In the same way that women actively served in the work of the early Christian church, WELS is using women’s gifts to share the gospel with other women in situations where it may be culturally inappropriate for men to do so. Larry Schlomer, administrator for WELS World Missions, explains how this is happening today.

In our mission work in the Dominican Republic, I was often amazed at what my wife learned during a visit. I would be outside talking with the men while the women prepared a meal inside, with lively conversation and a lovely sense of sisterhood. That was territory where men weren’t “allowed.” My wife came away knowing more about the families, their challenges, and the spiritual life of the home than I had learned outside. I could not have ministered nearly as effectively without the insight she gained in conversations I simply could not have had. I wrote more about why those opportunities matter in a recent “Straight talk: Women in world missions” article in Forward in Christ magazine.

Today, WELS World Missions has three women serving in full-time missionary roles across three regions of the world. While their day-to-day work can be as varied as the three different continents where they live and work, they share a common focus: building relationships with women, encouraging them in God’s Word, and equipping them to share that Word with others.

Here’s a glimpse at what that work looks like.

Cindy Lendt – Asia-Oceania

In August, Cindy Lendt moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to begin serving as the Asia-Oceania Team’s women’s ministry coordinator. She is meeting with missionaries and ministry partners to learn about needs and opportunities for women’s ministry throughout the region. She is also exploring opportunities to coach women in Asia, including a woman in India who has completed TELL Network courses.

A recent conversation with an Indonesian Christian woman offered a glimpse of what this ministry could look like. As they talked about how Jesus interacted with and valued women in the gospel of John, their lively interaction sparked needed conversations about future opportunities for women’s ministry in Indonesia.

Jennifer Wolfgramm – Europe

Jennifer Wolfgramm, women’s ministry coordinator for the Europe Team, continues connecting women with God’s Word across borders. She leads an online inter-European Bible study and recently completed Bible Information Classes with her first student, who is preparing for confirmation. She also is preparing Bible studies and devotions for a women’s retreat in Finland. Jennifer recently shared more about the online Bible study, which brings together women from different countries for time in God’s Word and Christian fellowship.

Elise Gross – Latin America

Elise Gross, director of women’s ministry for Academia Cristo, is coaching women involved in church-planting efforts in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Argentina. She is guiding three women through the confession of faith process, studying together to make sure they share the same biblical beliefs, and she recently taught an Academia Cristo course attended by more than 60 women. One example of this ministry in action is Elise’s connection with Nahir, an Academia Cristo student, who became the first confessional WELS Lutheran in Uruguay and now shares God’s Word with others.

These women aren’t carrying out a separate mission. They are part of the mission Christ has given his church, using the gifts and opportunities God has given them to share his Word and strengthen fellow believers. We pray that the Lord continues to open doors for this work so that more people may know Christ and share his Word with others.

Rev. Larry Schlomer
Administrator, WELS World Missions

Learn more about women in world missions.

Watch the October WELS Connection and discover how God is opening doors for gospel outreach through women in unique and meaningful ways around the world.

We thank the Lord of the Church for providing women missionaries who have hearts for advancing the gospel, and we ask his richest blessings on their missions and the women they are reaching.

Serving together with you in Christ,

WELS President Mark Schroeder

“The 2025 Statistical Summary & Analysis showed us one of WELS’ largest mission fields is sitting right in our classrooms,” says Jonathan Hein, director of WELS Congregational Services. “Our mission is the same, but how we do it will look different from one congregation to another.”

In these next two installments in the ongoing video series, “Examining WELS at 175,” Hein details more information presented in the 2025 statistical report. The title references the 175th anniversary of WELS celebrated in 2025.

In addition, Hein will lead a webinar covering these statistics and answering audience-submitted questions on Wednesday, November 18, at 6:00 p.m. CST to discuss some of the realities for WELS at 175.

“Data never tells the whole story, but it helps us recognize trends and better understand the challenges and opportunities before us,” says Hein.

Watch the next two videos in the six-video series that previews key points to be discussed during the webinar and look for the remaining videos in future issues of Together.

