If WELS were to lose tens of thousands of members, that affects our ability to send out missionaries both stateside and around the world. If WELS closes hundreds of churches, that has massive implications for our worker training system,

To turn around the statistical decline, we need to open the front door and shut the back door.

Consider that currently our back-door losses are around 8,000 souls per year. Our current communicant member to adult confirmation ratio is 83 to 1.

In one generation, we could grow by 3% if back-door losses were cut by 20% and if adult confirmations are 55:1.

In one generation, we could grow by 14% if back-door losses were cut by 33% and if adult confirmations were 45:1.

Read the “For the Generations to Come” casebook.

Congregational Services featured videos

Congregational Services programs

Visit the Congregational Services resource site for free tools and training resources available for all WELS congregations.

Congregational Services news

Mission Journeys volunteer opportunity in North Carolina

Are you a veteran looking for a meaningful way to serve and support…

Running with perseverance

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so…

Teach the Word—Women leading Bible studies webinar

Our congregations are full of believers—half of which are women like you—looking to serve and share the gospel with other women.

European Chaplaincy 2025 Reformation Retreat

WELS ministry to the military hosted a retreat in Cologne, Germany…

2026 OWLS Convention

2026 OWLS Convention October 13-15, 2026

Fostering Faith in the Next Generation—Prioritizing Gen Z webinar

By investing in their spiritual development, churches can empower young adults to build a solid foundation of faith that will sustain them through life’s changes and challenges.

Updates from the Theology Curriculum Task Force

On July 14-16, a focus group of pastors and teachers met at the…

Conference offers connections and insights

Opportunities to connect, share experiences, and grow in God’s…

New national coordinator of early childhood ministries

This summer, after 14 years of foundational service and leadership,…

The Power of Connecting Women in Christ webinar

Learn from our webinar panelists how connections contribute to our encouragement and position us to share Jesus with others.

Thanking God for sowers, waterers, and reapers

The Lord has given each of us our own work to do. I planted the…

Integration milestones

The integration of WELS Prison Ministry into Institutional Ministries…

Edovo and online correcting news

Our efforts to make electronic delivery and correction of tests…

Meet the new players

One of the blessings of our integration with IM is the additional…

Three ways to support WELS Prison Ministry – Summer 2025

Pray – As God’s redeemed children, our prayers are powerful…

Congregational Services ministries

For the Generations to Come

Help support the development of congregational resources that will help WELS congregations reach new members and retain current members.