We have been blessed with a network of Lutheran schools that have helped to teach generations of God's people "everything I have commanded you."

Say the words "Great Commission," and most Christians will quote the words Jesus spoke to his disciples shortly before he ascended into heaven: "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). The mission is clear. Preach the gospel. Reach out to the lost with the message of salvation.

No one would argue that the mission of the church is indeed missions, whether the effort takes place across the street or across the ocean. The Macedonian who called out to Paul in a dream, "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9) still calls to us today. It remains our mission to share that knowledge with a world living in the darkness of sin and unbelief.

But it might surprise you that the Great Commission does not just talk about sharing the message of Christ with unbelievers. Jesus did not stop with the words, "Go and make disciples of all nations!" He went on to say, ". . . baptizing them . . . and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Could it be, in our God-pleasing emphasis on the need to reach the lost, that we have begun to overlook the equally important task of teaching the found?

The Great Commission is not only sharing the message of Christ with the lost. If the church is to be fully faithful to the mission that God has given it, then it will be doing two things: proclaiming God's message of salvation to a world of unbelievers and reinforcing that message of salvation to those who have been brought into God's family as believers.

Almost since its founding, our synod has been composed of congregations that have taken seriously both parts of the Great Commission: reaching the lost and teaching the found. Mission work across the street and across the ocean is clearly the task of the church. But our congregations have recognized not just the need for spreading the seed of God's Word; they have also been committed to nourishing the young plant of faith once it sprouts. The sacrifices made by congregations to establish and support Lutheran elementary and high schools is clear evidence of that commitment.