Home Missions Update (December 2022)

Choir at Immanuel Hmong Lutheran in St. Paul, MN – Celebrating Hmong New Year in traditional dress

Celebrating Thanksgiving & Hmong New Year in St. Paul, MN 

Pastor Pheng Moua

On November 20, 2022, the congregation of Immanuel Hmong Lutheran in St. Paul, MN welcomed friends and guests to a special Thanksgiving and Hmong New Year celebration.  This is a yearly celebration which includes members dressing in traditional Hmong attire.  The celebration includes a special worship service followed by dinner that includes many Hmong dishes.  This years’ service also included a family of seven being baptized!  

Immanuel Hmong Lutheran Church started in 1992 by Ger Yang with about 15 families of 60 souls including strong families (husbands, wives, and children). Tragically in December 1995, Ger Yang passed away in Thailand during his 3rd missionary trip. After Ger’s death, most of the families left the church. What was left of the church congregation was Chao Yang, the daughter of Ger Yang and her siblings, a couple widows and some young men including, Pheng Moua. 

On October 16th, 1996, Pheng Moua was ordained and called to serve Immanuel Hmong.  The Lord has been able to turn around Immanuel Hmong from all the obstacles and hardship, with a few widows and orphans into nowadays a church of over 40 families of 248 souls.  The congregation currently worships in St. Paul using St. John’s Lutheran Church building.

In addition to the annual Thanksgiving and Hmong New Year celebration, Immanuel Hmong also host various other activities such as Marriage retreats, Vacation Bible Studies, Summer fun festivals, Family camping and many different choirs.  

The Minnesota District mission board has had direct relationship with Immanuel Hmong and continues to support and encourage the congregation.  God has truly blessed this Immanuel Hmong and we pray that God would continue to bless this home mission!

For more information on Immanuel Hmong, please visit their website: www.immanuelhmong.net



New Minnesota District Missions Board Members

In October 2022, Pastor John Boeder accepted a call to Ascension Lutheran Church in Escondido, CA.  John was a member of our board, and we thank him for his service on board!  Backfilling Pastor Boeder is Pastor Dustin Sievert who is currently serving at St. Croix Lutheran Academy in South St. Paul, MN.  We welcome Dustin to the Minnesota District Mission Board!

New Missions or Enhancements

If you have any Home Mission ideas or questions, the Minnesota District Board would love to work with you to solidify these New Missions and Mission Enhancements.  


MN District Mission Board & Resources

Rev. Steve Waldschmidt (Chair)
Christ Alone
Dardenne Prairie, MO
pastorsteve@christ-alone.church
(636) 445-0440
Mr. Doug Dorn
St. Paul’s
Litchfield, MN
doug.dorn@agcountry.com
(320) 212-6100
Rev. Rev Mark Kaesmeyer
West Lutheran High School
Plymouth, MN
mkaesmeyer@westlutheran.net
(763) 498-9940
Rev. Dustin Sievert
St. Croix Lutheran Academy
West St. Paul, MN
dsievert314@gmail.com
(920) 419-5968
Rev. Rob Guenther
St. John’s
New Ulm, MN
pastorguenther@gmail.com
(507) 240-2433
Mr. Daryl Schultz
Resurrection & Life
Rochester, MN
dschultz@us.ibm.com
 (507) 261-6906
For additional information on the MN District Home Missions and resources for help with new mission start-ups or mission enhancements, please reference the following website:
http://www.MNdistrictmissions.com

To download a copy of this update, please click the download link below:

Mission Enhancments: Process & Links

With the up coming goal of 75 Mission Enhancements, this webpage can serve as a way to understand the process and list out links to the required documentation. This is currently a “draft” for use by the Minnesota District Mission Board (MN DMB).


What is a Mission Enhancement?

A congregation or ministry group has seen a need to enhance its ministry program to reach more lost souls.   Plans have been developed and the congregation or group has committed personnel and financial resources to the program.  However, the local financial resources are not enough to permit the plan to succeed.  With the approval of the DMB, plans and financial needs are submitted to the Board for Home Missions (BHM).  If approved by the BHM, financial resources are approved for a limited time.  The limited funding will normally be for 2-4 years.  


Mission Enhancement Criteria


What needs to be submitted for a Mission Enhancement?

1.) BIR – Basic Information & Request Form

2.) 6 Questions

3.) Financial Plans (fiscal year and the two following fiscal years)

4.) Cover Letter (from the DMB giving clear rationale for the years requested as well as the amount of subsidy requested.)

