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Paul Huneke and Anthony Steinbronn

What is MissionalLutheran Education?

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IntroductionBoth o us enjoy a good story, and one o our

avorite scenes rom a great story takes placetoward the end o J.R.R. Tolkeins Te woowers . Frodo Baggins, the main character o

the story, is extremely tired rom his quest todestroy the one ring o power in the lakeo re at Mt. Doom. He is so tired and wornout that he tells his best riend, SamwiseGamgee, that he cant continue in the journey any longer. In response, Sam helpsFrodo to understand their story in light o amuch larger story that had been going on orages. In those stories, too, people had plentyo chances o turning back and giving up,only they didnt because they were holding onto something important, li e-changing and

worth ghting orthey were part o a story that really mattered . Encouraged by those words,both Frodo and Sam continued their journeyto the lake o re in order to complete theirquest and save the Shire (along with therest o middle-earth).

One way that we can explore the questiono What is Missional Lutheran Education?is through the interpretative lens o story.Li e is all about stories, and every personand every culture has a story. As a mattero act, the way we understand li e dependson what conception we have o thehumanstory . The challenge or each human being is that making sense o ones li e story is notthat easy to do, and that the majority o the worlds population never does gure out themeaning o li e and the way o salvation in

Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:13-14; 13:1-9).There is hope, though, or human beings

as they seek to make sense o li e: God has astory that makes sense o every human story.The aim and goal o m onal L th ran d cat on is to help people make sense o their story inlight o Gods story. In order to accomplish

The Rev. Paul Huneke serves asthe Pastor of Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, Tinton Falls,New Jersey. phuneke@verizon.net.The Rev. Dr. Anthony Steinbronn isthe Mission Executive of theNew Jersey District, Mountainside,New Jersey.acsteinbronn@optonline.net.

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this purpose o God or every human li e,it is essential that those who believe in andknow Him to hear, know, tell and live the storiesthat really matter and serve others , as Hisedi ying and missionary priests and people.

Mission, the Heartbeat and Essenceo the ChurchEveryone Has a Mission. Everyone hasa mission; that is, everyone is being sentby God to do something, somewhere, atsometime. Whether they ul ll the purpose

or their sending is another matter.Personally, we have embarked on manymission projects in our lives. Some o themare rather trivial, such as Tonys orty- year quest to make a hole-in-one in gol .But other mission projects are much moreimportant, such as: earning a paycheck toprovide or our amilies; being a loving spouse and caring athers to our children;and being good riends to many. Yet ourprimary mission, the oremost reason that we exist according to Gods plan, purposing and sending is to go and make disciples o all nations. This mission is to permeate allo our li e and, i you are a Christian, it is to

permeate your li e as wel l. Forrest Gump, inthe movie, would periodically ask his mother,Momma, whats my destiny? Your destiny,as a Christian, is to be and live as His discipleand to make disciples o the nations.

Abraham, and His Descendants,Blessed by God in Order to Be a Blessing to the Nations. This was the missionarycall that Abram received rom God whenGod asked him to leave your country, yourpeople and your athers household and goto the land that I will show you with thepurpose that all the nations would be blessed.God is the One in search o the lost and, inHis grace, He called Abram, the idolater( Joshua 24:2), and placed him into theservice o those whom he did not yet know and who lived in places where Abram hadnever yet been.

A ter the calling o Moses and thedramatic deliverance rom Egypt, Israelsunderstanding o its covenant relationship with God as His chosen instrument o blessing to the nations was more ully

developed and strengthened. Through Mosesat Mount Sinai a covenant was made withIsrael, an election not only to privilege butalso to service, to urther Gods purposes

or the nations. God did not choose Israelbecause they were more worthy than othernations or because He had no interest in theother nations; He chose Israel because Hehad a concern or all the earth.

However, as time passed, Israel neglectedher mission to the nations and came tosee hersel as the sole object o Godsmission. Consequently, they came to seetheir mission as one o preservation ratherthan o proclamation, o determining who was in and who was out. This was a ar

cry rom the conversation and the sending that God intended or the descendants o Abraham as His missionary people or, andto, the nations so that they might be blessed(Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:6-9).

In baptism God reaches into the li e o the baptized and claims him or her to be Hisown. The newly baptized is commissionedinto His service and mission with the words,

through baptism God has added you to beHis own people to declare the wonder uldeeds o our Savior, who has called you outo darkness into His marvelous light. Everybaptized believer has been called and setapart as the temple and instrument o theHoly Spirit, to be a kingdom o priests andto be His light to people walking in darkness,so that they might know Him who is theLight o the world (Matthew 4:13-16; John1:9-14; 8:12).

Our God Is a Missionary God. From the very beginning o time and history, Gods

undamental mission is tosave humankind , or

God wants all people to be saved and cometo the knowledge o their salvation in JesusChrist (1 Timothy 2:4). This mission o Godbegan in a beauti ul garden many, many years ago. Adam and Eve walked with God inintimate relationship o love and ellowship.They knew God not only as their Creator,but also as their riend and close companion.But Adam and Eve were not alone in thegarden. Satan was there, and he came to Eve(and to Adam also, or he was standing there with Eve) and shared with them a vision o a

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di erent way o li e and tempted them with adi erent story.

To Change a Li e, You Have to Tell aDi erent Story. o change a li e, you have to tell a di erent story , and that is what Satan did. He wanted to change their relationship withGod and their eternal destiny o li e withGod, so that they would die physically andperish eternally. Tragically, Adam and Eveembraced Satans story and believed that they would be like God i they disobeyed Godscommand; instead, they brought about a

3-D world lled with despair, darkness and death.In response to Adam and Eves sin ul

rebellion, God, in His grace and love, cameto them. He came to have a conversation o

judgment , by con ronting them with their wrong actions against Him but, moreimportantly, He came to have a conversationo hope . For to change a li e, you have to tell adi erent story . He promised them a Savior who would destroy the work o their enemySatan and bring rescue and salvationto all who believed in that Savior (Genesis 3:15; John 3:14-18). Adam and Eve believed thispromise, and their lives were changed oreternity. As a result o this conversationo hope with God, they began to haveconversations o hope, and o li e, with eachother and with their descendants throughthis promised Savior.

When the proper time had come, thisPromised One walked the earth and ul l ledthe promises that God had made withhumankind. Just as God walked with Adamand Eve in the garden, and changed theirlives through a conversation o hope, so Godbecame fesh in the Person o Jesus Christ

and had many, many conversations o hope with sinners. In the days o Jesus ministry, aspeople heard His words about the Kingdom,and saw His loving and caring actions,many sinners repented o their sin ul andperishing way o li e, put their aith in Himas the worlds Savior, and ollowed Him asHis disciples.

Biblical Foundations o MissionalLutheran EducationThere are many biblical passages that couldground our understanding o missionalLutheran education, but the primary passageis 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Missional Lutheraneducation is predicated upon:1. making known in the lives o all people

the holy Scriptures which are able to makea person wise or salvation through aithin Jesus Christ ( or it is in the stories o Scripture that we are able to see His heartrevealed and His saving intentions madeknown through His words and actions);

2. thoroughly equipping, rom in ancy,Gods people or every good work that Godhas prepared or them to do through theuse o Scripture or teaching, rebuking,

correcting and training in righteousness.In other words, Lutheran missionaleducation seeks to make disciples throughevangelismand edi cation. In this 2 Timothypassage, we have the testimony o Paul thatever since Timothy was an in ant, Lois andEunice were active in making known thestories that really matter in the li e o Timothy so that he could know o his Savior Jesus and be thoroughly equipped or his li eas a disciple. Just as Jesus grew in wisdomand stature, and in avor with God and men,so Lois and Eunice, along with otherbelievers in Lystra as the body o Christ inthat place, taught and modeled a way o li e

or young Timothy so that he could grow inthe knowledge o the Son o God and becomemature, attaining to the whole measure o the ul lness o Christ (Ephesians 4:13) andlive a li e that was pleasing in the presence o God (coram Deo)and a blessing in the presenceo others(coram hominibus)as a disciple o Jesus.

