Three District Presidents elected

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Three new district presidents were elected at the 2014 district conventions that were held in June. These men will join the other nine district presidents in encouraging and equipping called workers, helping congregations carry out their ministries, and serving on the Conference of Presidents.

Peter Naumann, who served as president of the Dakota-Montana District for the past 20 years, declined the nomination for election to another two-year term. As he reflects back on his time as district president, he says that his greatest joy has been “meeting the members, serving the congregations of the district, and getting to know the pastors and teachers better.”

On June 10, Douglas Free was elected the new president of the Dakota-Montana District. Free, a 1983 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., currently serves at St. Paul’s, Rapid City, S.D. He has been the first vice president of the Dakota-Montana District since 1994.

How has God prepared Free to serve as district president? He notes, “As God had James write, ‘Everyone should be quick to listen,’ having attended so many meetings, I realize the importance of listening carefully and prayerfully to everything that’s being said. My entire ministry has been spent in the Dakota-Montana District, so the called workers and various ministries are fairly familiar. That will make it easier to work with everyone in our district.”

John Steinbrenner was elected president of the Pacific Northwest District on June 12. Theodore Lambert, who had served as district president for 12 years, is retiring from the ministry. Steinbrenner says, “President Lambert did a great job of maintaining a good attitude during stressful times and situations—a reminder that God is in control and all will work out and that it is a privilege to serve the Lord regardless of our positions as servant leaders. He didn’t let himself get overwhelmed by crises—a good reminder that we are not the ‘saviors’ of the church. Jesus is the Savior of his church. We simply serve faithfully and let God bring the results.”

Steinbrenner graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1991. He was called to start a church in northwest Boise, Idaho, in 1994 and continues to serve at Cross of Christ today. Steinbrenner has served as the first vice president of the Pacific Northwest District since 2006.

“I am looking forward to working/visiting with the called workers of this Pacific Northwest District and enjoying mutual encouragement with them,” says Steinbrenner. “I am also looking forward to meeting and learning from the other district presidents and our synod’s presidium. I have a deep amount of respect for these leaders and trust I can benefit from their vast experience and Christ-centered guidance.”

Douglas Engelbrecht, president of the Northern Wisconsin District, is also retiring from the ministry. On June 17, the district elected Joel Zank to serve as its new district president. Zank, a 1987 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, has served as pastor at Mount Olive, Appleton, Wis., since 1996. In 2011, Zank began serving as first vice president of the district.

Zank says, “President Engelbrecht truly has the heart of a servant. Anyone who has worked with him knows he lives to serve Jesus. God has gifted him with the ability to be patient and loving even in the most difficult situations. You can’t learn those traits from someone, but you can admire them and pray that God would bless you in the same way. That is my prayer—that God would grant me that same servant’s heart.”

When asked what his advice for the new district presidents would be, Engelbrecht said, “Be extremely patient in dealing with people. Place all of your burdens in the hands of the Lord before you go to sleep each night. Enjoy the opportunity to serve.”

Three new Synodical Council members also were elected at the district conventions, replacing men who chose not to stand for reelection. New members are Mark Bannan, Michigan District; John Fowler, South Atlantic District; and Gary Graf, North Atlantic District.

 

 

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Volume 101, Number 9
Issue: September 2014

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Congregations reach out with WELS movie

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On Sept. 13, more than 200 people attended a community movie night featuring Come Follow Me sponsored by St. Peter, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. This was the congregation’s fourth annual outdoor, drive-in style movie event.

Mr. Dave Stuht, staff minister at St. Peter, says, “Come Follow Me is an excellent movie because it is short and sweet but it gives community members the answers they will need when dealing with guilt, reminding them that Jesus forgave Peter and he forgave you and me.”

Come Follow Me was released in fall 2013 and is the winner of awards at three Christian film festivals this year. It is the second in a series of four outreach movies that are a collaboration between WELS Commissions on Evangelism and Adult Discipleship; Northwestern Publishing House; WELS Multi-Language Publications; and Boettcher+Trinklein Television, Inc. Road to Emmaus, the first film in the series, outlines God’s plan of salvation.

St. Peter has shown snippets from Road to Emmaus during previous years’ movie events. This year, though, “we wanted to be bold like an eagle!” says Stuht.

