Karol (Gill) Selle ’67 serves LWML as vice president of special focus ministries

Karol (Gill) Selle ’67 found her way to Concordia Nebraska through the recommendation of fellow camp counselors at Camp Lutherhaven in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

She has fond memories of her time at the university and cites singing with the Concordia Singers as a highlight. The Concordia Singers was a select group formed in the 1950s that performed sacred choral music and assisted with worship services. Selle said daily chapel and dorm devotions strengthened her faith and greatly impacted her daily life. She also participated in Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ (OAFC) during her time on campus. OAFC is a Recognized Service Organization of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod that for more than 50 years has shared Jesus with the unchurched. 

Selle has a bachelor’s degree in social studies and Lutheran Teacher Diploma from the university. She currently serves as vice president of special focus ministries for Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML). 

“I really enjoyed my time at Concordia and still am in touch with some classmates,” she said.  

Following graduation, Selle taught everything from preschool to high school and tutored international students in English for years, and taught in the summer ESL programs at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, she said. She now serves as editor for the LCMS North Wisconsin District’s supplement to The Lutheran Witness and serves as a substitute teacher in her local Lutheran school. 

“I love being with others and love helping others with editing and writing. I truly love teaching, but retirement came! I love witnessing to Jesus’ love for us, and always saying I am blessed!”

“I love being with others and love helping others with editing and writing. I truly love teaching, but retirement came!” she laughed. “I love witnessing to Jesus’ love for us, and always saying I am blessed!” 

Selle’s husband, the late Rev. Carl R. Selle passed away in 2016 after a battle with brain cancer. They have four married children and 11 grandchildren. 

Within the LWML, she has served at various levels within the organization. She has served as national vice president of communications, as web servant for the North Wisconsin District LWML and in a variety of other roles. 

In 2017, Selle received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She has served on the board of the Women’s Leadership Institute of Concordia-Wisconsin, the board of directors of Concordia Publishing House, the board of directors for the North Wisconsin District and the board of regents for Concordia-Ann Arbor, as well as with other district and LCMS boards. 

The LWML Lutheran Women in Mission biennial national convention will take place June 26-29, 2025, in Omaha Nebraska. The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) is an official auxiliary of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Since 1942, the LWML has focused on affirming each woman’s relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to support global missions.