Beyond Rates Alone: Schools Move from Surviving to Thriving with LCEF

Lending at Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) does not take safe bets. We make the right choices. WeTeachTruth Lutheran Education in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was one of our team’s “right choices.” 

Back in November 2013, Dr. Cole Braun accepted the role of CEO of this longstanding school and church association (formerly known as Lutheran High School Association of Greater Milwaukee). He was not doing this for an easy responsibility: between three separate schools, the association taught only 1,000 students and was operating at a loss every year. Unless something changed, the schools were in real danger of having to be sold or—worse—closed down, eliminating the association as a source of Christian education in the area. 

Dr. Braun’s assignment was to find a way to turn the ship around. 

The LCEF National Lending team made a steadfast case to Dr. Braun that LCEF was the very best choice of partner to help the school association make this turnaround. After considering this and other viable lending and refinancing options, Dr. Braun agreed to partner with LCEF … and he has been an avid fan ever since. Today, he tells others, “The only thing I have is my voice. I will tell anybody under the sun that they need to work with LCEF” if they want to be seen as a true partner. 

The partnership between WeTeachTruth and LCEF has not only supported the school’s recovery, it has also created the opportunity for the school association to: 

• Update athletic facilities for modern needs  
• Create new academic community spaces 
• Improve school security 
• Add a new middle school to the association—a first in their history of Lutheran education in Milwaukee 

School transformation defined by data 

“We were in real trouble,” Dr. Braun said of that time when he began his work as CEO. “Are we going to sell a school? Are we going to close a school? But through amazing people, God’s grace and working really, really hard, we’re clearly not there now.” 

Not only has this ministry turned around their organizational health, but they have also taken the next step toward transforming their growth potential for the future. The numbers back this transformation up. 

Since partnering with LCEF, WeTeachTruth Lutheran Education has added two more schools to the association and has more than doubled their student enrollment (totaling five schools and 2,500 students). Additionally, this association has emerged from annual operating losses to a consistent profitability that fueled $35 million worth of building projects throughout their schools. 

In the 13 years since partnering with LCEF, Dr. Braun said, “We went from a $14 million organization to a $40 million organization annually … from 120 people to 360 people” on staff. The best part is that there is no end in sight for what the organization is doing to bolster their commitment to their students.  

Athletic facility improvements 

Athletics are part of this ministry’s continued commitment to well-rounded students. At Martin Luther High School, one of the association’s high schools, the athletic fields had been around for over 55 years and they were beginning to break down. To reflect the continued importance of athletic achievement and to set up the facility to accommodate future years of heavy use, the association embarked on the “Backyard Project.” Completed in the fall of 2025, this athletic renovation was a $3.5 million project that was funded through LCEF.  

The work for this project included a new turf football field, softball diamond, outdoor lighting and track. New walkable paths were paved between the fields and the school while the bleachers, tennis courts and baseball diamond were all revamped.  

Today, students use these fields to proudly demonstrate athletic excellence as they represent their school. 

Academic and athletic renovations 

In addition to the Backyard Project, WeTeachTruth Lutheran Education is already working on more upcoming projects with lending support through LCEF. For example, Lake Country Lutheran High School is wrapping up a $6.5 million project that is scheduled to conclude in August 2026.  

The renovations for this space include a 34,000-square-foot, two-story addition to the school. An up-to-date sports performance facility will be opened on the bottom floor, and on the top floor there will soon be a series of academic innovation spaces for art, robotics, engineering, business and other flexible needs.  

These renovations are geared towards further cultivating the school’s high performance in both sports and academics.  

Security updates and a new middle school 

After adding two schools to the association in the last five years, WeTeachTruth Lutheran Education is establishing yet another school. They are currently renovating existing property at their flagship school, Milwaukee Lutheran Middle and High School to reinforce the school’s safe learning environment while incorporating a new middle school directly into the building. 

The addition of the middle school will grow the school’s student population to more than 1,000 children—and over 100 students are enrolled for the middle school’s inaugural sixth grade class starting in the 2026–27 school year. That means more students are enrolled at this single school today than had been enrolled throughout WeTeachTruth Lutheran Education back in 2013. 

These are “three very unique projects,” Dr. Braun said, and “three very different funding mechanisms and plans for the community that we serve … putting it all into a single solution is unique.” That’s a leading value of LCEF funding for LCMS ministries: we can distinguish financial resources for ministry needs in ways that many unaligned lenders are unable to accomplish. 

Exploring the growth of God’s kingdom together 

“It’s not about the rate,” Dr. Braun said. “It’s about being a true partner and helping you see that you can do things that you didn’t think you could do. That’s the biggest stumbling block for Lutheran schools—we can’t typically afford to borrow half a million dollars. But at LCEF, we are told, ‘You can’” in order to grow in the mission of Lutheran education. 

LCEF supports the mission of ministries throughout the LCMS. This includes ministry associations like WeTeachTruth Lutheran Education, which is now ambitiously poised to continue growing Lutheran education in Milwaukee.  Dr. Braun noted, “We believe in ensuring exceptional experiences for our students, and you can’t do that without stretching yourself and challenging it a little bit … with LCEF, we get to explore how to grow God’s kingdom together. So I love it.”