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Lois and Eunice understood and lived outthe admonition that Moses gave to Godspeople during their wilderness journey. Asthe Israelites journeyed toward the PromisedLand, they were to love the Lord, yourGod, with all your heart, and with all yoursoul, and with all your strength and toimpress His commands upon their heartsand upon the hearts o their descendants(Deuteronomy 6:5-6). Wherever the Lordled them, they were to tell the stories o thesacred Scriptures and impress His design

or living upon one another as they sat intheir homes and walked along the road, when they laid down and when they got up(Deuteronomy 6:7).

The Mission and Ministry o theChurchs Educational AgenciesThe mission and ministry o the churchseducational agencies is to make disciples1 o all nations. The Great Commission(Matthew 28:18-20) lays the doubleobligation upon His educators: thestrengthening o present disciples in theiralready existing discipleship and reaching out to those who are not yet disciples with the

hope that they will become His disciples.There ore, every task o the church makessense only i it serves His mission o making disciples o all nations, whether this ministrytakes place in the home, in the Sunday schoolclassroom, in catechetical instruction or allages, or in the classroom and hallways at oneo our Concordia universities or seminaries.

The Integration o Mission,Ministry and Education

Missional Lutheran education understandsthe importance o , and is committed to, aproper balance between edi cation(building one another up in the Christian aith andbecoming mature in Christ), and evangelism(proclaiming the Good News o Jesus tothose who do not believe in Him), and

ostering ah althy, v brant organ c body l f .This integration is achieved through the

counsel and practice o the ve- old gi tsgiven to humankind rom our ascended

Lord (Ephesians 4:11-13) which were clearlyseen in the li e o those who ollowed Jesusa ter His resurrection and ascension. Daya ter day, they met together and devotedthemselves to the apostles teaching, to

ellowship, to the breaking o bread, and toprayer (Acts 2:42), and being o one heartand mind (Acts 4:32). Because o theirmessage, and their way o living together, theLord added daily to their group others who were being saved. Their mission was not topreserve institutions and buildings, ormsand structures, ll slots on various boardsand committees, but to live His design orliving and proclaiming the Good News tothose estranged rom the God who loved

them and gave His li e or them.There is not su cient space in this articleto present a comprehensive examination o counsel and practice, but only a cursoryintroduction into their wisdom or ouredi ying and missionary endeavors.

Apostolic and Prophetic Counsel andPractice. Apostolic counsel and practice:answers the big questions that every personhas in li e;2 examines the oundation o theapostles and prophets, with Christ being thecornerstone; 3 puts the members o the bodyin their proper condition or their workso service so that the body is built up andedi ed; osters an organic, healthy bodyli e; engages in indigenous church

ormation; equips and sends workers intothe harvest elds; and advocates a missionaryposture by Gods people as they interact withthe nations so that they might become allthings to all people so that they might bring others to a saving knowledge o Gods gracein the person o Jesus Christ

(1 Corinthians 9:19-23).Prophetic counsel and practice wouldseek to help Gods people remember whoGod is and what God has done or us and allpeople; to remember who they are and whythey are in the world; to keep themselves

ree rom idolatry; to engage in knowing the belie systems and li e ways o thenon-Christian nations and peoples whodwell in their mission context; convicting national, congregational and individual sins;

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communicating a living hope in Jesus Christ;and to use their lives to prosper the Mastersbusiness o making disciples(Matthew 25:14-30).

Evangelistic Counsel and Practice.Evangelistic counsel and practice wouldencourage and equip Gods people to reachout to others with the narratives o Scriptureso that they can help those who do not know Gods story to make sense o their story inlight o His saving story.

This is what Philip, the evangelist, did with the Ethiopian o cial as he hadopportunity to talk about these things onthe road rom Jerusalem to Gaza (Acts 8).The o cial could not make sense o the

passage that he was reading rom Isaiah so,beginning with that very passage, Philiptold him the good news about Jesus.

It is our understanding rom Gods Word that every person is precious toGod and that every persons li e is likea text. Evangelistic counsel and practice would encourage and equip Gods peopleto understand and interpret the text o another persons li e in light o His texts,the sacred Scriptures, especially the saving

text o the Word become fesh, Jesus Christ(John 3-4) so that those who do not have asaving relationship with Jesus might come toknow and believein Him.

Pastoral and Teaching Counsel andPractice. Pastoral counsel and practice would ocus on: eeding and caring or thebody o Christ; guarding and keeping theone true aith; orming and equipping Godspeople to be able to test the spirit, or notevery spirit comes rom God (1 John 4:1-6);

guiding and exhorting Gods people to beaith ul stewards o the Gospel and o Hismany physical blessings, so that they mightbe a blessing to the nations through theirGospel proclamation and their deeds o loveand compassion within the body o Christand in the world; and cultivating a biblicalspirituality in Gods people. 4

Some Concluding ThoughtsLi e is al l about stories, and li e is all abouthermeneutics, that is, making sense o

li es story. Thus, every person who dwellsupon the ace o the earth has a need orsome kind o interpretative story line, am tanarrat vi you will, that is able to helpevery human being make sense o theirstory, and to live out their story in ways thatare pleasing in Gods sight and a blessing toothers.

Consequently, missional Lutheraneducation knows and believes that:1. The most important place or

discipleship ormation is the Christianhome as parents are equipped to teachand model the Christian aith and li eand to instill a biblical worldview andlive Gods design or living;

2. To change a li e or eternity, you have totell a di erent story (John 3:1-8). Weknow rom the Scriptures, and romhuman experience, that a person cannotby his or her own reason or strengthcome to Jesus Christ nor believe inHim but must be called by the Gospeland enlightened by the gi ts o the HolySpirit. There ore, someone must be sent,and someone must preach the GoodNews, or aith comes rom hearing the message and the message is heardthrough the word o Christ (Romans10:11-17);

3. It is the mission o every believer to prayor the lost and, like their Lord who

came to seek and to save the lost, to bethe riend o sinners so that they mayhear the Good News, con ess by thepower and work o the Holy Spirit that

Jesus is their Savior; and join His peoplein the continuing search that the

ound undertake by Gods grace or

those whom He loves, the lost. It willbe those congregations, schools, andchurchs educational agencies who,being led by missional Lutheraneducators, will equip His servants

or personal proclamation o theGood News as His living letters andambassadors to the nations;

4. Just as aith constitutes the properrelationship o the Christian to God,so good works and love exercised in vocation5 de ne a persons relationship

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eternity and that one oundation is JesusChrist; consequently, apostolic counseland practice are concerned about what kindo oundation (Matthew 7:24-27) wil l bebuilt upon and what kind o building (1Corinthians 3:11-15) will be constructed in apersons l i e.

4. Luthers understanding o a biblicalspiritua lity consisted o prayer (oratio),meditation upon Gods Word (meditatio),and trials/struggles/temptations (tentatio).Li e is lled with tribulations and trials andtemptations; these drive us to prayer, asking God or His help and counsel; and thesedrive us to His Word or counsel, wisdom andconsolation.

5. The purpose o our callings in li e is thatones neighbor is served as God reaches down,through His servant, or the well-being o humankind. Thus, God clothes Himsel inthe orm o an ordinary person who per ormsHis work on earth. Through vocation eachbeliever serves as a mask o God behind which God can conceal Himsel as He scattersHis gi ts, and proclaims Good News, to thenations.

