In 2000, WELS launched a new ministry tool with a simple goal: help WELS congregations, schools, and affiliated ministries manage God’s blessings wisely so they could focus more fully on sharing the gospel. That tool? WELS Investment Funds.

St. Paul, Muskego, Wis., became the very first congregation to invest with WELS Investment Funds. For church administrator Randy Fink, the decision was about stewardship and mission. “We were looking for a better way to manage our long-term financial resources,” Fink recalls. “WELS Investment Funds has been a great partner—easy to work with and reliable. It’s saved us a lot of time compared to managing investments on our own.”

From the beginning, WELS Investment Funds was designed with ministries in mind—offering cost-effective, professionally managed portfolios for purposes like endowments, scholarships, and building funds.

“One of the greatest strengths of WELS Investment Funds is our dedicated board of directors—WELS members from across the country who are selected for their knowledge and expertise,” shares Jim Holm, executive director of WELS Investment Funds, who has served the organization since its beginning. “Another blessing is our dedicated investor services team, made up of WELS employees who personally answer calls and e-mails and are eager to assist ministries.”

Over the years, St. Paul has received numerous estate gifts that have been placed into investment accounts managed by WELS Investment Funds. These funds have enabled a wide variety of ministry initiatives:

• A Community Counseling and Care Center: This center opened on St. Paul’s campus as a satellite site for Christian Family Solutions, a WELS-affiliated organization specializing in counseling care and mental health treatment. Initial funds supported a pastor earning a master’s degree in mental health counseling. Later, two rooms were remodeled to house the counseling center, and by this fall, four counselors will serve hundreds of people each year, both members and those in the community.
• Supporting staff and education: St. Paul has used its investment funds to help add new teachers and staff. The funds are providing the bulk of the funding for the first two to three years, allowing the congregation’s budget to assume those costs gradually.
• Mission-minded initiatives: Funds helped establish daughter congregations such as Living Word, Waukesha, Wis., and Victory of the Lamb, Franklin, Wis. They also allowed the congregation to support other mission projects.

Today, more than 260 WELS organizations—including Lutheran schools, congregations, and ministries—entrust more than $350 million to WELS Investment Funds.

The blessings of this shared stewardship can be seen across the synod:

• Scholarships that make Christian education more affordable for families.
• Endowments that provide funding to strengthen outreach and evangelism efforts.
• Steady, long-term support for ministry stability and growth.

“These aren’t just numbers,” says Holm. “They represent children learning about their Savior, missionaries sharing the gospel in new communities, and congregations continuing to proclaim Christ for generations to come.”

Holm is thankful for congregations like St. Paul, which took that first step in trust. “That trust has grown into a legacy—one that continues to multiply blessings across WELS,” he says.

As WELS Investment Funds moves forward, its mission will remain the same: helping ministries make the most of God’s gifts so they can share his grace today and for generations to come.

Learn more about WELS Investment Funds at wels.net/welsfunds. 

Watch a video celebrating the 25th anniversary.

Did you know?

WELS Investment Funds works closely with WELS Foundation, which provides planned giving support to WELS donors and facilitates various giving opportunities.

In July, WELS Foundation distributed $1.4 million for gospel ministry from the WELS endowment funds. These endowment funds, invested and managed through WELS Investment Funds, provide ongoing, dependable support for the Lord’s work in WELS Ministerial Education, WELS Home and World Missions, and cross-cultural outreach.

WELS Foundation also administers endowments established by individuals, congregations, and other WELS-affiliated ministries. In total, WELS Foundation distributed $4.7 million from more than 400 endowments this year, providing ongoing financial support for Christ’s gospel work throughout WELS.

Learn more at wels.net/foundation.