Mission and the Great Commission
As taught in the Lutheran tradition
The Church's mandate to proclaim the Gospel to all nations through the means of grace.
The question of "Mission" within the Lutheran tradition is often misunderstood as a secondary or even neglected concern, overshadowed by the rigorous focus on justification by faith alone and the internal life of the gathered congregation. However, when we ask, "How does the Gospel reach the ears of the sinner?" we find ourselves at the very heart of the Lutheran understanding of the Church and the Office of the Ministry. In the Lutheran tradition, mission is not a human project, a marketing strategy, or a "program" of the church; rather, it is the Missio Dei—the Mission of God—carried out through the specific Means of Grace (Word and Sacrament) which God has instituted for the salvation of the world.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the Trinitarian foundation of mission as the work of the Father sending the Son and the Spirit.
- **Distinguish** between the Lutheran understanding of "Missio Dei" and "decision-theology" models of evangelism.
- **Explain** the relationship between the Great Commission and the Office of the Holy Ministry (*Predigtamt*).
- **Articulate** how Holy Baptism and the Teaching of the Word are the primary "means" of the Great Commission.
- **Trace** the role of the Holy Spirit in the "calling, gathering, and enlightening" of the Church as described in the Large Catechism.
- **Defend** the necessity of the "sent" preacher based on Romans 10 and Article XIV of the Augsburg Confession.
- **Apply** the distinction between Law and Gospel to the practice of personal and corporate witnessing in daily life.
- **Compare** the Lutheran focus on the "External Word" with traditions that emphasize internal "movements of the Spirit" or social-justice programs as the primary focus of mission.
Scripture
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