Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

Pastor, teacher, and staff minister call report

8/15/2023 – 8/21/2023

The call report details when pastors, teachers, and staff ministers change positions within WELS.  The Conference of Presidents oversees and coordinates the calling process.

NO DECISION REPORTED

Pastors	Current call	New call	Date issued
Rev Benjamin Birner	Cross of Christ LC Liverpool NY	One Africa Team (OAT) Missionary	7/17/2023
Rev Mark Gabb	St Paul LC Beverly Hills FL	Board for Home Missions Administrator	7/20/2023
Rev Brian Krueger	Bloomington LC Bloomington MN	Beautiful Savior LC Cincinnati OH Pastor	7/23/2023
Rev Michael Killinger	Bethel LC Bay City MI	St Stephen LC Beaver Dam WI Associate Pastor	7/23/2023
Rev David Pries	Eternal Love LC Appleton WI	Prince of Peace LC Fairport NY Pastor	7/25/2023
Rev Matthew Brown	Abiding Word LC Houston TX	Hope LC Irmo SC Pastor	7/26/2023
Rev Jonathan Bergemann	Good Shepherd LC Downers Grove IL	Cross of Glory LC Peoria AZ Pastor	7/27/2023
Rev Benjamin Kuerth	Divine Savior LC-Doral Doral FL	New Mission Start Panama City Beach FL Pastor	7/29/2023
Rev Benjamin Kuerth	Divine Savior LC-Doral Doral FL	Pilgrim LC Minneapolis MN Pastor	7/30/2023
Rev Dr Jacob Haag	Redeemer LC Ann Arbor MI	Zion LC South Milwaukee WI Pastor	7/30/2023
Rev Stephen Meyer	Resurrection LC Rochester MN	Zion LC Monroe MI Associate Pastor	7/30/2023
Rev N. Mielke III	Ascension LC Sarasota FL	Apostles LC San Jose CA Associate Pastor	7/30/2023
Rev Robert Guenther	St John’s LC New Ulm MN	First German LC Manitowoc WI Associate Pastor	7/31/2023
Rev Michael Neumann	St Paul LC Alexandria MN	St John LC Kendall WI St Matthew LC Ontario WI Pastor	8/2/2023
Rev Allen Kirschbaum	Spirit of Life LC Caledonia MI	St Paul’s LC Fort Atkinson WI Associate Pastor	8/6/2023
Rev Matthew Rothe	The Way LC Fredericksburg VA	St Mark LC De Pere WI Associate Pastor	8/6/2023
Rev Joshua Bishop	Grace LC Saint Joseph MI	St John LC Two Rivers WI Associate Pastor	8/6/2023
Rev Jacob Hanneman	Shepherd of the Plains LC Fort Morgan CO	St John LC Riga MI Pastor	8/6/2023
Rev Benjamin Schmudlach	First LC La Crosse WI	Grace LC Kenai AK Pastor	8/6/2023
Rev Steven Gabb	Hope LC Los Angeles CA	Mountain View LC Calgary AB Canada Pastor	8/6/2023
Rev Philip Bigelow	St Matthew’s LC Oconomowoc WI	Bethany LC Manitowoc WI Associate Pastor	8/7/2023
Rev Daniel Voigt	Calvary LC Sheboygan WI	St Peter LC Savanna IL Trinity LC Mount Carroll IL Pastor	8/7/2023
Pastor Jon Cox	Bethel LC Galesville WI Bethel LC Arcadia WI	Grace LC Ringle WI Pastor	8/7/2023
Rev Thomas Glende	Beautiful Savior LC Fayetteville NC	Mt Olive LC Lincoln NE Pastor	8/7/2023
Rev Benjamin Golisch	St Paul LC Slinger WI	St John LC Centuria WI Redeemer LC Saint Croix Falls WI Pastor	8/8/2023
Rev Jonathan Werre	Good Shepherd LC Sioux Falls SD	Our Redeemer LC Yorktown VA Pastor	8/9/2023
Rev Dennis Rawerts	Trinity LC Aberdeen SD	Christus LC Delavan WI Pastor	8/9/2023
Rev Theodore Bodjanac	Shepherd of the Hills LC Fredericksburg TX	St Paul’s LC Broken Bow NE Pastor	8/9/2023
Rev Lucas Proeber	St Paul LC Wisconsin Rapids WI	New Mission Start Bentonville AR Pastor	8/10/2023
Rev Scott Henrich	Shepherd of the Hills LC Knoxville TN	Living Savior LC Kalispell MT Pastor	8/10/2023
Rev Caleb Schoeneck	Beautiful Savior LC College Station TX	Living Shepherd LC Laramie WY Pastor	8/10/2023
Rev Scott Bergemann	New Life LC – Central Kenosha WI	Salem LC Owosso MI Pastor	8/10/2023
Rev Edward Frey Jr	WLCFS-Christian Family Solutions Germantown WI	Wisconsin Lutheran Institutional Ministries Inc Oconomowoc WI Director of Ministry	8/11/2023
Rev Shane Krause	St Paul LC Onalaska WI	Peace of Our Savior LC New Carlisle OH Pastor	8/13/2023
Rev Stephen Schmidt	St John’s LC Oak Creek WI	Faith LC River Falls WI Pastor	8/13/2023
Rev Michael Bartsch	Retired	Peace LC Wilmot WI Pastor	8/13/2023
Rev Michael Jensen	St Mark’s LC Watertown WI	St Peter’s LC Fond du Lac WI Associate Pastor	8/13/2023
Rev Geoffrey Cortright	Saviour of the Nations LC Vancouver BC Canada	Christ LC Pewaukee WI Associate Pastor	8/13/2023
Rev Timothy Schwartz	Zion LC Columbus WI	King of Kings LC Frankenmuth MI Mt Sinai LC Montrose MI Pastor	8/13/2023
Rev David Frey	Living Word LC Mission Viejo CA	Grace LC Geneva NE Trinity LC Grafton NE Pastor	8/14/2023
Rev John Baumann	Retired	St John LC (Town of Lake Mills) Waterloo WI Pastor retirement, quarter time, 1 year call	8/14/2023
Rev Darin Warnecke	St John LC Sturgis MI	Our Savior’s LC Wausau WI Pastor	8/16/2023
Rev Darin Aden	St John St James LC Reedsville WI	New Mission Start Idaho Falls ID Pastor	8/16/2023
Rev Mark Wagner	Retired	316NOW Milwaukee WI Administrator	8/16/2023
Rev Kurt Uhlenbrauck	St Jacob LC Grass Lake MI	St Peter LC Chilton WI Pastor	8/17/2023
Rev Joseph Johnson	Amazing Grace LC Portland OR	Risen Savior LC Mansfield OH Pastor	8/17/2023
Rev Steven Hillmer	St Matthew’s LC Oconomowoc WI	Immanuel LC Sault Sainte Marie MI Pastor	8/17/2023
Staff Ministers	Current call	New call	Date issued
Mrs Julia Boggs	Luther Preparatory School Watertown WI	St John LC (Town of Lake Mills) Waterloo WI Congregation Staff Minister of Music, Three-Quarter Time, One-Year Call	8/13/2023