Examining WELS at 175: The Mission Field at our Door

Nearly half of the students in WELS schools now come from families outside the fellowship, creating daily opportunities to share Christ’s love and truth. Although those connections do not always lead to lasting congregational involvement, they open the door to relationships that can have an eternal impact.

Explore the mission field God has placed before you and consider how you can connect more families to a church home.

Examining WELS at 175: The Called Worker Paradox

Pastor and teacher vacancies are a familiar challenge across WELS, yet more men and women are serving as called workers today than at any other time in the synod’s history. Growing schools, expanding mission fields, and changing ministry needs have created more opportunities for gospel work than the current workforce can fully meet. As WELS seeks to faithfully steward the people and resources God has provided, we need to pray boldly and think creatively about the opportunities God places before us.

Pray for future church workers, encourage someone you know to consider ministry, and share Christ’s saving love with those around you.

“Closing down [an] organization isn’t failure; it is just a symptom of the laws of organizations. Organizations have a life span.”

Retired Pastor Mark Jeske passed along that observation in his sermon at the opening worship service of the 2026 Convention of the Organization of WELS Lutheran Seniors (OWLS) held in Brookfield, Wis., October 13-15, 2026.

This year’s convention had a familiar-looking schedule of keynote speakers and breakout presentations, but the business meeting agenda listed an unprecedented item: a board recommendation to dissolve the corporation. Of the delegates present, 89 percent subsequently voted in favor of the recommendation.

Mike Thom, OWLS executive director, explains what led to the recommendation and the endorsing vote: “The numbers tell the story. Back in 2004, we had around 1,700 members, and now we’re down to a little more than 550.” The number of local OWLS chapters similarly has decreased from 80 to 25. Having fewer members in the organization has made it increasingly difficult to fill leadership positions on the national board.

But while the OWLS corporation is being dissolved, local OWLS chapters are encouraged to continue to function. That is an important legacy for Gerald Steffen, OWLS president. He notes, “If we accomplished nothing else than to get senior groups started in congregations, it was worth it.”

Linda Liesener, a member at David’s Star, Jackson, Wis., is president of her regional OWLS chapter. She views the future of OWLS this way: “Senior members want a place to continue meeting to share their faith through friendship—sometimes with a speaker, potlucks, tours, or playing games and cards. The dissolution of the national organization is not the end of friendships or ministry support; it is an opportunity to evaluate and expand our local efforts.”’

That’s the prayer of Joel Gaertner, director of WELS Special Ministries. “OWLS has given many [people] opportunities to serve and enjoy fellowship over the years,” he says. “We pray that this continues with senior groups on a local level across the country.”

OWLS is updating its website to reflect these changes and will soon include a listing of local OWLS groups.

The biennial meeting of the Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Forum, which consists of leaders of WELS and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), took place October 19-20, 2026, at the WELS Center for Mission and Ministry, Waukesha, Wis.

A synod of about 120 congregations, the ELS is headquartered in Mankato, Minn., and has been in fellowship with WELS for 150 years. While leaders of the two synods routinely discuss matters of doctrine and church organization, they meet formally for two days every two years to discuss issues facing both synods. Included in those meetings are representatives from administration, missions, higher education, schools, communications, and stewardship. The group discusses theological issues, usually hearing presentations through prepared essays. Representatives also participate in individual meetings with their counterparts to discuss mutual opportunities and challenges.

Charlie Vannieuwenhoven, administrator of the WELS Board for Ministerial Education, attended the meeting for the first time this year. “It was good to meet with the representatives from Bethany Lutheran College [Mankato, Minn.] and talk about the challenges that especially small private colleges are facing,” he says. “Talking together through and about these issues is what helps to strengthen the unity that we enjoy.”

The next meeting will take place in October 2028 and will be hosted by the ELS in Mankato, Minn.

“We thank God for this fellowship, which he has made possible, and we pray that these meetings will continue to be opportunities for our church bodies to strengthen our fellowship ties through ongoing discussion of God’s Word and the mission he has given us,” says WELS President Mark Schroeder.

