“WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS…

The words of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence have been well known to most Americans through many generations.

 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

“These stirring words were designed to convince Americans to put their lives on the line for the cause. Separation from the mother country threatened their sense of security, economic stability, and identity.”(1) And they did just that, resulting in a broad, sacrificial response by people who responded with action on behalf of the cause: freedom.

 (1) The Declaration of Independence: What Does it Say? National Archives.

When it comes to the Great Commission, I have often thought that the plain meaning of the words and implication for the local church of the simple command of the Lord to “Go and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19) is also ‘self-evident’ to Christ followers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and have the Word of God to teach us! As Lutherans we confess that God’s Word is the “authoritative source and norm of our proclamation, faith and life.”(2)

(2) Constitution of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ.

The scope of the Great Commission is explicit in Acts 1:8 — that His Church is to be faithful to take the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

In my work with congregations in global mission over more than thirty years, I have been blessed to share in many joyful moments on the front lines in far off places, and in congregations here. By the grace of God there have been too many to count! Then, too, there have been the head scratching, heart-breaking moments where I am reminded again that God’s call to the nations is NOT as “self-evident” by the working of the Holy Spirit as I thought…Yes, there have been many joys and special moments!

I remember the physically disabled Ukrainian man, a believer in Christ who got around on a makeshift “wheel chair” that more closely resembled a flatbed mechanic’s dolly, as he wept with joy when I shared that many people supported what was then EEMN, making it possible for me to travel there to teach and preach.

I said, “I am the one who is blessed to be here in person, but I really represent hundreds of people and dozens of churches who pray for Ukraine and care about this country and churches like this.”

As he wept, he said, “I thought we were forgotten here.”

There was a time in Russia in October 1992, less than a year after the collapse of the USSR. I described this in my book Igniting a Passion for Missions:

“I was riding back to Nytva with the local pastor and musicians from the church worship team.  It had been an encouraging evening, our first evangelistic meeting at a movie theater in a neighboring town where we were in the early stages of planting a church.  There were perhaps 20 of us from the church, including my team of six Americans, but the bus easily had 60 packed in.

Suddenly someone in our group began to sing some simple worship songs about Jesus in Russian. I recognized the melodies and softly began to hum along. Soon others joined them, and before long the bus was filled with voices singing praise to God for His gift of life in Jesus Christ. One song followed another, hymns and choruses, with many more beyond our group singing along with smiles and laughter. Those in our group who sang along were celebrating the truth about Jesus Christ. There was great joy among them, because the movie theater had been full of people—young and old—who were responding in great numbers to the preaching of the Gospel just an hour before.

I savored that unforgettable half hour on the bus as I watched many celebrate the freedom to publicly sing about God, after two generations of what Lenin decreed as “scientific atheism.” As we traversed the starlit landscape, I marveled that this was happening on a public bus, 6,000 miles from my home, in a country where 12 months earlier this would have been impossible.

It was truly a transcendent moment that night, in a very public place, as the uniqueness of God’s gift of His Son Jesus was unashamedly, and unexpectedly, proclaimed.” (3)

(3) Igniting a Passion for Mission: A Guide for Church Leaders. Bill Moberly. Chapter 5, page 30.

I think of this summer where we saw God at work on our ALWM U.S. short-term team as they served our Vietnamese partners in ministry at one of our ALWM Vital Links medical / evangelistic outreaches in Khanh Vinh province, 7-8 hours north of Ho Chi Minh City. Most of our team were on their first short-term mission trip, with some sent by their church in South Dakota because of the congregation’s deep connection and investment in this communist country that is less than 2% evangelical.

The joy on our team members faces and personal connection with people young and old outweighed the heat and fatigue that Saturday as nearly 500 people came to be seen by the large volunteer team of Vietnamese doctors, nurses and pharmacists. Short-term mission trip experiences like this are life changing. My wife Sally and I have witnessed this firsthand as we have taken more than 1,100 people on short-term mission trips since 1992. Trips like this put a face and place on God’s world mission call.

