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In September, the WELS Board for Home Missions met and approved financial support for three home mission locations, including home mission status for Christ Our Savior, Collinsville, Ill.
Christ Our Savior has served as a preaching station of Martin Luther in St. Louis, Mo., since 2002. The core group has maintained an average of 25 to 30 in worship attendance through the years.
As Steve Waldschmidt, chairman of the Minnesota District Mission Board, notes, “Christ Our Savior is an excellent group to start a church with. They are already well rooted in the Word. They understand the importance of the gospel, and they have the desire to share it with others.”
Christ Our Savior’s core group is increasing its outreach efforts, including reaching students at a local college, workers on a nearby military base, and the deaf in its community. Home Missions funding will allow Christ Our Savior to call a full-time pastor to assist in its efforts.
The Board for Home Missions also approved financial support for renewed outreach to two existing ministries—Ascension, Crossville, Tenn., and Summerlin Lutheran, Summerlin, Nev.—and unsubsidized support for Good Shepherd, Beloit, Wis. Home Missions provides assistance to unsubsidized mission congregations through its district mission boards, mission counselors, synodical support staff, and special project funds.
“Starting with district mission board training this past January and February, each district mission board was encouraged to develop or further develop a pipeline for starting more missions,” explains Keith Free, administrator of WELS Home Missions. “At our September meeting, 6 district mission boards reported that they have identified 36 locations where their prayer is to start a new mission/new ministry in the next 1 to 2 years. Understanding the ambitious goal of planting 100 missions in 10 years can’t just be ‘talk,’ district mission boards are getting after it to find more locations where a mission might be started. The other 8 district mission boards are also working at their respective pipelines.”
Learn more at wels.net/homemissions.
Volume 108, Number 11
Issue: November 2021
