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There tends to be so much focus on the “launch service” when you’re starting a brand-new church. Over the past 15 months, it felt like I was constantly pointing people forward to September 28, 2025. When planting a church, the outreach and preparation leading up to that big Sunday is a key focus of ministry. So, how do you invite people to a church plant’s launch service? What does outreach leading up to launch look like?
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We at Living Stone Lutheran Church in Conway, Ark., decided to take a scattershot approach. As we continually learned more about our new community, we sought to find creative and effective ways to form relationships and connections with new faces . . .
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Read more from home missionary C.J. Fury about how Living Stone's members strived to build personal connections and friendships in the community long before its launch service.
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“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
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That verse is the heartbeat of our synod’s long-range strategic plan, “Christ through us.” It’s also the heartbeat of our congregations—beacons of the light of Christ’s salvation to a world lost in the darkness of sin.
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Right now, WELS congregations reach about two percent of the U.S. population—roughly 6.8 million people living within a 15-minute drive of a WELS church. But WELS Home Missions has set a bold goal with the 100 Missions in 10 Years initiative: increase that reach to three percent. That’s an additional 3.4 million souls—souls who could be within reach of a confessional Lutheran congregation proclaiming the message of reconciliation with God through the perfect life and innocent death of Jesus.
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This isn’t just about planting churches. It’s about strengthening the backbone of our synod. It’s about building a network of congregations—both longstanding and newly planted—that radiate the unity and love of Christ, draw the lost into fellowship, and equip the faithful to stand firm in a fragmented world.
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World Missions Administrator Rev. Larry Schlomer recently traveled to Medellín, Colombia, for the Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional synod convention. This international sister synod of WELS is made up of congregations from across Latin America that work together to do mission work, train pastors, and support each other with prayers and fellowship.
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During this year’s convention, Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional formally welcomed two new church bodies into fellowship: a church plant in Tenancingo, Mexico, represented by Juan Reyes, and the Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Church—Puerto Rico, represented by Sergio Cortijo. The new church in Tenancingo is the second church plant established through Academia Cristo outreach efforts to join this growing synod—a significant milestone for the Academia Cristo program.
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As one of the largest metro areas in the United States without a WELS church, Buffalo presents a unique and urgent opportunity for gospel outreach. The target area—Kenmore, North Buffalo, and Tonawanda—has about 95,000 residents within a 2-mile radius. A dedicated core group has begun gathering for Bible study and outreach, laying the groundwork for a new church plant. With Buffalo’s affordable housing, expanding job market, and a population eager for spiritual connection, the mission team is excited to build relationships and share the hope of Christ with the community.
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Learn more about the new mission in Buffalo and the rest of the approved new starts at wels100in10.net.
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On Sunday, October 5, 2025, Sure Foundation Lutheran Church in Queens, N.Y., celebrated 25 years of ministry! Through the support of many individuals and partners, such as WELS Church Extension Fund, this home mission congregation has been able to reach the lost with the gospel in New York.
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Support Home Missions
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Thank you for supporting WELS Home Missions through your prayers, congregational offerings, and special offerings made to Home Missions. If you'd like to support mission work, visit wels.net/hmgift.
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Host a Mission Festival
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Request a mission speaker and let the WELS Missions team help find you a mission speaker for your event.
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Faces of Faith
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Read stories of the Holy Spirit at work in Faces of Faith, WELS Missions' annual magazine. Request free copies for your church or LWMS circuit rally at wels.net/facesoffaith.
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Contact us
We'd like to hear from you! Contact us for assistance or additional information regarding WELS Missions or simply visit wels.net/missions.
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