WELS Church Extension Fund, Inc.

WELS Church Extension Fund, Inc., (WELS CEF) provides financing through loans and grants to mission congregations so they can acquire land and ministry facilities to be used for gospel outreach in coordination with WELS Home Missions. WELS CEF also provides loans to self-supporting WELS congregations and schools for land and facility projects. The money to carry out CEF’s mission comes from investments and gifts from WELS members, congregations, and affiliated organizations.

In fiscal year 2018–19, $45.1 million of new loans and $2.3 million of new grants were approved to mission and mission-minded self-supporting congregations. In addition, WELS CEF provided a grant of $1.86 million to the Board for Home Missions from its annual endowment distribution and operating earnings. WELS CEF ended fiscal year 2019 with assets of $204.3 million and net assets of $104.9 million. More than 3,200 WELS members invested $94.1 million. The loan portfolio held $161.6 million in 217 loans to congregations and affiliates.

Pictured above is Rev. Stephen Apt, pastor at Divine Savior Church, Santa Rita Ranch, with his wife and daughter at the groundbreaking of their church supported by WELS CEF.

For more information, visit wels.net/cef.