WISCONSIN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN SYNOD - Key Persons
Professor Dan Kingsbury teaches Greek and New Testament studies at Asia Lutheran Seminary while residing in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with his family. His ministry consists mainly of training and mentoring local church leaders. Kingsbury graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College in 2013 and then served as a lay evangelist with Friends Network for six years. While serving with Friends Network, he took classes through Asia Lutheran Seminary and graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2020.
Kingsbury and his wife Leona were married in East Asia in 2015. They have two boys, Cornelius and Macarius.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Regional Theological Education Program
Rev. Dr. Guy Marquardt serves as the director of the Regional Theological Education Program and as a professor at Asia Lutheran Seminary. He also serves oversees exploratory work for the Asia One Team and is the liaison with partners in Myanmar and the Philippines He and his wife Linda live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, as empty nesters.
Marquardt was first assigned from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1994 as a church planter in southern Brazil. Over the next 14 years, he was also asked to train some of the first national pastors of our sister church in Brazil and eventually to serve as field coordinator for the WELS mission. In 2009, the Marquardt and his family moved to Lodi, Calif., where he served at Christ Lutheran Church. In 2015, he began his new work in South Asia where he served as a friendly counselor and principal of a pastor training program until transitioning to his new role on the Asia One Team and moving to Thailand in 2022.
Marquardt is married to Linda, and they have four adult children: David, Holly, Sara, and Jonathan; and four grandchildren. They are grateful for technology that allows them to keep in touch with family.
Rev. Dr. Matthew Doebler serves as a professor of missiology, practical theology, professional development, and mentors for Asia Lutheran Seminary. He also serves as Asia One Team liaison to church partners in Hong Kong and oversees exploratory work in New Zealand and Australia. He and his wife Christine live in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Doebler graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1997 and was assigned to serve at St. Peter, Collins, Wis., where he served until 2001. He then served at St. Paul in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., from 2001-2006, and moved to Round Rock Tex., to start and serve Christ the Rock from 2006-2014. In 2014, Doebler moved to Hong Kong to begin serving at Asia Lutheran Seminary.
Doebler and his wife Christine have three adult children (Madeline, Samuel, and Caleb) and one grandson (Oliver). Christine volunteers for Thai Village, a non-profit committed to employing low-income people, supporting Christian education, and sharing God's love in community.
Job Titles:
- Team Leader for the Asia One Team
Rev. Dr. Steve Witte currently serves as team leader for the Asia One Team. He is responsible for organizing the team as they partner with God's people in Asia to equip, encourage, and empower others to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the 1.8 billion unreached souls throughout Asia.
Witte previously served as president of Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong from 2009-2023. Before starting service in Hong Kong, he was a parish pastor at Beautiful Savior in Green Bay, Wis., from 2001 to 2009 and Emanuel in New London, Wis., from 1985 to 2001.
Witte is married to Mary, and God has blessed them with five adult children: Hannah (Karl), Charis (Stephen), Seth (Katelyn), Lydia, and Micah; and 11 grandchildren.
Professor Joel Nitz began serving the Hmong believers in Vietnam in 2020. When COVID-19 travel restrictions eased, Nitz began teaching trips to Vietnam. He continues to learn the Hmong and Vietnamese languages, write and teach courses for use in rural congregations, and teach classes online to Hmong church leaders. He also serves as the Asia One Team liaison to church partners in Nepal.
Nitz previously served at Northland Lutheran High School in Merrill, Wis., and Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, Wis., for one year each. He was also a mission explorer and pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Olympia, Wash., from 1988-2020.
Nitz married Kathryn in 1990, and they have five adult children: Iver (Mackenzie), Ruth (Conifer), Iraina, Faith, and Talitha; and two grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Leader of the Reformation
Job Titles:
- Member of the Latin America Mission Team
Missionary Abe Degner is a member of the Latin America mission team stationed in Asunción, Paraguay. Before joining the team, Missionary Degner served as a tutor at Martin Luther College from 2010-2012, where he taught Old Testament classes. He was then called to serve as pastor of Christ the Lord/Cristo el Señor, a bilingual church in Houston, Tex., where he served for seven years. He accepted the call to serve as Latin American missionary in 2019 and has been living in Asunción ever since.
