More than 70 individuals attended the WELS Staff Ministry Conference, Sept. 19–21, at Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn.

This was the first time conference attendee Rakel Drechsler was back at MLC since 2005, when she was an international student from Norway graduating with a degree in staff ministry. This time, she set foot on campus as a staff minister from St. Trinity Parish in Leipzig, Germany, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, a German Lutheran church body in fellowship with WELS.

For three years, Drechsler has been serving as a gemeindepädagogin. “It’s sort of like a congregational teacher,” she says. “It’s a term that people understand even outside of our church body.”

Her responsibilities involve ministry to women and children. “We have a monthly Bible study with the women,” Drechsler notes. “I oversee the Sunday school, visit elderly women in their homes, and organize hikes for the younger women. I’ve also led a few women individually through Bible information class.” She also teaches a weekly Bible course to children in first through third grades.

Drechsler continues, “My work has a relational emphasis. I try to look out for the needs of the women in my congregation and encourage them to serve God in the place that he has put them and with whatever gifts they have. In this kind of leadership role, quite a bit of time also goes into reflecting, praying, and studying the Word of God, even though it’s often hard to put this into a calendar. But maybe that is part of what serving as a leader is: carrying people on my mind and my heart all the time.”

The theme of the 2024 staff ministry conference was “Come and Go.” Coming back to the community and college where she spent four formative years of her life was emotional for Drechsler. She explains, “After I realized I was going to get to come here, I didn’t sleep for two nights. I was so excited.” Once on campus, Drechsler became aware of how much had changed. “I realized that I’ve moved on. I’m not the student that I was 20 years ago,” she reflects.

Thoughts of going back home after the conference led to more reflection. “At the moment, I’m the only one in the German church who serves in this kind of public ministry,” she says.

That is why seeing so many staff ministers was uplifting. “It was fascinating and encouraging to see the great variety of people serving as staff ministers,” Drechsler remarks. “When I came home [to Germany], what stood out to me the most, though, was how grateful I am to get to serve in exactly the place that I am in, and it felt so good to realize that there still is a bridge between these different chapters of my life.

“So for my sake, the conference definitely served its purpose: ‘Come and Go.’ I was very happy to do both.”

Author: FIC
Volume 111, Number 12
Issue: December 2024