The Steve Witte Memorial Scholarship
In his divine wisdom, God called President Emeritus, Dr. Steven Witte, to his eternal home in heaven on June 30, 2024. To continue Dr. Witte’s legacy of equipping more people to share the gospel with those who have not yet heard of Jesus’ love, Asia Lutheran Seminary (ALS) has established the Steve Witte Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship will assist students with tuition (or costs associated with attending classes) who otherwise would be unable to take classes, receive training, and become leaders throughout Asia.
Dr. Witte was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on September 6, 1957, and became a child of God through baptism. He was raised in South Haven, Michigan, where the Lord grew his faith at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School. After his high school graduation, he followed the Lord’s calling to study for pastoral ministry at Northwestern College in Watertown, Wisconsin. He completed his ministerial studies at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin in 1985. Later, in 2007, he went on to complete a doctorate in divinity at Gordon Conwell Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. Witte served the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) for many years: as a pastor at Emanuel Lutheran Church in New London, Wisconsin (1985 – 2001) and Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Green Bay, Wisconsin (2001-2009), as professor and president of Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong (2009-2023), and most recently as leader of the WELS Asia One Team in Chiang Mai, Thailand (2023-2024). He was faithful, tenacious, creative, and humble in carrying out God’s mission—sharing the gospel of Christ with many, many people in Asia and beyond!
God blessed Asia Lutheran Seminary tremendously through Dr. Witte, his wife Mary, and their service to God’s people during their years in Hong Kong. God gave Dr. Witte a beautiful mission heart. He taught passionately and often about the importance of evangelism, both in the classroom and outside of it. He recognized that the way to reach more people with the message of God’s grace is by raising up leaders to shepherd, teach, and preach with confidence, humility, and a rock-solid grasp on the teachings of God’s Word.