By Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer

"Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess." Hebrews 3:1

Have you ever thought about becoming a missionary? Have you ever considered donating your life to service in the church as an evangelist? The need, of course, is tremendous. Millions of people around the world go about their business, living and dying apart from God and unaware of the benefits of Christ and His Church. Very often, however, the word "missionary" evokes images of grass huts and deprivations and culture shock. The word "evangelist" may bring to mind television preachers, tent meetings or door-knocking campaigns. These mental images are a bit misplaced and may discourage us in our mission. Whether at home or abroad, the mission of the church is simply this: to convey Jesus Christ to sinners. Jesus Christ. The gospel is not mere talk or correct intellectual information about God. It is a real person, the man Jesus Christ, the One sent from God to liberate us from our sin and corruption.

The mission of the Church is not to entertain people. Who could compete with Hollywood on that score? The mission of the Church is not to make people feel good or improve their self-esteem. Paperback best-sellers at the supermarket book rack attempt to fill that niche. The mission of the Church is not even really to alter people’s behavior. Usually changes in this department are superficial and, of course, the hypocrites excel at moral improvements. Good works certainly flow from faith but are not the center of the Church’s mission.

To see what the mission of the Church truly is like, we should look to the Savior Himself. In Hebrews, Jesus is called our apostle and high priest. The word "apostle" in the New Testament means "sent one." Jesus was himself the chief apostle, the one whom God sent.

In the Christian Church, we confess Jesus Christ, the Lord. We confess that he is God, the Son of the Eternal Father, come down from heaven to draw us up to Him. We confess this not just to ourselves but before all men and women everywhere. For Jesus Christ came to save the world, the whole world, from its sins. His mission, as God’s apostle, is to close the breach between heaven and earth, to restore sinners to fellowship with their Creator. As our apostle, He is also our High Priest. He renders the supreme sacrifice and offers Himself upon the altar of the cross. By His shed blood, we who were once alienated from God, have been given access again to His holy presence. This is the mission of Jesus to save humanity and it is carried on in the Church today through the calling of Ministers.

Every pastor is a missionary and evangelist in the line of Jesus Christ Himself. It is the vocation of every pastor to preach the blessings of Jesus Christ, to gather people to receive the Holy Sacraments and in so doing, the Kingdom of God is extended. And just as the Son of God moved outward to bring people into close communion with the Father, so also must our ministry take us outward to all nations. President Wenthe expresses this as one of the four central emphases of our seminary: The centrality of mission, Christ’s saving work for all. Yes, CTS is committed to training men to be faithful evangelists in whatever context God places them. Soli Deo Gloria!

From Volume 3, Issue 2, Spring 1999