Divine Savior, Sienna, TX

Enhancement: Divine Savior in Sienna, Tex., plans to call a second staff minister or pastor to assist in youth and family ministry. Divine Savior Academy currently has 280 students enrolled with 360 anticipated next school year. A second full-time worker will help them connect school families with the church, as many school families do not currently have a church home.

Fast Facts:

  • The master-planned community of Sienna is expected to double in size over the next several years. Average annual growth over the past few years is between 32-56%.
  • Divine Savior Academy broke ground on a second building, which will provide the space for the Academy to have an enrollment of 500+ students.
  • Divine Savior had 11 adult confirmands the past two years and 11 baptisms in 2022 from school-connected families.
  • In a recent survey, parents of 33 current students stated they were interested in baptism and parents of 131 students said they were interested in learning more about how to pray and read the Bible with their children.

Contact:
Rev. Kevin Boushek, Divine Savior Lutheran Church
[email protected]
219-363-6164

Christ the King, Port Charlotte, FL

Enhancement: Christ the King in Port Charlotte, Fla., is looking for short-term Home Missions support to call a full-time pastor to serve this recharged church of 79 members. Hurricane Ian forced members and their retired pastor to pivot to recovery and clean-up efforts, but it didn’t squash their spirit or determination to do what they could in such trying times. Outreach potential is tremendous as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to move to the area in upcoming years.

Fast Facts:

  • The county population is expected to more than double in the next 10 years.
  • God has blessed Christ the King with 12 new members in the past year.
  • Christ the King has a comprehensive Ministry Plan that was being implemented before Hurricane Ian hit. The group is still committed to doing what they can for outreach while working through their clean-up efforts.

Contact:
Rev. Caleb Free, District Mission Board member
[email protected]
941-302-6276

Fairview, Milwaukee, WI

Enhancement: Fairview in Milwaukee, Wis., is partnering with A City for God, a WELS para-synodical in the greater-Milwaukee area, to assist in their outreach efforts. A City for God has two chaplains who are at the Hope Semper and Hope Prima schools. WELS Home Missions is financially supporting these two chaplains to use half of their time to do outreach to the Hope school families they are already working with to connect them to ministries at Fairview.

Fast Facts:

  • Fairview has mission-minded leaders and the facility in place to do this ministry.
  • There has been a dramatic increase in worship and Bible study attendance since A City for God started using Fairview facilities as their ministry base.
  • While the two chaplains currently serve the Hope Semper and Hope Prima schools, they will also be able to reach out to students and families at Shining Star Christian School, a non-affiliated Christian school that is using the school space at Fairview for one of their three campuses.

Contact:
Rev. Paul Steinberg, Fairview and A City for God
[email protected]
414-530-0476

Good Shepherd, Midland, TX

Enhancement (Unsubsidized): Good Shepherd in Midland, Tex., has been existence since 1976, but it was only recently that they called their first full-time pastor to help reach out to the 149,000 individuals in this growing West Texas community. The 19 members of the core group are financially self-supporting but working to increase outreach efforts in their area.

Fast Facts:

  • Oil and gas largely drive the Midland economy. Over the last 10-12 years the population has grown from 111,000 to 149,000.
  • There is no other WELS church within a two-hour drive of Midland.
  • Members attend weekly services and Bible studies, volunteer for community food drives, have participated in Praise and Proclaim outreach training, and are actively inviting community members to church.

Contact:
Rev. Pieter Reid, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
[email protected]
608-332-8925

Our Redeemer, Ladysmith, WI

Enhancement (Unsubsidized): Our Redeemer in Ladysmith, Wis., while financially self-supporting, is looking for Home Missions guidance as they look to reach out with the gospel to 50% of their community population with no religious involvement. Unsubsidized mission status provides them access to assistance through their district mission board, mission counselors, and synodical support staff plus access to loans and grants.

Fast Facts:

  • Our Redeemer (59 members) is the only WELS church within 22 miles, serving a large rural region in addition to the 3,000 individuals in Ladysmith.
  • Members leading the outreach effort meet regularly to make additional plans, study outreach-themed Bible studies like One by One and Let’s Go, and meet with their district mission board shepherd.

Contact:
Rev. Chris Christenson, Our Redeemer
[email protected]
608-797-9573

Beautiful Savior, Des Moines, IA

Enhancement (Restart): Beautiful Savior in West Des Moines, Iowa, is looking to restart their ministry with Home Missions support. They have an existing worship facility and parsonage in the rapidly growing suburb of West Des Moines. The 95-member church has reinvigorated their outreach efforts and been blessed with adult confirmations and baptisms as a result, and they’re looking forward to continued growth with a new home missionary at the helm.

