Rev. Mark Schroeder accepted the call to serve a second term as WELS president, a call extended yesterday by delegates gathered at Luther Preparatory School in Watertown for the synod’s 61st biennial convention.  The call was extended when delegates elected him by an overwhelming majority on the first ballot.

“I am extremely humbled by that divine call,” Schroeder said as he addressed the 375 delegates and advisors this morning. “I am honored to be able to serve as your representative as someone who serves not only the Lord, but as someone who serves you. It is a great honor and privilege to do that.”

Schroeder, who was elected to his first term at the synod convention in 2007, had been serving as president of Luther Prep from 1989¬–2007.

Delegates are considering a $62 million budget proposal for each year of the next biennium that allows for an expansion in home missions to fund four new congregations across the United States—in contrast to the budget two years ago that forced cutbacks across all areas of ministry in the wake of the recession in the U.S. economy and the downturn in the global economy.

“It’s a real contrast to what we’ve been up against in the past,” Schroeder says. “It’s a real joy to say we’re expanding, carefully, but we’re able to expand rather than cut back and that’s really possible because of how faithful God’s people in the synod have been.” 

Currently there are about 385,000 members in 1,287 WELS congregations across the United States and Canada, making it the third largest Lutheran church body.