Delegates made crucial decisions at this year’s convention--among them to increase the budget of Ministerial Education and to reduce planned cuts to World Missions. Delegates felt these moves were necessary to strengthen and support the work in these areas. However, to preserve the work of the synod, increased financial support is needed from WELS congregations. One way congregations can do this is through Congregation Mission Offerings.

Congregation Mission Offerings (also known as CMO) is the portion of member offerings that a church designates to fuel the work of the synod. Each year, congregations decide how much of their offerings they are going to put toward synod work. Many congregations, like St. Peter in Schofield, Wis., use the biblical principle of firstfruits giving. “We just take a straight percentage of all member contributions and direct it right away to CMO,” says Joel Heckendorf, pastor at St. Peter. “Right now we’ve established 14 percent as the amount, and that number’s been consistent for quite a few years.”

Maintaining that percentage hasn’t been easy for this growing congregation. In the past two years they added an early childhood ministry and community outreach center. “It’s been a struggle for our congregation and we have attempted—through all of this expansion and progress—to keep our giving level the same,” says Ron Drecktrah, congregation president. “It’s a difficult balance to achieve. We know we need to keep making progress at home, but we also know that expenses don’t go down [within our] synod.”

In the face of these challenges, however, Drecktrah feels St. Peter keeps a good, balanced approach. “There are seldom voices from the congregation saying we should cut back from synod and take care of ourselves first. Our congregation retains an appreciation for what the synod provides to us, and we need to continue to support it.”

This attitude of cooperation, as well as strong financial support from WELS congregations, is essential as the synod takes on these challenges. “If we are going to carry out the ambitious and yet faith-filled decisions of the convention, Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) will be the heart and center of that effort,” says WELS President Mark Schroeder. “I understand that congregations throughout our synod are facing their own financial challenges, and so for many of them this will be another step of faith to increase their support for the mission of the synod. But I am confident that when they take that step of faith, as always, God is going to bless that decision.”