Our Mission and Our Resources

Abstract

Norman W. Berg’s 1972 presentation, delivered at a WELS Visiting Elders Workshop, explores the relationship between the church’s mission and its resources. Berg emphasizes the enduring “soul goal” of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS): to serve all people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He critiques the tendency to prioritize “survival goals”—such as budgets, membership counts, and institutional maintenance—over the church’s true mission of evangelism and discipleship. Berg calls for renewed focus on the Gospel, fellowship, evangelical leadership, trained manpower, and material resources, all of which he sees as divinely provided for the task at hand. He urges clergy and laity to align their efforts with the soul-saving mission of the church, warning against complacency and institutional self-preservation. The presentation concludes with a call to use WELS’s abundant resources in a God-pleasing and effective manner to fulfill its mission. Abstract generated by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4).