Native American Missions

The Apache Mission celebrated 125 years of God’s blessings in 2018 as the first world mission of WELS. The Apache Mission is located in eastern Arizona on the Fort Apache Reservation and the San Carlos Apache Reservation. Between the two reservations there are eight churches, one preaching station, and two Lutheran elementary schools. The Apache Lutheran churches are currently training future leaders for work as evangelists, teachers, and pastors through the Apache Christian Training School (ACTS). Learn more about WELS mission history on Native American reservations.

Native Christians:  In thanksgiving to God for 125 years, Native Christians was formed to reach out to other Native American Tribes. Apache Christians are ready to serve as missionaries to the 572 tribes in the U.S. and more in Canada. The first outreach effort will be to the four corners area where there are four tribes and four colleges. Visit nativechristians.org for more information.

Apache congregations: Congregations at East Fork, Canyon Day, Cibecue, McNary, and Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Reservation to the North continue to be served by one WELS missionary, two native pastors, and one native evangelist. The discipleship and worker training coordinator also resides at East Fork. San Carlos, Peridot, and Bylas congregations on the San Carlos Reservation to the South continue to be served by two WELS missionaries. The Native American Mission field coordinator also resides in Peridot. The focus of the mission field continues to be training and equipping Native American Christians for leadership and service in God’s Kingdom.

Apache schools: East Fork Lutheran and Peridot-Our Savior’s Lutheran schools both have dedicated staffs of teachers who are sharing God’s Word. There are approximately 100 students on the Fort Apache reservation attending East Fork Lutheran School (K-8) and approximately 155 students living on the San Carlos Apache Reservation attending Peridot-Our Savior’s Lutheran School (K-8). Our WELS schools are now affordable to more families due to the State of Arizona instituting a voucher system allowing children to attend private schools.

Apache Christian Training School (ACTS): The school currently has about 60 adults enrolled.

Fast Facts

  • Baptized members: 3,600
  • Organized congregations: 8
  • Preaching stations: 1
  • Missionaries: 7
  • Teachers: 17 (4 Apache)
  • Teacher’s aides: 3 (All Apache)
  • National pastors: 2
  • Evangelists: 1
  • Apache Christian Training School: 60

Download the latest world mission field overviews.

Native American Mission Field Overview

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Meet the Missionaries

Missionary Dave Bostedt currently serves as pastor at Canyon Day and East Fork Lutheran Churches on the White Mountain Apache Reservation. There are about 600 souls in these churches. Along with his pastoral duties at the two congregations, he teaches catechism to seventh and eighth graders who attend East Fork Lutheran School. He also assists with the teaching of Apache Christian Training School (ACTS) classes, which prepare Apache students for future service as pastors, teachers, evangelists, deaconesses, etc.

During his 35 years of ministry. Bostedt has served varied and diverse congregations: a mission start in Colorado, tent ministry in Nebraska, a rural congregation in Wisconsin, a retirement-centric church in Florida, and a multi-cultural ministry in Los Angeles. He, along with his wife Jo, live on the historic East Fork mission campus.

Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.

Missionary Joseph Dietrich has served Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Bylas, Ariz., since 2017. Our Savior’s is located on the San Carlos Apache Reservation and has been a congregation since 1920. For many years it had a school of its own, but they now partner with Peridot-Our Savior Lutheran School in Peridot. Dietrich’s goal as a pastor is to strengthen the congregation in faith and in works of service to be a self-supporting, vibrant congregation proclaiming the Word of Christ to the world.

Dietrich graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1985 and has served at several locations: Ascension in Plymouth, Minn. (1985-1990); Ndola and Lusaka, Zambia (1991-1997); Michigan State Campus Ministry in Lansing, Mich. (1997-2004); Trinity in Abita Springs, La. (2004-20080; and St. Andrew and St. Peter near Medford, Wis. (2010-2016).

He and his wife Debbie were married in 2014. Debbie has taught kindergarten at Peridot-Our Savior Lutheran School since 2022. She previously taught music from 2018-2019 and first grade from 2019-2022. They each have four children and a combined nine grandchildren.

Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.

Missionary John Holtz serves as a Native Christians Counselor for the Native Christians team. He leads the Discipleship arm of the Native Christians Network and is training Apache WELS members for service and outreach through the Apache Christian Training School (ACTS).