On Nov. 11, 2026, at 7 p.m. Central, WELS’ five ministry recruitment counselors will be hosting a webinar called “Generational Differences and Ministry Recruitment: The INVEST Framework.”

Using the acrostic of the word invest, the webinar will dig into how all WELS members can encourage future pastors, teachers, and staff ministers by investing in the people God has placed in their lives. The ministry recruitment counselors will discuss how to recognize opportunities to encourage others in any stage of life for the full-time ministry plus practical tips and ideas of what to say.

By having intentional conversations with pastors, teachers, staff ministers, church leaders, and congregation members, the counselors are working to foster a strong culture of ministry encouragement across all WELS congregations and schools.

Register now for the webinar.

Learn more about the ministry recruitment counselors in this month’s Forward in Christ magazine or at wels.net/consider-ministry.

“The 2025 Statistical Summary & Analysis does not tell a simple story,” says Jonathan Hein, director of WELS Congregational Services. “There is good news. There is hard news. And there are several findings that may surprise you because they do not fit your first assumptions.”

Hein details the information presented in the 2025 statistical report in a new series of videos titled “Examining WELS at 175.” The title references the 175th anniversary of WELS, which was celebrated in 2025. The first two videos in the series are now available.

In addition, Hein will lead a webinar covering these statistics and answering audience-submitted questions on Wednesday, November 18, at 6:00 p.m. CST to discuss some of the realities for WELS at 175.

“Data never tells the whole story, but it helps us recognize trends and better understand the challenges and opportunities before us,” says Hein.

Watch the first two of six videos that preview key points to be discussed during the webinar and look for the remaining videos in future issues of Together.

Examining WELS at 175: Record Gains, Record Losses

Record numbers of adults and families are finding their way into WELS through evangelism and personal invitations, even as overall membership continues to decline. Demographic shifts, member retention, and changing family patterns have created new challenges, while God continues to open doors to share the gospel with more people than ever before.

Examining WELS at 175: The Thinning Pipeline

While fewer children, teens, and young adults are a part of WELS, the synod remains on a strong demographic foundation with significant opportunities ahead to engage young adults, strengthen families, and welcome new people.

The Conference of Presidents (COP) met at the WELS Center for Mission and Ministry in Waukesha, Wis., October 6-9, for its annual fall meeting. Although the COP met virtually during the summer, this was its first in-person meeting with the five new district presidents. During its meeting, the COP heard reports from WELS ministries and took action on or approved several items. Some items of note:

• The COP issued a provisional call to Mr. Joshua Birkholz to serve as the director of the Ministry of Christian Giving.
• It appointed District President Jonathan Schroeder as the COP liaison to the WELS Technology Committee.
• The COP adopted resolutions related to call request guidelines and Martin Luther College teacher certification.
• Mark Gabb, administrator for WELS Home Missions, reported that the rising costs of opening and supporting new mission locations are causing budgetary pressures. He explained several adjustments the Board for Home Missions is considering in its program going forward.
• Chief Financial Officer Kyle Egan reported that WELS ended the 2025–2026 fiscal year in a good financial position, supported by higher-than-anticipated gifts and lower-than-planned expenses. As planning begins for the next biennium, he noted that while local ministry offerings have generally kept pace with inflation, Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) have not. As a result, a smaller share of congregational giving is being directed toward our shared ministry as a synod, and inflation is reducing how much ministry those offerings can support.
• Larry Schlomer, administrator for WELS World Missions, detailed the blessings of expanded ministry in Latin America through Academia Cristo and new gospel outreach in Senegal. Work in the United Kingdom has expanded to four preaching stations.
• Congregational Services and Home Missions are identifying areas of mutual effort to consider possible future partnerships.
• Lutheran Schools gave an update on the WELS theology curriculum project, which is now in the writing phase.