Other WELS congregations are also using Road to Emmaus and Come Follow Me as ways to reach out to their communities. St. Paul, Menomonie, Wis., has rented an area theater and is planning an outreach effort for its community on Sept. 18. After viewing Come Follow Me, audience members will have a chance to talk via Skype with the movie’s director and producer, Mr. Steve Boettcher.

Good Shepherd’s, West Allis, Wis., has purchased 2,000 DVDs of Road to Emmaus and 1,200 DVDs of Come Follow Me. Mr. Mark Bergemann, a member of Good Shepherd’s, explains that most of these DVDs have already been given away to new residents in the congregation’s neighborhood; neighbors attending the annual block party; parents of children attending vacation Bible school; and at other outreach events, such as this summer’s community festival in which Good Shepherd’s distributed more than 400 DVDs.

Good Shepherd’s also offers DVDs of Road to Emmaus and Come Follow Me for free on its Web site. After Good Shepherd’s sent DVDs of both films to Buenos Aires, Argentina, it received word back that they were a real blessing.

As Bergemann notes, “These films give a clear gospel message.”

Congregations can order copies of the movie in bulk for members and prospects for only $2 per copy at www.comefollowmemovie.com. Individual copies are available for $14.50 through Northwestern Publishing House at www.nph.net or 800-662-6022. The movie also serves as the 2013-14 Walking Together emphasis.

To learn more, visit www.wels.net/comefollowme.

Non-resident missionary to Nigeria called

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In an attempt to strengthen national leadership and provide more hands-on opportunities to work with leaders and members, the Africa Committee of WELS World Missions has called Rev. Douglas Weiser to serve part-time as a non-resident missionary to our two sister synods in Nigeria, Christ the King and All Saints. Weiser started his call in July.

Weiser has served as liaison to Nigeria since 2002 and has conducted 21 field visits since that time. As liaison, he traveled to Nigeria twice a year for three weeks at a time as well as arranged instructors to teach at the Nigerian seminary—besides serving a parish call in Bellevue, Washington. Now as a non-resident missionary, he will make quarterly visits for a month at a time as well as have more time to do administrative work and conduct presentations back in the U.S. “With dividing my time between two synods, [before] I could only spend five or six days with each and only meet with leaders. There are all kinds of other groups and people I should spend time with,” says Weiser, now retired from full-time ministry. “This gives me a lot more time for mentoring and hands-on training.”

WELS especially works closely with Christ the King and All Saints in training their pastors. Since the seminary opened in 1992, WELS professors and pastors have traveled to Nigeria to teach courses. Currently seven students from All Saints and three students from Christ the King study on Christ the King’s seminary campus in Uruk Uso. Weiser says that if classes stay on schedule, these students will graduate in January 2015, the fourth graduating class from the Nigerian seminary.

Weiser made his first trip to Nigeria as a non-resident missionary in July. On that trip he presented several courses requested from the president of All Saints at three different locations as well as helped dedicate the first synod office and preseminary classroom for All Saints. Now All Saints will offer its own preseminary courses for two years before students take three years of seminary courses at Uruk Uso.

Weiser, along with Dr. E. Allen Sorum and Rev. Scott Mews, plans to return to Nigeria in October. Sorum and Mews will be teaching classes at the seminary while Weiser visits various congregations to meet with the national leadership. An August teaching team’s visit had to be canceled due to an outbreak of ebola in Nigeria. “Our office, in conjunction with the risk management team, will continue to monitor the ebola situation with the understanding that we cannot put our called workers in harm’s way,” says Rev. Larry Schlomer, administrator for WELS World Missions.

Currently 18 national pastors serve more than 50 congregations and 4,200 members in our two sister synods in Nigeria. While Congregation Mission Offerings provide partial funding, the growth of the work in Nigeria is made possible by special gifts.

“I pray that there’s a growing army of trained confessional Lutheran pastors who can take the leadership of the Nigerian church well into the future,” says Schlomer.

Read more about the Nigerian church.

Special Ministries coordinators meet

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On Sept. 9 and 10, district Special Ministries coordinators and the Commission of Special Ministries met at the Center for Mission and Ministry, Waukesha, Wis., to discuss the many aspects of WELS Special Ministries—a meeting they hold once a year.