5.) DMB Evalution Form

Home Missions Update (August 2022)

Pastor Tim Otto called to serve new Hispanic Outreach Mission at St. John in St. Paul, MN

Mission Enhancement at St. John in St. Paul, MN 

St. John in St. Paul, MN is a congregation established by German immigrants over 150 years ago. Over the years, the congregation has seen a change in the demographic of their neighborhood.  This has led to a need to transform into a congregation of Hispanic immigrants over the next 5-10 years. 

The Minnesota District mission board has had an indirect relationship with St. John for many years, because Immanuel Hmong rents space in their building for worship services and ministry operations. That relationship became more direct when leaders from St. John approached us with an idea to reach out intentionally to the sizable Hispanic population in the surrounding area

Outreach to the Hispanic community makes a lot of sense here, as the Mexican Consulate is only a few doors down. Astatewide service organization for Latinos, called CLUES, will be renting a portion of St. John’s facility. CLUES will use this space for charitable activities, such as distributing pantry items and clothing, to the community. There is also a Spanish Bible study for women already being conducted on site by Mrs. Karen Hennig (whose husband is a local WELS pastor), who connected with these women through her work with a pregnancy resource center. These activities bring dozens of people to the building every week, ensuring that the Spanish speaking missionary will have no trouble meeting people.

A few years ago, St John closed their school.  In 2018, their pastor took a call.  Since then, the congregation has been served by two vacancy pastors, both of whom worked to help the congregation not only to see their mission field but also work through a variety of plans on how to proceed. In December of 2021, the congregation contacted the Minnesota District Home Mission Board to help them set their plans into motion.  In spring of 2022, St John extended a call to Pastor Tim Otto who was serving a Hispanic ministry in Las Vegas, NV.  Pastor Otto accepted the call and was installed in June.

Even though neighborhoods can change over time, we know God’s Word is unchanging.  We pray that God would bless this new mission enhancement at St. John and enable the congregation to reach out to a community that needs to know they have a loving Savior!



Minnesota District Home Missions Board Retreat

In July, the Minnesota District Home Mission Board held their annual retreat.  This year, the group met in Cedar Rapids/North Liberty, Iowa which is where a new mission in North Liberty recently started up.  The annual retreat is a time to discuss current missions as well as discuss potential new mission startups and enhancement.

Here is a current summary of the Home Missions:

  • Multi-Cultural Home Missions
    • Immanuel Hmong, St. Paul, MN (Currently worshiping at St. John in St. Paul)
    • St John, St. Paul, MN – Hispanic Outreach (Pastor Tim Otto installed in June 2022)
    • Board is monitoring 2 additional Mult-Cultural opportunities across district
  • Mission Establishment – Multi-Site
    • Good Shepherd, North Liberty, IA (Dual site with Cedar Rapids, IA)
    • Board is monitoring 4 additional opportunites across district
  • Mission Establishment – New Start
    • Christ Our Savior, Collinsville, IL (Currently calling pastor)
    • Board is monitoring 3 additional opportunites across district
  • Mission Enhancements
    • There are 9 potential Mission Enhancements currently identified across district of which 2 are actively pursuing funding this coming year.

If you have any Home Mission ideas or questions, the Minnesota District Board would love to work with you to solidify these New Missions and Mission Enhancements.  


MN District Mission Board & Resources

Over the past 12 years, Mr. Dave Sauer has faithfully served on the Minnesota district mission board. His term came to an end in June. We recognize the time and dedication he has used for the good of God’s kingdom. It has been an honor to serve along side of him and wish him well in his “retirement” from the board!

In July, we welcomed to the Minnesota district mission board Rev. John Boeder. Pastor Boeder is currently serving as the Martin Luther College campus pastor. It will be great to tap into Pastor Boeder’s connections at MLC and his years of experience in the ministry. Welcome Pastor Boeder!

Rev. Steve Waldschmidt (Chair)
Christ Alone
Dardenne Prairie, MO
pastorsteve@christ-alone.church
(636) 445-0440
Mr. Doug Dorn
St. Paul’s
Litchfield, MN
doug.dorn@agcountry.com
(320) 212-6100
Rev. Rev Mark Kaesmeyer
West Lutheran High School
Plymouth, MN
mkaesmeyer@westlutheran.net
(763) 498-9940
Rev. John Boeder
Martin Luther College
New Ulm, MN
boeder@mlc-wels.edu
(507) 404-0624
Rev. Rob Guenther
St. John’s
New Ulm, MN
pastorguenther@gmail.com
(507) 240-2433
Mr. Daryl Schultz
Resurrection & Life
Rochester, MN
dschultz@us.ibm.com
 (507) 261-6906
For additional information on the MN District Home Missions and resources for help with new mission start-ups or mission enhancements, please reference the following website:
http://www.MNdistrictmissions.com

To download a copy of this update, please click the download link below:

Home Missions Update (March 2022)

Good Shepherd Lutheran – North Liberty, IA Campus

New Home Mission in North Liberty, Iowa

In 2020, Good Shepherd Lutheran in Cedar Rapids, IA, was approved to start up a new mission as a dual site ministry in North Liberty, IA. The city of North Liberty is located about 20 miles south of Cedar Rapids.  A few years prior 2020, Good Shepherd Lutheran had to make a tough decision to close down their grade school; however, this lead to a focus on starting up the dual site in North Liberty.  

