In 24 foreign fields from Albania to Zambia . . . in 40 languages from Arabic to Urdu . . . through 47 missionaries, 674 national workers, and many volunteers . . . WELS’ world missions serve over 78,000 baptized members around the globe. While these statistics are noteworthy, what’s more significant is the action they represent: going to all nations with the gospel.

But did you know that even as WELS enters a new mission field, the eventual goal is to leave?

In striving to spread the gospel to all nations, the WELS Board for World Missions (BWM) carefully plans how to best use manpower and monetary resources. The general strategy is to enter a new mission field fully focused on preaching the Word and to encourage a self-sufficient, local church body to spring up.

“Establishing an indigenous church means that the national leaders and members have taken ownership of that church and want to operate it not only according to God’s truth but also in ways that are appropriate to their own culture, customs, and ways of communicating,” explains Pastor Dan Koelpin, BWM administrator. “It stands to reason that no American missionary, no matter how dedicated and talented, can reach people in central Africa better than an African Christian who intimately understands the people of his own country.”

Koelpin says leaving behind a self-sufficient church can also free missionary manpower positions for other areas in the world that need the gospel.

Helping a national church reach these goals can take years, as evidenced by the Lutheran Church of Central Africa-Malawi Synod (LCCA-MS), which started as a WELS mission in 1963. Until 1988, the WELS missionaries did most of the work in Malawi. As congregations grew (now there are 140 with 5,000 worshipers each Sunday), a training system for pastors was established. Today 22 Malawian pastors serve alongside just 7 missionaries. The LCCA-MS also has its own people in key leadership positions.

Still, much time and carefully directed support are necessary before it will reach the four “self” goals of establishing an indigenous church.

Self-supporting: Paul Nitz, missionary in Malawi, explains that “the members of a church are responsible for and have the opportunity to show the grace they have received by supporting the ministry.” While LCCA-MS members are now able to support a small portion of their regular budget, the poor African economy seems to push the goal of self-support far into the future.