Feature

Inviting Mission Partners to the Table

FOROs were recently held in South Africa and Germany, bringing together diverse groups of supporters to collaborate on the planting of churches.

Story by Megan K. Mertz | Photography by Erik M. Lunsford | Winter 2026

On a brisk August morning, the Rev. Samuel Wirgau of Ossian, Ind., sat around a table with 13 others on the campus of Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) in Tshwane, South Africa, to talk about mission strategy, seminary operations, finances and more.

In the age of video calls and Zoom, it may seem strange to travel more than 8,500 miles for a meeting. Yet, says Wirgau, “it was really quite an honor” to be invited to represent the Saint Philip Lutheran Mission Society during The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Africa region’s first FORO.

The Saint Philip Lutheran Mission Society is an LCMS Recognized Service Organization that was formed by a group of students from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), who visited LTS in 2008 and became lifelong supporters. Wirgau came to discuss the mission society’s goals as well as its past and projected future funding of LTS. While funding is an important part of a FORO, it’s also about so much more.

What Is a FORO?

A FORO is a gathering of mission partners — districts, congregations, Recognized Service Organizations, missionaries and others — around the strategic plan for the purpose of planting churches in a particular area.

The FORO model started in the LCMS Latin America and the Caribbean region (FORO means “forum” in Spanish). In 2023, the Synod in convention adopted Resolution 2-07A, “To Commend Use and Attendance of FOROs,” which directed the LCMS Office of International Mission (OIM) to roll out the FORO model in the other three world regions.

The FORO in South Africa, which took place Aug. 1–3, 2025, was the first held under this model in the other regions. It was centered around LTS and its work of preparing pastors for service throughout Africa.

The FORO model is meant to foster both communication and relationships, and the FORO in South Africa was no different. In addition to the business meetings, the group spent time together in worship, fellowship — including attending a traditional braai, or barbecue, with the seminary students — and activities that expanded their knowledge of South African history and culture.

Supporting Theological Education in South Africa

The FORO brought together seminary leaders; the bishops of two South African church bodies in fellowship with the LCMS; representatives from the United States and Germany; and LCMS missionaries. Some of those in attendance had never met in person before, although they all came for the same reason: to support theological education at LTS.

The seminary, which started in 1914 with a single pastor teaching one student, now has 27 students from six countries across Africa. Today, it is co-owned by two church bodies and a mission society: the Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa (FELSISA), the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (LCSA) and the Mission of Lutheran Churches (MLC), the latter of which was founded by the mission arm of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany.

The LCMS has supported LTS in various ways since 1982. Currently, two LCMS alliance missionaries from Brazil — the Rev. Fernando Huf and the Rev. Volmir da Rocha — teach at the seminary full time, and other LCMS pastors and seminary professors travel to South Africa periodically to hold intensives. One of these visiting professors is the Rev. Dr. John T. Pless, who represented CTSFW and was there to teach an intensive course for LTS students. Since 2009, Pless has made more than 30 trips to South Africa.

Despite the distance, Pless said he was “glad to do this. … It brings a global perspective to the way I teach theology.”

The students at LTS are eager to learn. In between classes during the days of the FORO, they could often be found in the seminary courtyard, debating theology and its application to daily life.

“People are getting lost. They thought they are Lutherans, but they’re missing some major points of being a Lutheran,” said Happy, a seminary student who comes from Malawi. He’s grateful to be able to learn from visiting professors from the LCMS and to have access to the writings of LCMS theologians.

The Value of ‘Being Together’

LTS charges students a small fee, which ensures that every student has a personal investment in attending seminary, increasing the likelihood he is there for the right reason. But the student contribution does not cover the cost of running the seminary. Since the students come from diverse circumstances, LTS provides accommodation, textbooks and two meals a day — ensuring that every student, no matter his situation, will be able to learn to the best of his ability.

Over the past two years, LTS has also invested significant effort in improving its library and pursuing accreditation of its Diploma in Theology program. Thanks be to God, the accreditation and registration process was finally approved by the government in November.