Rev. Jim Behringer, director of the Commission on Special Ministries, says, “The annual meeting of the Commission on Special Ministries and the district Special Ministries coordinators is vital to our work. The coordinators are the people who communicate with our called workers and churches, making them aware of ministry resources for unusual circumstances. The commission members have the responsibility to continue to develop these ministry resources. Everyone discusses how to improve our ministry to people with special needs.”

Special Ministries works to meet the ministry needs and share the gospel with people who are experiencing either disabilities or special circumstances. Eight areas comprise Special Ministries: the Care Committee for Called Workers, Mission to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Committee on Mental Health Needs, Health and Wellness Committee, Prison Ministry, Military Services, Mission for the Visually Impaired, and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Ministry.

Behringer says, “We discussed how to arouse the love and compassion of church members for those with special needs. We are seeing more opportunities for lay members to use their gifts to serve others.”

The group also took note of three important servants to Special Ministries who died in the last year: Mr. Alfons Woldt, former Special Ministries administrator; Rev. Carl Ziemer, Special Ministries administrator until 2012; and Mr. Dave Nack, Prison Ministry administrator. The Conference of Presidents will be issuing a call for the Prison Ministry administrator this fall; acall for nominations has been issued.

To learn more about Special Ministries, visit www.wels.net/special-ministries.

Michigan Lutheran Seminary to host synod convention

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Planning is underway for the 63rd biennial convention of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod to be held at Michigan Lutheran Seminary (MLS) in Saginaw, Mich., July 27-30, 2015. More than 400 delegates will be meeting under the theme “One in Christ.” The synod’s first vice president, Rev. James Huebner, will present an essay on the theme.

MLS President Rev. Joel Petermann is eagerly looking forward to hosting the convention. “MLS belongs to the members of WELS and operates at their direction. Our purpose remains to provide a continuous flow of young people to train to be the pastors, teachers, and staff ministers who will fill these important positions in congregations and as missionaries in our country and beyond. Our synod has provided us with an excellent facility to do this, and we are delighted to have delegates visit and see how well it serves us as we fulfill our purpose,” says Petermann.

Conventions are held at three of the synodical schools on a rotating basis. “The last time MLS hosted the synod convention (2009) our enrollment was about 180. Today, by God’s grace, our enrollment is at 230 including 36 students from outside the Michigan District or from international locations,” says Petermann. “The delegates will enjoy seeing a number of improvements on our campus. Our dormitory rooms were remodeled this summer, and most of our delegates will wake up to a carpeted floor instead of cold tiles under their feet. They will have Internet access in their rooms and in our convention hall thanks to a new wireless system throughout our campus.”

During the convention, called workers and lay members will hear presentations, discuss issues, and make decisions related to the synod’s work, including setting a ministry plan (budget) for the next biennium. Two offices to be filled by election are the synod president and second vice president, positions currently held by Rev. Mark Schroeder and Rev. Joel Voss, respectively. Both are eligible for re-election to another four-year term.

Serving in Christ,

President Mark Schroeder

Evangelism courses at MLC

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This fall, the WELS Commission on Evangelism is beginning a new certification program on evangelism, using courses offered through Martin Luther College’s online continuing education program. Building on the popular Schools of Outreach, these courses are designed to help laypeople and called workers lead their congregations with planning and implementing efforts to reach more people with the gospel.

“I really want to help, encourage, pray for, and learn alongside of believers,” says Rev. Donn Dobberstein, chairman of the Commission on Evangelism. “Some may be looking to personally grow in evangelism on behalf of their congregation. Others may be facing challenges or feeling a little overwhelmed or discouraged in their ministry setting.”

Each course provides the biblical foundation for evangelism and ministry resources needed for training and encouraging leaders.

“As WELS members we know sharing Jesus is important; we want to train the leaders in our congregations to be better at it,” says Rev. Michael Hintz, director of the Commission on Evangelism.

The first class, The Mission of the Church, taught by Rev. Donn Dobberstein, begins Sep. 7. The second class, Practical Evangelism for Congregations, taught by Rev. Michael Hintz, will begin Nov. 10. A third course on Friendship Evangelism will be offered early in 2015 and will be taught by Rev. John Huebner.

“These courses will place them in a learning environment providing mutual support, assistance, and friendship – God-willing, long after the short courses are over,” says Dobberstein.

