Progress Through Purposeful Leadership

ABOUT US

For the past fifteen years, Grace in Action has partnered with WELS/ELS affiliated ministries and created services specifically tailored to your leadership needs. Our team understands the unique challenges facing called workers and lay leaders and brings a proven set of tools to guide your ministry journey.

Meet Our Team

With a proven, strengths-based approach applied to Christian ministries, we enable individuals to identify their goals, empower their teams, and move their ministry forward.

Pastor Don Sutton

Board Chairman

  • Pastor Sutton serves as Board Chairman and adjunct leadership trainer with Grace in Action. He has been a parish pastor since 1979 serving both missions and large, established congregations. Until his retirement from parish ministry in 2021, he served as Ministry Coordinator at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, MN. In addition to his role as a parish pastor, he has been a leader at the circuit, district, and synodical levels. Pastor Sutton not only has a passion for ministry, but also for planning and helping leaders to be the best that they can be to God’s glory as they lead fellow Christians in carrying out the Great Commission. His specialties are Great Commission Leadership, strategic planning, team building, and CliftonStrengths.

Dr. Todd Russ

Executive Director

  • With over three decades in Christian education, Todd has served as a teacher, principal and administrator in K-12 schools across Florida, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. More recently, Todd has discovered his passion for consulting and enjoys providing strategic insights to help people achieve their faith-based mission.  He challenges organizations to not just create a mission statement that gathers dust, but to actively align their mission, vision, and core values as part of their daily operating system. 

    Strengths: Ideation, Context, Restorative, Strategic, Belief

  • Peter has over 20 years of experience working with schools and churches as a teacher, youth director, and life coach.  At Grace in Action, Peter has put his people and process management skills to work in his role as Director of Operations and keeps everyone organized and the business running smoothly.  Outside of work, Peter enjoys fitness, loves traveling and enjoys home improvement projects.  He’s always ready to roll up his sleeves and tackle whatever challenges come his way.  If you have questions or need timely answers, reach out to Peter and he’d be happy to help

    Strengths: Harmony, Consistency, Responsibility, Discipline, Relator

  • Shawn brings a wealth of experience in Christian education, with over 25 years of experience as a teacher, principal, coach, and administrator.  Having seen the challenges and burn-out that teachers and faith-based organizations face, he is passionate about helping others build a balanced, three-legged stool of spiritual, emotional, and physical health, so they can serve God and others with increased strength, joy, and resilience. Shawn is a great listener and is one of those people who doesn’t just give advice, he lives it.  If you’ve ever wondered if a supportive (and challenging) coach could help you perform better, or if you could just use some encouragement from someone who has been in the trenches like you, reach out to Shawn – he’d love to listen, provide Christian encouragement, and answer your questions.

    Strengths: Competition, Significance, Learner, Achiever, Focus

Steve Granberg

Ministry Leadership Partner

Director of Operations

Peter Wolfgramm

  • Before joining the GIA team, Steve spent over 30 years serving as principal for two Lutheran Elementary Schools and for two Area Lutheran High Schools. Steve's ministry background includes urban and outlying district experiences as well as service in the "heartland." He enjoys serving the church at large, assisting with district and synod work - including twelve years of service on the WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools. He appreciates all he has learned from servant-leaders throughout his ministry years, and he is blessed to be able to support leaders and leadership teams in their work to reach and teach the lost and to grow and encourage the found. Steve's wife Leslie teaches at a Lutheran Elementary School, and they have three grown children.

Ministry Coach

Nicole Raboine

  • Nicole’s experience is filled with forward momentum – with seven years’ experience teaching Kindergarteners, a Masters in Professional Development, and certifications as a group fitness instructor and integrative nutrition health coach, she loves helping people get from where they are to where they want to go.  Whether that’s moving or fueling their bodies in positive ways, or working with educators to guide them on the next steps of their journey, or using her basketball coaching skills to teach teenage girls life skills, Nicole is an educator and coach at heart.  In her downtime, Nicole loves spending time with her family and friends, and staying active running, cycling, hiking, and walking her beloved dog, Finely.