6. Each believer is His disciple, witness,ambassador, priest, servant, steward, salt andlight in the world.

to ones neighbor. That is, the Christianli e can be summarized in two words, aith and love , through which every believer isplaced midway between God and onesneighbor, becoming Gods instrumento blessing as His missionary priests andpeople to the nations;

5. Missions is a test o our aith and anexpression o our hope and o ourlove. The modern Church ollows ina long succession o bridge-buildersthroughout historyChristians who havetried to relate the biblical message totheir particular cultures. Yet, i we areto build bridges into the real world, andseek to relate the Word o God to the

hearts and minds o people in our day, we must be committed to three things:(1) a li etime o studying Gods Word;(2) a li etime o studying and listening to the peoples whom we are seeking toedi y and evangelize; and (3) being His

incarnational bridges as we communicateHis Word and message o hope in wordsand ways that the hearer can understand(Romans 10:11-17).

Notes1. What does it mean to be a disciple? A disciple

is a believer in Jesus Christ who is an activestudent o Gods Word, building ones li e onthe person and word o Jesus Christ. A discipledoes more than just master the Word; adisciple is stamped and ashioned in the moldo Jesus Christ and is a living witness to Him.

Jesus identi ed two undamental marks o adisciple: (1) i you hold to My teaching, you arereally My disciples ( John 8:31-32); and (2) i you love one another ( John 13:34-35).

2. Who is God and what is God like; how does God eel toward me and the rest o humankind; how did this world come intoexistence and or what purpose was it created; who am I and why am I here; what will happento me when I die; what is true and what is alse; what is right and what is wrong; and what roledoes religion play in the organization o li e.

3. There is only one oundation upon whicha person can build ones li e now and or

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Missional EducationScott Snow

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Missional Education Starts withMission, and Mission Starts with the Heart o GodTo get to the heart o missional education,one must start at the very heart o God! Andthe heart o missional education is the hearto the Gospel!

God was, through the sacri ce o Hisinnocent, holy Son, Jesus, completely and

reely orgiving the sins o mankind andreconciling the world to Himsel . God madeHim who had no sin to be sin or us, so thatin Him we might become the righteousnesso God (2 Corinthians 5:21). And now, we who are reconciled through aith alone, are

appointed by Christ to be His ambassadorso reconciliation. God, speaking throughPaul, told the Corinthian Christians and Hetells us, There ore, i anyone is in Christ,he is a new creation: the old has gone, thenew has come! All this is rom God, whoreconciled us to Himsel through Christ andgave us the ministry o reconciliation: thatGod was reconciling the world to Himsel inChrist, not counting mens sins against them.

And He has committed to us the message o reconciliation. We are, there ore, Christsambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us (2 Corinthians5:17-20a).

Jesus Himsel said that the purpose o His incarnation and earthly ministry, Hispurpose or coming into our world, was toseek and to save the lost. For the Son o Man came to seek and to save what was lost(Luke 19:10). It is purely, then, by His grace,that He cal ls us into that same mission o seeking the lost that He might save them.

Isnt that what He means when He cal ls usto be salt and light? You are the salt o theearth. But i the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longergood or anything, except to be thrown out

and trampled by men. You are the light o the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put itunder a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand,and it gives light to everyone in the house. Inthe same way, let your light shine be ore menthat they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).

Lutheran Christians are particularlyortunatewell situatedto utilize the

resources and the opportunities or sharing the Gospel which are a orded to usthroughout the whole system o Lutheraneducation rom the earliest ages to our seniorsaints, and with everyone in between.

lcms congregations operate the largest

Protestant parochial school system in America. A recent report or the 2009-2010school year showed that thelcms has 2,444total schools with an enrollment o 255,176students in grades pre-school through 12thgrade. The average Lutheran elementaryschool has 114 students and the average highschool, 187 students. And in some o theseschools, more than hal the students areeither unchurched or are not members o aLutheran congregation.

Bill Cochran, Executive Director o lcms Schools writes: Lutheran schoolscelebrate their unique ministry to childrenand the amilies they serve. We have anopportunity to share the message withthe community in which our schoolsare located that Lutheran schools areChrist-centered, academically strong, andrespect ully operated!

Robert Newton, the lcms Cali ornia-Nevada-Hawaii (cnh ) District President,recently said in his presidential report to the

2009 cnh district convention, One o thelast bridges remaining between our churchand the unchurched in the post-churchera is the education o ch ildren. Here is where our Lutheran schools, pre-schoolsand early childhood education centerscontinue to serve as critical mission postsin our communities.

In many o his private conversations andcertainly in most o his public presentations,Terry Schmidt, Associate Director or S p

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The Rev. Scot t Snow is the seniorpastor of Holy Cross LutheranChurch in Wichita and previously served as the Director of National Outreach of the LCMS .ps@holycrosslutheran.net

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Al l staff members to be intentional in witnessing to newly enrolled amilies,letting them know that the sta views theirrole as being partners with the parents in

nourishing their childrens aith. Students to be involved in regular worshipservices as readers, instrumentalists,ushers, greeters, parking lot attendants,and singers. This gets parents through thedoors o the church on a regular basis.

Follow-up with families. On the schoolenrollment application, there is a placethat indicates i parents would like to becontacted by one o the pastors. Manyindicate that they would. Follow-up by thepastors is prompt and timely.

Lutheran schools, and our Lutheran schooleducators, are challenged every day toprovide the highest quality o education, thusassisting and preparing chi ldren or successin this world and eternity. They strive tomake every program an excellent program inorder to draw people to the cross through us,because what we provide adds value to theirlives, their amilies and their eternal wel are!

In another issue o N w Harv t (March2005), Paul Mueller, a ormer lcmsmissionary in A rica, wrote, Lutheranschools can be Christian missionary outposts which teach students to share Christ and which reach into the community not onlyto ind more students, but to indunchurched amilies too! A school willnot intentionally reach out to the lostunless it sees its primary job as missionary.

Without this passion, the school will simplyserve its own.

It would be a mistake, however, to assumethat only synodically trained teachers

serving in a parochial school setting are ableto be involved in missional education. Inaddition to these dedicated servants o Christ,there are countless numbers o committedLutheran Christians who are educators within the public school arena. While certainlimitations are set on what, how and wherethey can share their Christian aith, thesededicated disciples o Christ neverthelesshave the opportunity to put their aith into

School Ministry, o ten boldly proclaimsthat Lutheran schools are on the ront edgeo missions in North America! Care andcompassion are the hallmarks o Lutheran

schools. Christian serv ice is where we aredi erent rom the public school. Lutheranschools are caring or and serving children

rst. They are amily-centered and areintentionally reaching out into theircommunities with the love o God!

Lutheran Missional Education, then, isall-encompassing and to be e ectivemust involve every aspect o the Churchseducation system, including: pre-schoolsand day cares, elementary day schools,

junior highs, senior highs, and the colleges,universities and seminaries o the Church.

Each day in our Lutheran schools aroundthe country and throughout the world, theGood News o Jesus, the living and thereigning Savior, must be shared in word andin action. Each day in our Lutheran schools,educators, pastors, secretaries and otherleaders all have the tremendous opportunityto share the precious Gospel with childrenand their amilies. We celebrate the joy o being in Lutheran education and theblessings o being able to worship, talk about,and be a witness or our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Just how is this done among us? RachelKlitzing, Executive Director o SchoolMinistries or the Paci c Southwest Districto thelcms , wrote an article in March 2006o the ormer N w Harv t publication o the Center or U.S. Missions, listing waysthat Lutheran schools n m onreach out to

amilies who do not yet have a living aith inour Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Among suggested touch points o the Gospel are

opportunities or: Teachers to teach children songs about

Jesus, prayers, and Bible stories. Childrenrepeat these at home. Questions about our

aith are welcomed and encouraged! The pastor to meet with new non-Lutheran

and unchurched parents at the beginning o each school year and talk about whatLutheran Christians believe and teach inmaking a Gospel presentation.

