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The Church in Motion: A Confessional Lutheran Approach to Missions
by M.L. Smith
The Church is not static; she is a living body, called and sent, always in motion. From the moment Christ Jesus commanded His apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), the Church has been moving—preaching, baptizing, and teaching. Yet mission work is not movement for its own sake. The Church moves with a clear purpose: to bring sinners into Christ’s Church, where He Himself serves and nourishes His faithful through the Means of Grace. The mission of the Church is not complete when someone hears the Gospel once; it is complete when those called to faith are established in the sacramental life of the Church, receiving Christ’s life-giving gifts for their salvation. Missions, therefore, is nothing other than the living activity of the Church as she carries out her Lord’s command in accordance with His institution and promise.
From the beginning, the Church’s movement has had this goal. The apostles did not simply evangelize and move on; they planted congregations, appointed pastors, and ensured that new believers received ongoing pastoral care (Acts 2:42; 14:23). The same must be true for Lutheran missions today. The Church in motion does not merely scatter the seed of the Word; she gathers the harvest, so that those brought to faith may be continually sustained by God’s life-giving gifts in Word and Sacrament.
The Performative Action of the Gospel
The Church’s mission is not driven by human strategy, emotional persuasion, or numerical success, but by the performative power of God’s Word to create faith: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The Church does not operate as a marketing campaign but as Christ’s ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20), proclaiming the Word through which God Himself works. When God speaks, His Word does not merely describe reality—it creates it. “Let there be light” (Genesis. 1:3) was not a statement but a command that brought light into existence. Likewise, when the Gospel is faithfully preached, the Holy Spirit is at work, creating faith according to His will, bringing sinners from death to life.
Where faith is created by the Spirit, it must be nurtured and sustained by the Spirit. Thus, the Church’s mission work must not settle for short-term engagement but ensure that those brought to faith are continually fed and cared for. This underscores the essential role of local congregations, where believers receive ongoing nourishment through the Means of Grace.
Mission Work is Church Work
The Church in motion does not move aimlessly. She moves toward a goal: establishing and leading people into congregations where Christ’s people receive His life-giving, and faith-sustaining, gifts. Mission work is not separate from the Church’s life—it is the Church’s life. Missions that fail to establish and lead people into congregations leave new believers spiritually vulnerable, disconnected from the Means of Grace. Without regular Word and Sacrament ministry, faith is left to wither rather than grow. The Church in motion does not merely pass through a place, leaving behind scattered converts; she takes root, ensuring that Christ’s gifts are continually given to His people.
The Church is always in motion, but her movement is purposeful. Christ has given her the task of making disciples through Word and Sacrament. Because faith is created and sustained by the Spirit’s work through the Means of Grace, mission work must not only proclaim but also establish and strengthen believers in Lutheran congregations where they are regularly fed and cared for.
The movement of the Church is not about quick results but lasting faithfulness. The Church in motion does not merely spread; she gathers. She does not simply reach people but plants them firmly in the life of Christ’s Church. As we engage in mission work, we do so with confidence—not in human efforts, but in the power of Christ’s Word and His promise to build His Church (Matthew 16:18). The Church moves because our Lord sends her, and wherever she goes the Spirit works through the Means of Grace to gather, nurture, and preserve saving faith in those He enlightens, keeping them steadfast in Christ’s Body, the Church until His glorious return.
Prayer:
Lord, You have set Your Church in motion, calling us to go forth with the Gospel, to proclaim, to baptize, and to teach. As Your Word goes out, let it accomplish all that You purpose, gathering sinners into Your Body and sustaining them in faith through Your Means of Grace. Richly bless those who labour in mission, that they may not only faithfully proclaim Your Word but also establish congregations where Your faithful may continually be spiritually nourished and nurtured. Keep Your Church steadfast, moving always according to Your will, guided by Your Spirit, and firmly planted in Your promises. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