Missionary Degner serves as a multiplication missionary. He teaches online classes in Academia Cristo, but focuses especially on counseling students who are trying to plant churches. He travels a lot to meet with those students and their groups, especially students in southern South America (Perú, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay).
Missionary Degner is the son of Charles and Linda Degner and has five siblings. He is single but loves being a good uncle to his seven nieces and nephews. In his free time, Abe enjoys outdoor sports like hiking, hunting, and fishing. He also likes to experiment with cooking and is a regular runner.
Job Titles:
- Dean of Students for Academia Cristo
Missionary Beilke serves as Dean of Students for Academia Cristo, an online academy that teaches God's Word to adult students throughout Latin America. As the students learn more about God's Word, they are encouraged to start their own Bible studies and share God's Word with family and friends. Missionary Beilke teaches Bible classes online, mentors leaders throughout Latin America and encourages them as they start their own Bible study groups, and takes care of the Academia Cristo student body by building connections with the students and making sure students have mentors and are progressing through classes.
Missionary Luke Beilke has been married to Rachel (Steinbrenner) for 12 years. They have two children, Mabel and Otis. The Beilke family arrived in Quito, Ecuador, after serving in various locations over the last 11 years. They spent their first year of marriage teaching English at a WELS-affiliated school in Bogotá, Colombia. He was then assigned to teach at St. Marcus in Milwaukee, Wis., and served there for 3 ½ years. While there, Rachel subbed at Luther Preparatory School, served as a teacher's assistant at Risen Savior, and then was the English as a Second Language (ESL) Director at Christ-St. Peter. From Milwaukee, Missionary Beilke took a call to be principal and teacher at Ascension in Sarasota, Fla., and were blessed to spend seven years serving there. Rachel served in various capacities at Ascension over the years including teacher, school music coordinator, and in church music.
Missionary Berg, his wife Ruth (Nitz), and their son Emmanuel are currently living in North London. As part of the WELS Europe Team, Missionary Berg's role is to visit Christian brothers and sisters throughout the United Kingdom and encourage them to worship together and share the gospel in their circles. He is honored to have this opportunity and looks forward to seeing first-hand the wonders God will do through his Word across the pond. Conifer is also a big football (soccer) fan and is excited to live and work in such a multi-cultural area of the world.
Job Titles:
- Leader of the One Africa Team
Missionary Howard Mohlke and his wife Leslie are empty nesters, currently living in Lusaka, Zambia. The Mohlkes have five grown children, four of whom are married, and six grandchildren. All their kids live in the United States.
Missionary Mohlke is the leader of the One Africa Team. He represents WELS in Africa, specifically maintaining and developing good working relationships with partner churches throughout the continent. He is also responsible for leading, managing, and holding accountable the team of missionaries who are tasked with developing and carrying out various aspects of WELS mission work in Africa.
From 1991-2000, Missionary Mohlke's first call was to be a missionary in Zambia, followed by being called as a pastor back in the United States from 2000-2017. In 2007, he became part of the Board for World Missions and continued in his pastoral and board positions until 2017, when he became Director of the Apache Christian Training School at the Native American mission in Arizona. In 2020, he accepted the call to become the One Africa Team leader.
Mr. Jeremy Seeger accepted the call in 2023 to serve on the Asia One Team as a tech missionary, a role that includes coordinating and developing the in-person and online technology used by the team to spread the gospel throughout Asia. He also teaches online courses.
Seeger grew up in Manitowoc, Wis., and graduated with a teaching degree from Martin Luther College in 2009. He later earned his master's degree in education through Martin Luther College in 2019. He previously served as a teacher at HOPE Christian School: Prima in Milwaukee, Wis. (2009-2012); Rising Eagles Academy in Beijing (2012-2013); Martin Luther in Oshkosh, Wis. (2013-2017); and Divine Savior Academy in Doral, Fla. (2017-2023). He has also been serving as an online math instructor for Amazing Grace Virtual Academy since 2018.
