About 100 Missions in 10 Years
Aggressively Reaching
Lost Souls
Start 100 new home mission churches in 10 years. That’s 10 missions each year, 10 new dots on the map throughout North America. During the same time, we want to support 75 enhancement grants to help existing congregations reach more souls, often in other cultures. It’s an aggressive plan. To some, it might seem unachievable. Can our synod do this? Do we have the manpower, money, and ministry resources?
We trust that God will bless our efforts. This initiative isn’t as much about planting more churches but about sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s about aggressively reaching lost souls. It’s about Christ’s mission to his church. You know that mission: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” But consider the words that Jesus spoke right before that: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Look at the one who commissioned us. He is the one who said to the wind and waves, “Quiet, be still,” and to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take up your mat and walk,” and to Lazarus, “Come out.” He is the one who died, rose from the dead, and descended into hell proving and proclaiming his victory. Death was put to death. The devil defeated. The powers of sin destroyed.
This is the Jesus who has commissioned us. This is the Jesus who rules over his church on earth. This is the Jesus who has equipped us! This initiative is about aggressively and confidently doing the work that he has called all of us to do.
There are still many out there waiting to be found and reached. They just don’t know it yet. So let’s support this. Let’s do our part to get after it, trusting that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
Pastor Mark Gabb
Home Missions chairman
This is a big goal.
Why start 100 home missions in 10 years?
… to reach more people like Lauren.
The Life of a
Home Mission Church
No community is the same. No core group is the same. No soul is the same. But we know that all people have the same need for a Savior from sin. Those differences mean that no home mission church starts the same way or follows the same path to maturity. However, we pray that all WELS home mission churches contribute in their own unique way to the ultimate outcome: winning souls for Jesus through the proclamation of the gospel.
1
Start:
Pre-approval
Pre-approval
$0
A core group begins Bible study and initial outreach with support from their district mission board and mission counselor.
2
Year 1:
Home mission approved
Home mission approved
$
A home missionary is called/assigned and works with the core group to plan further community outreach. New church planters participate in the church planter coaching program. The group chooses a name for their church.
A core group of WELS members in Windsor, Colo., are committed to “making disciples of all nations” right in their own backyard. Hear how they’ve been partnering with WELS Home Missions to plant a new church in their community, all in an effort to take the light to the darkness in Windsor, Colo.
3
Years 2-3:
Worship begins
Worship begins
$$
Equipment is purchased for worship in a rented space. The mission ramps up outreach and looks to increase name awareness in the community.
Foundation in Folsom, Calif., has been worshiping in local parks since launching public worship during the COVID pandemic. Hear how God put Foundation in the right place at the perfect time for Clark Woods to hear the gospel message.
4
Years 4-5:
Looking forward
Looking forward
$$$
Expanding church members begins exploration to buy land or purchase an existing facility for a permanent church home, often with WELS Church Extension Fund support.
5
Years 6-7:
Putting down roots
Putting down roots
$$$$
A permanent facility is purchased and remodeled or built from scratch. Personal evangelism efforts continue, and the home mission is a solid community presence.
Palabra de Vida, a cross-cultural ministry in Detroit, Mich., is doing the hard work of establishing themselves in the community and developing longevity for their ministry. Roy Mendoza played a part in that work. Hear how God’s great grace changed Roy’s life.
6
Years 8-10:
Church maturity
Church maturity
$$$ → $$ → $ → $0
A growing membership and spiritual maturity and stewardship lead to higher local support for the church, freeing up Home Missions resources to plant other missions.
7
Years 10+:
WELS churches reach more souls
WELS churches reach more souls
$0
Healthy WELS churches with an outreach mindset grow Christ’s kingdom and reach more souls locally and through expanded synod mission efforts at home and abroad.
Divine Savior in Delray Beach, Fla., started off as a WELS home mission congregation and has been fully self-supporting since 2015. When their school started to experience significant growth, they received Home Missions support to call a staff minister to connect new school families with the church. Hear how Marta and Wojtek experienced the joy of the gospel for the first time after sending their son to school at Divine Savior.
8
Goal!
Thriving WELS churches support new growth
Recent home mission churches support the planting of additional home missions through daughtering new churches, starting a second site, enhancing their ministry to reach a new demographic in their community, and/or supporting WELS home and world mission efforts through Congregation Mission Offerings and special gifts.
Complete joy over guilt: Marta and Wojtek’s story
When Marta and Wojtek immigrated to the United States, they weren’t looking for a church. But they were looking for a school for their children. When their son sang in church one Sunday, something they saw as the worst part of their day turned out to be the best things in their lives.
Grace for the unforgivable: Roy’s story
WELS home mission churches across North America are opening their doors to people with all different kinds of life stories, but who all have the same need for God’s love. . . people like Roy Mendoza. Even through he committed crimes the world might view as unforgivable, God’s great grace changed Roy’s life.
The right place at the perfect time: Clark’s story
Clark Woods was in the right place at the perfect time to hear the message of free grace, forgiveness, and peace in Jesus when he most desperately needed it.
Clark is just one example of how God brings people to his Word in his perfect timing.
Taking light to the Darkness in Windsor, Colo.
A core group of WELS members in Windsor, Colo., are committed to “making disciples of all nations” right in their own backyard. Hear how they’ve been partnering with WELS Home Missions to plant a new church in their community, all in an effort to take the light to the darkness in Windsor, Colo.
Stay Connected!
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“I know that God loves me, but this was his love in action. It’s like God was saying, ‘I love you so much that I want to put you at [Peace Lutheran Church] where you’re taught my Word.'”
Angie Corey
Member at Peace Lutheran Church, a home mission in Aiken, S.C.
“[Living Hope] was an answer to my prayers. I have found a home here among these folks, and I can’t do enough for God—not because I need to, but rather because of all he’s done for me.”
Jay Lore
Member at Living Hope Lutheran Church, a home mission in Commerce City, Colo.
“God’s heart is not blind acceptance or angry threats—it’s forgiveness and love, and his grace rules. That’s what I’ve found in the Lutheran church.”
Paul Moronczyk
Member at Palabra De Vida Lutheran Church, a home mission in Detroit, Mich.
Home mission congregations
and exploratory sites
Red = Current home mission churches: Current home mission churches have applied for and received full home mission status from the Board for Home Missions. Funded home missions receive direct financial support from Home Missions. Unsubsidized, or self-funded, home missions do not receive direct financial support but still have access to the many other benefits offered to all home mission congregations: assistance through their district mission board, mission counselors, and synodical support staff plus full access to loans and grants from WELS Church Extension Fund and the Board for Home Missions.
Blue = Exploratory missions: District mission boards and mission counselors work with exploratory missions to develop a core group of members and begin Bible study and initial outreach before coming to the Board for Home Missions for official home mission status. These missions are not currently approved, but are preparing the groundwork needed for their formal ministry request to the Board for Home Missions. Each request is thoroughly vetted and either prioritized, deferred, or denied. Prioritized requests are authorized as funding is available. Please note that there might be some exploratory missions on this list that will not end up receiving home mission status after the review process.
Questions? Comments?
Questions? Comments?
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