Board of Directors

Board Business

Board Report Summaries

November 2023

August 2023

May 2023

February 2023

November 2022

Older summaries available on request.

Board Members (2022-2025)

Brad Brunkow is a lifelong Lutheran, and currently a member of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan, Kansas. At St. Luke’s he has held the office of Elder, Head Elder, and is currently the Property Chairman and a choir member. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University in 1981, and a degree in Personal Financial Planning from the College of Financial Planning in 2013. Brad worked for a major oil company for over 33 years, holding various positions including Project Manager, Plant Manager, and Business Manager. He also held a variety of positions while a member of First Lutheran Church and School in Ponca City, Oklahoma, including President, Vice President, School Board Elder, and Sunday School Superintendent. Currently he is Lead Trainer for the local AARP Tax-Aide free tax service, and the Alumni Director of Beta Sigma Psi Fraternity. Brad and his wife, Susan, have been married 40 years and have two grown married children, Eric and Kristen, and one grandchild.

Dave is a lifelong member of the Kansas District and a current member of Christ, Overland Park. He graduated in 1981 from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in education and received his Juris Doctorate in 1984 from Washburn Law School. After practicing law for 15 years, he became a district judge in Shawnee County and since 2011 has served as a judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals. Dave has served on the Board of Education of Topeka Lutheran School and on the Kansas District’s Family Life Committee and Adjudication Committee, the LCMS Board for International Mission, and the LCMS Board of District and Congregational Services, which he chaired. Among his many civic activities, Dave served as the 2015-16 president of Optimist International. He and his wife, Shawn, have two children, Nate and Elise, and three granddaughters.

Curt Engelbrecht is a husband, father of four, and grandfather of ten. He is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Wichita and currently serves as a president. He has previously served as president, treasurer, and elder at other congregations. He is currently a Board member of Kansas Lutherans for Life and serves as the treasurer. He has previously served as a circuit forum delegate, Kansas District convention delegate, and Synod Convention delegate. He has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and Master of Science in systems engineering with over 35 years of experience in the aerospace industry. He has served as a mechanical engineering technology program accreditation evaluator for ABET. His past civic service includes city capital projects planning board, political party national committee member, and political party Kansas and National Executive Committee membership, where he served as national committee secretary and resolutions committee chairman.

Kevin is a lifelong Lutheran and has been a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence since its founding in 1976. He has taught midweek classes, served on the Board of Trustees, the Board of Evangelism, as vice-president and is currently Chairman of the Board of Elders. He has been a delegate at the Kansas District Convention twice and served as a delegate and floor committee member at the 2019 Synod Convention. He attended both Grace Lutheran School in Fargo, ND and Bethlehem Lutheran School in Ft. Wayne, IN, and has a B.S. in Geology from Kansas State University. He has been a small business owner since 1987 and has been married to his wife, Lisa, for 34 years. They have three children and two grandchildren. 

Rachel Goodpasture is a 2009 graduate of Concordia University, Nebraska where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She was called to serve as a teacher at Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Atchison, Kansas. In 2014, Rachel graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Master of Science in Education as a Reading Specialist. She served eight years as a teacher and several years as a volleyball coach at Trinity before she was given the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom. She has served on various floor committees for the Kansas District Conventions and is also a member of the Parish Education Committee for the District. Although not teaching anymore, Rachel stays very involved in the parent/teacher group at Trinity, and she is a member of the Day School Committee. Rachel has been married to Adam for 10 years, and they have three daughters. 

Rev. Michael Hageman is the senior pastor of the T.I.G. Ministry of Southwest Kansas serving the congregations of Trinity, Garden City, Immanuel, Lakin and Grace, Ulysses.  He began his service at Trinity Lutheran in 2018. He graduated from Concordia University, Nebraska in 2000 with a B.A. in Communications. He later earned his M.Div. at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in 2004. Rev. Hageman served Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Ohio District located in the inner city of Cleveland, and Trinity Lutheran Church and School in the Florida-Georgia District in Rockledge, Florida. In addition to his pastoral duties, he has served as Zone LWML pastor in Ohio and Kansas, has gone on multiple mission trips to Haiti instructing pastors, and enjoys serving on the board in Garden City at the local YMCA. He and his wife, Shanna, have two children, Selah and Kiera. 