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practice through their Christian example,and as opportunity a ords, in response toquestions rom their students, share theliving Word o God, Jesus, with the students

who know, respect and trust these teachers.In addition to ull-time pro essionaleducators within or outside the system o Lutheran education, missional educationsuggests and necessarily encompasses virtually every aspect o parish li e andministry. In other words, missionaleducation is a part o v ryth ng w ar and

v ryth ng w do. It includes: worship andpreaching; stewardship and outreach;music ministries and athletics; Sundayschool, mid-week school and Vacation BibleSchool; mens and womens group ministries; youth and adult educational small-groupopportunities in homes, the church andthroughout the community.

Being Missional Is Not Simply aMatter o Something We Do; Rather,It Is a Matter o Something We Are(or, Something We Strive to Become)

Mission education and being missionalencompasses more than accomplishing a

ew occasional mission-related activities. As help ul and well-meaning as they mayseem to be, an occasional mission trip oractivity, a gathering or an o ering to helpsomeone somewhere as a part o doing mission work are not necessarilyb ng m onal. Rather, being missional means

thinking mission at every level. Being missional means asking, How does missiontouch everything we do and with which weare involved? How is mission a part o every

aspect o our congregational li e? How caneveryone involved in church and schoolactivities begin to see al l their work ande orts through mission eyes?

Its easy or us to see as missional thoseactivities which directly involve proclamationo the Gospel, and yet at the same time,there are also hundreds o other supportiveactivities which, while they may not directlyinvolve sharing the Gospel, contribute

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signi cantly to accomplishing our missionand providing an atmosphere conduciveto sharing the Gospel. These are all o thee orts and activities which provide resources,equipment, acilities and support or those who are directly involved in spreading theGood News.

In other words, missional education causesus to see that doing dishes and cleaning upa ter a meal where unchurched visitors romthe neighborhood were invited into thechurch, setting up and taking down chairs,providing a ride, babysitting or the unwed,unchurched mother who is taking adultinstruction classes at the church, or example,can all play an intentional role in the mission

o sharing Christ. Some o the work is doneon the ront lines, and other supportunctions happen in the background, with

each one playing an important part in themission o the church, proclaiming Christ.

Our use o church and school acilities,the ellowship activities in which we engageand the people we invite, various types o community involvement, providing aChristian presence and witness in paradesand at county and state airs, interacting with teachers and students by volunteering in public schools, and meeting and working with police, re ghters, and otherpublic servants are all ways in which theservants o Christ might, with missionalhearts, intentionally and e ectively engagetheir community and world, seeking theuncommitted and unreached or theKingdom o God.

These activities could be a part o being missional. Missional education seeks toempower, convince, encourage, inspire

and equip men and women, boys and girls,grandpas and grandmas in our churches andschools to be a part o Christs mission tothe world.

Missional education is not an easy task!Being missional isnt always easy! But Godblesses us in this task to which He sends usand His whole Church on earth. His HolySpirit is at work through His Word, and wellknow that missional education is happening,and that, as a church body, were getting it

when: we nd out that school-aged childrenare telling other neighborhood childrenabout Jesus and are inviting them to VacationBible School; we hear our college anduniversity students sharing their aith withothers in their dormitories and classrooms; young adults are bringing hope in Christ totheir riends; adult believers are preparedand are giving an answer to everyone whoasks [them] to give the reason or the hopethat [they] have and as they do so withgentleness and respect, keeping a clearconscience (1 Peter 3:15-16a).

Missional Education or LutheransInvolves Disciples Making Disciples

It certainly is our goal as LutheranChristians to share our aith whenever andhowever God gives us the opportunity todo so. We pray or eyes to see and ears tohear so that we will be aware o the divineappointments God gives us every day to bear witness to His love through the sacri cial li e,death and resurrection o our Lord JesusChrist. God provides open doors o witnessopportunity or us every day, and our goal isto go through those open doors!

As educators, as parents, as pro essionalchurch workers, as individual believers inChrist, and as congregations, schools anddistricts, we seek to share the love o Godin Christ with our own children and witheveryone with whom we come into contact. Bythe power o His Word, through our witness,the Holy Spirit works in the hearts o thehearers to create aith.

At the same time, our vision ought notto culminate with the hope o making only

one or two disciples here, and maybe oneover there. Instead, our Spirit-inspired goalought to be to share the aith so that God willmake disciples who make disciples, who makedisciples, who make We desire to be a parto mission multiplication, an explosion o mission here and everywhere!

Teachers, and all Christians or thatmatter, need to learn the basic ski lls orcon dently sharing their aith with bothchildren as well as adults. And, as has been

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said, it doesnt end there. We not onlyteach the aith, but we also teach how toshare the aith which has been received.Missional education is a matter o disciplesmaking disciples!

The Changing Face o Missional EducationHow have things changed? We live in anentirely di erent world than a generationago. Support, motivation, expectations, ourcompetitors have all changed.

The Gospel and its message o eternalsalvation through aith in the sacri cial work o Christ, however, never changes.Nevertheless, the ways in which we seek toe ectively share the timeless Word o Godmust and do adapt to the culture, setting and the needs o our hearers. God, I believe,allows the various orms o media, theInternet, YouTube, the use o video and dvd

technologies, iPhones, Twitter, Facebook,blogging, the use o brand new technologies

yet to be seen as ways in which the Gospelcan be spread to a great multitude that noone could count, rom every nation, tribe,people and language (Revelation 7:9a).

Change is hard! John Maxwell stated, I we are growing, were always going to be outo our com ort zone. But, perhaps, an evenbetter way or us to think o it is to ollow thesuggestion o Gene Bunkowske who holdsthe Fiechtner Endowed Chair o ChristianOutreach at Concordia University, St. Paul,Minnesota. Bunkowske advocates the ideao expanding our com ort zones, that is,learning, growing and becoming more

com ortable with whats new or us. In thiscontext, it involves being willing to try new things and to do whatever it takes (within thebounds o the Law and the Gospel, o course)to share our aith in Jesus Christ with those who do not know and live or Christ as theirLord and Savior.

You Are Not Alone in this Task o Missional Education

Excellent partnerships exist, and many

use ul resources are available to assist andequip individuals, church workers, schools,congregations and districts in the Gospeltask o missional education. Among others,some o the best might include the Synods

Ablaz !Web site (www.lcms.org/ablaze),lcms World Mission (www.lcmsworldmission.org or 800-433-3954), The 72Partners onthe Road (the ormer harvesters) (www.lcmsworldmission.org/The 72 or 800-433-3954), The Center or us Missions (www.

center orusmissions.org), Lutheran HourMinistries (www.lhm.org or 800-944-3450)and Concordia Publishing House (ww w.cph.org or 800-325-3040).

May God help us to give an answer toeveryone who asks [us] to give the reason orthe hope that [we] have and as we do so,may we do it with gentleness and respect,keeping a clear conscience (1 Peter 3:15-16a).To that end may God bless us in this mostimportant task o the Church!

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(Matthew 28:6). In su ering and dying,rising rom the dead, and proclaiming GoodNews, Christ is exercising the authority givento him to carry out the Fathers mission-mandate, that o reclaiming a terminalhumankind and world. 3

The cont nt o the commission is equallyclear, that o a sending Lord who charges hisapostles to go to the nations! Though go in the Greek text is not an imperative, itscentri ugal orce is shaped by a syntacticalconnection with the imperative, Makd c pl !4 A contemporary restatementis, As a disciple, your purpose in li e, at work, in the amily, in the church, and inthe larger community is engaging in the

mission o making disciples! The pursuito this purpose is seen in early churchrecords which reveal that Christians o ten witnessed spontaneously in their relationships with relatives, riends and co-workers.5 Origen described a Christian who began aconversation by reporting on an event or

aith experience in the Christian community while paying care ul attention to anyone wholistened or asked questions. When a personexpressed interest, the Christian would thentake one aside or additional conversation.6

As a church historian reminds us, theexponential growth o the early churchoccurred through the witness o the apostlesand their co-workers such as evangelists,pastors, teachers, deacons, and deaconessesas well as traders, merchants, slaves, workers,state o cials, wives, husbands, and others.7

The act v t or proc o the commissionis engaging in a single mission with twosides, baptizing and teaching. Throughteaching, an adult is led to the baptismal

waters which connect one with the deatho Christ and rise to a new li e (Romans6:1-4). Through teach ing, one who isbaptized is urther equipped or serviceand witness. The relationship o teaching,baptizing and teaching is seen in theearly churchs catechumenate whichtrans ormed pagans into disciples throughthe work o the Holy Spirit.