“We see ourselves as a mission agency,” said the Rev. Dr. Heinz Hiestermann, LTS rector. “The students who graduate from here will spread the Gospel across Africa.”

One of those graduates is the Rev. Dr. Elliot Sithole, who was recently elected bishop of the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (LCSA).

“Without LTS, it would be very difficult to operate as a church body. We need trained pastors. We need trained leaders. And LTS is there to fill that gap,” said Sithole, who expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the FELSISA and the partners who support LTS.

The Rev. Helmut Paul, bishop of the FELSISA, expressed similar sentiments, saying the partnership with both LTS and the LCMS helps him “see how we are part of a larger church. We get to share in the joy and also the responsibility of bringing God’s Word to various places in South Africa.”

The Rev. Peter Weber attended on behalf of the Mission of Lutheran Churches, which still retains its connection to Lutherans in Germany. Weber commented on his renewed commitment to help LTS find support in Germany, even as Wirgau talked about funding possibilities from Lutherans in the U.S.

On the final evening of the FORO, as the attendees enjoyed another barbecue — this time a Brazilian one at the home of the Rev. Fernando and Magda Huf — the Rev. Shauen Trump, regional director of the Synod’s work in Africa, reflected on the importance of what had occurred during the previous three days.

“As is customary in Africa, the greatest value [of this experience] is in just being together. This FORO was very much built around spending time together and the benefits that brings when those relationships are strengthened. … The details work themselves out when you have a strong relationship between the parties,” he said.

“We are working with a lot of different entities [in Africa] that are not directly under the LCMS,” he continued. “So, we’re making sure that we find a model that’s going to work not only for American mindsets and approaches, but also for Brazilian and German and Afrikaner mindsets and approaches at the same time.”

Supporting Outreach in Germany

At the end of September, another FORO took place — this time in Germany. It was the first in Eurasia and covered ministry to three separate groups: Persian refugees, Ukrainian refugees and English-speaking expats.

Migrants have been pouring into Europe for decades, seeking a safe haven from civil war, strife and economic hardship. Starting in 2015, a new wave of immigrants began requesting asylum. Under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany responded and welcomed these asylum seekers. Germany now hosts the most refugees of any country in Europe.

The church responded too. Nearly half of the congregations of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK), the Synod’s partner church in Germany, have some sort of outreach for Persian refugees — those who come primarily from Iran and Afghanistan. The most well-known of these is at Trinity Lutheran Church in Berlin-Steglitz, where more than 1,400 Persian refugees now attend church. But many other SELK congregations have stepped up as well, offering Farsi worship services, German-language classes and more.

Persians have been particularly receptive to the Gospel — far more so than the refugees coming from other Muslim majority countries. Many of those fleeing Iran connect to their Persian heritage, which goes back several thousand years before the current Iranian government came into power. When these refugees start learning about Christianity, they are amazed to find that their ancestor King Cyrus of Persia is mentioned throughout the Old Testament.

“Today, the Holy Spirit is building His temple not in blocks of stone, … but in the hearts of Persians throughout Germany,” said LCMS missionary Rev. Dr. Christian Tiews, who serves at Zion Lutheran Church, Hamburg, where the first few days of the FORO took place. At Zion, Tiews serves alongside German Pastor Bernhard Schütze and Finnish Pastor Pasi Palmu, and all are involved in this outreach to Persians.

The Germany FORO gave pastors working in Farsi outreach throughout the area a chance to connect and hear from each other, with at least one German pastor walking away with ideas for making his catechesis classes even more in depth.

During the FORO, attendees also met several Persian refugees who are now involved in SELK congregations.

Amir and his wife, Sarina, both became Christians while in Iran. Eventually, their activities to share the Bible with other Iranians were discovered, and they fled to Europe and found their way to Zion, Hamburg. Now Amir is studying in the online English program at Luther Academy in Riga, Latvia, with the hope of becoming the first Lutheran pastor to his community. Sarina, who speaks English fluently, is helping translate the Book of Concord into Farsi. She also has created a Farsi-English-German glossary that is proving to be immensely helpful as translation work goes forward.

Another refugee, Hassan, became Christian in Germany. While in the hospital, he and his wife were visited by some Iranian Christians who invited them to an upcoming cultural event at church. They came and were impressed by how kind the Christians were. In 2018, Hassan and his family were baptized at a SELK congregation in Braunschweig, Germany, where they continue to attend regularly with their twins.

These refugees and others also shared their experiences of harrowing journeys, being tricked by human traffickers, and living with the fear of deportation. Many refugees need counseling when they arrive, but there are few resources available to Farsi speakers.

Hassan’s family has been waiting on their court date for five years. He isn’t allowed to work while he waits, so he spends his time helping others and raising his children in their newfound faith. “We’ve learned to trust in God, not knowing what will come,” he said.

‘We Have a Mission in Germany’

More than 40 people attended all or part of the Sept. 24–30 FORO. This included 10 from the LCMS South Wisconsin and Michigan districts, Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt of the SELK and President Gleisson R. Schmidt of the Evangelical Lutheran Church—Synod of France, LCMS missionaries and staff, and local pastors and Persian refugees.

As the core group traveled from Hamburg to Berlin to Wittenberg during the FORO, they also heard about the Synod’s work among English-speaking expats in Kaiserslautern and with Ukrainian refugees in Wittenberg. Although each program works with a different population in a different language, the goal of these projects is the same: to spread the Gospel, plant Lutheran churches and show mercy.

On Sept. 27, LCMS missionary Rev. Nathaniel Jensen spoke about his work among English speakers at Kaiserslautern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The congregation was originally established to serve U.S. military members, although now it has become a church home away from home for many English-speaking expats in the area.

“I’m a regular pastor in an unusual context,” Jensen said. “We have this short window of time to bring people to Christ or bring them closer to their Lutheran faith, and then they move on” — hopefully to a Lutheran congregation in another place.

“[The FORO] is a great opportunity to see how these ministries work together,” said the Rev. Dr. David Preus, regional director of the Synod’s work in Eurasia. “We’re doing the same thing in all these places, and in the areas of ministry that are more advanced — like in the expat ministry, where we have established congregations — it gives us a great model of what we want to accomplish in other places.”

Ultimately, the FORO model is meant not just to raise awareness about the mission work taking place in other countries, but to engage LCMS districts and congregations in the United States in this work.

“A FORO partner is not simply somebody who comes over and sees what we’re doing and learns how they can support us,” Preus stressed. “These are all very important things. But I don’t want them to go back home and say, ‘They are doing this.’ I want them to go back home to their congregations and say, ‘We have a mission in Germany, and this is what we are doing.’”

Deaconess Norma Polk heard about the FORO and asked LCMS Michigan District President Rev. David Davis if she could represent the district. She serves at University Lutheran Chapel in Ann Arbor, Mich., and was particularly interested in service opportunities for her students. But she also had another reason for attending: “I grew up as a Muslim myself, so anything that is outreach to Muslims, I am just so interested,” she said.

The Rev. Eric Skovgaard, who at the time was first vice-president of the South Wisconsin District, brought a small group of attendees to learn more about how the district could be involved. They have long partnered with the mission work in the Dominican Republic and are looking to expand into a new endeavor.

The FORO in the Dominican Republic is “something that we can call our own and invest in,” Skovgaard said. “We were there when it got started. Now 20 years later, wonderful things are happening there. I’m hoping that happens in Germany as well.”

Although FORO participants heard about some tough issues, they also discussed possible solutions and learned how wars and global turmoil are bringing people into contact with the Gospel. As God promises, His Word works — in every language and location, whether in Germany, South Africa or the United States.

“We pray for good government. We pray that these things don’t happen to us. And yet, they do,” Preus said. “Look at how God uses these things to open up opportunities to plant churches and gather the elect into the kingdom. It’s such a wonderful privilege.”

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