WELS Congregations in Canada: The Work Has Just Begun

Abstract

Stuart Zak’s 1982 church history paper surveys the development of Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) congregations in Canada. Despite Canada’s vast geography and growing population, WELS had only nine congregations at the time—six in Eastern Canada and three in Western Canada. Zak outlines the challenges of Canadian mission work, including cultural apathy, mobility, and suspicion toward American pastors, but also highlights opportunities in major urban centers. The paper details the histories of individual congregations, many of which began through lay initiative or migration from the U.S. Notably, St. Paul’s in Ottawa played a central role in expanding WELS presence in Ontario. Zak also documents several failed or closed congregations, often due to doctrinal conflicts or cultural resistance. He concludes that, despite setbacks, WELS has a promising future in Canada and encourages further mission expansion to bring confessional Lutheranism to more Canadians.

—Summary generated by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4)