Rick graduated from Concordia, River Forest (now Concordia-Chicago) in 1974. He received a Master of Science in administration from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, in 1979, and a Specialist degree in administration from Central Missouri University, Warrensburg, in 1995. Rick served as a Lutheran educator and principal until 2014, when he retired from the teaching ministry. During his career, he served schools in Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, and Kansas (Hope Lutheran School, Shawnee). Rick has served on various synod, district and community boards and committees throughout his ministry. Rick and his wife, Kathy (Hentsch), have two children, Seth and Gretchen, and five grandchildren.

Rev. James A. (Andy) Keltner attended Concordia College in Austin, Texas, and Texas Lutheran College in Seguin, graduating with a B.A. in theology. Pastor Keltner earned his Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri in 1984. During his time at the Seminary, he married Debbie Graudin. They have four grown children. Pastor Keltner served for eight years at Zion Lutheran Church in Fairmont, Oklahoma. He served in various positions with the LCMS Oklahoma District and helped form the Fairmont Volunteer Fire Department in 1987. He worked as a Field Instructor for OSU Fire Service Training from 1990-2005. From 1992-2004, Pastor Keltner served as the pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Ellinwood, Kansas, and was circuit counselor for Circuit 14 for three years. He served on the Ellinwood Fire Department and was paramedic with Ellinwood Emergency Services. He has been at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church since 2004 and is starting his second term as circuit visitor for Circuit 3 South. He currently serves on the Louisburg Volunteer Fire Department as the department chaplain, a firefighter, and EMT. 

Sue, a lifelong Lutheran, is a graduate of Concordia, Seward, where she received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in education. She also received specializations in Spanish from Friends University, Wichita, Kansas; building administration from Concordia, Seward; and English as a Second Language from the State of Kansas. A state-licensed educator in K-9 elementary, K-9 administration, K-12 Spanish, and K-6, 6-12 ESOL, Sue has taught at schools throughout the Midwest, including Holy Cross Lutheran School and Bethany Lutheran School, Wichita, Kansas, and Faith Lutheran School, Derby, Kansas. She has served on various synod, district, and civic community boards and committees, including the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML), adult choirs, curriculum, fund-raising, and Singles Ministry. She and her husband, Tom, are sponsors to 12 godchildren and enjoy nieces, nephews, family, friends, and traveling in God’s amazing world.

Rev. Justin Panzer began serving as president of the LCMS Kansas District in the summer of 2019. He was elected as president during the June 2022 District Convention. Prior to serving as president, Rev. Panzer served Faith, Abilene from July 2003 – January 2020. Rev. Panzer was a member of the Kansas District Board of Directors for four years, first serving as second vice-president (2015-2018) and then as first vice-president (2018-2019). He is a 1996 graduate of the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in education and a 2003 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He also spent one year in a seminary exchange program with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE) from 1999-2000. President Panzer and his wife, Shelli, have two children, Eli and Grier.

Rev. Michael Schotte has served the congregation at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Preston, Kansas since October 1995. Pastor Schotte served as Circuit Visitor of Circuit 14 in the Kansas District from 2012-2015. He graduated from St. John’s College in Winfield, Kansas in 1983 with a B.S. in Business Administration, and in 1991 received his M. Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. From there he served the congregation at Our Savior Lutheran Church of Whitney, Texas from 1991 to 1995. He is married to Barbara, and they have four children and three grandchildren.

Marvin Schulteis is a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, Kansas, where he currently serves on the Board of Elders. He earned his J.D. from Washburn University School of Law in 1964 and worked for 30 years as an attorney with AT&T Co. In his retirement career, he is an adjunct professor of business law and political science at Columbia College (Lake Ozark, MO). He has served on the Kansas District Nominating Committee (2009 & 2022), as a lay delegate to the Kansas District convention (2015), and as a circuit lay delegate to the Synod convention (2016). A self-described “political junkie,” he hosts a political radio talk show at Lake Ozark, Missouri, and is a political writer of many articles, including a U.S. Supreme Court newsletter. He and his wife, Kathleen, have five children and eleven grandchildren.

