Mexico
May 3, 2016 | Todd Ohlmann
Initial Contact – 2012
Contact was first established between Pastor Juan Jose Olvera and Pastor Michael Roehl, of St. Paul – Bismarck, through email in October of 2012. For reasons of conscience and doctrine, Pastor Olvera had ended his affiliation with the WELS-sponsored Lutheran Church of Mexico – Iglesia Evangélica Lutherana Confesional (IELC) – earlier that year, and was seeking information on the doctrine and practice of the Church of the Lutheran Confession.
2013
A visitation team consisting of President Michael Eichstadt, Board of Doctrine Chairman Daniel Fleischer, and Pastor Roehl met with Pastor Olvera in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico in January of 2013. Fellowship between Pastor Olvera’s newly formed church body, Iglesia Luterana Confesional (ILC), was recommended by the CLC Board of Doctrine and approved by the Coordinating Council of the CLC in April of 2013.
2014
CLC Board of Missions Chairman Todd Ohlmann, together with Pastor Michael Roehl, travelled to Torreon to conduct meetings with Pastor Olvera in January of 2014. Following that visit, funding for various Spanish language seminary textbooks to be used in the instruction of the four men studying for the pastoral ministry were purchased through the MDF and regular monthly subsidy was approved.