Here in the U.S., also, there are stories from churches that are cause for rejoicing with respect to answering God’s call to the nations. For example, there can often be a difference between the resources available to large urban churches and smaller rural churches, although not always!

I have seen the impact in Vietnam and Cambodia over many years by members of Living Word Lutheran in Milbank, SD (2020 population 3,544). Through our ministry, they have given generous donations of a church building for a previously unreached people group, clean water systems, land, short-term teams, and much more!

I also read recently that Leaf Mountain Lutheran in Clitherall, MN (2020 population 62), led by my good friend Pastor Nate Hanson, sent a check for $58,000 to a mission in Eastern Europe! In commenting on the gift, Nate wrote:

“It is my opinion small rural Lutheran congregations that comprise so much of the Lutheran witness here in the USA have an ill-founded reputation. Numbers are down in churches most everywhere, but we are finding growing interest in our fellowship of believers in Jesus, and His provision for our every need.” (4)

(4) Tartu Academy of Theology e-newsletter (7.29.2024).

As the parable of the widow’s mite reminds us, it’s not always about the size of the gift but the state of the heart. Bible Lutheran in Dodge Center, MN, is an aging congregation with limited resources, but the “sesame street style” puppets they donated to Cambodia in 2023 are being used to share the Gospel weekly with children outside Phnom Penh.

Then, too, there are the heart-breaking, head-scratching moments as I hear stories of more churches that have abandoned their tangible obedience to global response to the Great Commission. The Barna Research surveys from 2018 and 2021 evidence this broad decline across denominational lines, documenting what I have seen and heard in my ministry the past three decades. (5) I heard three more stories in the span of a few weeks in mid-July! The reason why churches lose sight of or simply abandon the global call to preach the Gospel to the nations is inscrutable to me, I do confess. 

(5) ChurchTrac blog. “The State of Church Attendance: Trends and Statistics [2024].

The need is real. Church attendance and many mainline denominations is in decline in the US. Churches may be available in many sizes and kinds where you live, but that’s simply not the case worldwide!

Unreached people groups are those with little or no access to the Gospel. Here are some statistics:

• There are approximately 17,446 unique people groups in the world.
• 7,391 of them are considered unreached, which means they have little or no access to the gospel.
• This means that with a world population of over 8 billion, over 3.4 billion people have little or no access to the Gospel! (6)

(6) Global Frontier Missions.

That’s the heart of the Apostle Paul’s poignant series of questions in Romans 10, and why God’s  Church today must still pray, send, give and go.

The truth that there are people lost without Christ, people needing and often open to hear the Gospel, should make a difference for those of us who call Jesus Lord! I haven’t read nor can I find a Biblical “exception clause” regarding God’s call to His Church to actively and personally invest in making disciples of all nations! Excuses abound, such as:

• expensive building programs that put benevolence on hold;
• personal preferences, such as “We have plenty of needs right outside our door, so why are we sending money across the world?”; or
• lapsing into majoring in minor issues in our churches.

None of these are an excuse for failing to ask: “How can we as a congregation purposefully invest in God’s Global Mission Mandate?” Yes, local congregations have genuine needs at home, which is why the church is called to simultaneous outreach, both locally and globally.

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The Bible celebrates the joy in heaven as lost people respond in faith to the message of the Gospel! The stories of the churches mentioned above, as well as churches providing pigs for pastors (like those in DuBois, PA, and Fort Wayne, IN); and so many more congregations.

I am blessed to work regularly with churches in towns and cities large and small across the U.S. – from Minnesota and Iowa to Arizona, from Oregon and California to Florida and North Carolina – far too many to name. As I see the fruit on the mission field and here at home, it gives me great joy and hope and far outweighs the disappointing stories of congregations that have lost their way in Global Mission!

I communicate daily with our global workers and ministry partners who face tremendous need and have great opportunity for eternal impact in countries with little access to the Gospel, who simply need a few resources and more people to pray as they carry out with joy their ministry.

To God be the Glory,

Rev. Bill Moberly, Founder and Director of ALWM

Co-Founder and Editor of Celebrating Global Mission