Current Conference of Presidents

WELS President Mark Schroeder
WELS First Vice President Joel Voss
WELS Second Vice President John Bortulin
Arizona-California District President Joel Heckendorf
Dakota-Montana District President Benjamin Tomczak*
Michigan District President Snowden Sims
Minnesota District President Dennis Klatt
Nebraska District President Stephen Helwig*
North Atlantic District President Michael Seifert
Northern Wisconsin District President Kevin Westra*
Pacific Northwest District President Daniel Lange
South Atlantic District President Jonathan Schroeder*
South Central District President Paul Seager*
Southeastern Wisconsin District President Daniel Leyrer
Western Wisconsin District President Michael Jensen
WELS Secretary Tyler Peil, advisory

*elected in 2026

Serving together with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder

The work of WELS Home Missions has always involved balancing aggressive efforts to plant new churches and reach the lost with wise and diligent stewardship of the resources God provides.

Over the past several years, Home Missions has been blessed with opportunities to expand its work and support new mission starts. During that same time, however, the costs of supporting more than 100 mission congregations have increased significantly. Inflation has had a direct impact on many Home Missions expenses, including healthcare costs, interest and rental rates, construction costs, insurance premiums, and many other expenses. All of this has placed increased pressure on the Home Missions budget.

“We’re thankful for the opportunities God has given us to plant new churches and support existing home mission congregations across the country, and WELS members have responded generously with their gifts to support that work,” says Mark Gabb, Home Missions administrator. “At the same time, the costs of supporting home mission churches have continued to rise far more rapidly than expected.”

As Home Missions plans for fiscal year 2027-2028, those rising expenses have made it necessary to reduce spending by approximately $2 million. This is not the result of a $2 million reduction in synodical budget support or a decrease in special gifts. Rather, expenses have grown faster than available income. Acting now will position Home Missions to continue its ministry into the future.

The Board for Home Missions and district mission boards are working together to determine how those reductions can be made thoughtfully and responsibly. As an initial step, the Board for Home Missions has paused calling home missionaries for new mission starts that are currently vacant while this work continues. The hope is that calling can resume in April.

“There are some difficult, but necessary, decisions ahead. It’s not lost on us that some decisions will impact people’s lives. But diligent stewardship sometimes requires taking necessary steps today so that ministry can continue tomorrow,” says Gabb. “Our mission hasn’t changed. We’re still committed to planting churches, reaching more people with the gospel, and faithfully using the resources God provides to carry out that work.”

In the fall 2026 video update, Melanie Giddings, WELS Lutheran Schools curriculum coordinator, shares progress on the theology curriculum project. Watch the video to learn more about

• the four writing teams
• the focus on lifelong engagement with God’s Word
• preparations for production
• the working timeline

To learn more about the theology curriculum project, visit the website for current and archived information.

Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, Wis., is investing in building a new music center. Matt Crass, president, describes what the “Magnify” project entails and how it will help enhance the musical education of our future called workers.

This is the second video in a series of updates provided by Charlie Vannieuwenhoven, administrator for WELS Board for Ministerial Education, about WELS schools preparing students for full-time ministry.

“Every minister of the gospel needs encouragement,” says Kevin Walker, director of staff ministry at Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn. “So a once-a-year conference provides the opportunity for staff ministers to be refreshed in God’s Word, share ideas, and support one another.”

The 78 attendees of this year’s staff ministry conference took advantage of this opportunity from Sept. 17-19 as they met in Appleton, Wis. As Sarah Enstad, a staff minister for the WELS-affiliated ministry A City for God, notes, “This conference gives staff ministers a chance to connect and share ministry joys and challenges. I think of it like a family reunion! It also offers opportunities to grow professionally through keynote speakers and breakout sessions more specific to staff ministry roles, which other ministry conferences usually don’t provide.”

This year’s keynote presentations and breakout sessions reflected the theme “All Things to All People,” based on Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (v. 22).

A highlight of the conference was an update on MLC’s staff ministry program from Walker, who began serving as the program’s director on July 1. He reported that the number of undergraduate and certification students who are pursuing staff ministry is on the rise. Says Walker, “We are continuing to look at ways to attract new students and create awareness about the staff ministry program. We are exploring the idea of adding social media and marketing and clinical mental health counseling options to the program. More work is required to put all the administrative processes in place.”

Walker brought 11 staff ministry students to the conference. By including them in the conference, “students are exposed to real-world staff ministers who can encourage them in the end goal of finishing their program,” explains Walker. “These connections also give students the opportunity to start creating a support network of staff ministers for the future years of ministry.”

