Committee on Adult Discipleship

NWD Pastors Conference 2013 Report

WELS Adult Discipleship exists to assist congregations and called workers in developing lifelong learners from amongst themselves. Learners who are imitators of their Savior. The commission provides and promotes tools for spiritual growth through Bible studies and other resources. These tools equip us for Christian living and giving, mutual encouragement, and for training spiritual leaders. The Seminars for Christian Service was held on March 16. The goal of this event was to provide ideas and opportunities that congregations can incorporate into their ministries right now. Overall, there were 259 registrations for the event from 56 churches. This year the seminars will be run differently. We are calling it Seminars for Servant Leadership. We will be exploring leadership opportunities within congregations. The event will be on Saturday, March 29, 2014. Instead of 30 different seminars to choose from, the morning will consist of a keynote address by Pastor Robert Koester on leadership in the church, especially roles that women can take in a God-pleasing manner. There will be a town-hall discussion led by a panel of leaders in various positions following the keynote. The afternoon will consist of 10-12 workshops to choose from with an emphasis of equipping people for leading in different roles in the church. The registration process for members and congregations will remain the same. The annual NWD Marriage Retreat will be held on February 28 March 2 at the Heidel House in Green Lake. This years retreat, Mysterious Marriage, will take a look at Ephesians 5 and focus on the commitment spouses make to each other and God verses the myth of finding my soul mate. This annual event helps you offer a high quality marriage enrichment ministry with little effort on your part. Registration is open and available at www.eternal-love.org/marriage. A number of color brochures are available for you to take back to your congregation. If you want more promotional material, please contact Michael Johnson (pastor.johnson@eternal-love.org). Continue to keep the work of Adult Discipleship in your prayers as Gods Word is shared with his people and they grow in their faiths. The lack of a dedicated director for Adult Discipleship at the Center for Mission and Ministry is starting to show a bit and the work your brothers around the country can use your prayers. Services like the School of Bible Study that was being promoted to start this year have had to be put on hold until we have more man power to finish the course. Continue to make use of the Adult Discipleship resources we do have available such as: Faith Focused Finances, Marriage Enrichment, the new Come Follow Me movie, and WELS Womens Ministry. Committee on Adult Discipleship: Gregory Stahlecker, Ralph Rosenberg, Michael Johnson, Donald Frisque, and John Deschane