Fast Facts:

  • The area around Beautiful Savior has seen year-over-year growth of 1.8%, with population projected to reach 522,204 by 2024.
  • The church and parsonage are located across the street from a public elementary school, next door to an assisted living facility, and numerous new subdivisions and apartment buildings are going up in the area. The opportunities for ministry are abundant.
  • Even during their vacancy this past year, attendance for both worship and Bible study are up, elders are active, and they have had adult confirmations and four infant baptisms.

Contact:
Rev. Steven Waldschmidt, District Mission Board chairman
[email protected]
636-445-0440

Panama City Beach, Florida

New Start: Amazing Grace in Panama City is looking to expand west and start a second site in the greater Panama City Beach area. The core group of about 12 members has been meeting regularly for over two years as they make plans to reach a growing retirement population and the young families that serve the aging population and tourists.

Fast Facts:

  • Panama City Beach is seeing a new surge in housing growth that is anticipated well into the future. While no formal population estimates have been released, upwards of 225,000 people are expected to move into the target area.
  • Amazing Grace has a base of strong members in the Panama City Beach area. They currently drive between 30-75 minutes “over the bridge” to attend Amazing Grace, and the closest other WELS church is in Navarre, 90 minutes away.
  • Amazing Grace has started new opportunities for outreach in the Panama City Beach area, including a summer soccer camp, winter car show, and mentoring students in local schools.
  • This mission church is presently envisioned to become part of a multi-site type of ministry (Amazing Grace – Beachside) by incorporating shared resources, ministry personnel, and administration with Amazing Grace in Panama City.

Contact:
Rev. David Kehl, Amazing Grace Lutheran Church
[email protected]
850-851-8261

North Collin County, Texas

New Start: A core group of 15 members from Atonement in Plano, Tex., are starting a new church in North Collin County, a northern suburb of Dallas. Two of the top five fastest growing communities in the United States are in this target area. Divine Savior Ministries has committed to providing guidance and resources to the new mission and are planning build a Divine Savior Academy by year five of the mission start.

Fast Facts:

  • There isn’t a single Lutheran congregation of any denomination in the proposed mission area.
  • The town of Prosper and the city of Celina are currently being targeted as potential church plant locations. The core group will work with their district mission board and Divine Savior Ministries to determine the optimal location for a church and school now that they’ve been approved.
  • The core group has been meeting every other week since 2021 for planning meetings and Bible studies. They’ve also participated in community outreach opportunities, including volunteering at a food pantry, cleaning up litter as part of the Adopt-A-Street program, and attending community events while representing Divine Savior Church.
  • Family ministry and Christian education will be this mission’s focus.
  • The goal is that once the Academy is built by year five of the mission, the church will worship in the school building and no church funds will be needed for land or building costs.

Contact:
Mr. Brad Johnston, Core Group leader
[email protected]
512-657-7794

Marquette, Michigan

New Start: Marquette serves as the hub of the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan, and 52% of the people in and around Marquette do not have a home church or attend a church. It is also home to 7,000 students at Northern Michigan University, a ripe opportunity for a Campus Ministry program. There is currently a group of WELS members residing in town, and many students remain in the area after graduation.

Fast Facts:

  • Marquette has a population of about 21,000, and is the seat of a county with 66,000 people.
  • Many graduates from Northern Michigan University Marquette choose to live in, come back to, raise a family, and embrace Marquette.
  • Rev. Stephen Lehmann from Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Iron Mountain, Mich., worked with Mission Counselor Wayne Uhlhorn and district mission board chairman Ben Enstad to explore outreach in Marquette. Read more in this Missions Blog from March 2022: wels.net/mission-exploration-in-an-unlikely-place.

Contact:
Rev. Ben Enstad, District Mission Board chairman
[email protected]
920-246-1291

Kronenwetter, Wisconsin

New Start: Five WELS churches in the greater Wausau, WI, area are on board to support a new mission in Kronenwetter. This growing community south of Wausau is home to Northland Lutheran High School, which will house this new church and provide mission-minded staff and students to support the outreach effort. The 22-member core group has been meeting monthly since December 2021 for Bible study and mission planning.

Fast Facts:

  • Nearly 60% of homes in Kronenwetter don’t have connections to churches or faith groups.
  • The core group has visited other home mission churches in the Western Wisconsin district, participated in an “Everyone Outreach” seminar at a nearby WELS church, and hosted a highly successful live nativity event at Northland Lutheran High School in December 2022.
  • In the 1990s, the district mission board saw potential to plant a church in either Rib Mountain or Kronenwetter. They chose Rib Mountain, which is now a healthy, self-supporting congregation and one of the five churches from the area supporting the new effort.
  • Northland Lutheran High School’s student body will play a large role in assisting this new church, helping students become confident witnesses for Christ and providing the new mission church with support.

Contact:
Rev. Jeff Mahnke, District Mission Board chairman
[email protected]
715-297-0132