To learn more and register for the classes: http://connect.wels.net/evangelism.

Luther Prep to hold open house

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For 150 years, Luther Preparatory School (LPS), Watertown, Wis., has been “Preparing Lives for Service” to God and to his mission for the church. On Sunday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. (central) the school will be hosting an open house to share the school’s important role in WELS ministry with WELS members and the surrounding community.

The open house will include campus tours, a brief history of the campus, student choirs, a meet and greet with LPS faculty, and light refreshments.

LPS President Rev. Matt Crass, says, “We want our visitors to take away an appreciation for the blessing this campus has been to our church body for the past 150 years. We also want them to understand that the purpose remains the same today as it was 150 years ago.”

Crass continues, “LPS belongs to the entire WELS church body. The majority of our pastors and high percentage of our teachers were influenced through their time as a student on the synod’s Watertown campus.”

Mark your calendar to visit the synod’s historic campus. Learn more about LPS and its plans to celebrate its 150th anniversary at www.lps.wels.net.

Summer assistants serve churches

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This summer, ten Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., students served in congregations in Alaska, New Mexico, Texas, Indiana, Michigan, California, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. These summer assistants served with Spanish outreach, helped with sports camps, preached, led Bible studies, helped with teens, assisted in worship, made outreach calls, taught vacation Bible school and English as a Second Language classes, and participated in summer Bible camp.

John Paustian, who served at Peace, Eagle River, Alaska, is thankful for the opportunity. “Pastor [Brian] Hackmann got me involved very quickly with the church,” he says. “The experience you gain is a great step in the right direction to further strengthening yourself as a pastor.”

His hands-on experience was all the practical aspects of preparing for vacation Bible school: making sign-up forms, advertising at local businesses, helping build a cardboard boat float for two parades, and making door-to-door visits to get the word out. All the work paid off. “The VBS was a huge success and the church had over 150 children register,” Paustian says. “There were many families who were unchurched and we used VBS to visit every child’s home with a CD/DVD of the songs they had sung.”

Summer assistants don’t simply help a church with projects, they also receive on-the-job training. Paustian preached four new sermons, assisted with liturgy, and led Bible class. “Pastor Hackmann worked with me throughout all these tasks and helped me to continue to grow,” he says.

For all the practical ways he participated in the life of the church—and the bonus of a summer in Alaska—”ultimately, the best part was getting to know people and being a part of their lives, sharing stories, struggles, and even great successes. And that is what ministry is about—people,” he explains. “Getting to know them enhances how you can serve them in conversation, in your worship together, and in their life as a whole.”

Learn more about Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary at www.wls.wels.net.

Initial planning for the ministry financial plan

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During the month of August, all areas of the synod’s ministry began initial work on the synod’s Ministry Financial Plan (budget) for the next 2015-2017 biennium.

The first step in the process was the adoption of a “support forecast.” This is an estimation, based on future projections and historical patterns, of the financial support from all sources likely to be available in the next two years. This forecast will continue to be modified as circumstances change in the next six to eight months.

The current forecast is a conservative one. It asks areas of ministry to submit plans that assume no increase in financial support over the current year. Since our prayer is that available financial support will increase, areas of ministry have also been asked to outline their plans if God blesses us with such increases.

Once the various areas of ministry and other departments submit their initial proposals, it is the responsibility of the synod president to craft a comprehensive Ministry Financial Plan for the entire work of the synod. An initial draft of this comprehensive plan is presented to the President’s Advisory Council in late September for reaction and suggested modifications. The plan, with any changes made, is then submitted to the Synodical Council (SC) for its initial consideration in November. In February, after the 2015 Congregation Mission Offering subscriptions are received and other financial information becomes available, the SC will adopt a final version of the plan and bring its recommendation to the synod convention next July. Along with the plan that it presents to the convention, the SC will also present a list of “unfunded priorities,” that is, programs and ministries that will be carried out if additional funding becomes available.

Even though this process involves a lot of discussion about dollars, it’s really not about money; it’s about ministry and how we work together to carry out the mission that God graciously given to us. The hours of planning for all involved reflects our desire to be faithful stewards of the financial resources God provides, to seize the opportunities that God is placing before us, and to provide the people of our synod with the information necessary to make wise and God-pleasing decisions about the work that we do together.

Serving in Christ,

President Mark Schroeder