The WELS doctrinal fiasco, which is behind the budget meltdown, is the direct result of District Popes and their underlings doing nothing about false doctrine for 30 years. The DPs and VPs devour a lot of the offerings. Every DP gets a full-time pastor to do his parish work, which is more like the Episcopalian model of having a bishop in a parish with a pastor doing the congregational work.
Another neat thing about being a DP is synod-funded travel - not only to dowdy cities like Milwaukee, but also to faraway missions. No one critical of Holy Mother WELS is going to travel overseas. That includes the Little Sect pastors.
The District Popes have Church and Change congregations in their districts - all their districts. I am not saying the DPs do nothing. They do a lot - encouraging, funding, and defending false doctrine. A recent papal gathering was at VP Patterson's congregation, named Holy Word. (Does anyone laugh when the name is mentioned?) The DPs thought Rock and Roll Lutheran was right just fine. Doebler got more money and time. Copy sermons from false teachers? No problem. All the bigshots in WELS do it.
Patterson put in two requests for free staffmembers. These are tough times: he may only get one free staffer, a vicar.
Did the DPs stop the Leonard Sweet Church and Chicanery conference?
Have they dis-invited Ed Stetzer?
Have they stopped the flow of pastors to Andy Stanley's Drive?
Their only job is to oversee the doctrine of the Christian Church. They have failed that duty in every possible way.
