Equipping leaders
“The WELS leadership conference offered a fantastic opportunity for our members to learn from experts across the synod and encourage them as leaders at our church,” says Rev. Kurtis Wetzel, pastor at Cross of Christ, Nampa, Idaho.
Wetzel and members from Cross of Christ attended the first two WELS National Conferences on Lutheran Leadership in 2020 and 2023. He and his congregation are planning to send another group to the leadership conference in January 2026.
Cross of Christ in Nampa is a mission congregation established as a second site to Cross of Christ in Boise. Wetzel shares, “Some of the guidance I received early on in our mission was to train up lay leaders quickly and involve members in lots of ministry.”
The keynotes and workshops at the leadership conference equipped his members for just that.
“We are striving to equip and empower the universal priesthood at our congregation and encourage leaders to work alongside the called staff to do more ministry and increase our local impact on souls for eternity,” says Wetzel. “Cross of Christ has always encouraged personal witnessing. Because of some of the workshops on outreach and evangelism, our members came back with renewed outreach energy and shared with the congregation even more about the need for personal (as well as corporate) evangelism. This has energized other members at our church for witnessing.”
Member Cindy Harris says she was honored to be invited to attend the conference. “I was humbled to be in the company of so many gifted spiritual leaders who passionately shared their knowledge about how to best proclaim the gospel in our communities,” she says. “Our pastors at Cross of Christ in Idaho do a wonderful job of training and encouraging our members for works of service, but this was an opportunity to learn from pastors and teachers in other congregations throughout our entire church body and take it home and share it!”
Cindy and her husband are founding members of Cross of Christ. She serves through leading a women’s Bible study and as the coordinator for the spiritual needs committee. She says of her time at the conference, “The whole time I was there I was thinking how wonderful it would be for every member back home to experience this conference. We ‘Western WELS’ members don’t often have the opportunity to personally experience the depth of our synod’s leadership and their passion for proclaiming the gospel throughout the world. It is a taste of heaven!”
The next WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership will be held Jan. 19–21, 2026, at the Hilton, Chicago.
Learn more about the conference at lutheranleadership.com.
Jarrell, Texas: Jarrell is a rapidly growing town north of Austin. For the past three years, Pastor Don Patterson has been working with a core group of 11, which began holding weekly worship in October 2024. The group has identified 90 prospects, many of whom they connected with by volunteering at the local food pantry.
San Tan Valley, Ariz.: Since 2022, the Arizona-California District Mission Board has been working with Heritage in Gilbert, Ariz., to plant a new mission in rapidly growing San Tan Valley. A core group of 26 adults has been gathering regularly for Bible study and community events. In October 2024, they began holding regular worship services and have already identified 127 prospects interested in learning more about the new church.
Missionaries Rev. Dr. Matthew Doebler and Rev. Peter Janke, both members of the Asia-Oceania Team, are leading this effort. While they continue to work with contacts throughout Asia, their physical presence in Australia allows them to establish a firm foundation for ministry within local communities. They are collaborating with two existing churches in Australia: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Brisbane and Fountain of Life in Maryborough. These congregations, members of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference, provide vital connections and a foundation for expanding ministry efforts. This partnership strengthens the mission by providing existing worship spaces, local insights, and a community of believers eager to spread the gospel.
With the generosity of faithful donors, we built a sturdy building—complete with classrooms, sleeping quarters, and a kitchen—meant to house 60 students at a time and train pastors for Christ’s service. Almost two years ago at the dedication, it stood ready, a beacon of hope. But government regulations have kept us from using it for now. The paperwork continues, and the delay has a story of its own. A local church body that once supported us began demanding practices contrary to Scripture—insisting we stop baptizing babies and allow non-Lutheran teachers to train our pastors. In a Martin Luther-esque stand, our partner church broke away, choosing faithfulness over compromise. Since then, they’ve lost government recognition, which has slowed the process for gaining occupancy of the theological education center. Yet we trust that access could come any day, because God’s timing is not ours.
Some might see this as a delay, a plan stalled. But God has provided paths we never expected. Since we began, our sister church has grown to over 160,000 souls, hungry for the Word. 
We thank God for sparing Hope Lutheran Church, in Los Angeles, which was within 10 miles of the fires. Additionally, there have been no reports of significant loss or damage from members.
WELS Christian Aid and Relief provided a $6,000 grant to Hope to help with local efforts and to provide gift cards for people who lost their homes or were displaced. In addition, Christian Aid and Relief gave $5,000 to Direct Relief, an organization that specializes in medical assistance in disaster situations.
The Commission on Worship is part of WELS Congregational Services, which exists to encourage and equip congregations for faithful and fruitful gospel ministry. Part of Prange’s new role as director will be supporting congregations in worship and worship planning. This includes helping congregations and worship planners understand what resources are available from the 2021 WELS Hymnal Project and how to use them as well as discovering what resources may still need to be developed. “I think I can be helpful to any willing participant in the church who asks how to improve worship, no matter what their circumstance,” he says. 
