Toward a Lutheran Theology of Missions

by Mona Hunter

Note: As a student of the School of Christian Outreach at Concordia, St. Paul, I wanted to share with you some of the work that I have been involved in. The following is an excerpt from an assignment.

If theology is the study of God, and Missio Dei is the mission of God to redeem His lost people, then theology must be about God's mission to redeem His lost people. The Bible makes it clear that the Mission of God is the focus of all Biblical theology. God's mission at creation was to bring into being a people with which to enjoy relationship. Once humans destroyed that relationship, God's entire mission, and therefore theology, is centered in bringing His people back into relationship with Himself. Glasser {an author we studied] explains this very clearly- "The whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is a missionary book, the revelation of Gods' purpose and action in mission in human history." Glasser in part supports this from 2 Corinthians 5:19, as interpreted by George A.F. Knight, "God was in Israel, seeking to reconcile the world unto himself," (17).

After the initial separation from God, human society increasingly and very successfully pursued evil. Despite this unrelenting rebellious behavior, God was, and still is, executing a plan to redeem His people for Himself. In saving Noah, God made a promise to Noah and ‘all generations to come.' God brought Noah and his family through the waters of the flood just as God claims His children today by the Holy Spirit through the waters of baptism.

The ‘Church' is the physical representation of Christ on earth and is therefore given the task and honor and blessing of being an instrument in God's mission to reestablish relationship with the people of this world. Although separated by denominational practices, all Christian Churches are united, if only on paper and not in practice, in the pursuit of this mission.

As part of the Church, Lutheran theology is also expressive of this pursuit, and is defined by the commonly quoted phrase, "Faith alone, Grace alone, Scripture alone," as is gifted to us by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From this springs the mission statement of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod: "In grateful response to God's grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and sacraments, the mission of the LCMS is vigorously to make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities and the world."

All of our theology and doctrine are in accord with this mission statement. Sadly to say, however, our denominational practice sometimes hinders and even rejects our mission statement. Sometimes our church witness points to our favored church practices and not to Christ. The basics of the Mission of God call for belief in the saving grace of the resurrected Jesus by faith resulting in repentance granted to us through baptism, Holy Communion, God's Word in Scripture or absolution, all given by the Holy Spirit. Anything (not anyone) that stands in the way of that Mission should be thrown out!

The Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Articles VII and VII, of which the Lutheran Church holds to, gives us a message of hope as it addresses just this issue:

9] And this article has been presented for a necessary reason. . . . We see the infinite dangers which threaten the destruction of the Church. In the Church itself, infinite is the multitude of the wicked who oppress it . . . For this reason the true teaching and the Church are often so utterly suppressed and disappear, as if there were no Church, . . . it often seems that the Church has completely perished]. Therefore, in order that we may not despair, but may know that the Church will nevertheless remain [until the end of the world], . . . . the Church [which is Christ's bride] exists, and that Christ affords those gifts which He has promised to the Church, to forgive sins, to hear prayer, to give the Holy Ghost, this article in the Creed presents us these consolations. 10] And it says Church Catholic,. . . .are men scattered throughout the whole world [here and there in the world, from the rising to the setting of the sun], who agree concerning the Gospel, and have the same Christ, the same Holy Ghost, and the same Sacraments, whether they have the same 11] or different human traditions.

Furthermore, it goes on to say:

"30] The adversaries condemn also the part of the Seventh Article in which we said that "to the unity of the Church it is sufficient to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments; nor is it necessary that human traditions, rites, or ceremonies instituted by men should be alike everywhere." Here they distinguish between universal and particular rites, and approve our article if it be understood concerning particular rites; they do not receive it concerning universal rites. [That is a fine, clumsy distinction!]"

God's mission through the church to reach people can be carried out in various ways. We are not to be locked into any one method or style, music or language, building or culture. Those things are not to be the constants. Only God's love and mission for saving His people and reestablishing relationship with them is constant. We must seek and listen for His direction as to the methods He wishes us to employ in carrying out this Mission that He generously shares with us. We should give thanks daily that our God loves us so much that He allows us to be involved in His work of sharing His love and good news.

The text quoted is from Triglot Concordia. www.bookofconcord.org