Commissioning Service
Livestreamed from Taste of Missions on June 13, 2026
Meet the missionaries who will be commissioned on June 13:
Ms. Louisa Felgenhauer – Teacher, Peridot-Our Savior’s Lutheran School, San Carlos Apache Reservation, Ariz.
Louisa Felgenhauer will be serving as the kindergarten teacher at Peridot-Our Savior’s Lutheran School on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, where she looks forward to sharing the message of their Savior while reflecting Christ’s love in all she does.
Felgenhauer sees how the Lord’s guidance throughout her life has prepared her for service in a world mission field. She was born in Straubing, Germany, in June 2002. Shortly after, her family moved to Malawi, Africa, where she spent her early childhood. Her grade school years were marked by several international moves, living and attending school in Calgary, Canada; Zwickau, Germany; Watertown, Wis.; Malawi for a second time; and finally, St. George, Kan. She spent her freshman year of high school at Nebraska Lutheran High School before transferring to Luther Preparatory School, where she graduated in 2021. Her family lived in Lusaka, Zambia, during her high school years.
Felgenhauer attended Wisconsin Lutheran College and graduated in June 2026 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary and special education. She is thankful for the opportunity to become immersed in a new culture once again as she begins her ministry in Peridot.
Rev. Dan Kroll – Missionary, Senegal
Missionary Dan Kroll has accepted a call to serve as missionary to Senegal. He and his wife, Karen, will focus on language and culture immersion as they prepare for gospel outreach among the Wolof people, a Muslim population that has had very limited exposure to Christianity. Their early work will center on learning the Wolof language, adjusting to daily life, and laying the groundwork for long-term ministry. They will relocate and begin their work in Senegal in September 2026, pending no unexpected delays.
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 1992, Kroll was assigned to Zambia. He served in congregational oversight and general church development through teaching small groups. He later served in Lake City, Minn. (2009-2014); Kumba, Cameroon (2014–2018); and Lilongwe, Malawi (2018–2026) before accepting the call to Senegal. Until they move in September, Dan will continue to serve as the One Africa Team liaison for West African partners in Cameroon and Nigeria and support outreach efforts in Liberia and western Ethiopia.
He and his wife, Karen, were married in 1991. They have five adult children and seven grandchildren: Ezekiel, his wife Amanda, and their children Oliver and Milo (Wis.); Josiah, his wife Becca, and their children Judah, Izzy, Ezra, Joanna, and Phoebe (Texas); Elijah and wife Makilah (Alaska); Jonah and wife Jamee (Fla.); and Gideon (Alaska).
Ms. Cindy Lendt – Women’s Ministry Coordinator, Asia-Oceania Team
Cindy Lendt accepted the call to serve as Women’s Ministry Coordinator for the Asia-Oceania Team starting July 2026. Women have unique challenges in many areas of Asia, and this position is focused on increasing their access to the gospel. Lendt will develop and oversee a comprehensive framework for women’s ministry across Asia-Oceania mission fields and coordinate local teams to amplify existing efforts and implement new initiatives.
Lendt grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Martin Luther College in 2009 with a double major in staff ministry and elementary education. She has taught students from kindergarten through university level in a variety of settings. Previously she served as a teacher and musician at St. John in St. Paul, Minn. (2009-2017), Good Shepherd in Burnsville, Minn. (2017-2019), with Friends Network in Southeast Asia (2019-2022), and St. Paul in Beverly Hills, Fla. (2022-2026). She will be moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand, at the end of the summer.
Dr. Chris Pluger – Missionary, One Africa Team
Missionary Chris Pluger is a new member of the One Africa Team who will primarily work to develop ministry training programs with partner churches across the continent.
Pluger and his wife, Janine, come to the One Africa Team after ten years with Lutheran Bible Translators. During that time, he served as a translation consultant, working alongside mother-tongue speakers to help translate the Bible clearly and accurately into their language for the first time. Chris and Janine spent five years in Petauke, Zambia, with the Nsenga Bible Translation project and later served alongside multiple language projects in Ethiopia, where they lived for five years.
In addition to his Bible translation experience, Pluger has more than fifteen years of teaching experience in the United States and abroad. He served at Wisconsin Lutheran High School and Great Plains Lutheran High School, where he taught Spanish, religion, and Latin, led student mission and study trips, and coached the chess team.
Pluger holds a PhD from South African Theological Seminary, an MA in Applied Linguistics from Dallas International University, and a BA from Martin Luther College (pastor track).
He and his wife Janine live in Chipata, Zambia. Their adult son, Sean, lives and works in Watertown, S.D.
Rev. Nathan Strutz – Home mission counselor
Rev. Nathan Strutz began serving as a mission counselor for WELS Home Missions in April 2026. He is supporting the South Atlantic, Southeastern Wisconsin, Northern Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Colorado mission districts as they work to plant new mission churches and support and encourage existing home mission congregations.
Strutz graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1997 and has served in home missions throughout his entire ministry. His first call was to a dual parish in Holmen and Galesville, Wis. (1997-2010), where the congregation in Galesville established one of the first multi-site ministries in WELS by opening a new location in Arcadia, Wis. Strutz also served at Resurrection in Verona, Wis. (2010-2022), and Tree of Life in Cary, N.C. (2022-2026). New mission efforts were started at both congregations during his time of service. He has served as chairman of the Western Wisconsin District Mission Board and as a member of the Board for Home Missions Executive Committee.
Strutz and his wife, Elizabeth, have been blessed with two sons, Caleb and Elijah, and four grandchildren. Elizabeth teaches piano and music classes. Caleb is an Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) pastor serving in Winter Haven, Fla., and Elijah is an accountant in Milwaukee, Wis.