The prom o the mandate given to Christschurch is a guarantee o the presence, power,

Imagine a con rmation class which includesRoman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim youth! 1Think o the questions, discussion,interaction, teaching and witnessing! Yearslater, these young people will remembertheir con rmation. This is what canhappen when leaders, con rmands, andtheir parents are grasped by a vision o con rmation as an outreach ministry and a

You gotta come attitude.The purpose o this discussion o

con rmation as an outreach ministry isto: 1. Present a rationale or structuring con rmation on the basis o the GreatCommission; 2. Identi y those to whom theGreat Commission is directed; 3. Highlight

opportunities or outreach among American youth; 4. Examine data related to thequestion, Is con rmation in The LutheranChurch Missouri Synod an outreachministry? 5. O er perspectives on waysin which con rmation can be an outreachministry in a congregations mission.

A Rationale: The Great CommissionThough re erences in the literature to

con rmation as an evangelism ministryare ew, biblical texts which address thisperspective are, among others, ve grace-based directives given by the Lord o thechurch in Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:44-49, John 20:19-22, and

Acts 1:8. In the Matthew 28 passage, onesees the ba o the mission, the cont nt o the commission, the act v tor proc o thecommand, and the prom linked to Go andmake disciples.2

The ba o the commission is the authorityo a risen Lord who has overthrown the powero sin, death, and Satan. The oundationo Christs authority is a messengersannouncement on the rst Easter morning,

He is not here, or he has risen, as he said

The Rev. Dr. Marvin Bergman,Faculty Emeritus, ConcordiaUniversity, Nebraska, and Lay Ministry Coordinator, NebraskaDistrict. marv.bergman@cune.edu

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C. F. W. Walther, ollowing Lutherslead, describes a two- old glory given to thespiritual priesthood o believers. The rst isthat a believer can approach the holy God, prayto him, and serve him. The second is that apriest can, in the name o God, make the willo God known to others by bringing them his

Word, preaching and interpreting. 10On the basis o the Scriptures and teachers

o the church as Luther and Walther, we canmove beyond arguing about the recipientso the Great Commission by a rming thatevery Christian has been commissioned by theLord o the church to ollow in the ootstepso Priscilla and Aquila who took Apollosaside and explained to him the way o God

more accurately (Acts 18:26). We can assertthat con rmands, as baptized people o God,are commissioned to let their light shine inthe world (Matthew 5:14, 16).

The Fields Are White or Harvest

The context in which Christian youth, theiramilies, and congregations can bring light

is depicted in a major, de nitive researchstudy, so l s arch ng , which investigated thespirituality o youth in the United States,ages 13-17.11 The study reminds one o Jesusexhortation to look li t up your eyes,and see that the elds are white or harvest(John 4:35). Here are samples o outreachopportunities suggested by the study.

1. The majority o American youthare not antagonistic toward religion andreligious institutions. Instead, Americanteens generally regard religion as a verynice thing that i s good or lots o peoplebecause religion provides a positive orce

in individual lives and in society.12

Evenamong non-participating youth, nea rly50 percent eel positive or somewhatpositive about religion, while one-thirdare neutral, and only about 17 percentare negative.13 These and other viewsexpressed by youth led the research teamto observe that many apparently non-religious teens could become activethrough a greater initiative o sincere,committed believers.14

2. Religion or large numbers o American youth tends to unction in thebackground o their daily lives.15 Religionis something that you grow up with during the Sunday school years and then jettison when becoming more mature. What reallycounts in the lives o young people is school,ones circle o riends, sports, popularculture, amily, work, un, issues relatedto sex and illegal drugs, and the electronicmedia. 16 With youth living within a sociallyconstructed environment or ve to 17 years, the culture or many is a key shapero their lives, teaching that religion willbecome more important when settling down, especially i one marries, and i one

has children.3. The mainstream religion o American

youth is described as Deistic, Therapeutic,and Moralistic. For the majority o youth,God is seen as someone who is up there,controlling and directing the cosmos, and watching. The character o the Triune Godrevealed in the Scriptures is largely absent.Instead, God is a butler or therapist who solvesproblems when one is in trouble. Another

eature o this popular mindset is that God isa lawgiver who spells out rules which are good

or other people, but not or ones sel , sinceeach person is the source and authority o moral knowledge which is to help one to reachthe goal o sel - ul llment.17

4. Opportunities or aith communitiesto connect with youth are many. For example,about one-hal o non-religious teens saythat they believe in a god, while anotherone-third are open to the possibility o expressing such belie . Only a minority,about 17 percent, reject a belie in God. One

in our o non-religious youth believes indivine miracles and the existence o li e a terdeath. 18 Only 46 percent o young people who consider themselves to be Christiansreport that they had con rmed their aith orhad been baptized. 19 (This statistic does notinclude in ant baptisms.) Nearly one-hal o American youth have attended religiousretreats, con erences, or rallies at some timeduring their lives. 20 Forty- our percent o non-religious teens are incorporating aspects

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o Christian practices, such as prayer, in theirown spiritual lives.21 O the non-attending teens, nearly one out o our says that i it were a personal decision, attending religiousservices regularly would be their choice.22

Though only 2 to 3 percent o young peoplereport that they are active spiritual seekers,23 the level o positive attitudes toward religionand religious institutions suggests thatas many as one-hal o American young people could become spiritual seekers.24 Conversations with youth suggested to theresearch team that more non-Christians areseeking Christianity than Christians seeking non-believers! 25

5. What is missing in the lives o the

majority o American youth is a rmoundation and the resources or believing

and living as committed persons. The biggestblocks to aith are an intellectual skepticismregarding aith and other vague reasons ordropping out. 26 Nearly one-hal o the non-attenders could not think o a reason or notattending. 27 An ignorance o the basics o the aith is evident in the inability o many youth to respond to questions regarding speci cs o the aith, such as the authorityo the Scriptures and the reality o miraclesreported in the Bible. The researchers notea great deal o slippage in the e ectiveness o Christian education, even among conservativeChristian denominations. 28

6. The study identi es a minority o committed Christian youth whose aith is making signi cant di erences in their lives. Highlycommitted youth, about 15 percent o American youth, say that: their aith is very importantto them; their parents are engaged in a aithcommunity; they attend religious services weekly

or more o ten; they participate in youth groups;and they pray and read the Bible regularly.29Data show that these youth are doing much betterin their lives than less-religious youth, reporting,

or example, better relationships with parentsand higher levels o satis action at school.30 Though aith is not to be seen in an instrumental way o improving ones chances o success asde ned by society, such di erences are the resulto being trans ormed by what Paul describes asthe renewal o ones mind (Romans 12:1-2).

7. While opportunities to connect withthis age group are many, the challenges aresigni cant. Though the Millennial Generation(born 1984-2002) is seen as airly traditionalin their religious belie s, they are lessreligiously active in a number o ways. Theyare less involved in any particular aith andattend religious services less o ten than oldergenerations at a comparable point in theirli e cycles.31 Religion is less important orthis generation than it was or members o Generation X at a similar age. However, theintensity o the commitments o Millennials who value aith is as strong as it was among previous generations when they were young, which points to the importance o equipping

this younger generation or service, witness,and leadership roles in the church.

Is Confrmation an OutreachMinistry?

