From the mission field: Partnership in the Gospel

The Rev. Dr. Jonathan Naumann prays during Matins in Palmar Arriba, Dominican Republic, in 2022. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

Earlier this year, the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Naumann and Deaconess Cheryl D. Naumann announced their decision to retire from the mission field after serving in the LCMS Latin America and the Caribbean region for 10 years. The following letter from the Naumanns was included in their April newsletter and is slightly edited for this space.

Dearest friends and prayer partners — the ones who have made it possible for us to serve the Lord in the Latin America and Caribbean region for just over 10 years:

With this newsletter, Cheryl and I are letting you know that we have made the bittersweet decision to retire from the mission field and will return to the United States on June 1.

In the midst of this decision, Philippians 1:3–5, comes to our minds: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Deaconess Cheryl D. Naumann speaks at Concordia the Reformer Seminary and Mercy Center in Palmar Arriba, Dominican Republic, in 2022. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

We are grateful to you for walking with us on the journey that God gave us here in the Dominican Republic and in other countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America. You rejoiced with us at the opening of Concordia the Reformer Seminary and Mercy Center; at the arrival of shipment containers of books for the seminary library; and at the expansion of the number of students at the seminary and in my classes as I served as a professor, dean of the chapel and seminary librarian.

You rejoiced with us at the teaching of deaconess classes and as each new VDMA resource [Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum, “The Word of the Lord Endures Forever”] was translated into Spanish through the VDMA project, so that pastors and seminary students throughout the region could have good theological resources to assist them in carrying out their vocations in accordance with the teachings of Holy Scripture.

You rejoiced with us when we had opportunities to witness to the people around us in the Dominican Republic, whether they were in the grocery store, on the street or driving our Uber. You prayed for us and encouraged us through so many challenging times, including health concerns and the COVID-19 pandemic.

All we can say is thank you — for your prayers and financial support and for those emails with encouraging words. And we will add one last thought, from Philippians 1:6: “I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Posted July 31, 2026