In keeping with this year’s theme of “Christ through us,” Steven Prahl, a home missionary at Foundation, Peyton, Colo., encouraged the assembly during his Wednesday morning devotion “to look upon a world of broken and lost souls with compassion.” Delegates at the convention heard about the incredible work Christ is carrying out at home and around the globe.

Perhaps most notably, delegates heard from Prof. James Danell, chairman of the Commission on Inter-Church Relations (CICR). He reported that the CICR is deferring its planned declaration of fellowship with the Africa Mission Evangelism Church (AMEC) in Tanzania to the 2027 convention. The delay will allow more time for AMEC’s newly-elected leadership to circulate its doctrinal statement even more widely among its congregations. (Read the official statement regarding fellowship with AMEC.)

To help delegates better understand the complexities involved in declaring fellowship with other confessional Lutheran church bodies, Danell outlined the thorough, often years-long process followed by the CICR:

• First, local missionaries engage the church body in conversation and guide leadership through a discussion of Luther’s Small Catechism.
• Stage two involves deeper doctrinal conversations with a wider circle of leadership and church membership. Missionaries and a CICR team member travel to the country to guide a church in developing a statement of faith and a church constitution for review.
• Stage three focuses on doctrine as it’s lived out in practice within the church body. Missionaries and a CICR team member travel again to the country to see how the church body practically carries out worship, evangelism, stewardship, Christian education, doctrinal discipline, etc.
• In stage four, if all parties agree, a declaration of fellowship is recommended and brought to the Synod in Convention.

Delegates also heard an update on WELS World Missions from Jonathan Schroeder, chairman of the Board for World Missions, and Larry Schlomer, World Missions administrator. During his introductory remarks, Schroeder noted that WELS is working with church bodies in 49 foreign countries with exploratory work in 16 prospective mission fields.

Schlomer reported on the many ways in which WELS supports and trains over 500 pastors and 300,000 members outside the United States. He also highlighted the goal, as stated in the long-range strategic plan, to gather 1,000,000 members in fellowship by 2035.

When Schlomer took the stage, he set the scene for the work WELS carries out in the world with the Lord’s prophecy found in Malachi 1:11: “‘My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets.’“

Closer to home, delegates learned from Mark Gabb, administrator of WELS Board for Home Missions, that five new home missions were approved in the spring of 2025. Moreover, he noted that as many as six more could be approved in the fall, as resources are available. Due to the expensive nature of establishing new home missions, the Board for Home Missions carefully considers each new mission and ministry enhancement.

WELS Home Missions is in year three of a ten-year initiative to open 100 new missions and enhance 75 existing ministries. Since this “100 in 10” initiative began, 21 new missions and 24 mission enhancements have been supported, leading to many new opportunities to spread the gospel throughout North America.

For more coverage of the 2025 WELS convention, visit forwardinchrist.net/convention.