He and his wife Grace were married in 2010. They have been blessed with two daughters, Liliana and Aurelia, and reside in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Missionary Andrew Johnston is currently called as a missionary on the Latin American mission team. The team's primary work is Academia Cristo, an online training program that trains many people in every country in Latin America so that they can reach many more with the gospel. Missionary Johnston teaches online courses and follows up with those who have advanced in their courses and are planting churches. He is also the team leader, which means he guides the team to make sure that, with God's help, the team takes advantage of the many opportunities God is providing.
Missionary Johnston has been on the Latin America mission team since 2016. He began this work based in the city of Leon, Mexico, for three years before moving to Doral, Fla. Prior to this, Missionary Johnston served for ten years on the island of Antigua as pastor/missionary as well as principal and administrator of the school. Before graduating Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2006, he was a vicar in Torreon, Mexico, for a year and served for eight months as an English teacher in the Dominican Republic.
Missionary Johnston has been married to his wife, Cindy, since 2002. They have five children: three girls and two boys. The oldest four were born while they lived and served on the island of Antigua. The last one was born during their time in Mexico. The Johnston family currently lives in Doral, Fla., just outside of Miami.
Benjamin Foxen was born November 22, 1982. He graduated from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn., in 2005 and from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., in 2010. Pastor Foxen served as a missionary to Russia from 2010-2016 and as pastor of Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Peoria, Ariz., from 2016-2022.
He and his wife Rebekah, née Laitinen, were married in New Ulm, Minn., on July 2, 2006. God has blessed them with four children: Levi, Kirsi, Katya, and Leia.
Pastor Foxen and his family live in Lusaka, Zambia. He serves on the outreach committee of the One Africa Team as it seeks to engage the whole continent of Africa with the gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Missionary Dan Kroll and his wife Karen live in Lilongwe, Malawi, as empty nesters. They moved from Cameroon to Malawi in 2018 when a civil war broke out that prevented the Krolls from continuing to live there. Missionary Kroll is on the One Africa Team outreach team, currently serving groups in Cameroon, Liberia, Nigeria, and Uganda.
Missionary Kroll graduated from Martin Luther College in 1983 and spent three years working on an evangelism program for WELS and Reformation in San Diego, Calif., before starting at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. In May 1992, Dan was assigned to Zambia and arrived there in October with his wife and their 4-month-old son Ezekiel. Missionary Kroll served in congregational oversight and general church development through teaching small groups. Dan and Karen added four more children to the family: Josiah, Elijah, Jonah, and Gideon. The Krolls were brought back to the U.S. in 2009 due to budget cutbacks. Missionary Kroll then received a call to serve at St. John's in Lake City, Minn. In 2014, Missionary Kroll received a call to re-start the seminary program in Kumba, Cameroon, after it had been inactive for 15 years. Africa mission work was reorganized as the One Africa Team in 2016, while Missionary Kroll continued to focus on the maturing church body in Cameroon and supporting some well-established programs in Nigeria.
Rev. Dan Witte is a theological educator for the One Africa Team. He helps seminary instructors and boards that oversee them in WELS' sister synods in Africa. He serves as the One Africa Team's Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) adjunct instructor; Missionary Witte works with three professors at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary to help pastors in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia advance theologically and practically for sound ministry. Eighteen of those pastors are in a Bachelor of Divinity program through the Pastoral Studies Institute. Three others are enrolled in Master of Theology courses. Missionary Witte leads learning in some of the courses, coordinates visiting instructors, encourages pastors, etc.