Missionary Holtz graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1989. He first served Mt. Olive in Iron Mountain, Mich., from 1989-1997. He then joined WELS’ world mission field in Zambia, Africa, from 1997-2008, serving as a supervising pastor to congregations in the rural areas of the Eastern Province. From 2008-2022 they moved to Malawi, Africa, where Holtz served on the One Africa Team until joining the Native Christians team.

Holtz and his wife Mindy live in East Fork on the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona. They have two adult daughters, Rachel (Christopher) and Heather, and one grandchild.

Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.

Dr. Erik Landwehr is the Youth and Family Minister at Peridot Our Savior’s Lutheran School, Peridot Lutheran Church, and Grace Lutheran Church on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. His main ministry responsibilities center around two goals: 1) connecting the families of Peridot-Our Savior’s Lutheran School with the Lutheran church and 2) preparing church members and providing opportunities for ministry. Prior to his current ministry position, Dr. Landwehr was a high school theology teacher at Divine Savior Academy in Doral, Fla. (2016-2023) and staff minister at Trinity Lutheran Church on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia (1997-2016).

Dr. Landwehr and his wife, Staci, have been blessed with three sons: Jonas (Molly), Jaxson, and Ethan. Staci is the reading specialist at Peridot Our Savior’s Lutheran School.

Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.

Missionary Gary Lupe is an Apache native and currently serves as a pastor for two churches on the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona: Shepherd of the Mountain in Cedar Creek and Gethsemane in Cibecue. Lupe has also been working with the Native America mission team to get more Apache lay people involved in mission work. He graduated from the Apache Christian Training School (ACTS) in 2011 and became the first Apache to be fully trained as a pastor through ACTS in conjunction with the Pastoral Studies Institute.

Lupe is married to Berlita Mae, and they have been blessed with six children, two of whom were adopted.

Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.

Missionary Kirk Massey Jr. has served as pastor for two churches on the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona since 2015: The Lutheran Church of the Open Bible in Whiteriver and Shepherd in the Pines in McNary.

He graduated from the Apache Christian Training School in 2014 and the Pastoral Studies Institute in 2015. Both Massey and his wife, Sheree, previously served as staff ministers at East Fork Lutheran High School, and he previously served as the Native American Field Coordinator. Prior to his church work, Massey also worked on a couple of research projects with the Centers for American Indian Health, a satellite project of John Hopkins University.

Massey and Sherre have been blessed with five children: Michael, Marcus, Leah, Lindsey, and Meghan. Sheree works as Project Coordinator for the Apache Kingdom Workers.

Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.

Missionary Dan Rautenberg serves as team leader for Native American Missions and pastor at Peridot and Grace Lutheran Churches on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. The team has been reorganized and reinvigorated under the banner of Native Christians and is eager to reach out to other Native American tribes with the gospel. Rautenberg coordinates ministries and mentors the staff on the existing Apache mission field and oversees evangelism efforts with Native missionaries in training.

Rautenberg has served in Native American Missions on Apache reservations for more than 20 years in various roles, including missionary pastor, director of the Apache Christian Training School (ACTS), field coordinator, and now team leader.

Rautenberg is married to Katie, who teaches 3rd grade at Peridot-Our Savior’s Lutheran School. They have been blessed with four children: Emma, Allyana, Josiah, and Samuel.

Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.

Missionary Nathan Wagenknecht accepted the call to serve as Outreach Counselor on the Native Christians team in 2024. He coordinates outreach to the Native American tribes in the Four Corners area of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, working closely with Native members who want to reach out to other Natives with the pure gospel message. He is also leading the expansion of digital outreach and ministry training efforts for the Native Christians Network.

Prior to joining the Native Christians team, Wagenknecht served as a missionary in Latin America from 2000 to 2015, with Multi-Language Productions from 2015 to 2018, and as an associate pastor for English and Spanish ministries at Faith in Anchorage, Alaska, from 2018 to 2024.

The Wagenknecht family calls Farmington, N.M., home. He met his wife Julie in the Dominican Republic when she was serving as a Kingdom Workers volunteer. They were married in 2009 and have been blessed with two children: Mateo and Natalia.

Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.

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Praying for Native American Missions

Dear Heavenly Father, please raise up strong Christian leaders among the Native American people for the advancement of your kingdom. Give wisdom to the missionaries as they make plans for outreach efforts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.