Learn more about staff ministry.

In late August, Daniel Kroll and Stephen Gerling and their families arrived in Dakar, Senegal. They are the first WELS missionaries to serve in this area.

As WELS works to establish this new mission field, the first step for the Gerlings and Krolls is a six-month immersion experience designed to prepare them for life and ministry among the Wolof people.

In six months, WELS World Missions leaders will meet with the Gerlings and Krolls to determine what makes sense for the mission as a next step after the missionaries have learned more about the Wolof people.

“We ask for prayers for wisdom, endurance, and patience,” says Kroll. “This is so much in God’s hands.”

To learn more and see what life is like for these new missionaries in Senegal, watch this video update.

Learn more about WELS’ mission in Senegal.

Read about Stephen Gerling’s path to ministry.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

God has entrusted the young people of our synod to the spiritual care of Christian parents, pastors, teachers, youth leaders, and fellow believers. At a time when many teenagers and young adults can feel isolated or disconnected, we have the privilege of surrounding them with God’s Word and with relationships that remind them they belong to Christ and his church. In the following article, Rev. Donn Dobberstein encourages us to consider how each of us can help young people know that they do not walk alone.

Consider two 18-year-olds, both confirmed together, both participants in the church youth group. Five years later, one is still connected to church. The other has not attended since high school graduation.

What made the difference?

I posed that question at a WELS youth leader breakout. The responses were fascinating and revealing. They showed that someone had taken a personal interest in the young person who remained connected. Someone showed up at a game. Someone listened. Someone invited that teenager to participate in the congregation’s ministry—not simply attend a program in the youth room.

Programs end. Relationships do not.

At a synod or area youth gathering, I watch teenagers connect with one another. A young person who may be one of a few teens in the home congregation enters a room filled with Christians his or her own age.

The message is immediate: “I am not the only one who believes this. I am not alone walking with Christ.”

The number of WELS members ages 14 through 24 declined from 48,183 in 2015 to 41,701 in 2025—a decrease of 13.5 percent. The reasons are complex, and the implication is clear: We dare not assume young people will remain connected to Christ and his church without intentional spiritual care.

Young adults need Christians who know their names, listen to them, open Scripture with them, and model a lifelong walk with Christ. Christian relationships allow us to keep placing a better message before them: “You are a baptized child of God. You belong to Christ.”

How can we help them develop healthy independence without severing their connection to their faith and church? Part of the answer is greater spiritual mentorship. The relationships of the Christian home and congregation widen the circle of encouragement surrounding a young person.

That emphasis is reflected in “Christ through us,” WELS’ long-range plan. It calls us to build deep Christian community, engage all God’s people in ministry, provide sound Lutheran resources, and elevate the home as the first mission field. WELS supports that work through resources for parents and congregations, training for youth leaders, online Bible studies, Youth Nights, and the WELS International Youth Rally. These efforts provide another opportunity to place young people within reach of God’s promises—and among God’s people.

Our teenagers are not merely the future of the church. They are Christ’s people today and Christ’s ambassadors now.

So, learn a teenager’s name. Ask a thoughtful question—and listen to the answer. Encourage a parent or youth leader. Invite young people to serve. Above all, keep bringing them to Jesus and his promises.

Programs end. Relationships do not. Through us, Christ continues to assure another generation: “You belong to me. You do not walk alone.”

Rev. Donn Dobberstein
WELS Director of Discipleship

We pray for the young people of our synod. Keep them close to you and your Word. Give Christian parents, pastors, teachers, youth leaders, and congregation members wisdom, patience, and genuine love as they listen to, encourage, and walk alongside the next generation. Use our homes and congregations to assure young people that they belong to Christ and that, in him, they never walk alone.

Serving together with you in Christ,

WELS President Mark Schroeder

Related resources:

• Youth Ministry Modules
• September WELS Connection
• Forward in Christ: Real connections for today’s youth
  
  

Karl R. Gurgel, the tenth man to serve as president of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, was called home to heaven on September 13, surrounded by his wife, Barbara, (pictured with him) and other loved ones. Gurgel, who served as WELS president from 1993-2007, was 84.