A multitude o outreach possibilities among American youth raises the question, Iscon rmation in the lcms an outreach ministry?Responses by a random sample o con rmationleaders (mostly pastors anddce s), con rmandsand their parents in a study conducted by theauthor describe the extent to which con rmationis equipping young people to be messengers o Good News.32

How con rmands view the content o their witness isseen in responses to the question, What is the most important teaching o the Bible to share with aperson who is not a Christian?

14%

69%

4%

13%

When con rmands are asked, Is it okay or a person toshare ones aith with others, or should one leaveothers alone? their responses to our options are:

81%

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The data suggest a number o observations.That eight o every ten con rmands assertthat one should share aith with others whenever possible, and that about seven o ten con rmands identi y the Gospel as thecentral message o the Christian aith, refectintentional teaching by parents and leaders.Their impact is signi cant in a society whichsees that aith and spirituality are personal,private matters, and that good works meritGods avor.

That 41 percent o the con rmandsendorse a universal view o salvation perhapsis related to the level o parental agreement with the same statement, the 31 percent whoagree that most religions lead to the sameGod. This nding deserves attention, or anabsence o a clarity o the Gospel messageimpacts motivation or outreach.

Two indings, that 81 percent o thecon rmands a rm the view that one shouldshare aith whenever possible, but that 58percent shared this message two or ewertimes within the last six months, suggestaddressing the challenge o translating stored in ormation into actions bypracticing the telling o ones ownstory and The Story. (See W hat isLutheran Missional Education? byHuneke and Steinbronn.)

Responses by three o every ten con rmands who do notidenti y the Gospel as the most important teaching o theBible to share suggest the need to give this central teaching greater attention. A lack o clarity regarding the Gospelamong some con rmands also appears in their responsesto the item, Although there are many religions in the world, most o them lead to the same God.

I disagree 33%

I agree 34%

I strongly agree 7%

I strongly disagree 26%

3-5 times

1-2 times

More than 5 times

No one

3%

10%

37%

50%

The extent to which con rmands actually engage inoutreach is the ocus o two items.In the last year, how many times have you invited a non-Christian riendto a church event such as worship or youth group?

More than 5 persons 23%

3-5 persons 19%

1-2 persons 38%

No one 20%

A second statement asks about the requency o speaking this gospel message:That Jesus died or ones sins is amessage which I have shared in the last six months with:

Con rmation leaders responses to the question, What are the opportunities or a confrmation ministry toreach youth not connected to Christ? are:

Many 6%

None 8%

Limited 43%

Some 43%

None 5%

In refecting on the question, How much attention wasgiven to Sharing ones aith as a topic in the confrmationcurriculum? leaders indicate that the level o attention is:

Major 34%

Some 61%

When con rmation leaders are asked to identi yOpportunities or confrmation ministry to equip youthto share their aith, they see their opportunities as:

None 3%

Many 17%

Some 48%

Limited 32%

Many 5%

Some 14%

Limited 31%

None 51%

When con rmation leaders are asked about the numbero Senior high school youth, not confrmed, who oneknows could begin confrmation, their responses are:

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believers, see ones connection with a churchas an option. 33 By exploring the manycorporate images o the church in the New Testament and by identi ying the center o congregational li e as Word and Sacraments, young people will be able to see the alsedichotomy, Im Christian, but Im not parto a church, and a rm the mission o theBody o Christ as well as their personal rolesin this mission.

Con irmation can serve as a launching pad or mission by assisting young peopleand their parents to be supremely clearon the doctrine upon which the churchstands or alls, justi ication by gracethrough aith. The need or a more

clear Law-Gospel perspective among con irmands is seen in their responses tothe statement: In order to be saved andhave eternal li e, I must obey Gods rulesand commandments.

I strongly agree19 percent; I agree38percent; I disagree27 percent; I stronglydisagree16 percent. While the statementasks or a discerning eye, agreement bynearly 60 percent o the con rmands (as well as 41 percent o their parents) with thissalvation by good works statement calls or acommitment to nd ways in which the hearto the Christian aith can be communicatedand assimilated more clearly by con rmandsand their parents.

A sixth approach to structuring con rmation as an outreach ministry isto teach the Six Chie Parts o L th r smallCat ch mthrough a missional worldview by ollowing Luthers ordering o the Six

Chie Parts.34

For example, viewing the TenCommandments as Gods radical diagnosiso the human condition can serve to create asense o urgency or personal restoration andhealing. The missional thrusts o the

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three articles o The Apostles Creed presentexceptional opportunities or con rmandsand parents to see Gods character as agracious, sending God. That the LordsPrayer is missional can be made clear byexamining each o the seven petitions as aprayer or seeking and receiving Gods gi ts which empower or mission. A missional view o Baptism and Holy Communiontrans orms ones perspectives on thesacraments and leads to a deeper graspo the relationship o sacraments andmission. Conceptualizing how Con essionand Absolution play an essential role ineveryday living as well as in conficts in theli e o a disciple and in the church will lead

to healing which motivates or mission. Asa bonus, exploring applications o TheTable o Duties can oster commitment to vocation as disciple-living.

Another acet o implementing con irmation ministry as an outreachministry is to help parents and youth todevelop a storehouse o Gospel images,narratives, concepts and teachings. Learning the language o aith as expressed in biblicalimages and teachings, the creeds o the church,and L th r small Cat ch mprovides one withtools that can be used in a variety o contexts.Con rmands who are given opportunities topractice speaking the language o aith andtranslating into the idiom o their hearers willhave resources or sharing their stories andthe stories o the Gospel. (See the article byHuneke and Steinbronn.)

An eighth strategy o planning con rmationministry as an opportunity to equip youthand their parents as witnesses to the Gospelis to assist con rmands and parents to refect

on their social networks. Doing an audit o ones relationships o who is and who is notconnected to Christ and his church can resultin naming dozens o individuals. With youthengaged in networks that include six to eightclose riends, school and community contactsthat may number as many as or more than150 individuals, and the social media whichmay involve thousands, a vision o witnessopportunities in ones relationships can lead toidenti ying surprising possibilities.

Engagement in service projects within acongregation, in ones community and innational and international settings canprovide con rmands and parents withopportunities or connecting serv ice and verbal witness. As a church leader observed,service is the soil that prepares or sowing the seed o the Word that creates receptivehearts. That 43 percent o the con rmandsin the con rmation study report that theyhad engaged in three to six service eventsin the congregation or larger communityduring a year refects leader and parentawareness o the value o service learning.35

A tenth perspective is the recognitionthat welcoming guests, assimilating visitors,

and engaging non-Christian youth andpossibly their amilies in the con rmationexperience involve responding to a numbero challenging variables. Such actorsinclude the motivation o seekers, qualityo relationships, an understanding o theculture and belie s o others, the ability toengage in dialogue, and the readiness o parents, youth, leaders, and congregationsto commit to outreach. It is understood thatany or a combination o actors may at timesmake an assimilation o non-Christian youthin a con rmation experience di cult.

Confrmation: An OutreachMinistry?!

While cha llenges may be many, somecon rmation leaders and congregations areshaping con rmation ministry or outreach.In an in ormal survey, leaders identi ed anumber o strategies, such as: con rmationclasses that meet a ter school so that

con rmands can invite their riends;monthly Jam events with a ocus on bring a riend; seminars or young people whodesire to explore the Christian aith; smallgroup leaders who nurture non-connected youth; retreats and lock-ins with anemphasis on bringing non-church riends;sports and musical events or con rmandsand their guests; con rmation as a summerintroductory experience that t argets non-members; seminars on parenting during

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the teen years or the larger community;con rmands and parents who host a vbs in a neighborhood apartment complex ora trai ler park; group service projects thatconnect with a youth organization in thecommunity; helping con rmands to developan enthusiastic mindset or growing in the

Word and introducing others to Christ. 36Think o the bene ts o structuring

con rmation both as a aith- orming and asending ministry! That 93 percent o lcms con rmands, 98 percent o their parents,and 96 percent o the con rmation leaderssay that con rmation is very important or

important points to the power and potentialo this educational ministry to shape and

ignite aith.37

For millions o Lutherans,con rmation is the major educationalevent in their lives, especially when ollowedby ones continuing growth through the

Word. What an extraordinary opportunityor con rmation leaders, parents, and

congregations to equip young people orservice and witness in a society in which 85percent o American youth do not express

aith in a living Lord! What a window o opportunity to equip young people as leadersin the churchs mission! What a special timeto engage a generation which, among six living generations, could have the greatest impact onthe churchs mission or years to come. This will happen when ? becomes !

