For Ann, Robert, Jennifer, Linda, Dave, Sue, Tom, Chris, Lisa, Dan, Andy, Nancy, Emily, Carol, Paul, Nick, Jace, Jon, Justin, Megan, Cheryl, Josh, Kathy, Gary, James, Kyle, Sophia, and Alice…

Why do we need another church in Wisconsin? What’s your church going to be like? How are you going to decide on a name? These are all legitimate questions. And I think I finally have a good answer: For Ann, Robert, Jennifer, Linda, Dave, Sue, and so on and so forth . . .

I just arrived at the new location the Lord has now placed me to share his Word – Kronenwetter, Wis. (think southeast Wausau, Wis. – east of Hwy 51, south of I 29, north of Hwy 153). For the first two weeks after the installation service on Sept. 15, I was welcomed into the homes of each family of our core group. We had a short devotion, got to know each other a little bit, and started sharing some initial gospel ministry thoughts of how to reach out to the unchurched in our target area.

I was also asked to conduct a couple of mission festivals in the area. During the sermon on Isaiah 6, I encouraged the congregations to work through the “Friends Who Need Jesus” diagram. It’s a common diagram that has been around for quite a long time, but every time I work through it, I think about another soul in my sphere of influence who doesn’t know about Jesus. And others were experiencing the same thing! (You should take 90 seconds and try it too!) In fact, several people gave me the contact information of their unchurched friend, relative, acquaintance, or neighbor who is living in our target area.

So I thought that would be a good way to start our first official meeting on Sept. 29. The group that gathered worked through the diagram. It didn’t take much effort ,and we filled the board with names! But they aren’t just names, are they? Those letters on the board indicate that there are dear souls in our area who need Jesus! And how can they believe in the one about whom they have not heard?

So right from the start, we were reminded why we need another church in Wisconsin and 99 other places as well. For Ann, Robert, Jennifer, Linda, Dave, Sue, Tom, Chris, Lisa, and Dan. We learned how we are going to pick a name and make all the decisions when it comes to starting this mission. For Andy, Nancy, Emily, Carol, Paul, Nick, Jace, Jon, and Justin. Because our synod is aggressively reaching lost souls, this will be another WELS congregation sharing God’s Word in its truth and purity for Megan, Cheryl, Josh, Kathy, Gary, and Lord-willing, many other souls who all need Jesus!

Written by Rev. Frederic Berger, home missionary at the new mission start in Kronenwetter, Wis.

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What in the world is a mission enhancement? That was the first question on my mind after hearing about the details of my new call. Call Day at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary flew by in an instant, but that question stuck with me. I have heard of a new mission start . . . but an enhancement? That one was new.

Rev. Eli and Rachel Steinbrenner

When my wife, Rachel, and I got to our new home, it started to become more and more clear what it means to be a mission enhancement pastor. Unlike a new mission start, Good Shepherd already has a church building and a large core group of people. They even maintained regular worship throughout a long vacancy. The core group and I are eager to kickstart outreach efforts once again to take advantage of the gospel outreach opportunities the Lord is providing. As an enhancement, we have support from our District Mission Board, guidance from an experienced Mission Counselor, and some short-term financial support to help us get there.

In short, being a mission enhancement is all about tuning up before taking off. Because Good Shepherd has made so much progress earlier on, before the vacancy, many of the big projects to get a church going have already been checked off our list. Our goals over the next couple of months, and even years, are focused on updating how we do ministry, both for maintaining close-knit relationships and increasing fellowship as well as branching out and diving deep into outreach projects. But, before we hit the ground running, there are some preparations that need to be made beforehand.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have spent a lot of time getting to know the people whom I serve. I have had the opportunity to learn about the many gifts God has given them and the history that connects them to Good Shepherd and the community. On top of meeting my own people, I have been reaching out to our community’s leaders: other church’s pastors, local government, business owners, civil service personnel, etc. to get a better pulse as to what our community needs and how we can address those needs with our unique gifts and abilities.

In addition to doing information gathering, our District Mission Board is sending Rachel and I to a Church Planter Intensive specifically for mission enhancement pastors. The Church Planter Intensive is run by a group of home missionaries who have been in very similar situations as the one I am in. It is designed to help and instruct me on how I can use my gifts, the gifts of my people, and the information on my community to better serve my people and community. For a little under a week, Rachel and I will be learning from mission experts in Virginia and picking up a mentor along the way. The mentor will help give practical advice and encouragement as we “tune up” over the next two years.

This is all to say, mission work isn’t just outreach events and worship. There is a lot of learning and tuning that needs to be done before we can take off and make our ideas a reality. It has been a little overwhelming, but I am very thankful that there are so many people who support and encourage me throughout all of it. Praise be to God that there are thousands of people who pray for us and our ministry every day!

Written by Rev. Eli Steinbrenner, home missionary at Good Shepherd in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

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