Who are we as a synod? What characterizes our synod as a group of Christians who walk together in a common faith?

We’ve begun to answer those questions by saying that we are a synod that is grounded in the Word of God and centered in the gospel. With humble thanks and appreciation we see what a blessing it is to belong to a church body that stands boldly on the truth of God’s unchanging Word. We treasure the fact that the gospel—the good news of God’s grace in Christ—is what has made us children of God and is the motivation for all we do.

But the story of what our synod is doesn’t end with the blessings that God has given to us in his Word and in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It only starts there. The story continues as we look at what we do with the Word of God and the message of Christ that has been entrusted to us. We belong to a synod that treasures the gospel so much that we are committed to giving that treasure away to as many people as possible. Our mission is missions.

As Jesus was about to leave his disciples for the last time, he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). In those parting words, Jesus was telling the disciples who they were: his witnesses and his ambassadors. He was reminding them that they were brought to faith through the good news of his grace. And he was telling them what to do: “Go! Share that same message with the world.”

And they went. They went to their friends and family. They went with the good news to their communities and synagogues. Generations of disciples followed them, crossing oceans and continents and cultures, proclaiming the good news of Jesus to the world.

In our Wisconsin Synod, we value and treasure the gospel that God has given us. But we also recognize that this is a treasure not to be hoarded and locked away only for ourselves. It’s a treasure that is meant to be shared. It’s our God-given mission to share it. It’s our purpose in life as individuals. It’s the focus and direction of our congregations. And it is the defining theme of our work together as a synod.

The spirit of missions is alive and well in our synod. We’ve recognized the importance of taking the gospel across the lines of culture and language to various ethnic groups within our own country and have dedicated substantial resources to do that. Our ministerial schools are serious about instilling a “mission-mindedness” in every future called worker. And we’ve committed ourselves to planting new congregations at home and expanding our mission efforts overseas.