CORE was the organization that attempted to reform the ELCA from within. It originally considered creating a free-standing, non-geographic synod that congregations of "dissident traditionalists" could transfer to in order to remain in the ELCA, but under the authority of a different bishop. When it became apparent that wasn't a viable option, then some of the people within CORE changed the free-standing synod idea to a new denomination.
Actually, no, this is not what happened in Lutheran CORE following the 2009 CWA of the ELCA.
Lutheran CORE never considered creating a non-geographic synod that congregations could transfer to in order to remain in the ELCA. That idea was floated by a number of people who were supporters of Lutheran CORE, and the question of creating a "non-geographic" synod was asked of us on the steering committee on a pretty constant basis in the months following August 2009. But those of us on the steering committee always thought that was a non-starter, and we never seriously considered trying it. At Fishers we
did describe Lutheran CORE as "a free-standing synod", which unfortunately created a huge amount of confusion. And while some of us (myself included) tried to retain the language of "free synod" or "free-standing synod," by early this last summer even I recognized that the level of confusion and misunderstanding created by the term "synod" was not worth the time spent trying to reclaim this language.
And the "free standing synod" language was always used in describing Lutheran CORE,
not the NALC. Lutheran CORE and the NALC are seperate organizations. The idea of a new Lutheran denomination was from the beginning intended to be a denomination, and we never used "free-standing synod" language to describe what soon was given the name of North American Lutheran Church.
As for whether Lutheran CORE is schismatic in its work to create the NALC, and is, as Editor Lehmann asserts, indistinguishable from the denomination that it created and that was voted into existence at the Lutheran CORE convocation (NOT the theological conference), well, I think Editor Lehmann has the prior personal experience to know whereof he speaks. It takes a schismatic to know a schismatic.