From 1992 to 2019, Missionary Witte was a pastor in Downers Grove, Ill.; Lakewood Ranch, Fla.; and Nicollet, Minn. He also taught Hebrew classes as an adjunct at Martin Luther College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, and was the secretary for the Psalm Committee for the Christian Worship 2021 hymnal. He and his wife Debbie have been blessed with six children: Deanna, Danae, David, Daria, Donovan, and Drew. Missionary Witte and Debbie reside in Lusaka, Zambia.
Rev. Dr. Jon Bare was commissioned as the new president of Asia Lutheran Seminary on January 15, 2023. He previously served as director of the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI), a partnership between Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and WELS Joint Missions, and as a missionary in East Asia. Bare, his wife Kim, and their two children, Josiah and Elina, reside in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Rev. Dr. Michael Hartman leads church planting efforts in the United Kingdom, focusing on London and international ministry. With a team of volunteers and a core group of members, exploratory work is being carried out with the goal of establishing a hub church in London and a network of smaller groups in the area and beyond. Missionary Hartman works with individuals who have connections around the world, ranging from Africa and South America to Europe and Asia.
Prior to serving in the UK, Missionary Hartman led the Latin American mission team to bring the gospel to the Spanish-speaking world and equip leaders with resources to form churches. God used him to found Academia Cristo, a Spanish language Bible Institute and church planting ministry. Today, Academia Cristo has more than 2 million followers on social media channels, over 700 students are active in the program, and 39 have been called to plant churches in their communities.
Missionary Hartman graduated from the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and has a Doctor of Ministry in church planting. He currently lives in London with his wife Rachel and their four children.
Rev. Joel Hoff joined the TELL Network team in September 2022 when he accepted the call to serve as the TELL Missionary in Africa. Missionary Hoff has been blessed to previously serve in our WELS mission fields in Cameroon, Albania, and Ukraine. Stateside, he has served as pastor at Divine Peace in Renton, Wash., and most recently at Trinity in Neenah, Wis.
Missionary Hoff partners with the One Africa Team and serves as an instructor and mentor for TELL students throughout Africa. He looks forward to the opportunity to meet the men and women who have studied God's Word with other TELL instructors. He will assist in their training, walk beside them through their courses, and encourage them as they work toward becoming TELL Bible leaders themselves.
His wife Kate's medical background as a registered nurse has come in handy (perhaps more than she'd like) thanks to their very active and adventurous boys. Missionary Hoff and Kate were married in 2012 and have been blessed with three children: Micah, Caleb, and Josiah. The Hoff's and their two cats, Bones and Zira, are enjoying their new lives and ministry based in Lusaka, Zambia.
Missionary Joel Sutton has worked with the Latin America mission team since December 2015, and he now also serves as Theological Director of Academia Cristo. Previously, Missionary Sutton served for over seven years on the Native American mission field in Arizona.
Missionary Sutton and his wife, Priscila, have three boys: Mateo, Moises and Abram. After four years in central Mexico, the Suttons moved to Asunción, Paraguay, in December 2019.
John and Nancy Roebke served in Eastern Europe from 1994-2004. After a year of language study, Missionary Roebke planted a church in the Sofia suburb of Mladost, where he and Nancy taught courses on English and the Bible. Three years later the couple moved to the northwestern city of Vidin, where Missionary Roebke and a Bulgarian national vicar began work with Bulgarians in urban and rural areas.
In 2004 the Roebkes returned to the U.S. where Missionary Roebke served Peace in Wautoma, Wis., from 2004-2008. In 2008, Missionary Roebke accepted a call to serve Lamb of God in Madison, Ala. In 2017, Missionary Roebke and Nancy left their daughters in the U.S. and moved to Lilongwe, Malawi, to begin serving with the WELS One Africa Team. As the integrator of the One Africa Team, Missionary Roebke helps team leader Howard Mohlke administer the work of the mission team. In addition, he oversees consultancy work with African national worker training programs, serves as liaison with WELS' sister church in Kenya, and coordinates promotions for the One Africa Team through their blog and Facebook page.
John and Nancy Roebke were married in September 1993. They have two daughters, who were both born in Bulgaria. Their oldest daughter, Liliana, lives in Madison, Wis., and works as a Human Relations specialist. Their second daughter, Christiana, graduated in February 2022 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and is now employed in Milwaukee, Wis.
