Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors manages the affairs of WELS CEF. Our Bylaws provide that the Board may have between seven and thirteen directors. Our Board currently has seven members. Each is elected to a four-year term by the Synodical Council. A director may be removed by the Synodical Council if in its judgment the best interests of WELS CEF will be served thereby, and any vacancy on the Board shall be filled by a person elected by the Synodical Council. The Synodical Council has 21 members, including the Synod president, a lay representative from each of the Synod’s 12 districts, three district presidents elected by the Conference of Presidents, and six at large members elected by the Synod in convention. A director may not serve more than three terms. In addition to these voting directors, the Chief Financial Officer of the Synod, the Administrator for the Board of Home Missions and the Director Mission Operations also serve as advisory non-voting directors. The following individuals are our current directors:
Mr. Boerneke serves as the Vice President-Chief Lending Officer at Ergo Bank, a Community Bank serving the Fox Lake, WI. With nearly 25 years at the bank, he plays a key role in lending, operations, branch management and security.
Previously, he was a Senior Underwriter for seven years for a Fortune 500 corporation serving the Midwest. Throughout his career, he has actively contributed to numerous civic, community and church boards.
He is currently the Board Chairman of Winnebago Lutheran Academy and serves on both the WELS Church Extension Fund the WELS Foundation Board since 2014.
Fox Lake, Wisconsin
Term expires: 6/30/2026
Mr. Hirons currently serves as Senior Vice President at Wedbush Securities in San Diego, CA where he leads a team practice serving the investment needs of clients for 25 years. He has served corporate, non-profit and individual investors in over 40 states. A focus of the practice has been retirement, estate and financial planning. The team maintains a retail investment advisory based in San Diego, CA. Prior to that, he worked 15 years for the Dayton Hudson Corporation (currently Target Corp.) in a Strategic Marketing role. He was involved with a mission start-up project in Lexington, Kentucky. He has served on the Development Board of California Lutheran High School. He currently serves his home congregation Beautiful Saviour Lutheran Church in Carlsbad, CA in an Evangelism role. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration – Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1986. In 1986 he also received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Milwaukee School Of Engineering. Mr. Hirons has been a director since 2016.
Vista, California
Term expires: 6/30/2028
Mr. Kerr currently serves as the Chief Financial and Risk Officer of Country Bancorporation, an Iowa based multi-bank holding company. Mr. Kerr has been with Country Bancorporation since 2014. Prior to joining the holding company, he was a risk advisory and operational consultant from 2011-2014. Mr. Kerr has over 25 years of community banking experience which includes roles as President/CEO, Senior Vice President Operations and Loan Officer (real estate, consumer, agriculture and commercial). He began his career in public accounting serving clients in the financial, not-for-profit and government industries. He has served on numerous community bank boards as a Director or Secretary. Mr. Kerr earned a Bachelor of Business Administration-Accounting from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 1986. He is licensed to practice as a Certified Public Accounting (CPA) in the state of Wisconsin. Mr. Kerr has been a director since 2017.
Mazomanie, Wisconsin
Term expires: 6/30/2029
Mr. Egan has been serving as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of WELS since July of 2020. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as Assistant Treasurer & Director of Investor Relations at Quad/Graphics, Inc. (Quad) and held various other management roles related to treasury, investor relations, pensions, 401(k) plans, technical accounting and external reporting over his 10 year tenure at Quad. Prior to working at Quad, Mr. Egan served as an auditor for the accounting firm Deloitte. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Chosen Gen Discipleship Ministry. Mr. Egan earned a Bachelor of Business Administration – Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2004 and a Masters of Professional Accountancy also from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2005.E
Pastor Otterstatter has served as pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Summerville, South Carolina since July 2024. He served as Vice-President for Mission Advancement at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN from July 2013 to June 2024. Michael is a 1994 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. He served his internship year at Beautiful Savior in Marietta, Georgia. In the years since his ordination Michael has served congregations in Tulsa, OK, Cincinnati, OH, and Redwood Falls, MN.
