The South Wisconsin District consists of 199 congregations in the southern half of the state. These congregations are a mix of urban and suburban areas around population centers like Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Madison, and Sheboygan and rural congregations that serve as the very heart of America’s dairy land. Many of these congregations have roots in the very earliest days of the Synod. Others were planted in the halcyon days of the postwar boom. Others are newly birthed and serve growing Hispanic, Hmong, and French-African communities. This triennium has not been without its challenges. With the Lord calling home our long-time District President Rev. John C. Wille in June 2024, the service of President Eric Skovgaard, and my election, there has been a great deal of turnover. But the effort of Confessing Christ for the Next Generation has continued because the Lord of the Church has been in the lead the whole time! The confessing of Christ has centered on four mission priorities: 1. Being distinctly Lutheran 2. Planting new congregations and schools 3. Honoring our Christ-centered vocations 4. Embracing our communities First, the district is at its very heart distinctly Lutheran. Our congregations have an abiding commitment to proper distinction of Law and Gospel as it is lived out in faithful Word and Sacrament ministry rooted in font, altar, and pulpit. This radiates out to day school classrooms and outreach efforts that seek to faithfully steward the Gospel entrusted to us. Whether the congregation is numbered in the hundreds or tens, it is the Gospel that defines our distinct Lutheran identity that is desperately needed in our communities and our world! Second, over this past triennium we have been active in planting new congregations and schools. In conjunction with 2023 Res. 1-03A, the district has utilized the Office of National Mission’s Church Planting Simplified to assist in the planting of two mission starts in Monroe and Viroqua. These plants have used the method and the associated grants so that we now have two church
planters in place seeking to move them to charter. One other church plant is underway in Slinger, but has not yet reached critical mass. We continue to have our target list for at least 10 new starts in the coming years. Our Lutheran Neighborhood Schools Initiative that was launched in 2023 has continued to grow. A new partnership with We Teach Truth schools in the Milwaukee area seeks to broaden the base of this effort as well as export the micro school model out to our district in an attempt to help smaller schools remain viable so that they are able to use education in the process of faithful stewardship of the Gospel. Third, the district has honored our Christ-centered vocations. Seeking to confess Christ using our hands and feet, district congregations have stepped up in the number of Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) deployments. This included one deployment in the Milwaukee area that was the result of a rainstorm that dumped a foot of rain in 11 hours. The response from our congregations and members was remarkable. We were able to physically assist 65 households in cleanup. In addition, with the assistance of LCMS Disaster Response, we were able to make grants available to a total of $300,000 for congregations and households to assist with damage not covered by insurance. Fourth, the district has embraced its community. Through our urban ministry we have started to “close the circle in mission.” Social ministry that feeds, clothes, and houses people but is not directly connected to Word and Sacrament ministry is not mission. Using strategies to gather contact information as well as strategic micro grants from the district have enabled these ministries to engage difficult neighborhoods with the Gospel. This has led to baptisms, new members, and even more opportunities for engagement. Over the coming triennium the district will be launching an effort called Mission Field Milwaukee. This will be a collaborative effort between Milwaukee congregations, district Mission and Mercy, and LCEF’s Ministry Solutions to help redefine the ministry focus of our congregations from survival to faithful stewardship of the Gospel. Congregations will assess their Lutheran identity, financial health, and neighborhood connections while seeking to live out 2023 Res. 1-02A in establishing partnerships that will embolden our stewardship of the Gospel. These partnerships will include congregations, recognized service organizations, and individual efforts to Confess Christ for the Next Generation. These efforts and others that the Lord will open to us will only come as we faithfully proclaim, “Christ is risen indeed!”