New district presidents elected
Filed Under: Convention, District, president
Two new district presid
ents were elected at WELS district conventions last week to replace outgoing presidents who were not seeking reelection.
Rev. Charles Degner of St. Peter, Minn., was elected president of the Minnesota District to replace Rev. Larry Cross who is retiring after serving 16 years as district president. Degner has served his entire ministry in the district—beginning at Martin Luther Academy in New Ulm, Minn., from 1975-76 and then later at congregations in Red Wing and Prior Lake, Minn. He has been serving at St. Peter in St. Peter, Minn., since 1986.
At the convention, Degner expressed the need to find ways to support unique ministries in the district—including Martin Luther College, the synod's worker-training school in New Ulm and the variety of cross-cultural ministries in Minnesota including Hmong, Chinese, Cambodian, and Hispanic.
"Our district has been given leadership in reaching out to people of various cultures," he said. "It is my hope and prayer that this continues."
In Mesa, Ariz., delegates to the Arizona-California district convention elected Rev. Jon Buchholz as the district's new president to replace Rev. Paul Janke who asked not to be nominated for reelection after serving in the position for 10 years.
Buchholz, who currently serves at Emmanuel in Tempe, Ariz., is a relative newcomer to the district. Before accepting his current call in 2005, he served congregations in Des Moines, Wash., and Waukesha, Wis. He served as a vicar in Puerto Rico from 1988-89.
In addition to their district duties, the 12 presidents also serve their calling congregation and serve on the Conference of Presidents—charged with supervising and maintaining the synod's doctrinal unity.
"The task seems very daunting; I'm feeling overwhelmed," says Buchholz. "I'm going back to the Lord, hearing his voice in the Scriptures and the sacraments—that's where I turn for strength."