Rev. Justin Steinke was assigned to the Asia One Team from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2023. He, his wife Laura, and son Elijah live in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, where he is spending a full year devoted to language acquisition of Tagalog and cultural exploration of the Philippines.
After marrying his wife, Laura, in 2018, the two spent a year together in East Asia teaching English in universities and God's Word in homes. Steinke's vicar year was spent in Queens, New York, where he served as a vicar to the English and Spanish speaking congregations at Sure Foundation Lutheran Church.
Keegan J. Dowling was born August 3, 1979. He graduated from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn., in 2002 and from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., in 2013. Pastor Dowling has held a multitude of jobs, from teaching in California and China all the way to flying aircraft and being an ordinary seaman on Great Lakes freighter ships. After eight years as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, he received his Honorable Discharge in October 2010, with the rank of Lieutenant (O-3). He has lived in seven states and three different countries.
He and his wife, Kathryn, have four kids: Maximilian (Max), Augustine (Gus), Scheherazade (Zade), and Jael (Ellie). All six are dual citizens of the United States and Canada.
Pastor Dowling served as parish pastor of Abiding Word, Orléans, Ontario, Canada, from his graduation from seminary in 2013 until the spring of 2022, when he accepted a call to serve as a member of the outreach committee of the One Africa Team. He has wanted to be a missionary since the age of eight and is excited to connect with individuals and groups throughout the continent of Africa to explore possible fellowship connections with WELS. He and his family currently live in Lusaka, Zambia.
Rev. Leon Ehlert serves part-time on the Asia One Team and part-time at Beautiful Savior in Green Bay, Wis. As Diaspora Ministry Facilitator for the team, Ehlert has experience with Asian people groups and helps facilitate connections and outreach between people groups in North America and their home country. He is the Asia One Team liaison to church partners in Pakistan and Bangladesh, oversees exploratory work in the United Arab Emirates, and serves as chairman of the North American Hmong Committee.
Ehlert graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1991 and served St. Stephen in Beaver Dam, Wis., until 1996. He then taught at Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, Wis., for 19 years until beginning his service at Beautiful Savior in 2015.
Ehlert and his wife, Krystie, have been married for over 30 years and live on a farm in Black Creek, Wis. They have four grown children; Julian, Elijah, Colin, and Mary; and three grandsons (Judah, Asher, and Finnigan).
Missionary Luis Acosta was born in Colombia and lived there for nine years before his family moved to Venezuela. He lived in Venezuela for 32 years and met his wife Carolina at high school in Venezuela. They were married in December 2008 and moved to Miami, Fla., in January 2009. Missionary Acosta used to work in the advertising/marketing industry as a market manager for Jack Daniel's across several countries in Latin America. In Miami he was connected with WELS through Pastor Carl Leyrer as he was starting the mission that would become Divine Savior Lutheran Church in Doral, Fla.
In 2003, Missionary Acosta completed the Congregational Assistant program studies and began his pastoral training trough Cristo Palabra de Vida, a program through the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI). He served at Divine Savior from 2003 to 2007 as Staff Minister and in 2007 moved with his family to Milwaukee, Wis., to enroll at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.
From 2007-2011, he served as Deacon at Christ Lutheran Church in Milwaukee and served as Vicar at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Milwaukee from 2011-2012. He graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2013 and was assigned to Risen Savior Lutheran Church to lead their Hispanic ministry. Missionary Acosta served at Risen Savior, a multicultural congregation, for nine years. He took the call to serve the northern portion of Latin America as a Multiplication Missionary for the Latin America mission team in 2022. In his current call he provides theological training and support to people that are connected to WELS through Academia Cristo and want to establish house churches.
His wife Carolina has a degree in medicine from Venezuela and a PhD in psychiatry. She currently works for Christian Family Solutions as a Mental Health Counselor. They have been blessed with two children. Andrea is enrolled in Wisconsin Lutheran College's pre-med program. She loves to dance and share her faith. Caleb is at Luther Preparatory School and loves to play basketball and football.
