Work begins to establish new congregations
Filed Under: BHM, Colorado, Nevada
WELS Board for Home Missions (BHM), in conjunction with district mission boards and neighboring congregations, is taking initial steps to establish new congregations near Reno, Nev., and Battlement Mesa-Parachute, Colo. The steps follow BHM's decision to allocate about $200,000 between the two missions at its meeting Dec. 14.
Shepherd of the Mountains, an existing WELS congregation in Reno, Nev., along with the district mission board and district president are considering whether to call a seminary graduate or a pastor from the field for a new mission planned for North Valleys, an area where 70 percent of the population is unchurched. The existing congregation will provide partial funding and lay workers to launch the mission.
"Shepherd of the Mountains is a wonderful example of a congregation that just recognizes the opportunities for gospel outreach among its neighbors and sees the value of helping to establish another congregation," says Rev. Harold Hagedorn, administrator for WELS Home Missions.
Plans for Battlement Mesa-Parachute include securing property in a planned development. "We really don't have anything [nearby], but it was a site that the district mission board and mission counselor researched. They are convinced that God can use us there to help establish a new congregation," says Hagedorn. Mountain Valley in Eagle, Colo., and St. Paul's in Grand Junction will be partners with this effort.
The BHM is aware of opportunities to open significant numbers of additional mission congregations, and it will continue to look to assist as it is in Nevada and Colorado. WELS President Mark Schroeder says, "This is a tangible start to what the convention asked us to do, to commit ourselves to expand mission efforts at home and throughout the world."
