Home Missions

WELS Home Missions is blessed to plant churches and assist mission-minded congregations in the United States, Canada, and English-speaking West Indies. Home Missions currently supports 144 congregations with financial subsidy or district mission board/mission counselor assistance, with 29 of those being cross-cultural mission congregations. Home Missions also provides over 45 campus ministries with financial support, while assisting hundreds of other congregations that serve college students around the United States and Canada.

WELS has fourteen Home Missions districts, each with their own district mission board (DMBs). These DMBs, comprised of pastor and lay volunteers, work to start new missions and support existing missions in their districts. Two representatives from each district serve on the Board for Home Missions. This Board for Home Missions votes on the new starts and enhancement ministries for the next year and sets overall direction for WELS Home Missions. Three home mission counselors work with the DMBs to find, evaluate, and develop new home mission locations and provide onsite assistance to home mission congregations and counseling and training to the new missionaries who are called to serve them. WELS Home Missions also works with three specialized mission counselors that assist congregations with Hispanic, Asian, and Campus Ministry outreach.

Fast facts

  • 144 home mission congregations
  • 14 new mission starts/enhancements approved in 2024 (Learn more)
  • 152 new mission starts/enhancements since 2011
  • Home Missions in 37 states, Canada, and English-speaking West Indies
  • 29 cross-cultural missions
  • Financially supports 45+ campus ministries

Support WELS Home Missions. Your gift will allow Home Missions to plant new churches, enhance ministries at current congregations, and support current home mission outreach efforts around the United States, Canada, and English-speaking West Indies.

In 2021, synod convention delegates approved an ambitious new goal that allows WELS Home Missions to plant 100 new home mission churches and enhance 75 existing ministries from 2023-2033. The Board for Home Missions has so far approved a total of 16 new missions and 18 enhancements towards that goal.

Yellow = 2024 new starts and enhancements: WELS Home Missions approved 14 new home mission starts and enhancements in 2024. Learn more at wels100in10.net.

Red = Current home mission churches: Current home mission churches have applied for and received full home mission status from the Board for Home Missions. Funded home missions receive direct financial support from Home Missions. Unsubsidized, or self-funded, home missions do not receive direct financial support but still have access to the many other benefits offered to all home mission congregations: assistance through their district mission board, mission counselors, and synodical support staff plus full access to loans and grants from WELS Church Extension Fund and the Board for Home Missions.

Blue = Exploratory missions: District mission boards and mission counselors work with exploratory missions to develop a core group of members and begin Bible study and initial outreach before coming to the Board for Home Missions for official home mission status. These missions are not currently approved, but are preparing the groundwork needed for their formal ministry request to the Board for Home Missions. Each request is thoroughly vetted and either prioritized, deferred, or denied. Prioritized requests are authorized as funding is available. Please note that there might be some exploratory missions on this list that will not end up receiving home mission status after the review process.

Learn more about the life of a home mission church in our interactive timeline found at wels.net/hmtimeline.

Get the latest PowerPoints, ministry overviews, and videos from Home Missions.