Prange accepts call to be BME administrator

Rev. Paul Prange, president of Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, has accepted the call to be the new Board for Ministerial Education (BME) administrator. The BME administrator coordinates the work of ministerial education throughout the synod.

Prange, who accepted the call March 7, has served as tutor, professor, and president at Michigan Lutheran Seminary—one of the synod's two preparatory schools—and superintendent at East Fork Lutheran High School, Whiteriver, Ariz. He also served as pastor at Risen Savior, Austin, Tex., and St. Martin, Roscommon, Mich.

This was the second call issued to Prange by the Board for Ministerial Education to replace former administrator Rev. Peter Kruschel, who accepted a call to be a home missions counselor. Prange returned the original call issued in October 2008. In February, after two other candidates also declined calls, the board again called Prange, and this time he was led to accept.

"When I received the call last fall, there were some areas of Michigan Lutheran Seminary that I thought still needed attention from me, especially recruitment and mission advancement," says Prange. "In the intervening months, those things have become more stable and secure. During those same months, the synod budgeting process became more urgent."

Prange has already begun carrying out some work as BME administrator, but he will not transition to the position full time until after the school year ends.

Helping the synod's four ministerial education schools improve their work and streamline their operations are Prange's first tasks. "I want to keep our clear focus on the gospel as our only strength and comfort," he adds.

Filed Under: BME, Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Ministerial Education, MLS

WELS' work in Nepal and Pakistan

Board for World Missions (BWM) Administrator Rev. Dan Koelpin is returning today from a two-week trip to Nepal and Pakistan. Koelpin was joined by Rev. Michael Duncan, pastor at St. Paul, Fort Atkinson, and the new mission outreach coordinator for WELS' work in Nepal and Pakistan. Koelpin introduced Duncan to the Nepalese and Pakistani leaders who are helping WELS distribute Bible-based materials in the native languages of these countries.

In Nepal, Koelpin and Duncan observed WELS-led teaching workshops. These workshops, held twice a year, focus on teaching basic Bible stories with a gospel emphasis to native church leaders, who will return to their villages and share the stories with their neighbors. More than 6,000 Nepalese people have heard God's Word in this way over the past five years.

Koelpin also brought 100 solar-powered audio recorders to Nepal so that native leaders can share God's Word with the illiterate. The recorders contain the entire New Testament in Nepalese, along with a Nepalese version of The Promise, a booklet published by WELS Multi-Language Publications that focuses on teaching basic biblical truths.

"This budding church is committed to being self-sufficient, and the leaders have earned our trust by their hard work," says Koelpin. "We are already working with the Pastoral Studies Institute at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary to prepare top leadership [in Nepal] for further training through technology. Perhaps this church can be a paradigm for other less accessible countries."

The Board for World Missions is committed to using cost-effective alternate strategies to build churches and reach out with the gospel wherever feasible. These alternatives can either supplement or, in some instances, replace the more traditional long-term, resident-missionary approach. Alternate strategies are particularly useful in countries like Nepal and Pakistan, which do not permit traditional Christian missionaries.

To hear more about Koelpin's trip, read the entry he posted on the WELS Missions blog.

Filed Under: BWM, Missions, MLP, Multi-Language Publications, Nepal, Pakistan

WELS in the news

The March issue of Wisconsin Interest featured an article on Henry Tyson, the superintendent of St. Marcus Lutheran School, Milwaukee. The article shared how Tyson became involved with inner-city schools in general, how he started out at St. Marcus, and how St. Marcus is doing today. The article highlighted the importance of "the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ" to Tyson, the school, its faculty, and its students.

The Mar. 13 issue of The Leaf Chronicle in Clarksville, Tenn., announced an upcoming choral concert at Beautiful Savior, Clarksville, Tenn., by the Prep Singers from Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wis. This concert is part of the group's Easter tour.

The Mar. 5 issue of New Ulm's The Journal reported how St. Paul's Lutheran School, New Ulm, celebrated Lutheran Schools Week, Mar. 1-6. Besides other special events, the students worked to collect funds for the WELS Mission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

The Mar. 2 issue of Milwaukee's Journal Sentinel featured an article about the construction of a new $3.27 million building by Hope Christian Schools, a network of three north side schools in Milwaukee affiliated with WELS. The new building will allow Hope Middle School to be restructured as a kindergarten through eighth-grade program. Together the three schools currently have more than 500 students.

Spotlight on Streams: Multi-Language Publications

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Learn about how WELS is using the printed word to reach out to all nations, even those without a resident WELS missionary. This video will explain the work of Multi-Language Publications, a committee that creates simple, compelling materials in different languages for use in the United States and around the world. Watch it online.

Filed Under: literature program, MLP, Multi-Language Publications