After 28 years of pastoral ministry in Jacksonville FL and Lansing MI, Pastor John Vogt took world mission calls to serve as a seminary professor in Sweden, then Hong Kong, and then Ukraine. In connection with these calls he has taught pastors and future pastors in 17 different countries, including Taiwan, South Korea, Nigeria, Liberia, Russia and Georgia (the country). During his time in Ukraine, Vogt also wore the hat of WELS Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe. He continues to be involved in the Outreach to Roma project in Bulgaria and in helping to set up the new Confessional Lutheran Church of Liberia.
In 2013 John and Sandy returned to the U.S. as semi-retired and moved to Oceanside CA. Full retirement followed on June 30, 2018.
The Vogts celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past August. Sandy is a retired registered nurse who worked many years in a pediatric office. Among her patients were the Michigan governor’s triplets. The Vogts have five married children and six grandchildren. Son, Pastor Matthew Vogt, is the WELS Mission Counsellor for the Western States. In addition to her day job as School Administrator for Special Ed, daughter Rachel is an adjunct professor for our Martin Luther College. Son Nate and daughter Becky have management positions in business. The youngest, son Tim, has spent the last three years in Iraq as handler of a bomb-sniffing dog.