In May 2021, God blessed Good Shepherd Lutheran with a new Sementary graduate, Pastor Lucas Callies, to serve at the North Liberty site. Pastor Callies will be serving along Pastor Billy King, who is the current pastor for the Cedar Rapids campus.  In June 2021, the congregration started up bible studies and worship services in North Liberty at a local community center.  A trailer was purchased for storage at the North Liberty site.  Over this past year, Good Shepherd has held various community events such as Easter Egg hunts and Summer Baseball camps.  In December 23, 2021, North Liberty hosted it’s first ever Christmas Eve-Eve service. 

This Spring, Good Shepherd Lutheran is planning on a special outdoor Easter service in North Liberty.  The congregation is busy inviting the community to this special event.  

A special Thank-You to the congregation and all those who have been involved in this mission startup.  It is an exciting opportunity God has given to expand the mission outreach in North Liberty!  Please keep Good Shepherd Lutheran in your prayers that God may bless their ministry!



Home Missions Board Conference Update

In early February 2022, the WELS Home Mission Boards across all 12 districts met in Las Vegas to discuss the 100 Missions in 10 Years initiative.  This initiative is to start up 100 new missions and 75 new mission enhancements in 10 years starting in 2023.  

The Home Missions Boards received more background on the this initiative and discussed various open questions.  

Here are some of those questions with key notes:

  • How will these new missions be staff?  The group discussed the focus on how we grow future pastors.  This would include but not limited to recruiting across our lutheran grade schools and high school.  We could encourage 2nd career ministries to encourage men into ministry.
  • How can we better leverage and encourage lay leaders?  We need to tap into lay leaders to help with the work in starting up new missions and enhancements.  Many lay leaders have the planning, business and financial skills needed for new start ups.
  • What funding is currently available and will be needed to support the new missions?  The members were given an overview of funds that are already available as well as funding drives during the 10 year period and beyond.  More information on this will be share across congregations in the near future.
  • Will there be discussions on consolidating congregations or defunding areas across the synod in order to help streamline resources to the new missions?  There was some discussions on this, but need more thoughts and prayers on how this would be done and how would align to this initiative.
  • Are there opportunities to encourage individuals and families to become core members in a new mission startup?  With the growing professional world able to work from any location (work from home) or individuals looking to relocation for new job opportunities, there was discussion on who to best communicate and encourage these individuals and familes to relocate to areas where we have a new startup.  This would strengthen the core members in the new areas. 
  • What is the difference between a start up and an enhancement?  Start up mission is generally a mission being established in a new area of outreach.  Enhancement is where an existing congregation is adding to their outreach.  This could be a cross cultural ministry, outreach to School Choice families, campus ministries.or an expanded site/location.  More detailed distriptions will be provided in future communications.

In addition to the questions on this initiative, the board members received insights into Church Planting from Pastor Jared Oldenburg.  Pastor Oldenburg has been involved in leading a support group for new home missionaries to help them with church planting and resources available to them.  The Board also discussed current and future mission prospects and core group development plans.  This was helpful in getting resources and ideas on how to identify future prospects using tools available such as the Mission Insight tool. Much more information and plans will continued to be shared as received.

Examples of Mission Enhancements are: Hispanic and cross cultural ministries; Outreach to School Choice families, and campus ministries.

If you have any Home Mission ideas or questions, the Minnesota District Board would love to work with you to solidify these New Missions and Mission Enhancements.  


MN District Mission Board & Resources

Rev. Steve Waldschmidt (Chair)
Christ Alone
DarDenne Prairie, MO
pastorsteve@christ-alone.church
(636) 445-0440
Mr. Doug Dorn
St. Paul’s
Litchfield, MN
doug.dorn@agcountry.com
(320) 212-6100
Rev. Rev Mark Kaesmeyer
West Lutheran High School
Plymouth, MN
mkaesmeyer@westlutheran.net
(763) 498-9940
Mr. Dave Sauer
Christ
Eden Prairie, MN
daconsauer@usfamily.net
(952) 401-9142
Rev. Rob Guenther
St. John’s
New Ulm, MN
pastorguenther@gmail.com
(507) 240-2433
Mr. Daryl Schultz
Resurrection & Life
Rochester, MN
dschultz@us.ibm.com
 (507) 261-6906
For additional information on the MN District Home Missions and resources for help with new mission start-ups or mission enhancements, please reference the following website:
http://www.MNdistrictmissions.com

To download a copy of this update, please click the download link below:

MN District Home Missions Board

Welcome to the new website for the Minnesota District Home Mission Board! The purpose of this website is to better communicate and share home mission updates and resources across the Minnesota District.

