Tag Archive for: Together04152025

Conference of Presidents holds April 2025 meeting

The WELS Conference of Presidents (COP) held its spring meeting this month at the WELS Center for Mission and Ministry, Waukesha, Wis. The COP comprises the 12 WELS district presidents, the synod president, and two synod vice presidents. Here is a summary of what they discussed.

  • The COP continues to develop sample governance models for congregations developing congregational constitutions and bylaws.
  • The COP reviewed the procedures it will follow as it carries out teaching assignments at Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn., in May, including clarifying that preseminary graduates (who do not continue at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary) are not automatically certified for non-pastoral ministry. Those called to other types of service (such as teaching) will normally need to enroll in the synod’s teacher certification program.
  • The COP continues to review the calling process, especially in view of the challenges of pastor and teacher shortages.
  • The Assignment Committee will continue to consider emergency teaching calls after the assignments are made in May.
  • The COP was asked to reconsider a proposal to change the synod convention from a biennial to a triennial schedule. The 12 districts heard this proposal last summer, and the majority of districts were not in favor of the change. In view of that, the COP declined to reconsider the proposal at this time, but it did decide that additional rationale could be placed before the district conventions in 2026.
  • The COP reviewed the new long-range strategic plan that will be presented to the synod convention in July.
  • As of the April meeting of the COP, there were 156 pastoral vacancies in the synod, with 149 of those being parish pastor positions. The 2025 seminary graduating class will provide candidates numbering in the mid-20s, meaning that the pastoral vacancy situation will improve only slightly in the near term. Larger classes at the seminary in the coming years, however, will provide some relief in the future. In the meantime, the COP asks every WELS congregation and member to encourage young men to consider training for the pastoral ministry.
  • A similar high vacancy rate is taking place in teacher positions. WELS school enrollments have increased significantly in the last two years—a real blessing—but that has caused a need for more teachers than are currently available. It’s estimated that even after teacher candidates are assigned at Martin Luther College in May, there will still be approximately 100-120 vacancies in teaching positions. The Commission on Lutheran Schools has been working with congregations to find ways to fill the vacancies. At the same time, Martin Luther College has been redoubling its efforts to recruit both traditional and non-traditional teacher candidates. It will also be exploring other ideas to provide more teacher candidates. As in the case of pastors, those in the best position to recruit and encourage young people for the teaching ministry are congregational members, called workers, parents, and grandparents.

Serving with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder

 

 

 

Home Missions approves new mission starts and enhancements

On April 3 and 4, WELS Board for Home Missions approved 11 new missions and enhancements for the synodwide 100 Missions in 10 Years initiative.

“Each of the five new starts is backed by a mature, mission-minded core group that has been actively sharing the gospel in their communities—even before seeking formal support,” says Rev. Mark Gabb, Home Missions administrator. “That kind of groundwork helps lay a strong foundation for long-term gospel ministry.”

Thanks to the generous gifts received over the past year, WELS Home Missions is also in a financial position to approve up to five additional new missions this fall. Gabb notes, “Giving core groups additional time to prepare their requests will strengthen their proposals for fall.”

In the end, Home Missions approved five new starts and six enhancements. The five new mission starts include:

Arlington, Tenn.: Arlington is on the brink of rapid growth with Ford Motor Company set to build a new plant for electric truck production. Since 2022, the South Atlantic District Mission Board has been working with a dedicated group of 60 members and Pastor Jim Turriff from Gloria Dei, Memphis, who plan to relocate and establish a fresh start in Arlington under a new name.

Erie, Colo.: Erie has experienced a 55 percent population increase from 2010 to 2020, with continued growth expected. A core group of ten adults has been gathering for fellowship and Bible study while attending local festivals to share its plans for a new church.

Jarrell, Texas: Jarrell is a rapidly growing town north of Austin. For the past three years, Pastor Don Patterson has been working with a core group of 11, which began holding weekly worship in October 2024. The group has identified 90 prospects, many of whom they connected with by volunteering at the local food pantry.

Madison, Wis.: A core group of 14 adults, familiar with the area, has been working together since 2022—meeting regularly for Bible study and ministry planning—and has also secured a rental space for worship and community activities. A new mission plant in the center of rapidly growing urban Madison would allow WELS to reach an entirely new demographic.

San Tan Valley, Ariz.: Since 2022, the Arizona-California District Mission Board has been working with Heritage in Gilbert, Ariz., to plant a new mission in rapidly growing San Tan Valley. A core group of 26 adults has been gathering regularly for Bible study and community events. In October 2024, they began holding regular worship services and have already identified 127 prospects interested in learning more about the new church.