Missionary Luis Herrera was born in Colombia in 1968, moved to the U.S. in 2002, and has been living in Miami metro area since 2004. Missionary Herrera has been in the steel industry since 1998 and has run his own business since 2018. His wife, Adriana Moreno, owns an accounting practice in Doral, Fla., and is also Colombian. Their son Sebastian is a student at Divine Savior Academy in Doral. The Herrera family have been members at Divine Savior since 2013, where Missionary Herrera has served on the church council since 2018.
In October 2022, Missionary Herrera was called by the Latin America mission team to be a part-time missionary with emphasis in Productions. Currently, he oversees the promotions and production function on the team and his main focus is to be the liaison with Multi-Language Productions (MLP) to share Academia Cristo in Latin America. He will also be starting his studies at Martin Luther College to obtain a Teaching Ministry Certification.
After graduating from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1997, Missionary Luke Wolfgramm was assigned to Novosibirsk, Russia, where he served for 25 years. He is now living in Leipzig, Germany.
Missionary Wolfgramm maintains regular online contact with three national pastors and one seminary student serving Concord Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia. As of March 2022, he has begun working more directly with our mission churches in Albania and Bulgaria and spending time with independent sister churches in Europe. His visits strengthen WELS fellowship with pastors and congregations who are often small and isolated. Missionary Wolfgramm is exploring partnership with the ELFK, WELS' sister church in Germany, to enhance ministerial education, leadership, mentoring, and pastoral wellness throughout Europe.
Missionary Wolfgramm is married to Jennifer, who loves to work with music and help people get more involved with their congregations. She travels with Missionary Wolfgramm to build friendships with the women of our sister churches. The Wolfgramms have three children. Christina lives in Waukesha, Wis., and works as a drafter at a construction company. Katie and her husband live in Milwaukee, Wis., as Katie works as a mechanical engineer. Peter is senior at Fox Valley Lutheran High School and lives with Missionary Wolfgramm's brother and family in Appleton.
Missionary Mark Panning has served the WELS One Africa Team since August 2006. He teaches religion at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lilongwe, Malawi. He also serves as the One Africa Team's primary liaison to the Lutheran Church of Central Africa - Malawi and the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia. Prior to his time in Africa, he served for 13 years as a pastor in central Wisconsin.
Missionary Matt Behmer teaches classes and visits Academia Cristo students as a member of the Latin America mission team. He works especially with the team's multiplication efforts, identifying students who love the gospel and want to share it with others and meeting one-on-one with those students to help them gather a group around God's Word. The long-term goal is that these group multiply so that many more throughout Latin America can hear the good news of eternal life through Christ.
Prior to serving on the Latin America mission team, Missionary Behmer served as a pastor in Los Angeles, Calif., in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS). He has a Master of Divinity from Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, a Master of Science in Global Technology and Development from the University of Arizona, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Mission, Leadership, and Development in the Global Context.
Missionary Behmer is married to Elizabeth. They have been blessed with four children: Emma, Nora, Raymond, and James Emanuel. The Behmer family lives in Quito, Ecuador. They are grateful to God and to WELS for the opportunity to live and serve in Latin America!
Missionary Nathan Schulte has lived in Quito, Ecuador, since 2018. He graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2017 and was assigned to serve the Latin American mission team. He spent his first year of ministry in Mexico as the team prepared to open the mission in South America. He previously served as a vicar at Grace Lutheran Church in Falls Church, Va.
Missionary Schulte's work is divided into three categories. He teaches classes online to students who are learning and preparing to start groups and congregations where they live, mentors advanced students who have taken steps to start groups, and also serves as the Academic Dean of Academia Cristo to make sure students are getting the classes they need and are signing up regularly for them.
He married Alyssa in 2023, and they are excited to continue being part of mission team and making Quito, Ecuador their home.