Notes1. Reported by dce Justin Vertrano, St. James LutheranChurch, St. James, New York, in Th L th ran W tn127.1 (208):14.2. Robert Kolb, The Five Great Commissions andContemporary Christian Witness, M o Apo tol ca2:2(1994): 75-76.3. Robert Newton, The Great Commission: Givento Whom? i n Chr t an ed cat on41:3 (2007): 26.4. Daniel Wallace, Gr k Grammar B yond th Ba c : An ex g t calsyntax of th N w T tam nt (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,1996) 645. Thanks to Charles Blanco or directing attention to this resource and or his insights relatedto the Matthew 28 passage.5. Michel Dujarier, A H tory of th Cat ch m nat(New York: William H. Sadlier, Inc., 1979), 59-60.6. Michel Dujarier, Th R t of Chr t an in t at on(New

York: William H. Sadlier, Inc., 1979), 33.7. Neill, Stephen. Th Layman n C hr t an H tory.(Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1963), 67.8. That a Christian Assembly or Congregation Has

the Right and Power to Judge All Teaching and toCall, Appoint, and Dismiss Teachers, Established andProven by Scripture. L th r Work : Ch rch and M n try i.

Vol. 39. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1970), 309-310.9. See Ingemar Oberg, L th r and World M on: A H tor caland sy t mat c st dy(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2007), Klaus Detlev Schulz, M on from thCro : th L th ran Th ology of M on(St. Louis: ConcordiaPublishing House, 2009), and Volker Stolle, Th Ch rchCom from All Nat on(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2003).10. C.F.W. Walther, Th Congr gat on R ght to Choo tPa tor.(Fort Wayne: Concordia Theological Seminary,n.d.), 64. For a discussion o Walthers and Luthers views, see Joel Lehenbauer, The Priesthood o AllSaints, M o Apo tol c9:1 (2001): 8-17.11. Christian Smith, so l s arch ng: Th R l g o and sp r t alL v of Am r can T nag r .(New York: Ox ord UniversityPress, 2005). For a study o the same populationmade ve years later, see Christian Smith, so l nTran t on: Th R l g o and sp r t al L v of em rg ng Ad (New York: Ox ord University Press, 2009). Bothstudies provide the church with a signi cant agenda

or the next ten years.12. Smith, so l s arch ng,124-125.13. Smith, 104.14. Smith, 270.15. Smith, 129.16. Smith, 159.17. Smith, 173.18. Smith, 42-43.19. Smith, 48.20. Smith, 53.21. Smith, 82.22. Smith, 103.23. Smith, 79.

24. Smith, 76.25. Smith, 82.26. Smith, 237.27. Smith, 104-105.28. Smith, 44.29. Smith, 110.30. Smith, 263.31. Religion Among the Mil lennials. P w For m.17February 2010. 18 February 2010

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Mission rom the Cross:The Lutheran Theology

o Mission.Klaus Detlev Schulz.

St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009.

Detlev Schulz is pro essor and director o theDoctor o Missiology program at ConcordiaTheological Semina ry, Ft. Wayne. Heserved the church as missionary in South A rica be ore coming to the seminary.His insights or mission and missional

issues are shaped by his extensive researchand study o mission as well as his ownpersonal experience, which enhance hisdiscussion o practical missional chal lengeso contemporary societies.

As its title indicates, Schulz engageshis reader in a discussion o the theologyo mission and mission practice that isuniquely Lutheran. In his own words, thebook is intended, to provide a particularin ormed outlook on mission by calling pastors, theologians, students, and allChristians back to basics, to our theologicalheritage understood particularly in lighto the theology o the cross (Pre ace x).

The book is divided into three sections:the nature and study o mission today, themission o the Triune God, and the Church,her task and contexts.

The global missionary task is un nished.Only 33 percent to 34 percent o the worldspopulation claim to be Christian, and theresponsibility o ul lling the missionarytask belongs to all Christians. Schulz says,All Christians are involved in missiona ter having received the good news o their reconciliation with God throughChrist. They have the desire o sharing that wonder ul news with others without sel shlyprotecting and withholding it rom people

who live estranged rom God. Mission isthe measure o the Churchs health (8).However, the organizing principle or

Lutheran mission theology is the doctrine

o justi cation, and Schulz demonstrates thisby evaluating other theological approachesthrough the Scriptures and LutheranCon essions. He evangelically introducescontemporary missional issues and providesclear and Lutheran correctives based on thedoctrine o justi cation. He indicates thecentrality o the doctrine o justi cationby re erring to Carl Braaten: The relativeimportance o any Christian doctrine (is)determined by its proximity to the centralarticle o aith. Al l doctrines, in act, mustsomehow be corollaries o the vital principleo justi cation (70). Thus the engagemento all believers in the mission o God is notout o guilt and shame, but a joy ul responseto the reality o being justi ed be ore Godby grace through aith.

Schulzs de inition o themission Dei provides the reader a window to his positionon the organizing principle o Lutheranmissiology, The mission Dei is Trinitarianredemptive and reconciling activityin history, motivated by God the Fathersloving will or the entire world, groundedin the atoning work o Jesus Christ, andcarried out by the Holy Spirit o Christthrough the means o grace. God justi esman through the means o grace; delivershim rom rebellion, sin, and death; subjectshim under His kingly reign; and leads himand the redeemed community toward the

nal goal in history (97).He a rms the role o the church in the

accomplishment o the mission o God.The church has to carry out the missionalmandate and be concerned about the social,physical, cultural, emotional and spiritual well-being o al l people (101-102). He alsosuggests that the lives o those involved in

mission must refect the claims o theirmessage (179). The Trinitarian mission,thus, does not stop at the temporal needso people; the ultimate goal is thereconciliation o all people to the TriuneGod and each other.

The role o the third person in theTrinity, the Holy Spirit, is very critical tothe expansion o themission Dei.Schulz hassuccess ully made the Lutheran case on therole o the Holy Spirit in the conversion o the unbeliever and in the equipping o theChurch with the dynamism o mission.The instrumentality o the church in themission Dei is guided and empowered by theHoly Spirit. Through the means o grace,the preached and Sacramental Word, theHoly Spirit revives the unbeliever romspiritual death to li e and propels him intothe mission eld to proclaim the good newso Jesus.

Schulz also provides a balanced view o therole o the priesthood o all believers and theo ce o public ministry (239 ). Whetherone agrees on his position on the role o the laity or not, Schulz gives biblical andcon essional reasons or the whole churchbeing engaged in mission. He states thatevery Christian has an obligation to passon the witness to others privately. In other words, most o witnessing is done in private,in individual Christians homes, work placesand social contexts.

This book will be important to Lutheranmissiological discussion; it is a help ul guideto the Christian leader and a rming to allChristian readers.

Dr. Yohannes MengsteabNational DirectorNew Mission Fields

The Lutheran ChurchMissouri SynodSt. Louis, Missouri

Yohannes.mengsteab@lcms.org

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S p r i n g

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Mission Accomplished ?: Chal lengesto and Opportunities or LutheranMissions in the 21st Century. Editedby John A. Maxfeld. Association o Confessional Lutherans NationalFree Con erence No. 16 and Luther

Academy Lecture Series No. 12;published by The Luther Academy,St. Louis, Missouri.