The Board for Home Missions is also financially supporting ministry enhancements for Christ, Clarksville, Md. (restart); Living Word, Petaluma, Calif. (restart); Living Word, Waukesha, Wis.; Redeemer, Edna, Texas; Risen Savior, Lakewood Ranch, Fla.; and Saint Mark Mankato, Mankato, Minn.

Looking ahead, Gabb shares, “We have limitless opportunities with a limited amount of resources. The Board for Home Missions is actively looking at ways to reduce costs, even in the current economic climate, so that more people can be reached with the gospel.” Gabb continues, “It’s all about being faithful stewards of the resources God has given us. We will continue working diligently to aggressively reach the lost with the gospel while also being faithful stewards. We trust God will bless our efforts.”

Learn more about these new mission starts and mission enhancements at wels100in10.net.

 

 

Being the hands of God in the Deaf community

This summer, Rev. Dan Frey, pastor at Gethsemane, Lee’s Summit, Mo., and six of his members—four who are deaf and two who are interpreters—are planning to make the trek to Wisconsin for a conference on how to serve the deaf and hard of hearing members of God’s church. The Hands of God Conference will be held July 18–20 at St. Paul, Lake Mills, Wis.

Frey, a member of the WELS Mission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing committee planning the conference, is excited to gather with others to dig deeper into this important topic.

“This is a passion of mine—I’m in it now,” he says, referring to his own congregation’s ministry to the Deaf population. “I’m excited to help open the eyes of other people who might be interested.”

The conference will feature topics like technology devices in church for the deaf/hard of hearing, how to welcome deaf/hard of hearing guests at church, how the deaf share their faith (panel discussion), and setting up a deaf Bible study. One workshop, which will be led by deaf members, will focus on the Deaf culture, how it is different, and how congregations can bridge the gaps. “This [conference] is for the deaf [members] to get together but also for anyone interested in working with the deaf,” says Frey.

While the conference focuses on how the deaf can serve and how congregations can support them, the keynote presentation “Hands of God” is a message that can resonate with called workers and lay members in any circumstance. “We want to provide a setting where all can learn how God used his hands to save us and how we now get to be the hands of God in various ways to serve one another in love,” notes the conference website.

Learn more and register for the conference at wels.net/mdhh-conference-2025.

 

 

WELS 175th anniversary events and resources

On Thurs., March 20, the first major event celebrating the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Wisconsin Synod was held at St. John’s on the Hillside in downtown Milwaukee. More than 800 people gathered in this historic church building to hear a joint concert presented by the Seminary Chorus of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., and the Martin Luther College Choir, New Ulm, Minn. St. John’s pastor Isaac Hayes commented, “It was as though the church building itself were singing.” The concert was presented again on March 29 at the Martin Luther College Chapel of the Christ. That concert was also well attended. The MLC YouTube channel has archived videos of both concerts.

More events are scheduled for the coming months including an anniversary dinner hosted by the WELS Historical Institute on Wed., May 28, at Salem Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. Get details and sign up online.

Resources for congregations and individuals to highlight the anniversary and explore WELS history continue to be developed and made available.

  • Print-ready full-color bulletin inserts of major events in WELS history are being released on a monthly basis. Please consider using these in your congregation.
  • An interactive timeline is now available. This is a useful resource for pastors or teachers desiring to explore WELS history in Bible classes and catechism classes.
  • Subscribe to the WELS History YouTube page for video content. The first video is an interview with WELS President Mark Schroeder.
  • A goal of the anniversary committee is to increase research, preservation, and publications of congregational histories. Several resources are available to help congregations write and preserve their histories, including what material to keep in archives. These resources can be found here.
  • Anniversary commemorative items are now available. See options at welsstore.net/collections/175th-anniversary.
  • The new pictorial history book, Christ Through Us: A Pictorial History of the Wisconsin Synod, 1850-2025, can be preordered at nph.net/175annivbook.

Congregations are encouraged to celebrate the synod anniversary as part of a three-week series in October. Worship resources are available online.

God in his grace has richly blessed our church body for seven generations as the message about Christ has been proclaimed to us and through us. This history is worth studying and celebrating.

Check the WELS 175 website for additional resources in the coming months.

Prof. Joel Otto
Chairman, WELS 175th Anniversary Planning Committee