Joint Missions

WELS Joint Missions supports mission opportunities that are the responsibility of Home Missions, World Missions, and Ministerial Education. Much of this work centers around diaspora (people group) ministries, where immigrants who have joined our fellowship in the United States and Canada are able to take the gospel back to friends and family in their country of origin. Joint Missions administers the work of the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) and assists in other cross-cultural outreach efforts and new programs like WELS Mission Journeys.

The Joint Mission Council (JMC) facilitates the mission work of WELS Joint Missions. The JMC is made up of called and lay member representatives from Home Missions, World Missions, and Ministerial Education (specifically Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary).

Diaspora Ministry Facilitators (DMF)

The new Diaspora Ministry Facilitator program helps build connections between home and world mission efforts. The program assigns at least one volunteer stateside pastor to every World Mission team. This stateside pastor, or Diaspora Ministry Facilitator (DMF), has experience with their specific people group and helps facilitate connections and outreach between people groups in North America and their home country.

Are you or your congregation interested in reaching out to a people group in your area with the gospel? Get in touch with Rev. Neil Birkholz, Diaspora Ministry Facilitator program coordinator, by email.

Support Joint Missions. Give a gift where it’s needed most in Joint Missions, or select a specific ministry from the drop-down menu.

Ministries included on this map could be offering worship or a Bible study in a different language, providing English as a Second Language (ESL) or citizenship classes targeted at a specific people group, or is where there is a current Pastoral Studies Institute student beginning outreach to their people group in their community.

Yellow = Current Pastoral Studies Institute students

Red = WELS funded ministries

Blue = Unsubsidized/self-funded ministries

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

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