Tim Payne

Ministry Coach

Director of Coaching

Shawn Herkstroeter

  • Tim's personal mission statement is "Make an eternal impact through cheerful, humble service to others." Mindful of the gifts he’s been given, Tim is passionate about building up ministry workers so they can make an eternal impact in the lives of those whom they serve. As an experienced educator (WELS teacher, principal, administrator and curriculum instructor) Tim’s excitement for education extends from learning to teaching, from management to leadership, from the Mid-West to the African continent.  God has given Tim a heart for fostering positive, servant leadership wherever God leads him, starting with his own family and extending to his work and community.  Although Tim is physically color blind, he knows God’s grace and strength extends to people of all colors and backgrounds and he looks forward to the day when we get to heaven and see God’s glory in all its colors!

  • A humble man with a grateful heart, Phil has been blessed to serve in Pre-K through 12 education as a teacher and administrator at 922 ministries.  His greatest joy is using his God-given strengths to serve his Savior and helping others do the same.  He knows from first-hand experience that ministries are strengthened when people and teams work well together.  As someone who is both a coach and who is regularly coached himself, Phil walks the talk.  He knows how important it is to have a guide encouraging you to cultivate deep roots in God’s Word in order to be resilient in the face of adversity.  Speaking of talk, if you’re a sports fan in the Fox Valley WI area, Phil’s voice may be a familiar one – he’s a regular commentator on sports talk radio.  Tune in and ask him about it sometime!

Greg Schmill

Facilitator & Leadership Coach

  • As someone who had back surgery in 1999 and then kept on running 10Ks (20 straight years and counting…) Greg understands the value of training, overcoming setbacks and obstacles, and creating systems that enable success.  While he’s quick to give all glory to God for his healing and health, he also knows that helping others develop healthy habits is part of his calling as a mentor and coach.  With over 45 years serving in and around WELS schools, Greg continues to find deep joy in helping ministry teams work together well and encouraging leaders to lead in ways that utilize their strengths for God’s Kingdom. 

Carrie Blumer

Ministry Coach

Sandy Brauer

Ministry Coach

  • Christine’s life has been full of twists and turns and new adventures.  She’s been a teacher (preschool, high school, fitness instructor), a certified Christian coach, a Friends Network evangelist and has worked in multiple non-profits in the areas of mission advancement, mentoring and Bible teaching.  She’s also lived on 4 different continents, and currently lives in Australia as a missionary with her husband.  Throughout all these experiences, Christine has learned the importance of balancing her spiritual, physical, and emotional health and loves to encourage her clients to do the same.  Christine is passionate about coaching people through transitions, and loves helping clients see God’s hand in their day-to-day lives.   To keep herself balanced, she enjoys babysitting to keep her “Grandma muscles” active, hiking, writing, and teaching ESL.

Stephanie Janke

Ministry Coach

Phil Punzel

Ministry Coach

  • While teaching is Carrie’s educational background, coaching is her passion. With talents in music, ministry, mentoring, and teaching, she has found many opportunities to use her gifts for service in God’s Kingdom.  Carrie joined Crosstrain in the fall of 2018 and is a certified marriage and life coach. She currently is coaching pastor’s wives and teachers, and along with her husband, coaching ministry and missionary couples. She values the blessing of a Christ-centered marriage and is enthusiastic about encouraging and supporting couples to grow together in their own marriages.  Carrie joined GIA in the fall of 2024 and appreciates the resources GIA has to offer their coaches and clients.  She is excited to see how God continues to grow this coaching ministry.  In her downtime, Carrie enjoys spending time with her husband and 4 kids, has a passion for health and wellness, and loves encouraging others in their walk of faith. 

  • Sandy’s background as an educator is extensive, and includes experiences as a Superintendent, Principal, Supervisor of Instruction, Reading Teacher, and Reading Specialist.  Most recently, she added a WELS Ministry Certification to her repertoire, and what is even more impressive than her background is her heart for Jesus and her desire to use her expertise to help mentor and coach others in their roles as educators and leaders. Sandy is passionate about her own spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being and loves to encourage others with God’s Word and how it applies to all areas of life.  Being able to teach Sunday School and lead kids to love their Savior keeps Sandy young, along with the time she enjoys spending with her two granddaughters. 

