Synod convention delegates elected Rev. Tyler Peil to be the synod’s new recording secretary. Peil, a pastor at Prince of Peace, Taylorsville, Utah, has accepted this call.

The WELS Bylaws note that the responsibilities of the recording secretary include serving as chairman of the synod’s Nominating Committee, recording the proceedings of synod conventions, and serving as secretary and an advisory member of the Conference of Presidents. The term of office is four years with no limit on the number of terms a recording secretary may serve. Peil will continue to serve in his current call as he carries out duties as the recording secretary.

Rev. Robert Pasbrig has served as WELS’ recording secretary since 2005. He chose not to be considered for nomination at this year’s convention.

Rev. Joel Otto, professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., recapped 175 years of WELS history in his presentation to delegates Tuesday afternoon. Otto, the chairman of WELS’ 175th Anniversary Planning Committee, wove together photos and stories to illustrate God’s surprising grace to WELS in areas such as home and world missions, ministerial education, and synodical leadership.

Otto made the following anniversary applications for WELS members:

• Remember God’s faithfulness to his promise that the gospel will be preached; by his grace, “Christ through us.”
• Confession for our shortcomings; trust in God’s grace and forgiveness.
• Appreciate God’s victories through sinful and flawed people.
• Teach a new generation about God’s surprising grace to and through WELS for 175 years.
• Give thanks for God’s enduring love to us.

After the presentation, each delegate received a complimentary copy of Christ Through Us: A Pictorial History of the Wisconsin Synod, 1850-2025, co-authored by Otto and Rev. John Braun, another anniversary committee member.

In the evening, Martin Luther College Professor Paul Koelpin provided a presentation on the history of Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn. Koelpin saw this as one of the purposes of his presentation: “Especially in this anniversary year, it seems to me that we should be thinking of what kind of heritage our church body has given to us. This is the college where we train future pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. If you know the history of how the college started in this place and then what happened over time, it helps you understand the growth and adjustment and change of the synod in general.”

For more information on Martin Luther College, visit mlc-wels.edu.

“WELS is blessed to enter the new biennium with strong financial footing,” said Mr. Kyle Egan, WELS’ chief financial officer and treasurer. “[This is] supported by robust reserves and a well-funded Financial Stabilization Fund, allowing for both annual stability and continued growth in mission and ministry.”

On Tuesday morning, Egan shared WELS’ recent financial information with synod convention delegates and later presented key elements of the proposed ministry financial plan for the upcoming biennium, covering fiscal years 2025–26 and 2026–27. Egan also highlighted the blessings of consistent annual increases in Congregation Mission Offerings, which fund approximately 70 percent of annual synod operating support.

Egan concluded his remarks with gratitude for the generosity of God’s people: “We give thanks to our gracious Lord for the continued, robust support through gifts, grants, and bequests, which enable the ongoing expansion of ministry [in WELS].”

Rev. Gary Pufahl, a pastor delegate from the Arizona-California District, is serving as chairman of the Financial Results and Ministry Financial Plan convention floor committee. “We praise and thank our gracious Lord for blessing WELS with financial stability,” Pufahl notes. “WELS exceeded projections and ended with an overall increase in reserves. Estimates indicate that this trend will continue in the next biennium. Thanks be to God as he continues to bring his gospel to people through WELS.”

In the coming days, convention delegates will consider adoption of the balanced ministry financial plan, which includes support for WELS ministerial education, WELS missions, congregation and district ministry, and ministry support. For details, see Egan’s full presentations, available at welsconvention.net/convention-resources.

On Tuesday morning synod convention delegates elected Rev. Joel Voss to be the synod’s new first vice president, and he has accepted the call. Voss, a pastor at Resurrection, Centerville, Ohio, has served as the synod’s second vice president since 2009.

The WELS Bylaws note that the responsibilities of the first vice president include assisting the WELS president, serving on the Conference of Presidents, and acting as president if the president cannot perform his duties. His term of office is four years with no limits on the number of terms he may serve. The office is part time, and Voss will continue to serve in his current position at Resurrection.

Rev. James Huebner has served as WELS’ first vice president since 2009. He chose not to be considered for nomination at this year’s convention.

Delegates began voting for a new synod second vice president following the announcement of Voss’ election as first vice president.

The opening worship service of the 68th Biennial Convention of WELS took place July 21, 2025, in the Chapel of the Christ on the campus of Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn.

Rev. Mark Gabb, administrator for WELS Home Missions, delivered the sermon. WELS President Mark Schroeder served as the presiding minister, while First Vice President James Huebner assisted as cantor.

While this year’s convention theme is “Christ through us,” the sermon Monday evening focused on what Christ has done “for us.”

Gabb said, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Can you believe it? God became man. Can you believe it? The God who said, ‘Let there be light,’ came into this sin-darkened world for us.”

A choir of area WELS and Evangelical Lutheran Synod members—in addition to almost 20 musicians—under the direction of MLC Professor Adrian Smith, provided special music. Benjamin Foster, an MLC student, served as organist and choir accompanist.

“I’m a member of a very small church, and it’s great to hear beautiful music and beautiful singing,” comments Mr. Marty Kurth, a member at Bethany, Gibsonia, Penn. “Everybody is very excited to be here. To me, this is one of the main reasons I like to come to this.”

Mr. John Chung, a member at Bethlehem, Carmel, Ind., remarks, “I’m just floored. I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a church service like this. I truly felt blessed. I’m probably one of the youngest delegates here, and I want to keep this church going for another 175 years.”

Gabb closed his sermon by reminding worshipers, “Remember this: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us to live for us, to die for us, and to equip us to do the work through us.”

The convention devotions on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will focus on Christ doing his work through us in the core areas of our synodical work: publications, worker training, and missions.

Watch the archived livestream of the service.

View photos from the service

The 68th Biennial Convention of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) is being held July 21-24 at Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn. About 400 delegates from around the United States will attend.

“We’re excited to host the 2025 WELS convention because of the opportunity for the delegates who may have never been on our campus to see firsthand their WELS college of ministry,” says Rev. Rich Gurgel, MLC president. “Since MLC’s sole mission is to train and encourage the next generation of public ministers for our church body, our campus impacts every single ministry in our synod.”

In addition, Gurgel explains, “We will be encouraging every lay leader and public minister present to remember each one of them is in the front lines of ministry recruitment! MLC cannot do this alone.”

MLC is home to Chapel of the Christ, where the opening and closing worship services of the convention will take place.

As part of WELS’ 175th anniversary celebration, Rev. Paul Koelpin, a professor at MLC, will provide an historical overview of Martin Luther College.

Mrs. Beth Scharf, MLC event coordinator, describes what it takes for the school to host a synod convention. “As the host school, MLC does all it can to make our campus welcoming for our visiting guests. We are thankful for staff, MLC emeriti volunteers, and our MLC team who are handling logistics for our 400-plus guests—such as preparing dorm housing, working with the cafeteria on menus and serving schedules, setting up the Luther Student Center for display vendors and the main floor and stage for our delegates, audio-visual coordination, maintenance on buildings and grounds, shuttle schedules for traveling delegates, worship planning and executing, and print services for all printed materials and promotional signage.”

Learn more about Martin Luther College at mlc-wels.edu.