“Learning to Engage Others With Jesus”: Making the ELS Vision Statement Your Own

In the next five years, we will learn more faithfully to engage others with Jesus. As you may know, this is the mission statement that our synod adopted at its 2011 convention. As you may also know, this statement corresponds to the five-year strategic plan of the synod. When I first heard this statement, I must admit I was not overly impressed. Don’t we already know enough about spreading the Gospel? And what does it mean to “engage others with Jesus?” Doesn’t sound very biblical to me. Such were my initial thoughts.
But since first hearing that statement, I’ve had much time and many opportunities to mull it over. I’ve decided that this statement is more powerful than it seems at first glance. Certainly we can learn more about reaching lost souls with the message of “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Consider how much there is to know about Jesus! That he is God and man at the same time, the long-awaited Messiah, the only way to eternal salvation—all of this would provide for more than a lifetime of study.
In addition, do we know all there is to know about the spiritually lost? That is, do we understand what and how they think so well that we could explain to anyone we meet—regardless of their spiritual, ethnic, economic, or cultural background—precisely how Jesus is their Savior from sin, death, and hell? Could we confidently speak with our fallen-away-Baptist neighbor as comfortably as we could with our Buddhist coworker about where they will spend eternity? Could we develop methods of outreach for our congregation that will apply to a young suburban family as well as to an elderly couple in a condo? Again, there is always more for us to learn.
Regarding “engaging others with Jesus,” what more is that than what Jesus already told us in his Great Commission? Thus, how many different ways can I find to go and touch someone’s life every day with the Gospel of our Savior? What sort of creative outreach ideas might be bouncing around in my head or in the heads of others, ideas that might be harnessed for the good of spreading the news of God’s kingdom? Have we exhausted every avenue possible in trying to reach those who need to know Jesus’ love and forgiveness?
Perhaps you also have had questions about this mission statement. In fact, maybe you should. Why? Because that means you’re thinking about it. Indeed, in some ways that mission statement sounds so simple, and yet there is great depth to it because of its subject matter: Jesus. You see, even though “we” is the subject of that statement, grammatically speaking, it’s not what’s important. The emphasis is on Jesus!
Over the coming year, your Board for Evangelism and Home Missions will present an article in the Lutheran Sentinel each month under the general theme of “Learn to Engage Others With Jesus.” Each of these articles will examine various aspects of outreach and evangelism and aim to equip you to be better witnesses for your Lord. Our goal is to present practical ideas and resources that you will be able to use in your everyday life, both as an individual and as a member of a congregation. In the meantime, keep looking for and making use of opportunities to share the Good News of your Savior with someone who needs to hear it. That’s the best way to make the vision statement real to you.
Parts of this article were adapted from the 2011 Synod Convention Essay: “Who Do You Say I Am?
Michael K. Smith teaches at Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary and serves as the chairman of the Board for Evangelism and Home Missions.