The Wartburg Project

Meet the Board

As we continue with the process of establishing the permanent administrative and editorial structure of the project, we have now established the first administrative board. This portion of the full board governs the legal and financial affairs of the project (the corporation). Here are the board members in alphabetical order.

Professor John F. Brug

Professor Brug taught Old Testament and Dogmatics at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary for more than thirty years. In addition to his pastoral training at Northwestern College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary he has an MA and Ph.D in archaeology and Semitic languages from the Center for Ancient Studies of the University of Minnesota. His publications include exegetical commentaries on Song of Songs and Psalms and a textbook of Old Testament textual criticism. He served as editor of the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly for more than twenty years. Before coming to the seminary he served as a professor of religion at Dr Martin Luther College, New Ulm, MN.  As a parish pastor he organized three WELS mission congregations near Pittsburgh, PA. He has had the privilege of short-term teaching at six sister seminaries around the world.

His wife is Irene Schlomer of Glenham, SD.  Their son Paul is a pastor who teaches religion and German at Shoreland Lutheran High School in Somers, WI.

As general editor he also serves as the chairman of the Wartburg Project board.

Kennith L. Gosch

Ken was born June 30, 1946 on the family farm near Glenham, South Dakota. He married Ardys Kay Walters on June 26, 1966. They were blessed with nine children, now ages 23 to 47.  In their family (including in-laws) there are three WELS pastors, a WELS high school teacher, and two WELS teachers. Ken and Ardys have resided in Aberdeen, South Dakota since 1972.

Ken was educated at Glenham High School, Northern State University in Aberdeen (political science, business, and economics), and the University of South Dakota Law School. He is currently senior partner of the law firm Bantz, Gosch & Cremer. He practices primarily in the areas of business, probate and trust law, insurance and litigation.

In addition to numerous civic and professional activities and to service in his home congregation, he has served the church as vice chairman of the WELS Board of Trustees, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Church Extension Fund, and vice president of the board of Great Plains Lutheran High School. He is currently a member of the WELS Synodical Council, the Synod Board of Appeals, and the Dakota Montana District Mission Board.

Pastor Roy W. Hefti

Pastor Hefti is recently retired from St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Bangor, WI.  He is a 1975 graduate of Northwestern College and a 1979 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.  His vicar year was spent at First Ev. Lutheran Church in Racine, WI.

He is married to Alice (nee Harbach).  They have 6 grown children(all married) and 19 grandchildren.  Roy & Alice currently live in Chippewa Falls, WI and attend St. Mark Ev. Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, WI.

Pastor Hefti served for 5 years in the Toronto, Canada area before accepting the Call to St. Paul’s, Bangor, WI where he served for 36 years.  He served for several years as the chairman of the Luther High School Board of Control and as interim principal of Luther High for one year. He also served the Western Wisconsin District as Chairman of the Board of Appeals and Chairman of the Constitution Committee.  He has presented various papers to conferences and District gatherings over the years.

He is honored to have participated in the Wartburg Project and prays that the EHV will be a blessing to God’s people for many years to come.

Pastor Brian R. Keller

Pastor Keller serves as the New Testament Editor of the Wartburg Project. He serves as the Pastor of St. Stephen Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) in Adrian, Michigan. He also serves as the Circuit Pastor of the River Raisin Circuit in the Michigan District of WELS. He has served as pastor of two other congregations in the past: King of Kings Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Our Savior Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) in Strongsville, Ohio. He is the author of the People’s Bible Teachings volume on the Bible. He also wrote the People’s Bible Teachings book on Heaven and Hell. He assembled a list of “Dates and Locations of New Testament Manuscripts” for Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and pastors of WELS. He has written several articles on the New Testament for Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly. He participated in the Translation Symposium, and was asked to write an essay for discussion at that Symposium: “Evaluating Bible Translations.” He has presented on the topic of Evaluating Bible Translations to five WELS Pastors’ Conferences and the Today’s Christian Women’s Retreat.

