Dear Friend,
146, 132, 115, 102. These numbers are astounding. They represent the parish pastoral vacancies (146, 132) and teacher vacancies (115, 102) for the last two years. Many of you reading this know what it’s like. You’ve issued call after call and still haven’t received the pastor or teacher you need.
A question so many of us ponder and pray about is this: Where will we find more called workers to fill our pulpits and classrooms to proclaim Jesus as Savior? Martin Luther College (MLC), your WELS College of Ministry, is vital to preparing men and women for service in our congregations and schools. We are the Knights, and we are training faithful men and women to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6) and be Knighted for Ministry!
MLC is the pre-seminary college for our future pastors. We also train staff ministers qualified in many different areas of ministry. And we are the primary provider of qualified teachers for Lutheran schools. In fact, we’re the only college whose graduates are both synod-certified and qualified for state teaching licensure.
Although the called worker shortage numbers are astounding, the good news is that the immediate future looks brighter. Why? Our enrollment has grown, which means that in the next few years we will assign more teachers and staff ministers and send more men on to the seminary to finish their pastoral training.
How is MLC doing this? Primarily, we trust the Holy Spirit’s work in the hearts and minds of young people. But we also do whatever we can to encourage them! One helpful tool is the Congregational Partner Grant Program. CPGP is a tuition assistance program where MLC matches the financial support students receive from their home congregations. For the 2025-26 school year, MLC is matching congregational grants up to $1,600—a total of $1.9 million in tuition assistance!
Where does MLC find the dollars to offer these matching grants? From God’s people, like you, who have a strong desire to equip more young (and not-so-young) people for full-time ministry in God’s kingdom. Yes, you play a vital role in Knighting for Ministry! In fact, 90 percent of MLC students benefit from this generous matching grant program! As you can imagine, the program continues to grow each year as more students sign up for this critical tuition assistance.
How can you help us continue the momentum? First, please keep praying for more workers in the harvest field. Second, please continue encouraging qualified men and women to consider a ministry vocation. Finally, if you are moved by the Spirit, can you help us with a gift so that we can meet our matching commitments to our students this school year?
Many Lutheran schools continue to grow as more families seek a Christian education for their children. What a blessing! But that means there is a growing need for more teachers. Additionally, there are still far too many congregations without a pastor or staff minister to share the life-changing gospel message in their communities. Let’s keep working together! We are all YouKnighted in this mission to train and equip more future pastors, teachers, and staff ministers for the harvest field.
With you in God’s service,
Rich Gurgel
President, Martin Luther College
P.S. Your gift will help us Knight more and more for ministry—perhaps in your congregation or school!
Prayer: Jesus, Lord of the Church, as members of your body, we each have a role in your kingdom. Move us to encourage people to study for public ministry and to support them through our words and gifts. May the offerings of our congregations and the matching gifts from Martin Luther College remove obstacles for those studying to become pastors, teachers, staff ministers, and missionaries. Help us toward the goal of eliminating much of the financial debt for newly graduated called workers so they can better focus on serving you and others in ministry. Amen.
