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The Church is called to be faithful in doctrine and mission. Both flow from Christ Himself. Our Lord did not merely command the Church to maintain sound teaching; He also directed His Church to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). Likewise, St. Paul exhorts Timothy to “guard the good deposit entrusted to you” (2 Tim. 1:14), but also declares, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16). In other words, we must both get the message right and get the message out.

Semiquincentennial is sort of an unmusical word, isn’t it? Those seven syllables don’t exactly roll off the tongue. It’s probably the reason why for most of the advertising, merchandising, and conversation about it we have simply abbreviated it to America 250 or the 250th. But we truthfully are marking a really profound event this weekend.

There is a quiet tension that many congregations feel. On the one hand, we confess with confidence that the Holy Spirit “works faith, when and where it pleases God” (Augsburg Confession, Article V). On the other hand, we look around our sanctuaries, see the shrinking attendance, and wonder: Are we doing enough? Are we reaching anyone beyond ourselves? Should we be trying something different?