St. John’s Lutheran Church and School

Praise and Proclaim arrived in late September of 2021 to launch an outreach initiative at St John’s Lutheran Church and School in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. With a baptized membership of 1,200 souls, the gospel ministry includes four pastors and a thriving K8 school. A total of 175 students are enrolled with classrooms located directly across the street from the ministry center and sanctuary.

The uniqueness of St. John’s is the large, beautiful stone sanctuary that looks like a castle when you enter the village of Wauwatosa. Located off a popular and busy street, many people pass by the church and school when driving home or visit the popular restaurants, boutiques and outdoor pubs inside the thriving village located next to the Menomonee River.

Evangelism Training for Members & Seminary Students

The goal of the outreach initiative was to provide evangelism training for the members. During the church-wide evaluation and planning process that concluded in 2019, evangelism training for members was brought out as a need and a goal for the gospel ministry at St. John’s Lutheran.

This outreach initiative was being held in conjunction with the evangelism training being provided by Praise and Proclaim for the incoming junior class at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. After receiving training on the seminar campus, the students had the option of either going to Fond du Lac or Wauwatosa to receive an experience of going door-to-door to proclaim the gospel.

On a beautiful, sunny fall day in Wisconsin, twenty-three seminarians arrived on St. John’s campus. With school activities in full swing, the school was bustling throughout the day with a large volleyball tournament in the gym during the outreach initiative, plus a funeral in the sanctuary.

A big part of the evangelism training was to train members how to give reasons for the hope they have in Christ both personally and digitally. A web landing page was developed specifically for the outreach initiative to help spread the Word throughout Wauwatosa. While going door-to-door, participants pointed to the web page along with giving a reason for the hope they have in Christ.

This outreach initiative was a milestone for Praise and Proclaim. It served as the 70^th campaign in twenty-two states and Canada since our gospel ministry started in 2016. Visit our outreach initiative map to see where we have been and read individual reports.

We give thanks to the Lord for the opportunity of coming to Wauwatosa and ask that the Lord may bless this outreach initiative to help enhance the gospel ministry at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School.