New director named for WELS Church Extension Fund
Mr. Brian Roser has been named the new executive director of WELS Church Extension Fund, Inc. (WELS CEF). Roser started in the position in July 2024, after the retirement of Mr. Scott Page.
Roser brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served in both the corporate and non-profit worlds in the past. His prior banking experience included management roles in client relations, consumer lending, and loss mitigation. He also served as executive administrator for Lutheran Association for Church Extension, Inc., for six years. Roser has been with WELS CEF since 2016, working as a loan manager.
Roser says that he appreciates being part of the mission of WELS CEF, which is to support the spreading of the gospel primarily by providing loans and grants to WELS Home Missions congregations. “When you work in the corporate world, it’s a job to support yourself. Working in the non-profit world has a whole different feeling. It becomes a part of who you are,” he says. “There’s a higher meaning to it than just a job. I feel blessed to be working for WELS.”
An active member at Star of Bethlehem, New Berlin, Wis., Roser hopes to build on his years of serving as a church volunteer to help him communicate and work through the process with church treasurers and building committees. “I just pray that I can use whatever skills God has given me for the good of the church,” he says.
WELS CEF helps provide financing to mission congregations so they can purchase land and either build or renovate a worship facility. It also works with established congregations on building projects as funds are available. Loan demand has been high the last few years, according to Roser, with more than $40.8 million of loans disbursed for new construction, facility expansion or purchase, or land purchase in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024.
Almost 2,800 WELS members, congregations, and affiliates have entrusted WELS CEF with $111 million in member investments. Operational surpluses over the years have enabled WELS CEF to provide $48 million in matching grants to mission congregations and $15.8 million in special grants to Home Missions since 1993.
WELS mission congregations recognize the significance of WELS CEF in getting a building project off the ground. Started as a mission in 2018, Sure Foundation, Brandon, S.D., recently broke ground on a 7,500 sq. ft. facility, which includes a worship space that seats 200, a gathering space, a multi-purpose room, a kitchen, and two classrooms. WELS CEF provided the congregation a grant and loan to purchase land and then another loan to build the church facility. “I appreciate the work of CEF because it allows us to do something that we would never otherwise be able to do—have a permanent space,” says Rev. Craig Wilke, pastor at Sure Foundation. “In our context, a permanent space is a big deal. And while a building will not convert souls, it will give us more opportunities to preach the gospel and connect with people.”
Learn more about the work of WELS CEF at wels.net/cef.