Gurgel graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., in 1968. His first call was to begin a congregation in South Windsor, Conn. In 1979, he accepted a call to serve as pastor at St. Paul, Lake Mills, Wis. While at St. Paul he served on the district mission board and as president of the Western Wisconsin District. In 1993, he was elected WELS president. Following his service as synod president, Gurgel served at Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong and at various congregations throughout the synod.

“President Gurgel’s zeal for mission work was always evident and unashamedly on display in our Conference of Presidents’ meetings,” says John Seifert, who served as Michigan District president during Gurgel’s presidency.

John Guse, who served as South Atlantic District president, noted that when he thinks of Gurgel he remembers “a smile that beamed with the joy of salvation, a heart that reflected the love that Jesus had for him, and a life lived as a humble servant of his Lord and others.”

Karl and Barbara raised 7 children and currently are blessed with 14 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

Like his father who also served as a pastor, Gurgel concluded his sermons with the words of Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

His family noted in his obituary, “We rejoice that this beloved child of the heavenly Father now fully and completely understands the peace of God through his Savior, Jesus!”

Karl Gurgel’s funeral service will be held at St. Matthew’s, Winona, Minn., on September 25, at noon.

To read more about Gurgel’s life and ministry, visit welshistoricalinstitute.org/histories/personal/president/1993-2007-gurgel.

Story updated on September 22, 2026

Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., is investing in a building project for blessings now that have impacts into eternity. Earle Treptow, seminary president, describes why this is the moment to undertake such a project in an era where many schools are moving to online education. This is one in a series of updates about WELS schools preparing students for full-time ministry that will be provided by Charlie Vannieuwenhoven, administrator for WELS Board for Ministerial Education.

For our synod, the start of the school year is not just an annual date on the fall calendar. What happens in our schools is vitally important to the health of our synod and to our ability to carry out the mission that God has given us.

Think for a moment of when and where you first learned the basic truths of Christianity. For most of us, that learning took place first in the home, as faithful Christian parents brought up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. There as a child you learned about God who created you and the world you live in. There you learned to know your Savior who loves you and died to save you. There you learned to know him from Bible stories and from the prayers and songs your parents taught you at bedtime.

But for many of our WELS members, that learning about Christ continued in Lutheran elementary and high schools. It’s for that reason that we spend vast amounts of resources and energy to establish and maintain one of the largest private Christian school systems in the country—because it’s important and valuable. That work continues with the start of this school year.

And we also provide the kind of Christian education that will supply our synod with well-trained and motivated pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. We do that on three levels. On the high school level, we operate two preparatory schools—Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, Wisconsin, and Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, Michigan. At those schools, students are encouraged to prepare to serve someday as full-time called workers. Many graduates of our prep schools do just that. That work continues this fall.

In New Ulm, Minnesota, Martin Luther College continues its work of serving as our WELS college of ministry. The vast majority of its graduates go on to serve as teachers and staff ministers. Others will continue their training to be pastors at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin. This fall, another group of students at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary will continue their journey on the path to becoming WELS pastors.

What is happening in all of our schools this fall is nothing routine. It is a special blessing from God and helps our synod to carry out the mission that God has called us to carry out.

Serving together with you in Christ,

WELS President Mark Schroeder

If you or someone you know is considering ministry, visit wels.net/consider-ministry.

In the August WELS Connection, discover how a remarkable 150-year partnership between WELS and Germany’s Evangelical Lutheran Free Church continues to strengthen confessional Lutheranism and spread the gospel across Europe and around the world.

On June 24, the U.S. Geological Survey recorded a pair of earthquakes in northern Venezuela that totaled 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude. The earthquakes occurred 40 seconds apart and caused widespread damage throughout Venezuela. More than 6,500 people have been reported dead, more than 225,000 were injured, and tens of thousands are still missing many months later.

