Let the Record Show
Why the church should be the first to tell the truth—not the last.
We’ve come full circle.
I’ve contacted every institution connected to Erik Herrmann’s influence: his seminary, his district, and the theological school where he now teaches. I’ve sent evidence. I’ve asked questions. I’ve told the truth, again and again.
And now I’ve received my answers.
The president of the Institute of Lutheran Theology told me, “It is unlikely that anybody at ILT knew anything about Dr. Herrmann’s private life.” As if a man’s theology and private integrity could be separated so cleanly. As though what happens behind closed doors should never shape who is allowed to stand at the front of the room.
The president of the Missouri District of the LCMS received my documentation in May 2023. While he acknowledged it and met with us, he gave Erik time to resign before a formal investigation could ensue. I later submitted a follow-up letter asking whether Concordia Seminary was fully informed of Erik’s misconduct, whether the documentation had been formally recorded, and whether it would be available to the Council of Presidents should he ever seek reinstatement. He responded, but indicated that he could not answer those questions. And to this day, they remain unanswered.
And now, the president of Concordia Seminary, who wrote to my husband and me, said: “To publicly insinuate that I knew about the reason for Dr. Herrmann’s resignation and then lied about it to our faculty is irresponsible and hurtful.”
A seminary source told me the president assured faculty that Erik’s resignation was “not due to any kind of ministry-invalidating moral failure.” The president now denies this. So now, even inside the institution, it’s a matter of he-said, he-said.
What does that mean?
It means Erik will not be held accountable. Not by the Seminary. Not by the District. Not by the institutions that were entrusted with telling the truth.
What the President of Concordia Seminary’s Email Reveals
This email was not an effort at mutual understanding. It was not the response of a pastor seeking the truth or pursuing accountability. It was a carefully controlled message that, to me, does four key things:
It centers institutional image over individual harm.
Rather than grappling with the nature of Erik Herrmann’s misconduct—or the cost of shielding it—the president expressed concern over how the story was told. In other words: the problem wasn’t what Erik did. The problem was that I talked about it.
It redirects the blame.
His words suggest that my husband and I are causing harm by going public. He used phrases like “baffling to me” and “please stop”—not to protect others from abuse, but to protect the institution from further scrutiny. It flipped the moral framework: the whistleblower became the problem.
It frames my truth-telling as aggression.
By saying I was “maligning Concordia Seminary” and referring to “baseless rumors,” he positioned my documented, lived experience as slander. This is classic institutional deflection: when they can’t dispute the facts, they question your character.
It uses spiritual language to silence.
He offered prayers. He invoked pain and shame. But this wasn’t the language of accountability—it was the language of preservation. It asked me to stop—not so that healing could begin, but so that others could feel more comfortable. The message was clear: Your exposure is the problem. Your healing is disruptive.
“Personal and private” is not an acceptable category for resignations involving clergy abuses of trust. It is a shield, not a confession. Concordia and ILT didn’t know the truth then. But they know it now. Their choice is still silence.
Conclusion
I’m telling the truth because it’s true.
I’m documenting what happened so it doesn’t disappear.
I’m holding leadership accountable because they were entrusted with the care of others and chose silence.
I’m continuing to speak because I still believe accountability belongs in the church.
Let the record show what they chose to protect.
Let the record show who told the truth.
I know there is a large community of the younger generation of seminarians and new pastors who are seeing this for what it is. I know because they’re reaching out to me. They are learning from it—how to tell the truth, how to hold power with humility, and how to shepherd women well in situations like this.
Because someone needs to.