I remember it clearly. I was a sophomore in college, making plans to travel with friends to Daytona Beach for spring break. Just before I left the house, my mother stopped me to say good-bye. I was ready for the long parental talk about potential dangers and temptations. But all she said was, “Just remember who you are.”

Into those few words were packed a lifetime of parental love, care, and guidance. Those simple words reminded me that I was a child of God; that I was to be salt and light; that people would draw conclusions about my Savior by what they saw in my words and actions. Those words reminded me of who I was, of my identity as a redeemed child of God. I can’t say that I have always followed that wise advice, but I have never forgotten it.

No one will argue that it’s vitally important for Christians to remember who they are. We know that we are sinners. We know that we are people who’ve been redeemed by Christ and given a new identity, no longer enemies of God but now children of God and heirs of eternal life. We know that we are placed into this world to serve him, to worship him, and to proclaim him. That is our identity as Christians. As we head out into the world to our jobs, to our recreation, to visit our friends and neighbors, the words of a loving Father ring in our ears and remind us, “Just remember who you are!”

Those words of loving advice do not speak only to individual Christians. They also can give wise and important guidance to us as a synod as well: “Just remember who you are!”

But exactly who are we as a synod? What is our identity? Have we forgotten it? Do we even sometimes deny it? What do we stand for? Do we allow others to define our identity, with the result that our synod is known only for the things we are “against” and not for what we are “for”? What blessings do we enjoy that we want to share with the world? During the next few months in this section of Forward in Christ, I invite you to join me in rediscovering and celebrating our identity as a synod.

Here are just some of the aspects of our synod’s identity that we’ll explore. We are a synod that does the following: