Curious about “Christ through us”? Learn more about the strategic plan by reading the common questions asked below. Then pray how Christ can work through you.
The world in which we carry out Christ’s mission has transformed dramatically. Our cultural landscape has shifted, with many dismissing religion and treating it with suspicion. The majority of Christian denominations in America are declining at a pace that strains their ability to sustain ministry. WELS too has felt the weight of these challenges.
As WELS steps into its eighth generation, the “Christ through us” long-range strategic plan emerges as our prayerful response to these current realities. We seek to navigate this shifting landscape by reflecting on our synod’s culture, congregations, commission, and calling while praying about how Christ will work through us in the future.
This is a pivotal season. In North America, the gospel now speaks into a culture marked by skepticism and spiritual confusion. Yet even here, hearts are still being drawn to Christ through his Word.
Around the world, the Holy Spirit is opening doors once thought closed—calling new believers and expanding our global fellowship in ways that defy human expectation.
While the world around us continues to change, Christ’s calling to us stays the same. With humility before God’s grace and bold confidence in his promises, WELS enters this next generation ready to extend the reach of the gospel.
“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” ( 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 ).
In these verses, God gives all believers a new purpose—sharing his message of reconciliation with others as Christ’s ambassadors. God calls us to faithfully share his Word with lost souls, embodying his love in everything we do. This is how we live as his ambassadors, praying Christ works through us to share his saving, reconciling love.
Culture shapes what we do. To face the current challenges of our sin-filled world, we must prayerfully reflect on the culture of our churches and synod. Imagine a future where every member embraces his role in the ministry of reconciliation and where the gospel’s light shines brightly into a skeptical world. By building our culture on Christ, we will reach more souls in need of their Savior.
We ask the Holy Spirit to work through Word and sacrament, transforming not just our actions but our very identity as a confessional Lutheran church body, so that we are able to meet the challenges and opportunities of this generation with boldness and humility.
Congregations are essential to sharing the gospel. Yet we face a sobering reality: the cultural shift to secularism and skepticism threatens the stability of our congregations. Strengthening our existing congregations and establishing new ones are not just part of Christ’s commission but are strategically critical for the future ministry efforts of WELS.
As we look to the next ten years, we need to build up our current congregations while prayerfully starting new ones to reach more souls.
God calls us to share his grace with every person and every nation. More than two-thirds of humanity live in places where Christ is barely known, illustrating the great need for his saving Word being proclaimed.
We face unprecedented global opportunities, calling us to extend our confessional Lutheran witness beyond familiar borders. This commission is not a mere task but a sacred privilege as we strengthen our synod’s resolve to bring the nations to the foot of the cross.
While the percentage of WELS youth training for ministry holds steady, decades of membership decline yield fewer souls to answer Christ’s calling. This need for called workers only grows as we plant new churches, open mission fields, and expand our current schools.
We pray that God will bless our recruitment efforts and guide us to be faithful stewards of his mission.
“Christ through us” is for YOU! Whether you are young or old, male or female, called worker or lay member, this strategic plan has been created to encourage everyone in our synod to answer Christ’s calling to be his ambassadors. God has blessed each of us with gifts to serve his kingdom, and this plan aims to guide all of us to take action by serving our Savior.
Remember, the work of the church is Christ’s alone, but Christ works through YOU!
Each church is different and will engage with this long-range strategic plan in a way that is best suited to its ministry efforts. Throughout the ten years of “Christ through us,” we will provide resources and guidance for congregations to prayerfully reflect on their ministry and consider how they can best serve as Christ’s ambassadors.
There are multiple opportunities to get involved with “Christ through us.” First, we should all prayerfully consider how we can live as Christ’s ambassadors. God has blessed each of us with gifts to serve him, showing how he plans to work through us to carry out his will.
During the next ten years we will provide ideas, encouragement, and resources to help members and congregations strengthen their ministries. Connect with us to stay updated about the strategic plan and be inspired about your role in it.
