Bruce Church has left a new comment on your post "Militant Hmong Sought Who Threatened WELS Pastor":
Pastor Jackson's standard line was that WELS and ELS pastors were eager for overseas missions opportunities for the travel opportunities. Apparently there's more to it than that. It's a chance to aim the WELS money hose, but some mis-aim it.
BTW, the LCMS has a mainline church mentality so naturally it is not too interested in missions. Of course, you'll get all the yada-yada no-fault excuses as to why they only have 49 missionaries with a multi-billion dollar budget, even from President Harrison. In the LCMS one doesn't have to go on missions to get ones hands on a money hose.
Money Hose:
http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/4c8811a47f8b9afd4b480100-547/in-heres-the-money-hose.jpg
Shep has a hot potato question for the WELS about possible misuse of the ToF/WELS money hose there:
http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/01/john-shep-has-question-for-elswels.html
Here's one place Pr. Harrison makes excuses for the LCMS' low number of missionaries:
The Financial Picture in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, 27 Apr 2011:
Pastor Matt Harrison, President of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
http://issuesetc.org/archive/page/2/
http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/issuesetc.org/podcast/738042711H1S2.mp3