The NC Lutherans could save considerable time, money, and effort by choosing to just switch to either the Missouri, Wisconsin, or Evangelical Synod. All three are scripturally sound and would welcome devout Lutherans into their respective folds.
Now if they just want to have a “Lutheran-lite” synod, paying no attention to the core gospel and Lutheran teachings, then they are definitely wasting time, money, and effort as they will end up in the same place with a matter of years.
The next step is figuring out the best affiliation alternative.