WELS congregations in Canada seek new arrangement

Canada has very much in common with the United States, but there is no denying that it is a foreign country with its own distinct identity, laws, and culture. WELS congregations have existed in Canada for decades, but those cultural and legal differences have presented some increasingly difficult challenges and interesting opportunities for the 16 WELS congregations and one preaching station located north of the border.

Desiring to meet those challenges and seize the mission opportunities more effectively, several years ago the WELS congregations in Canada (grouped together as “WELS-Canada”) adopted a long-range goal of becoming an independent Lutheran church body in fellowship with WELS. At its annual general meeting Oct. 22-23, WELS-Canada took its first major step in that direction by resolving to become a mission district of WELS. As a mission district, congregations in Canada would remain attached to their current districts for doctrinal supervision, but they would work together more closely in making decisions regarding the establishment and support of mission congregations and in addressing uniquely Canadian circumstances affecting congregations and their members.

The mission district status is intended to be temporary as WELS-Canada works to become an independent sister synod of WELS in the future. This intermediate step would provide time for WELS-Canada to answer questions, address issues, and make plans for future independence.
A generous gift from a WELS Canadian donor is making these first steps possible. WELS-Canada will continue to work on plans to ensure that it will be able to become self-supporting when full independence is achieved. If these plans cannot be carried out for any reason, WELS-Canada would continue as a mission district of WELS.

It is believed independence for WELS-Canada will benefit gospel outreach on both sides of the border. With an independent Canadian synod, WELS-Canada would be able to make its own decisions regarding the planting and support of new mission congregations. WELS mission efforts would benefit because current mission subsidies to Canadian congregations would eventually be redirected to the support of new mission efforts in the United States.

WELS-Canada will be working closely with WELS Home Missions to begin the process of forming a WELS-Canada mission district.

Walking Together 2011
Congregations across the synod this month are participating in our annual Walking Together celebration that highlights the work we are able to accomplish by God’s grace as a church body. This year, our focus is on our ministerial education schools and how they are preparing students for service in the vast mission field of Asia. Details and worship resources are available on Connect, the synod’s Intranet for congregational resources.

Special thanks
On a personal note, my wife, Andrea, and I would like to thank our brothers and sisters throughout the synod for the prayers and kind words as Andrea underwent heart surgery in late October at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Those prayers were answered by a gracious God, who kept her safe during the surgery and who blessed the work of the surgical team. While it will be several months before we learn whether the surgery was completely successful, the surgeon told us that he is “cautiously optimistic” that the results will be very positive. Thank you again from both of us!

Serving in Christ,

Mark Schroeder