New missionaries prepare to deploy

New LCMS missionaries visit Mission Central in Mapleton, Iowa, on June 17. Pictured from left are Makia Adler, Peter Williams, the Rev. Jonathan Anderson, Zachary Turley, Anika Slayton, Gavin Johnson, and Ella and Ben Goehring. Gudula “Lula” Tiews is pictured below. (Mission Central)

By Brianna Dehn

In June, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Office of International Mission (OIM) began the second of three annual new missionary orientation cycles. Eight new missionary families have now completed this cycle, which culminated with a recognition during chapel at the LCMS International Center on Aug. 1.

Lula Tiews

The new missionaries and their roles/assignments are:

Makia Adler — Volunteer coordinator, Belize (layperson)

Rev. Jonathan Anderson — Church planter, Panama

Gavin Johnson — Vicar (Concordia Seminary, St. Louis), Dominican Republic

Anika Slayton — Deaconess intern, Germany

Mr. Zachary Turley — Vicar (Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne — CTSFW) Japan

Peter Williams — Vicar (CTSFW), Germany

Gudula “Lula” Tiews — Communications specialist, Germany

Ben and Ella Goehring — Teacher, English as a Second Language, Romania

The Rev. Jonathan Anderson is a recent CTSFW graduate, and this call is his first. He hadn’t initially thought of serving on the international mission field, but the Rev. Ted Krey, director of the LCMS Latin America and the Caribbean region, approached him about the opportunity to serve in Panama. “I couldn’t think of a good reason to say ‘no’,” said Anderson. Quoting Psalm 24, he continued: “ ‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.’ … So, no matter where we serve in the world, we are serving the Lord’s church.”

Vicar Gavin Johnson also had not initially thought of serving overseas but was approached by the Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of vicarage and deaconess internships at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, about doing so. Like Anderson, his response was, “Who am I to say ‘no’?” He expects to “learn a lot and grow a lot.” He said he is looking forward to the culture of the DR, where it’s much more common to have casual conversations about the faith than it is in the United States.

Unlike Anderson and Johnson, Deaconess Intern Anika Slayton has always been interested in serving the Lord overseas. She comes from a family of missionaries so was exposed to missionary service from a young age. When Slayton found out that her school, Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Ill., offers an international internship for deaconesses, she jumped at the opportunity.

Slayton is going to Leipzig, Germany, where she will be working in women’s and children’s ministry and helping out in other ways as needed. She is eager to serve in Germany because it is “the home of Lutheranism; it’s where the Reformation started.” But she noted that “the churches in Germany are empty. There are very few people [there] who would call themselves Christian, let alone Lutheran.”

Nevertheless, German parents — even atheist ones — commonly send their children to church-sponsored programing. “We can minister to the children with the hopes of reaching out to their parents as well and sharing Jesus with them,” said Slayton.

Thorough preparation

This newest group of LCMS missionaries completed a multi-phase training before beginning their preparations to deploy. In the first phase, conducted via Zoom, new LCMS missionaries receive basic information about their specific regions.

Next, they are trained in the Synod’s overarching mission to “Spread the Gospel, Plant Lutheran Churches and Show Mercy.” During this phase, they also learn how that mission is carried out in the field, and they prepare for deployment by meeting at the IC and working on developing their own message. Additionally they receive tools and resources to use for sharing their message with churches, groups and individuals.

In phase three, the missionaries begin visiting potential supporters to share the message about what God has called them to do and to help people find ways to get connected to their mission. And in the last phase, they return to the IC to learn more details about their deployment, to be trained in safety and resiliency, and to prepare spiritually and logistically to begin their service.

Missionary spouses and families, because they will accompany the person serving, go through orientation as well. Recently, the Synod brought Deaconess Clarion Fritsche on board to serve as manager of mobilization and training for the OIM. As part of her duties, she will be in charge of helping missionary children adjust to their new country and culture. “The spouses and children have a very important vocation,” Fritsche said. “Having the family be supportive and on board and ready to be a part of that ministry is key. … They have a very important place [in the mission].”

This newest cohort of LCMS missionaries, who will deploy over the next few months, are grateful for all of their supporters, not just those who support them with financial gifts but also those, throughout the church, who uphold them in prayer.

“[Becoming a missionary] is a very exciting road — and a very challenging road,” said Fritsche, who served as a missionary in the Dominican Republic before accepting the call to the OIM. “But it has a lot to offer. [Missionaries] grow in so many ways out in the field. It’s not easy, but it’s so valuable and worth it. If someone has it on their heart to become a missionary, they need to look into it. You never know how the Lord is going to use you and the blessings that come from being in service to your church.”

Brianna Dehn is a freelance writer based in St. Louis.

Posted Aug. 29, 2025/Updated Sept. 9, 2025