1993-2007 President Karl R. Gurgel

,

1993-2007 WELS President Karl R. GurgelKarl R. Gurgel

the oldest of five children, was born on February 24, 1942. His father was long-time Wisconsin Synod pastor, Karl A. Gurgel who served the synod as chairman of the synod’s Mission Board before it was divided into the Board for World Missions (BWM) and the Board for Home Missions (BHM), president of the Northern Wisconsin District, and chairman of the Northwestern College Board of Control. His mother was Lydia nee Naumann, a cousin of Wisconsin Synod president, Oscar J. Naumann.

The younger Karl Gurgel was graduated from Northwestern College in 1964 and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1968. He was married to Barbara Seefeldt on August 15, 1965. God blessed the Gurgel family with seven children: Ann, Wendy, Doug, Bart, Seth, Nicole, and Britta. Gurgel was one of the Wisconsin Synod’s pioneer missionaries in New England having been assigned from the seminary to South Windsor, Connecticut, in 1968. He later served as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Like his predecessor, President Carl Mischke, Gurgel was serving as president of the Western Wisconsin District when elected WELS president in 1993. He brought with him into the office a pastoral heart, an upbeat personality, positive attitude, and a love for missions.

His presidency saw some unique opportunities and challenges. The same convention that elected him president also resolved to amalgamate Northwestern College and Dr. Martin Luther College on the New Ulm campus and Martin Luther Preparatory School and Northwestern Preparatory School on the latter’s Watertown campus. The initial difficulties of combining schools, faculties and student bodies were overcome and the schools became thriving institutions. The 1993 convention also received the new Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal which soon found wide acceptance in the synod.

The fall of the iron curtain in Europe brought about opportunities for mission work in Russia and other Eastern bloc countries. The influx of immigrants to America from many parts of the world opened new prospects for mission work at home and abroad. Multi-Language Publications was created to provide sound Lutheran material in a number of languages for use in world mission efforts and cross-cultural work in the United States. Opportunities presented by immigration to America resulted in the Joint Mission Council being formed in 2004 to coordinate the actions of the BWM and the BHM in situations where normal ministry responsibilities of both boards overlapped. Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary created the Pastoral Studies Institute to coordinate the pre-seminary training of non-traditional students, including second career men and students from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and to assist with their training in various areas of the synod. The PSI was also intended to provide opportunity for mutual encouragement with seminaries in our fellowship around the world. The synod re-established Asia Lutheran Seminary (ALS) in Hong Kong in 2004. ALS has since developed into a regional seminary for East Asia.

The synod’s prison ministries also expanded. In 1999 the synod convention recommended that priority be given to funding a full-time position to coordinate the work. The first prison ministries administrator was soon called. By 2007 the Board for Parish Services could report that “approximately 150 people send Bible studies to some 40,000 prisoners, with more studies requested daily. Charles Colson of Prison Ministries said that no other church body is doing this kind of work in our prisons.”

The year 2000 marked the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Wisconsin Synod as well as the traditional beginning of the third millennium of Christianity. The synod observed the anniversary under the theme Forward in Christ, reminding WELS members of God’s grace to their synod for 150 years in spite of human frailties and encouraging them to move forward by following Christ and proclaiming the gospel in their communities, nation, across cultures, and around the world.

Unfortunately, the years 1993-2007 were plagued by financial difficulties and budgetary shortfalls. These shortfalls resulted in agonizing decisions to withdraw missionaries, reduce mission subsidies, and eliminate staff and faculty members at synodical schools.

After stepping down from the synod presidency, Gurgel extended his fruitful ministry by teaching at Asia Lutheran Seminary and serving vacancies in Austin, Texas, and Winona, Minnesota.