WELS’ One Latin America Team sent Missionary Luis Acosta to the affected area in July to provide gospel comfort and to deliver funds from WELS Christian Aid and Relief to the Christians that the team is working with there. Here is the report from Acosta following that trip:

We finally got in Venezuela. The entrance into the country was not trouble free but nothing that the Lord couldn’t solve. The same day we went to Puerto Cabello to visit Nimia Fuentes and her group. We had a devotional/Bible study focused on answering with God’s Word why the earthquake happened and I encouraged them to spread the gospel with a sense of urgency. We also prayed thanking God for the protection and blessings received, along with our petitions for the country and all people affected. The manifestations of deep thankfulness toward God for the humanitarian aid received were overwhelming, not a dry eye in the room. . . .

From Puerto Cabello we traveled to Acarigua and visited Maireli and Jose Toyo’s group. As happened before, we shared God’s Word to the group and provided his much needed encouragement. Here we saw also how timely and needed was the humanitarian aid they received.

The week ended in Guarenas, 40 minutes east from Caracas, with the visit and worship with José Rolando’s group.

WELS Christian Aid and Relief provided $10,000 in aid to help those in Venezuela. Throughout the summer WELS Christian Aid and Relief also helped congregations in the United States that were affected by flooding, tornadoes, and wildfires as well as those in Colombia following a major earthquake and the Hmong Evangelical Lutheran Church in Vietnam following severe flooding. Christian Aid and Relief is also closely monitoring the needs following the deadly flooding in Nepal.

“Every disaster is hard and painful,” notes Dan Sims, director of WELS Christian Aid and Relief, “but each one is also an opportunity to show hurting people the compassionate love of our Savior.”

Learn more about WELS’ outreach in Latin America at wels.net/latin-america. Learn more about WELS Christian Aid and Relief at wels.net/relief.

The 2027 premium rates and updated plan options for the WELS VEBA Group Health Care Plan are now available. To find the 2027 rates for the plan options available in your area, visit the 2027 health rates page.

The following factors affected the 2027 WELS VEBA health plan rates:

• A 5.0 percent increase was applied to all plan options due to continued cost inflation (trend) for health care services and prescription drugs;
• The relative benefit value factor for each plan option was adjusted due to the 2027 plan design update; and
• The geographic regional rating factor was updated for all areas.

The total 2027 health rate change will therefore vary by plan option and sponsoring organization and range from a 4.1 percent decrease to a 20.7 percent increase.

2027 plan design update

The deductibles, coinsurance percentages, and out-of-pocket maximums (“cost-sharing amounts”) for all plan options will change effective January 1, 2027, as described in the summary of the 2027 plan design.

The WELS VEBA Commission reviewed with its consultants and actuaries the benefit levels provided by WELS VEBA and other employer plans in its peer group. The commission found that WELS VEBA benefit levels are generally higher than most other plans mainly because, unlike other plans, the WELS VEBA cost-sharing amounts have not increased in recent years to maintain pace with cost inflation.

Joshua Peterman, director of WELS Benefit Plans, says, “The commission has kept WELS VEBA cost-sharing amounts for plan options 1, 2, and 4 unchanged since 2014 to avoid shifting health care costs to workers and offer flexibility for organizations to determine the best cost-sharing approach given their financial resources and worker needs. However, the recent period of high-cost inflation caused the commission to increase WELS VEBA cost-sharing amounts so that they better align with industry standards and current health care cost levels, and to provide some rate relief to organizations.”

Worker benefit considerations

The commission encourages organizations to carefully review the 2027 WELS VEBA plan design update and consider any potential worker benefit changes that they may wish to make for the 2027 plan year. Additional information and assistance are available through WELS Benefit Plans resources.

Geographic rate region update

The three-year transition to the ultimate five-region rate structure will be complete as of January 1, 2027. The commission approved the new rate regions and rating factors so that WELS VEBA rates will better reflect current health care costs across the country. The regional rating factors applied to the 2027 rates are provided on each rate region’s 2027 health rates page. Incremental adjustments to the rate regions and regional rating factors will be made periodically so that WELS VEBA rates remain in line with local market conditions over time.