Summerville, South Carolina
Term Expires: 06/30/2028
Mr. Kock is a sales, marketing and business development executive from Omaha, NE. He is currently working as Regional Manager for Imagine Tours & Travel, helping pastors organize and lead Biblical tours overseas to places like Israel, Greece and Germany. Prior to working with Imagine Tours & Travel, Mr. Kock was employed from 2013-2018 as the Executive Director at The First Tee of Omaha, an internationally acclaimed youth development program centered around the game of golf. As a volunteer lay leader, Mr. Kock served 5 years on the South Atlantic District Mission Board from 2008-2013. He was also a full-time employee at CEF from 2000-2005 serving as VP-Marketing/Investments from 2002-2005 and as Loan Origination Manager from 2000-2002. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration – Marketing from the University of Tulsa in 1992. Mr. Kock has been a director since 2018.
Omaha, Nebraska
Term expires: 6/30/2027
Mr. Gensmer currently practices law in Sarasota, Florida. He has been a sole practitioner since 1992. Mr. Gensmer practiced law in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1984 to 1985. Mr. Gensmer moved to Sarasota, Florida in 1985 and was an associate in the Sarasota office of the Chicago, Illinois law firm of Siemon, Larsen, Mattlin & Purdy. In March 1988, he joined the Sarasota law firm of Icard Merrill, where he practiced until he started his own firm in 1992. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1980. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Creighton University in 1984. Mr. Gensmer has been a director since 2016.
Sarasota, Florida
Term expires: 6/30/2029
Mr. Hartman retired in 2015 from the oil and gas exploration business where he worked for 33 years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1982 from Texas Tech University and began his career as a geophysicist with Shell Oil. Over a 17 year period he worked in a variety of technical and management roles. After his Shell Oil experience, he worked for Meridian Resources and served as Vice President of Exploration. In 2004, he joined Yuma Exploration and Production Company, a small private company, where he served in a variety of positions and ultimately became Vice President of Exploration. Mr. Hartman also serves on the South Central District Mission Board, Board for Home Missions and Board for Home Missions Executive Committee. Mr. Hartman has been a director since 2018.
Houston, Texas
Term expires: 6/30/2026
Mr. Bodendorfer currently serves as Vice President of Citizens Bank, a Community Bank serving Southeastern Wisconsin area. Mr. Bodendorfer has been with Citizens Bank for over 20 years in the area of commercial lending. During his banking career, he has been responsible for all areas of lending including compliance and credit administration. He has served on numerous civic, community and church boards. Mr. Bodendorfer earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1985 from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking in 1997. Mr. Bodendorfer is newly elected in 2020.
Mukwonago, Wisconsin
Term expires: 6/30/2028
Timothy McFarlane serves as President of Bank First, overseeing retail and business banking operations as well as the Marketing, Human Resources, Credit Administration, and Deposit and Loan Operations teams. He plays a key role in shaping the bank’s strategic direction and upholding its mission and values.
Mr. McFarlane began his banking career in 1988 as a credit analyst at Valley Bank in Oshkosh. He went on to hold leadership positions at Bank One and Associated Bank, where he served as Community Bank President and led the Fond du Lac market to top performance. In 2003, he joined Hometown Bank as President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board. During his 20-year tenure, he guided the bank through two major acquisitions and grew assets from $189 million to $654 million.
An active community leader, Mr. McFarlane has served on numerous civic and economic development boards in the Fond du Lac area. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and joined Bank First in 2023 following its merger with Hometown Bank.
Mr. McFarlane currently serves on the Board of Directors for WELS Church Extension Fund and Ansay & Associates.
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Term expires: 6/30/2029
LOAN PROGRAMS
Mission congregations can seek mortgage loans and grants through WELS CEF.
HOW TO INVEST
Learn about investing with the WELS Church Extension Fund.