Nixon Gregorio Vivar Gomez was born in San Antonio, Cañar, Ecuador. He was confirmed in the Christian faith at St. Peter's in Milwaukee, Wis., in 2001. Upon confirmation, Missionary Vivar wanted to continue his theological studies, but there weren't materials available in Spanish to become a pastor. Due to Nixon's interest and other prospects, the Pastoral Studies Institute started a Hispanic branch. Missionary Vivar immediately started his studies with teachers who knew Spanish, and materials were created along the way. It took him 15 years to become a WELS pastor. During those years he served as a pastoral assistant at all Milwaukee churches that were part of the Palabra de Vida Ministries at the time, including Gethsemane, St. Peter's, Christ, and Risen Savior.
Missionary Vivar graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary's Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) in 2017. He served at Christ in Milwaukee, Wis., from 2017 until December 2021, when he was installed as a Latin America missionary for a one-year call. He accepted a permanent call that included a move to Quito, Ecuador, in December 2022. He teaches online classes and follows up and mentors Academia Cristo students throughout Latin America who want to plant churches.
He and his wife Carla, née Falkner, were married in 2008 at St. James in Milwaukee, Wis. God has blessed them with two children, Lucas and Samuel.
Rev. Peter Janke has served on the Asia One Team since graduating from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2016. He is responsible for online course development and teaches online classes in conjunction with Asia Lutheran Seminary to equip and train church leaders and pastors throughout Asia. He is also the Asia One Team liaison with church partners in Indonesia and Japan.
Janke is married to Alanna, and they have two sons, Marvin and Jonas.
Rev. Timothy Matthies was called to the Asia One Team in 2019 to serve as a professor for Asia Lutheran Seminary. He teaches courses in the areas of Old Testament, Hebrew, and the Lutheran Confessions. He previously served at Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Washington, Mich., from 2015-2019.
Matthies married Rachel in 2013, and they have two children: Irene and Zadok. The family resides in Hong Kong.
Rev. Tom Chaleunsouk was born in a small village in Laos, where he also met his wife Kaysone. He worked security at the American Air Base. Fearing for his life after the regime change, he left his family and home in 1980 and crossed the Mekong River to Thailand where he was detained in a refugee camp. Months later, Kaysone and two of their children escaped Laos and joined him. She had to leave their eldest son behind with her father; he was five years old. It would be three years before they would see their son again. They were introduced to Christ in the refugee camp by a Christian aid worker.
In 1981, Chaleunsouk and his family were brought to Pease, Minn., where they were sponsored by the Christian Reformed Church. The community and church helped to locate and bring their eldest son and Kaysone's father to the U.S. They were baptized, and that is when Chaleunsouk became interested in becoming a pastor to share Christianity with his people.
In 1998, Chaleunsouk began studying part-time through the WELS Pastoral Studies Institute. By 2000, he became a full-time student and graduated in 2005. After graduating, he was called to serve as a missionary in the Nong Khai province of Thailand and offer pastoral instruction to interested students.
Rev. Tony Barthels accepted the call to permanently serve on the Asia One Team in 2021. He teaches classes both in the classroom at Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong and online to students in East Asia. He also heads up recruitment for Asia Lutheran Seminary and serves as Asia One Team liaison to church partners in Taiwan.
Before moving to Hong Kong, Barthels spent 10 years in East Asia where he served as a lay missionary and team leader. He concentrated on building gospel-centered relationships, which often resulted in being able to hold in-home Bible studies. He graduated from Asia Lutheran Seminary in 2020.
Barthels is originally from Green Bay, Wis. He and his wife, Ariel, married in 2023 and welcomed their first child in 2024.
Job Titles:
- Director of World Missions Operations
Pastor Wasa Lau is one of 60 Hmong Fellowship Church (HFC) leaders who are receiving theological training in Hanoi, Vietnam, from Bounkeo Lor, Hmong Asia ministry coordinator, and members of the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI). Lau serves Immanuel 1997 church in Laichao province.
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