The Minnesota District is made up of WELS congregations across Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and small portion of Illinois and Wisconsin. Our district mission board is responsible for coordinating and facilitating mission work in the Minnesota District. We do this by recommending areas for new mission openings to the Synod’s Board for Home Missions, by helping missions secure land and facilities and by working with our district missions to reach out to their communities and to attain self-support.

For help or questions regarding Home Missions within the Minnesota District, please click the Contacts link within the website.

WELS Home Missions

Home Missions

WELS CONNECTION

WELS CONNECTION (November 2021)

100 MISSIONS IN 10 YEARS

In 2021, synod convention delegates approved an ambitious new goal that allows WELS Home Missions to plant 100 new home mission churches and enhance 75 existing ministries from 2023-2033. Read more about this initiative in this article from the November 2021 edition of Forward in Christ magazine. Read more

Home Missions Update (January 2022)

New Home Missions Approved!

Over this past year, there as been two new mission startups in the Minnesota District have been approved!  

The first Mission Start-up this year is in North Liberty, Iowa, which is located right by Cedar Rapids.  North Liberty will be part of a dual site with Good Shepherd Lutheran, Cedar Rapids.  This past Spring, North Liberty was blessed with a new Sementary graduate, Pastor Lucas Callies.  

The second Mission Start-up this year is in Collinsville, Illinios.  Collinsville is a new mission in the St.Louis East Metro.  Christ Savior Lutheran is an extension ministry of Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri to better serve the spiritual needs of the people in the southern Illinois area.  Christ Savior Lutheran in Collinsville is currently in the process of calling a pastor.

We are excited to have an opportunity to expand our mission outreach in North Liberty and Collinsville.  Please keep both congregations in your prayers that God may bless their ministries!



100 Missions in 10 Years

At a recent synod convention, WELS delegates overwhelmingly endorsed an opportunity to expand our effrots to share the gospel.  The plan is to start up 100 new missions and 75 new mission enhancements in 10 years starting in 2023.  

WELS Board for Home Missions’ plan is similarly ambitious.  Large areas of the United States are still not served by a WELS congregation.  Why not plan big and determine, under God, to open new missions and mission enhancements in the next 10 years?

The Minnesota Home Missions Board is seeking your help with this initiative.  If you notice an underserved area in our district, live in a growing subsurb, or see cluster of members traveling a distance to attend worship at your church, please reach out to our Board members.

Large parts of Minnesota already have congregations, so there may be more Mission Enhancements opportunities.  Mission Enhancements are where congregations see an opportunity to expand their ministry to reach more lost souls, and they have started to develop plans and commit resources for this expanded ministry; however, local financial resources are limited.  A Mission Enhancement could help infuse funding over a short 2 to 4 year period to kick start this minstry.

Examples of Mission Enhancements are: Hispanic and cross cultural ministries; Outreach to School Choice families, and campus ministries.

If you have any ideas or input, the Minnesota District Board would love to work with you to solidify these New Missions and Mission Enhancements.  We will help you submit the plans and financial needs to the Synod Board for Home Missions for approval.


MN District Mission Board & Resources

Rev. Steve Waldschmidt (Chair)
Christ Alone
DarDenne Prairie, MO
pastorsteve@christ-alone.church
(636) 445-0440
Mr. Doug Dorn
St. Paul’s
Litchfield, MN
doug.dorn@agcountry.com
(320) 212-6100
Rev. Rev Mark Kaesmeyer
West Lutheran High School,
Plymouth, MN
mkaesmeyer@westlutheran.net
(763) 498-9940
Mr. Dave Sauer
Christ
Eden Prairie, MN
daconsauer@usfamily.net
(952) 401-9142
Rev. Rob Guenther
St. John’s
New Ulm, MN
pastorguenther@gmail.com
(507) 240-2433
Mr. Daryl Schultz
Resurrection & Life
Rochester, MN
dschultz@us.ibm.com
 (507) 261-6906
For additional information on the MN District Home Missions and resources for help with new mission start-ups or mission enhancements, please reference the following website:
http://www.MNdistrictmissions.com

To download a copy of this update, please click the download link below: