‘Partners in ministry’: LCEF holds annual meeting

Merle Freitag (left), former president of LCEF (1998–2010), presents the 2024 Merle and Phyllis Freitag Award to the Rev. Dr. Orville C. and Marilyn Walz on Nov. 1 during LCEF’s annual meeting. The award is presented to couples who have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the LCMS. (LCEF/Lee Rohlf)

By Cheryl Magness

As he opened the 2024 Annual Meeting of Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) on Nov. 1, LCEF President and CEO Rev. Bart Day said that LCEF’s “greatest asset is not the dollars we have on deposit or the loans [we provide] but the individuals who serve every day at LCEF.” Day spoke of LCEF’s commitment, for the last 46 years of its existence, to helping “church workers, congregations, Lutheran schools, Recognized Service Organizations [RSOs] and others as they live into the Great Commission. … They are the voices and hands and feet of Jesus. … To God alone be the glory.”

The theme of investing in and serving people in the name of Christ continued throughout the meeting, held at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel, as story upon joyous story detailed just a few of the ways LCEF has been able to assist the people of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) in being those voices and hands and feet of Jesus for one another. Over the course of the two-day meeting, a series of videos was shared highlighting some of the ministries supported by LCEF, including:

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, a residential center in Fargo, N.D., that serves at-risk adolescents and their families;

Camp Linn Haven, a Lutheran camp in Newland, N.C., that recently experienced severe flooding from Hurricane Helene; and

The Center 4 Hope, a ministry of Hope Lutheran Church, Greece, N.Y., that provides a food pantry and mentoring for those in need in the local community.

A common thread through all the videos was an emphasis on community. During his update, Day described the work of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Asheville, N.C., which has been active in the local response to Hurricane Helene even as the congregation faced its own challenges owing to the storm. When a lack of running water forced Emmanuel’s school to close its doors temporarily, school leadership made the decision to suspend all tuition payments, which in turn impacted the school’s ability to make payments on its LCEF-held loan. Day assured Emmanuel leadership that there was no need to worry. “We are partners in ministry together,” Day said. “At times like this, communities need the message of hope more than ever. … [That message] is found only in [Christ’s] message of salvation. We at LCEF are committed to adapting our support for ministries, especially at their time of need.”

People serving people

A highlight of each LCEF Annual Meeting is recognizing those who have gone above and beyond to share that message of hope through their vocations. This year’s honorees were:

The Rev. Peter Brock, pastor of Saint John Lutheran Church—Bingen, Decatur, Ind. Brock received the Fred E. Lietz Individual Award, named after LCEF’s first president and CEO and given for leadership and service. Brock’s congregation supports the Saint John Bingen Home for children with albinism, a part of Tanzania Children’s Homes in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania — South-East of Lake Victoria Diocese. LCEF recently partnered with the LCMS Office of National Mission to build two more homes for the project. Brock said the award belongs to many with whom “it has been a joy and privilege for a decade to partner and walk alongside.”

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Presenting the award to the ranch’s president, Joy Ryan, LCEF’s Chief Growth Officer Joe Russo said Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch exemplifies the kinds of ministries LCEF hopes to spotlight with the award: those that demonstrate “tireless dedication to serving church and world.” In her acceptance on the ranch’s behalf, Ryan shared that it was “started by a women’s group at a small Lutheran congregation. … Those first children [served by the ranch] are 80–90 years old now. In 72 years, we have served between 30 and 40 thousand young people. In that time, there have been two constants: the blessings and callings of our Lord Jesus Christ and the unfailing support of the LCMS.”

The Rev. Dr. Orville C. and Marilyn Walz. The Walzes received the Merle and Phyllis Freitag Award, named for the fourth president of LCEF and given for faithfulness, service and dedication to the church. Orville Walz, who served as president of both Concordia College, Edmonton, Alberta, and Concordia University Nebraska, Seward, Neb., told the story of being reared in a family of modest resources, one that would seemingly not be able to fund a college education. One day his father told him, “‘If you and your brother want to go to college, Mom and I will see to it.’ And they did.” Walz said it was just one example of a lifetime of seeing the “impossible” happen “over and over again.”

Larry Crume, former LCEF senior vice-president of lending. Presenting Crume with the Arthur C. Haake Leadership Award, named for LCEF’s second president and given to a retired LCEF staff member, LCEF Senior Vice-President of Human Capital Yvonne Schoen called Crume a “tenacious advocate for ministries and rostered church workers.” Crume shared the story of first being offered the position many years ago and asking God for a sign of whether he should accept. He observed that God’s plan is often not clear to His children until many years after the fact. “I look for God in the windshields of life, but He’s always there in the rearview mirror.”

Recognizing all the honorees, Day said they illustrate the difference that a single person, with the Lord’s help, can make. “It only takes one bold individual to make [something] start.”

A streamlined approach

Until recently, LCEF’s Annual Meeting was part of a larger event known as the LCEF Fall Conference that included more activities and speakers, often from outside the Synod. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event to go remote, it was an opportunity to reconsider how best to approach it from a stewardship standpoint. When the in-person meeting returned in 2023, a day was cut from the proceedings. Also in 2023, the decision was made to reduce the number of voting delegates in half — from around 150 to 75. The 2024 Annual Meeting is the first to be held under the new representation model.

Notwithstanding the more streamlined schedule, the 2024 meeting still boasted some impressive speakers. The Rev. Dr. Jon Bruss, president of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), brought greetings from CTSFW and spoke about both LCMS seminaries’ work to raise up the next generation of pastors: “The will and the hope and the prayer of the Reformation was that the teaching of God’s Word in its truth and purity would persist into all of eternity. … What we need, above all, is strongly formed Lutheran pastors to serve … with the fullness and the truth of God’s Word for your salvation and the salvation of your children and grandchildren. We must have strong seminaries to do this.”

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison also addressed the gathering.

“We look at our nation and weep over its divisions and absurdities,” Harrison said. But he encouraged listeners that “the Lord has been with us,” including through the work of LCEF. “It’s so exciting what you do. … The work keeps coming; the loans keep coming; the institutions keep using the funds for the purposes of the Gospel. Thanks be to God.”

A solid foundation

Each day of the meeting began and ended with worship led by the Rev. Sean Daenzer, who serves as director of LCMS Worship and chaplain at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis. The psalmody, readings, hymns and sermons variously spoke of generosity (Psalm 112:5, “It is well with the man who deals generously and lends”); building (1 Cor. 3:11, “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”); thankfulness (Psalm 26:8, “O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells”); and standing on the foundation of God’s Word (1 Tim. 3:14–15, “I am writing these things to you so that … you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth”).

The business portion of the gathering was conducted in an efficient two-hour slot on Nov. 2 and included elections to the LCEF Board of Directors, the CEO’s update and an audit report. Elected to serve were Gary Hemmer (East Central Region), Chris Soyke (North Central Region) and Dr. Jaime Peters (South Region).

In his update, Day noted:

LCEF’s recent implementation of a new core banking system and customer engagement tool;

Plans for a new strategic plan anchored in a newly adopted mission statement;

Strong lending and significant growth in the last two years, with congregational lending leading the way;

Plans to expand LCEF’s reach into Canada;

The acquisition, in 2022, of Grace Place Wellness, which is dedicated to supporting church worker wellness;

A new partnership with the LCMS Recognized Service Organization MinistryFOCUS, which seeks to help church workers reduce their debt;

A partnership with Concordia University Wisconsin’s Batterman School of Business to raise up future business leaders for the church;

LCEF’s Church Worker Loan Pool, which makes loans to church workers at or below market rates;

A soon-to-be-revealed new logo, branding, tagline and website that represent LCEF’s continuing quest to serve the church in the 21st century while holding firm to LCEF’s core values and mission; and

The distribution, over the last five years, of $17 million to support and resource ministries across the LCMS.

In summary, Day said that, to continue to serve the church to the greatest possible extent, “LCEF needs more deposits. We need more dollars to fund new loans.” He asked those in attendance, “Please go back [home] and share the story of LCEF and its products … [and] why is it important for each of us to invest in LCEF.”

To learn more about LCEF, visit lcef.org.