Pastor Phil Paustian

Phil Paustian serves as an Old Testament editor on the board and is the programmer of the Microsoft EHV Study Bible app. After graduating from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1987 he served three congregations in Eastern Montana before being called to congregations in Gladstone and Rapid River, Michigan. He has served in various positions such as Circuit Pastor in Montana and in Michigan, Northern Wisconsin District Constitution Committee, and vice president of the governing board of Michigan Lutheran Seminary.

Pastor John Seifert

By the time he graduated from Dr. Martin Luther High School in New Ulm, Minnesota in 1965, Pastor Seifert had decided to become a minister in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). He graduated from Northwestern College in Watertown, WI, in 1969 and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1973. He was assigned to a new WELS church in Midland, Michigan, Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church. The small congregation met in a school gym until property was purchased on the corner of Washington and Wheeler Roads in Midland. In 1979 a Lutheran Elementary School was started. As both the congregation and the school increased in size, a total of three additions have been added to the original church.

Before being elected President of the Michigan District of the WELS, Pastor Seifert served as a Circuit Pastor and as a member of the WELS Board of Trustees as well as being the sole pastor of Good Shepherd. In 1994 he was first elected president of the Michigan District of the WELS. His wife, Barbara is a teacher of the middle grades at Good Shepherd as well as being organist for the worship services. Their four children serve in the public ministry. Sons Michael and Joel Seifert are pastors in the WELS and daughters Ann and Sarah are teachers in WELS Lutheran Elementary Schools.

George Zaferos

It has been a privilege to serve our Lord in the capacity of Business Administrator for St Matthew’s, Oconomowoc since 2007. In this part time position, I have the responsibility of assisting the church council with the management of the temporal affairs of the congregation. Prior to serving at St Matthew’s I have been a department manager in the manufacturing operations at Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee and an officer at a small family-owned energy business development firm, Z Energy, Inc. I hold a degree in mechanical engineering from UW-Madison and an MBA from UW-Milwaukee. I served on the Board of Regents of Wisconsin Lutheran College for nine years.

Hans Zietlow

Hans Zietlow is a 1987 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and has served at Grace, St. Joseph, MI and ten years in Juneau, AK with an exploratory mission start. In 1999 Hans moved to Wisconsin to work in the family business, Kwik Trip. Hans was the director of real estate there for 20 years, overseeing the acquisition, development, and growth strategy for the company. Hans is now semi-retired working as a commercial real estate broker and consultant and serving as a director of Home Federal Savings Bank. Hans and his wife Amy live in LaCrosse, WI and have two grown children. Sarah Henrich is a pastors wife, living in Knoxville Tennessee and Scott Zietlow an engineer in Milwaukee.

Financial Officers

Daniel R Wamhoff

Dan Wamhoff serves as the treasurer of the Wartburg Project. Dan has been the treasurer of Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church, Midland, MI for many years and has also served as the financial secretary and the church council president. Dan has over 40 years of public accounting experience. He is currently a principal in the Midland office of Andrews Hooper Pavlik PLC, a Michigan public accounting firm. He provides audit, accounting, tax and consulting services to closely held businesses and not-for-profit organizations. His serves as the technical reviewer of assurance and accounting services and leads audit, assurance and tax engagement for clients.

Gary Daenzer

Gary Daenzer serves as financial secretary of the Wartburg Project. He joined Yeo & Yeo CPA’S & Business Consultants after graduating from Ferris State University in 1973. He became a Principle in 1982 and worked in their Midland, Michigan office. He served on the Firm’s Board of Directors and managing principle in Midland, Michigan for several years.His expertise was in the areas of management & consulting services to closely held business owners in the area of tax, pension, investment, and financial planning. He retired from full time work with 40 years of service in 2013. Currently he is working on a consulting basis in tax season for Yeo & Yeo, and as a registered investment representative for the firm. He has served as Financial Secretary of Good Shepherd in Midland since 1992.

Gary and his wife Mary were high school sweethearts and attended college together. She retired from General Motors after a 10 year career to be a stay-at-home mother and raised two daughters Shelley and Laurie. They celebrated 40 years of marriage last year, and continue to enjoy God’s blessings of three grandchildren.