Fall 2026 limited open enrollment

The commission is offering a limited open enrollment period this November for new coverage effective January 1, 2027. Eligible workers serving at WELS and ELS sponsoring organizations that participate in WELS VEBA will have the opportunity to enroll for new coverage or make changes to their existing WELS VEBA coverage. Limited open enrollment materials will be mailed to eligible workers by the end of October.

Learn more about the WELS VEBA health plan at welsbpo.net.

WELS ministry recruitment counselors are actively working in support of the “Calling” priority of WELS’ “Christ through us” long-range plan. Don Patterson, ministry recruitment counselor to the South Central, South Atlantic, and North Atlantic Districts, shares more about the work already being done to encourage others to “Consider Ministry.”

Steve wasn’t really eating his lunch. He just pushed his steamed vegetables around his bowl over the noodles. He was searching for words. Then he said, “I know I am supposed to do more with God’s Word to get it out to the world. I’m just not sure yet what that looks like. Is it being a pastor or just leading a Bible study?” Why was he telling me that over lunch? As a ministry recruitment counselor (MRC), I had recently preached at his church. It stirred thoughts in Steve about ministry. He had been having them for a long time. He is a 46-year-old man yearning to serve Christ and people in a bigger way. My job is to help him find a path. You may have heard about a new ministry recruitment project in WELS. We call it Consider Ministry.

Consider Ministry is a new initiative fielding five called workers who are MRCs. They are deployed throughout the United States with a two-fold mission:

1. Help the people in positions of influence (that is, parents, pastors, teachers, staff ministers, and lay leaders) to actively recruit people under their influence for the called worker ministry in WELS, and
2. Help create a culture of recruitment that lasts longer than their years of service!

The MRCs are carrying out the Consider Ministry initiative in support of the goals of “Christ through us” for two reasons:

1. Jesus’ call to believe is also a call to serve. His heart yearns for more workers in his harvest. It pleases him each time one of his followers enters full-time ministry.
2. As a church body we have a shortage of called workers in all three fields of service. Expanding schools, mission work, and growing congregations have made ministry positions hard to fill in a timely way.

Five experienced church leaders known for their zeal for ministry have accepted calls to be ministry recruitment counselors, including me! They are: Mary Heckendorf, Mark Schroeder, David Russow, Sam McKenna, and me. We each have assigned districts in our church body to cover with recruitment efforts. We will go to WELS gatherings, churches, and schools and ask leaders about whom they might know who has gifts and/or passion for ministry. We are also looking for anyone with even a little interest in serving God more. Then we come alongside both influencers and recruits to help them prepare for ministry. We also help churches and schools cultivate a culture of recruitment to last for decades.

And it is working! We each have lots of stories about people who are gaining interest in serving God in full-time ministry. This summer at a camp, I noticed a high school junior hanging around me more after I had led the evening fireside devotion. He told me about his daily devotions in the Bible and how he loved God’s Word. Then he said, “I am not very good with people, so I won’t be a pastor. I’m going to study math in college.” Over the next three days I watched him as a group leader at camp and discovered he was selling himself short. As a junior camp counselor, he showed his people skills in his team leadership. A couple of times I scooted up alongside of him to say, “What you just did right there showed me you are good with people. Don’t count ministry out!” At the end of camp, he came to say goodbye and with a twinkle in his eye he said, “If I ever become a pastor, it’s your fault.” Ministry recruitment is really just encouragement. And encouragement always works!

If you or someone you know is interested in ministry go to wels.net/consider-ministry. You will find a lot of great information and a way to get into contact with an MRC if you need help getting into ministry.

We are thankful to a donor who had the foresight to fund this important initiative for the next few years and appreciate God’s continued blessings to keep this program going for many more years to come.

Contributed by Don Patterson, ministry recruitment counselor to the South Central, South Atlantic, and North Atlantic Districts

We pray for God’s continued blessings on the efforts of our MRCs, the churches and families they work with, and the youth they meet and encourage.

Serving together with you in Christ,

WELS President Mark Schroeder

Related articles:

• Ministry recruitment counselors ready to serve
• Straight talk: Priorities in ministerial education
• Ministry recruitment counselors begin their work