Minnesota District (WELS) - President’s Report - Fifty-Second Biennial Convention - June 7-9, 2022

Sep 2, 2026

President Dennis Klatt’s report to the Minnesota District (WELS) for the Fifty-Second Biennial Convention reviews four years of unprecedented challenges and opportunities. It addresses transitions between virtual and in-person worship, schooling disruptions, masking and civil unrest, and rising called worker vacancy rates. The report stresses faithfulness to God’s word, respect for civil authority without compromising the church’s mission, and unity guided by the Spirit through potentially divisive issues. It highlights ongoing encouragement and plans for kingdom work, leadership development, and coordinated service.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatDOCX

Pages20

Reading Time7 min

AccessFree to download

President’s Report

Opening Scripture and Reflection

WHAT WE’VE DONE

Vision and Mission

Two Year Goals

The Minnesota District (WELS) Rev. Dennis Klatt, President HYPERLINK "mailto:mndp@wels.net" mndp@wels.net 763-777-2085 4332 Gettysburg Ave. N., New Hope, MN 55428 June 7-9, 2022 Fifty-Second Biennial Convention of the Minnesota District President’s Report HYPERLINK "http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-6.htm" 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. HYPERLINK "http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-7.htm" 7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. HYPERLINK "http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-8.htm" 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; HYPERLINK "http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-9.htm" 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 (NIV 2011) It has been four years since we were able gather for a district convention. Those intervening years brought unprecedented challenges and opportunities to us personally and collectively as God’s people. Shelter at home orders, transitioning to virtual worship and back to in-person worship, distance learning in our schools, masking, civil unrest, unprecedented called worker vacancy rates, all these things challenged us. Seeking to be faithful to God’s word and our callings, we strove to thread the needle of trusting in but not tempting God, of respecting civil authority without compromising the mission and message of the church, and we sought to honor Christian freedom with sacrificial consideration for our neighbor. We were far from perfect in this struggle. The sinful flesh clings to us all. It inclines us to sinful judgementalism, selfish agendas, and loveless thoughts. In many cases the power of our baptism prevented us from acting out our sinful attitudes, but not always. With our words and deeds, we added sin on top of sin. Thankfully God doesn’t give us mulligans in life. Even our do-overs would be flawed. Instead, he gave us his Son that we might cling to him in faith for righteousness and peace. He who did everything right has made us right with God. It is this peace we have with God that daily empowers us to take up the struggle against the devil, the world, and our flesh in service to him who first loved and served us. While pressured on every side, our gracious Savior has kept and will keep us from being crushed like grapes in a press. We have and continue to wrestle with potentially divisive issues, but the Spirit of truth has guided and stills guides us through them with our unity intact. The SARS-CoV 2 virus is becoming endemic and the high number of called worker vacancies continue, yet we do not despair. Jesus continues to be our provider and protector. What is more, in him our heavenly inheritance remains intact. The message of Christ-crucified and Christian values are the stench of death to growing numbers of people inside and outside of America, but we are not abandoned by the One who matters most. Jesus remains enthroned at the Father’s right hand. He has preserved his word among us. He causes its light to shine in us and through us to those still walking in darkness. As he opened doors for us to proclaim Christ through these past four years, he will continue to open doors for us to proclaim Christ individually and collectively in our congregations and our synod for the years to come. May the Lord bless our time at this convention so that we become better informed of the kingdom work we do together as a synod and district, give and receive encouragement from God’s word, and become better equipped to serve and proclaim Christ. WHAT WE’VE DONE Your district presidium has worked on a specific plan during these last four years. I am grateful for having such good men to work with: Pastor Wayne Schoch (1st VP), Pastor Mathew Pfeifer (2nd VP), and

FAQs

What major challenges influenced the Minnesota District during the past four years?

Shelter-at-home orders, shifting between virtual and in-person worship, distance learning, masking, civil unrest, and unprecedented called worker vacancy rates challenged the district.

How does the report describe maintaining faithfulness and unity amid pressure?

It emphasizes trusting in God without tempting Him, respecting civil authority without compromising the church’s mission, and relying on the Spirit of truth to guide and keep unity intact.

What leadership and reporting initiatives are mentioned in the district presidium’s work?

The report describes monthly video meetings of the presidium, annual training for circuit pastors, quarterly video conferences, and a cloud-based reporting site for circuit pastors to submit visit reports visible to the presidium.

Sep 2, 2026

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