CALLS ACCEPTED

Pastors	Current call	New call	Date accepted
Rev Tao Nguyen		Peace in Jesus Vietnamese LC Boise ID Pastor	8/20/2023
Teachers	Current call	New call	Date accepted
Mrs Emily Elmquist	St Stephen LS Beaver Dam WI	St Stephen LS Beaver Dam WI Teacher; Grades 5-8 Science, Grade 8 Spelling, English, Provisional Half-Time Call	8/11/2023
Staff Ministers	Current call	New call	Date accepted
Mr Jon Woldt		Divine Savior Lutheran Academy Delray Beach FL Congregation Staff Minister and School Administrator	8/18/2023

CALLS DECLINED

Pastors	Current call	New call	Date declined
Rev Stephen Kurtzahn	Retired	Peace LC Wautoma WI Pastor	8/14/2023
Rev James Buske	Lighthouse Youth Center Milwaukee WI	Peace LC Livonia MI Pastor	8/15/2023
Rev Shaun Arndt	Peace LC Sun Prairie WI	Good Shepherd LC Plymouth WI Pastor	8/15/2023
Prof Joel Thomford	Martin Luther College New Ulm MN	Zion LC Valentine NE Pastor	8/16/2023
Rev Sean Steinke	Mt Olive LC Bay City MI	St Luke LC Little Chute WI Pastor	8/16/2023
Rev Matthew Ewart	NorthCross LC Lakeville MN	Good Shepherd LC Omaha NE Pastor	8/17/2023
Rev Jon Hartmann	New Hope LC West Melbourne FL	Gloria Dei LC Grand Blanc MI Pastor	8/18/2023
Rev David Warskow	Beautiful Savior LC Spooner WI	St John LC Hancock MN Calvary LC Glenwood MN Pastor	8/18/2023
Rev Jay Bickelhaupt	Apostles LC Billings MT	Peace LC Trinity FL Pastor	8/18/2023
Rev Dustin Bergene	Zion LC Bristol WI	St Paul LC Prescott WI Pastor	8/18/2023
Rev Nathanael Scharf	St Paul’s LC New Ulm MN	Michigan Lutheran Seminary Saginaw MI Pastor Dean of Students	8/18/2023
Rev Jordan Bence	The Vine LC Joplin MO	Emmanuel LC Hudson WI Pastor	8/18/2023
Rev Andrew Schultz	St John (Barre Mills) LC La Crosse WI	New Mission Start Kronenwetter WI Pastor	8/19/2023
Rev Jeffrey Samelson	CRM	Faith LC Radcliff KY Pastor	8/19/2023
Rev Aaron Bublitz	Heritage LC Gilbert AZ	Salem LC Stillwater MN Associate Pastor	8/19/2023
Rev Nathaniel Timmermann	Peace LC Otsego MI	St Paul’s LC North Mankato MN Associate Pastor	8/19/2023
Rev Troy Schreiner	Victory LC Jacksonville FL	Faith LC Antioch IL Associate Pastor	8/19/2023
Rev Jeffery Drake	Trinity LC Hartford WI	Living Hope LC Peoria IL Pastor	8/19/2023
Rev Dr Jacob Haag	Redeemer LC Ann Arbor MI	Resurrection LC Chesapeake VA Pastor	8/19/2023

RESIGNED

Teachers	Current call	Date resigned
Mrs Nichole Welle	St Paul LS Bloomer WI	7/31/2023
Mrs Rachel Berger	Holy Trinity Lutheran Academy – Child Care New Hope MN	12/31/2023

CALLED TO ETERNAL GLORY

Pastors	Home church	Death date
Rev Ronald Waterstradt	St Andrew LC Citrus Heights CA	8/18/2023

RETIREMENT

Pastors	Current call	Date retired
Rev Newton Trimmer	Atonement LC Baltimore MD	11/10/2023