mittee shall be considered final, subject, however, to the approval
. of Synod.” The duty of the Board is stated in the words on page