Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference

 

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

Archives for July 2026

Evangelical Lutheran Free Church (ELFK) 150th Anniversary

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The Evangelical Lutheran Free Church (ELFK), in Schönfeld, Germany, holds its 96th Synod Convention and a special celebration of the ELFK’s 150th anniversary.

Pastors, delegates, and guests gathered for several days of worship, Bible study, fellowship, reports on ministry work, and presentations centered on the convention theme, “The Certainty of the Resurrection.” The convention also included the election and installation of a new Synodical Council.
They gave thanks for 150 years of fellowship between the ELFK and WELS with a festival worship. Together, members and guests reflected on God’s faithfulness through generations of gospel ministry and rejoiced in the shared hope found in Christ’s resurrection.
We thank God for our partnership in the gospel and pray that he continues to bless the ELFK as it faithfully proclaims Christ and his saving message for generations to come.

Strengthening Leaders Across Our Fellowship

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“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” — 2 Timothy 2:2

The apostle Paul’s words describe a pattern that continues from one generation of believers to the next: Christians receive the truth of God’s Word, grow in their understanding of it, and then help others learn and teach that same truth.

Across our worldwide fellowship, member churches share a commitment to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. Through conventions, regional gatherings, theological study, and mutual encouragement, pastors and church leaders strengthen one another in their common faith and mission.

Yet many pastors, teachers, seminary students, and church leaders still serve in relative isolation. Some live far from other confessional Lutheran leaders. Some have limited access to theological education or doctrinal resources. Others work across languages and cultures, making it difficult to study, consult, and collaborate with fellow believers.

The Lutheran Leader’s Companion is being developed by WELS to help these connections continue and grow. It can provide an ongoing place where leaders from member churches and mission fields may study together, share trusted resources, participate in Bible studies, and encourage one another between conventions and regional gatherings.

For one church body, the greatest need may be theological resources in a local language. For another, it may be continuing education for pastors or seminary students. In another region, leaders may be looking for stronger connections with experienced teachers, easier access to doctrinal discussions, or a practical way to bring people together for online learning.

The Companion can help meet these needs while building on something our members already share: unity in the truth of God’s Word. A pastor in one country may be able to join a study led by a theologian in another. A seminary student may gain access to resources that were previously unavailable in a familiar language. Teachers serving in smaller or emerging church bodies may be able to learn from others facing similar ministry opportunities and challenges.

Technology cannot replace local churches, pastors, seminaries, or face-to-face Christian fellowship. Nor is it intended to do so. But when used wisely, technology can support their work. It can reduce barriers created by distance, language, cost, and limited resources, helping member churches share what God has given them more readily with one another.

Growing Through Partnership
The Lutheran Leader’s Companion is currently in active development. It is not being presented as a finished platform. Instead, it is taking shape gradually through pilot sessions, collaborative planning, technical testing, and feedback from international ministry partners.

This careful process allows the platform to be shaped by the people who may use it—pastors, teachers, theologians, seminary students, and church leaders serving in a variety of regions, cultures, and languages. Their experience will help determine which resources, learning opportunities, and multilingual capabilities will be most useful.

The features described at this stage represent a combination of present capabilities and future development goals. As the Lutheran Leader’s Companion grows, its purpose remains clear: to help faithful Lutheran leaders think carefully about ministry needs, evaluate opportunities in the light of Scripture, learn with and from one another, and lead others more confidently in Christ.

No pastor, teacher, student, or church leader should feel that distance or language must leave them without encouragement or support. The Lutheran Leader’s Companion offers a practical way to strengthen the fellowship already present, equip leaders with trustworthy biblical resources, and help the truth entrusted to one generation be faithfully shared with the next.

 

 

Lutheran Church of Central Africa Seminary Celebrates 15 Graduates

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Seminary Graduates from the Lutheran Church of Central Africa in Lusaka, Zambia

On June 27th fifteen men entered the chapel at the Lusaka, Zambia seminary to receive their BDiv diplomas and graduate from a pastoral training program overseen by the Pastoral Studies Institute of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. These men came from five nations – Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Zambia. Graduation marked the culmination of years of study. Their instruction was overseen by missionary Dan Witte, the theological education liason for the One Africa Team.
 
All of these men were already pastors before their bachelor’s degree studies began. Twice each year these men gathered for intensive courses. That way, men could attend to their main duties and their families without faraway studies getting in the way. Paul Nitz helped the cohort become better listeners. Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary professors Dave Bivens, John Schuetze, and Brad Wordell guided them into God’s Word. Al Sorum led the men in street evangelism. Ken Cherney Jr. helped them see better the Spirit’s power.

           

We pray for our Lord’s continued blessings upon these men as they return home to share what they have learned with their flocks, preaching and teaching the freedom that we have in the gospel of Jesus; sins forgiven and the certainty of life eternal.

Submitted by Prof. Harland Goetzinger, Director of Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI)

 

 

The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference

The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference is a worldwide fellowship of Lutheran church bodies, committed to the teachings of the Lutheran Church found in the Book of Concord of 1580. Established in 1993 with thirteen churches, the CELC has grown by God’s grace to include thirty-four church bodies today.

Every three years, representatives from CELC churches gather for fellowship and theological study at an international convention. Regional meetings are held in alternate years. These gatherings provide spiritual encouragement for confessional Lutherans who often find themselves quite isolated. Visitors are always welcome at these gatherings

Joint work of the CELC includes the writing of The Eternal Word: A Lutheran Confession for the Twenty-First Century, which testifies to the unity of doctrine enjoyed by CELC churches. The CELC also has a commission to help coordinate and improve theological training in CELC churches.

Speaking about the heart and core of the CELC, former President Gaylin Schmeling wrote:  “The CELC stands ready to give answer to the confident hope of salvation in Christ that is within us. It is a refuge for those seeking confessional homes and a beacon shining the light of the Gospel in a sin-darkened world. Here the central truth of the Reformation, justification by faith alone, continues to be proclaimed. We are declared righteous by nothing we do or accomplish, but alone on the basis of Christ’s redemptive work which is counted as ours through faith in the Savior. He accomplished salvation for all on the cross and announced it to all by His resurrection, declaring the whole world righteous in Christ. This treasure is brought to us personally through the means of grace and is received by faith alone in the Savior which is worked through those very means of grace.”

Recording of the Ninety-Five Theses

Ninety-Five Theses for the 21st Century