Bruce Schultz is a research scientist at Kansas State University and member of St. John Lutheran Church in Alma, where he has served as a school board member, Parent-Teacher League officer, and handbell choir member. He has a B.S. in agriculture and an M.S. in veterinary science from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and a Ph.D. in veterinary pharmacology from Cornell University. In addition to his District board service, Bruce has served as a delegate to the Synod convention, an appointed member of the Concordia University-Chicago Board of Regents, and a National Youth Gathering volunteer. He’s been active in youth development programs including 4-H and C.H.I.E.F (Christian Homes in Educational Fellowship) and is a Wabaunsee County Fire District 8 firefighter and certified first responder. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for nearly 35 years and have two children, Sara, a parish musician and deaconess, and Christian, a pastor.

The Rev. Dr. Mark Schulz grew up in Faribault, MN and graduated from Concordia University, St. Paul (MN) with a B.A. in 1982. He graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis with an M.Div. in 1986 and from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago with a D.Min. in 1997. He has served as a parish pastor in Omaha, NE, Itasca and Lake Forest, IL, and Overland Park and Mission, KS. He has served as senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Mission and Shawnee, KS since 2013. In 2018 he was elected as the Region 1 vice-president of the LCMS Kansas District and was re-elected in 2022. He and his wife, Nancy (Hillmer), have two adult daughters, Rebekah and Bethany. He enjoys flower gardening, landscaping, and sports of all kinds.

Rev. Alan Stahlecker is the pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Lincolnville, where he has served since 1993. He graduated from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado, with a B.S. in business administration (accounting) and later earned his M.Div. at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. In addition to his pastoral duties at St. John, he has served as a circuit visitor (2003-2012), Zone LWML pastoral advisor (1998-2003), Kansas District LWML pastoral advisor (2000-2004), member of the Kansas District Convention Nominating Committee (2003, 2022), chair of the Kansas District Convention “Life Together” Floor Committee (2018), chair of the Kansas District’s Koinonia Task Force (2019-2022), and Region 2 Vice-President (2019-Present). He has also served as a coach in the Centre School District. He and his wife, Sheri, are the parents of three grown children and eight grandchildren.

Dan Thalmann is a member of St. John, Palmer, where he has served as elder, vice chair and school board member. He also served as a delegate to the Kansas District convention. Dan graduated from the University of Kansas in 2000 with a B.G.S. in history. He is the publisher of the Washington County News and past president of the Kansas Press Association. He also works in consulting for healthcare marketing and fundraising. Dan has been involved in a variety of civic organizations and is active in political party efforts in Kansas. He has been married to Jen for over 25 years. They have five children. On the side, he enjoys time with family, birding, horticulture, and reading about history and geopolitics.

Rev. Joshua Woelmer was installed as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Paola, in June 2023. He previously served as pastor of Zion Ev. Lutheran Church, Vassar, from June 2016-June 2023. Pastor Woelmer grew up in Madison, Nebraska, and Plano, Texas. He graduated from Concordia University Wisconsin with a B.A. in 2010, and from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, with an M.Div. in 2015. He spent one year in a seminary exchange program at Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel, Germany. In addition to his pastoral duties, he has served on the Congregational Constitution and Bylaws Committee (2018-present), Nominations Committee (2018-2022), and Elections Committee (2022 District Convention). In 2022 he was elected District Secretary. He and his wife, Brianna, have been married since 2017 and have three children.

Mark is a member of Redeemer Lutheran, Atwood where he currently serves on the Board of Elders. He has served on other boards and has also taught Bible classes and Midweek classes. He plays the organ a couple of times a month and sings in the choir. Mark graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in secondary math education. He later received an M.S. in educational administration from Fort Hays State University. He taught math and science in the public schools for 19 years and served 11 years as an administrator. He has been working in private business for the last ten years as a technical writer and support specialist. Mark has been married to Brenda for over 35 years. They have four children and five grandchildren.

Many thanks to those outgoing Board Members who served in 2018-2022. Your dedication and service to the Kansas District is invaluable!

Rev. Rick Rostek
Second Vice-President, Norton
Board of Missions