Ministry Coach

Christine Doebler

Ministry Coach

Becky Foxen

  • As a teacher, marketer, and musician, Becky has had many opportunities to serve in God’s Kingdom, including partnering with her husband who is currently serving as a WELS missionary in Tanzania, Africa.  Having lived on 4 different continents, Becky is fascinated with diverse cultures and the way God has uniquely designed each person in His image.  With genuine curiosity, she enjoys asking clients the tough questions that spark reflection and seeing them move forward in ways that promote a healthy and balanced physical, emotional, and spiritual life.

Gina Grove

  • As a former WELS teacher and consultant, Gina’s career has enabled her to work with people of all ages from preschool through adult.  She’s even been a medical actor at Mayo Clinic (ask her about it sometime!).  Gina is a lifelong learner, and just finished her Master’s degree, in addition to obtaining certifications in health and wellbeing coaching, mental health, and new teacher mentoring.  Gina finds tremendous joy in walking alongside people as they move from feeling stuck to finding hope to discovering a new way forward. As a teacher, parent, and grandparent, she’s had a front row seat to many of those lightbulb moments and never grows tired of seeing God at work in the lives of His children.  In her downtime, Gina enjoys walking, hiking and curling up with a great book.

Ministry Coach

  • From coaching women’s basketball at UW Madison to her current role as Director of People & Culture, Stephanie’s passion for partnering with people to support their growth and success is hard to miss.  Stephanie values intentional learning and thought-provoking discussions and shows up for her clients in ways that encourage transparency, vulnerability, resiliency, and growth.  When she’s not coaching or working, you’ll find her cheering on her kids in their activities or actively pursuing her hobbies of traveling, golfing, working out and running along the beach.

Ministry Coach

Abby Midthun

  • Abby’s passion for helping individuals recognize their God-given gifts and grow with purpose has been developed over years as a teacher, art instructor, and mom. Her years in the classroom taught her to approach students with patience, curiosity, and a desire to see each person flourish. Whether teaching students or coaching adults, she loves asking thoughtful questions, creating space for reflection, and guiding people toward new insight, confidence, and direction.  In her quieter moments, you might find her curled up with a good book or experimenting in the kitchen preparing creative concoctions for her ever-hungry family of six.

Our History

Grace in Action began in a Minneapolis church basement in 2010 when six laymen gathered with one simple desire: to strengthen ministries and help more people hear the gospel. There was no formal plan, just a shared commitment to serve.

In those early years, two leaders, Scott Gostchock and Greg Schmill, carried the mission forward. With a passion for excellence, they traveled from ministry to ministry, using tools like the Vision Traction Organizer (VTO) and CliftonStrengths to help teams gain clarity, unity, and momentum. Word of mouth spread quickly, and soon doors opened across the WELS and ELS. To date, we have served over 300 ministries. 

As needs grew, so did Grace in Action. What began with one part-time staff member and a few volunteers has become a dedicated team of four called workers, several adjuncts and 11 Governing Board members. Today, we continue to help ministries move forward to connect more people to Jesus through strategic planning, leadership training, ministry coaching, and team development.

Our Board of Directors

OFFICERS

Pastor Don Sutton - Chairman
New Ulm, MN

Pastor Jeff Gunn - Vice Chairman
Phoenix, AZ

Phil Punzel - Secretary
Appleton, WI

Nate Birkholz - Treasurer
Phoenix, AZ

MEMBERS

Jay Wendland
Appleton, WI

Stephanie Janke
Fond du Lac, WI

Art Westphal
Mankato, MN

Leah Brekken
Thornton, CO

Lyle Fahning
Lakeville, MN

Sarah Harstad
Mankato, MN

Ministry Partners

Grace in Action partners with CrossTrain Ministries to provide life, leadership, and marriage coaching for WELS pastors and missionaries. CrossTrain helps pastors build healthy habits and transparent relationships that foster resilience—all grounded in God’s grace and brotherly support.

Our business partner, Partner2Learn, serves business teams and other non-WELS groups with coaching, consulting, leadership training, and resources.

“The Traction / VTO tool and Level 10 meetings have helped to make the goals and initiatives clear and hold us accountable to keep us on track with what we identified as most important to our purpose – rather than regret not making progress.”

★★★★★

– VERIFIED CLIENT