The book compiles nine papers presentedat the Congress on The LutheranCon essions at Bloomingdale, Illinois,in the spring o 2005. The papers areabout mission in the Lutheran church.It starts at Martin Luthers time, describing how missions have developed up to today,including challenges and opportunities

or Lutheran missions in the 21st century.The title, Mission Accomplished? , is a

rhetorical question demanding a negativeanswer. The mission will not be accomplisheduntil Christs second coming.

Klaus Detlev Schulz in his paper,Wittenberg with Love: Martin Luthers Teology o Mission,demonstrates that Luthersentire theology is permeated by missionarydimensions. Luther bel ieved and taughtthat Gods Word is constantly in motionand not limited to time or space. In thesecond petition o the Lords Prayer, Lutherasks that the kingdom may come throughWord and Holy Spirit to those who are not yet in it. Luthers theology is one o mission. Hedidnt separate the two.

Frederik Sidenvall s paper, Early SwedishLutheran Missions in North America: A MissionBegun but Not Fulflled, describes the rstmission work done by the Lutherans among the Native Americans in 1642 to 1648.This work was s tar ted by JohannesCampanium, a pastor in New Sweden. Hetranslated Luthers Small Catechismintothe Virginia-American language. Sidenvallalso discusses historical actors in Swedenthat were involved with the mission work in America and how that came to an end.

Roland Zieg le r s paper i s t i t l edNeuendet telsau and Hermannsburg. His subjects are two rural Con essionalGerman pastors in the 19th century whostarted mission work outside the structureo their church. They were William Loehe

and Louis Harms. Loehe heard the Germanimmigrants in southern Ohio crying out

or pastors. When Loehe made an appeal,he received donations. However, no pastors,candidates, or teachers volunteered. Sohe began training laypeople as teachersand sent them to America. There they

could catechize and lead reading services.The plan was that they were to connect with the Ohio Synod and eceive urther training at the seminary.

Loehe also distinguished between exteriorand interior mission. Exterior missionis directed to those who are not in any wayreached by the Gospel. Interior mission

ocuses on those who are in dangero orsaking the aith or have already allen

rom the aith. His plan in doing exteriormission work among the Native Americans was to have an entire congregation settleclose to the Native Americans so that thepastor o the congregat ion could also serveas a missionary to the Native Americans.

Harms also trained missionaries in hiscongregation. He bought a arm, and thestudents worked on the arm while taking classes at the mission seminary. They weresent out as missionaries and colonists who were sel -supporting through their work.Once an indigenous congregation wasestablished, a group would move on to starta new congregation.

Mark Brauns paper, Te Reiseprediger: A Con essional Lutheran Lesson or oday,looks at the circuit rider, or as the Germanscalled them, Reiseprediger. He describestheir roles and ministry in the WisconsinSynod. He also discusses ve lessons romthe Reiseprediger program which we can applyto todays mission work.

Martin R. Noland in his paper,Te Greatest Commission Luke 24:44-49 as the Criterion or Evaluating Lutheran Missions,

sees Luke 24:44-49 as the oundationo the Great Commission. The sevenpoints or seeing this text as a better GreatCommission passage than Matthew 28 are:1. It was necessary or the Christ to su erand rise on the third day; 2. The Law, theProphets, and the Psalms speak o Christs

coming to earth; 3. The passage leads to agreater understanding o the Scriptures;4. Repentance and orgiveness o sinsare expected o the mission audience; 5. A rming that mission work wil l happen isrelevant today; 6. The language in Lukesgospel is expressed in the indicative mood, while the language in Matthews gospel isexpressed in the imperative mood; 7. Law and Gospel are to be preached to all nations.

Klemet Preus in Pietism in Missouris Mission rom Mission Afrmations to Ablazelooks at the Mission A rmations resolutionsthat were adopted in the 1965 Conventionand the Ablaze! resolutions adopted in 2004.He analyzes these resolutions through aparadigm in he Lost Soul o AmericanProtestantismauthored by D. G. Hart.

Daniel Preuss paper, ChristianityExclusive and Inclusive, delivered during the banquet, states that Christ alone

or salvation is exclusive. There is no other way to eternal li e. However, Gods graceis inclusive. It is universal and o eredto everyone.

The last two papers are by Tim Quilland Marcus Zill. Quill deals with globalmissions, and Zill discusses campus ministryamong international students.These nine papers present a history,theology, and interpretation o missions

rom Luthers time until today. The book at times refects some o the tensions in theLCMS related to the meaning o mission

or today.

Rev. Richard Boring Mission and Outreach Executive

The Nebraska District, lcmsrboring@ndlcms.org

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The Gospel Driven Li e: Being Good News People in a Bad News World. Michael Horton. Grand

Rapids: Baker Books, 2009. Author, seminary pro essor, and radiohost Michael Horton wrote Th Go p lDr v n L fas a ollow-up to his previousbook, Christless Christianity: Te Alternative Gospel o the American Church.The goalo this second book is to reorient our

aith and practice as Christians andchurches toward the gospel: that is, theannouncement o Gods victory over sinand death in his Son, Jesus Christ.

The book is written in two parts. Therst six chapters deal with the breaking

news rom heaven that Jesus Christ cameto save us. Horton suggests that people getthis Good News con used.

The average person thinks that thepurpose o religion is to give us a list o rules and techniques or to rame a wayo li e that helps us to be more loving,

orgiving, patient, caring, and generous We are called to love God and neighbor,but that is not the gospel. Christ need nothave died on a cross or us to know that weshould be better people But the hearto Christianity is Good News. It comesnot as a task or us to ul l l, a mission orus to accomplish, a game plan or us to

ollow with the help o li e coaches, butas a report that someone else has already

ul lled, accomplished, ollowed, andachieved everything or us Good advice

rom sins gui lt and tyranny over our livesand the ear o death. Its Good News becauseit does not depend on us. It is about Godand his aith ulness to his own purposesand promises.

Horton concludes the rst section byreminding us that because o Christs work outside o us, in history, we are not only justi ed but are being trans ormed rom theinside out. Horton rightly encourages us tolook to Christ and His Word, not our ownactions. Live rom Christs work or you, with Christs work in you, toward Christsreturn to deliver you rom this presentevil age. Dont eed o o your New Yearsresolutions; rather, eed o o your union with Christ.

The second part o the book speaks o the kind o community a Gospel- ocusedministry generates. As the rst part o thebook reminds us to look out to Christ andup to Christ, now we are to look around tothe members o our new amily, the church,and to the world to which God calls us to behis servants and his witnesses. The churchprepares us to do that.

Un ortunately, Horton suggests, thechurch too o ten gives the impression that webelieve in the powers o this age (marketing strategies, catering to consumer whims, andsel -centeredness) rather than the powerso the age to come. He suggests the way toescape this captivity is to recover our ocuson the drama, doctrine, doxology, anddiscipleship that center on Christ.

Horton writes Church becomes the place

piety, but where they become part o a castin a plot o salvation history. It is no longer just me and my personal relationship with Jesus, but a communion o saints to which we belong.

The second part o the book is summarizedby the words, When we know what we believand why we believe it, ed richly on theindicatives o the gospel, we nd ourselves

lled with aith toward God and love towardour neighbor While we certainly serveeach other through our gi ts in the body,the principal place where we do the Word isnot in the church but in the world.

The author states in the introductionthat the book was written or a wide audienceo Christians, including teenagers, youngerlay people, parents, and pastors. It is aimedat those who want to see their own livesand their churches become more Gospel-centered. It is not a quick or easy read.Teenagers and younger lay people wouldhave to be particularly motivated to wadethrough all that Horton o ers. It shouldalso be mentioned that Horton writes rom aRe ormed perspective, and his treatment o the sacraments refects that. While Hortono ers some interesting insights into presentculture, i someone wants a good summaryo what it means to be Gospel-centered,perhaps reading Robert Kolbs Te ChristianFaith: A Lutheran Expositionwould bemore productive.

Rev. Wayne Knolho Director o Stewardship, LCMS