National Lutheran Schools Week: Making Disciples for Life in the Church

Acts chapter 2 tells the “birth story” of the Church after Jesus ascends into Heaven. It is here in Jerusalem that the Holy Spirit was at work through the disciples, and the early Church quickly became a communal community, where “all who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44).

In the early Church, many amazing things were accomplished within their small community. There was teaching, worshiping, caring and praying for one another, administering the Sacraments and studying the Word. These roles were played by not only the disciples, but other members of the young congregation. These simplistic roles of the early Church are still seen in the Church today, but are given more familiar titles such as: “Pastor,” “Teacher,” “Youth Minister,” “Elder,” “Principal” and many more.

The Church has grown and changed significantly over the years, but the Pentecost message of Acts 2 stays the same: the crucified and risen Jesus died for us, and he calls us to continue to “go and make disciples.”

In our Lutheran Churches and Schools, this message is at the heart of everything. It is a message that unites us.

So what does it look like to live out this message?

Throughout the years, faithful models have shown what it looks like to be invested in the Church and what it means to be a lifelong Christian. These models could include Biblical characters such as Elijah, John, or Stephen. They could also be someone in your own life, such as a grandparent or a pastor. Much like the early Church, the goal in Lutheran Churches and Schools is to support each other in a faithful community. This faith is not to be kept to ourselves, but to be shared with others.

How are you called to share the Gospel message? Paul tells us that every Christian possesses different spiritual gifts, but that in each one the Holy Spirit is at work (1 Cor. 12:4). What are your spiritual gifts? In what ways are you called to serve the Church? How will you make the Gospel message evident in your life?

As Lutheran Churches and Schools across the country continue to build up and send out the next generation of believers, it is done with the intention of sending out the Gospel as well. We continue to support the ministries of Lutheran Churches and Schools and pray that we may follow the example of the apostles and the early Church: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Act 2:42).

Mary Pennekamp

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Junior, Elementary Education