Dawn Schulz
Rev. Paul Wendland
Tuesday, Jan 24
3:15 – 4:30 pm
Why Women Are Leaving and How We Invite Them to Stay
Across Christianity, young women are leaving their churches at historic rates—even more than men. Within our own WELS congregations, this quiet exodus is more than a demographic shift; it’s one of the most urgent issues we face. Many of these women still love their Lord, their doctrine, and their church body. But for a variety of reasons, they struggle to see how they fit into the life of the local church. They don’t want to leave—they just don’t know where they belong. As more women disengage, the loss is felt personally, spiritually, and generationally, weakening the present, reshaping the future, and diminishing both the church’s capacity to carry out the Great Commission and the ability of women and men to live out all their God-given callings.
But this isn’t simply about numbers. At its heart, it’s about our Creator’s design for vocation, identity, and partnership. God made men and women with distinct yet complementary gifts and roles. In a healthy home, husband and wife contribute, communicate, and collaborate. A healthy congregation will reflect that same Spirit-led partnership.
This keynote will explore in conversation how faithfulness to God’s design calls us to value God’s gift of women with wisdom, humility, and joy. It will also explore how we can better understand their current reality, hear their insights, include their voices, and engage their strengths in congregational life—not by erasing roles but by embracing the full richness of them.
Dawn Schulz is grateful to serve as chairwoman of WELS Women’s Ministry. This committee nurtures, encourages, and equips women to faithfully and fruitfully use their gifts for joyful and confident service in God’s kingdom. Over the past 25+ years, Dawn has served in many ways. Highlights include tutoring at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, teaching grades 2-4, teaching women’s Bible study, hosting retreats, mentoring young Christian women, counseling those in crisis, presenting at conferences, sharing Jesus with hundreds of women at Advent by Candlelight, and coaching church planters’ wives. One of her greatest joys is seeing God’s Word work to heal broken marriages, restore hope, and bring peace to hurting hearts.
Professionally, Dawn works as multisite coordinator for Divine Savior Church’s seven campuses in Florida, Texas, and Grenada. In this capacity, she oversees the campuses’ shared resources, personnel, and systems as they collaborate to intentionally connect the families of Divine Savior Academy to lifelong engagement with the ministry of the Word and community of believers.
Dawn’s family is her greatest earthly gift and joy. She lives with her husband, Rev. Joel Schulz, in Delray Beach, Fla. They have been married for 28 years and love traveling, skiing, hiking, watching soccer, and spending time with their grown children: Jonah and his wife, Tatum; Elijah and his fiancée, Michaela; and Moira.
In his retirement, Rev. Paul Wendland teaches online courses in New Testament for Martin Luther College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. His specialties are biblical interpretation, and the books of Romans, Galatians, and 1 Peter. He grew up in Zambia, where, in his full-time ministry, he also served as a missionary. Later, he was called to be a parish pastor in Michigan and then to be a home missionary in Utah. From 1993–2001 he taught Latin and English literature at Martin Luther College. From 2001–2023 he taught at the seminary, serving from 2004–2019 as its president. He is the author of two volumes of the People’s Bible: 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles (NPH, 1994 and 1998). Married to Margaret (nee Berg) in 1979, the Lord has blessed them with three children—Miriam, Anne, and John—and two grandchildren: Konstantin and Sophia. Paul and Margaret now live in Roseville, Minn.
