From St. Patrick to present-day service, we reflect on how The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod lives out the call to share the Gospel.
Today, the Church commemorates St. Patrick, missionary to Ireland. At Concordia University Wisconsin, we join in giving thanks for the work God accomplished through him. Patrick’s life serves as a meaningful example of what it looks like to be shaped by mission — something we seek to instill in our students each day.
In The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), mission begins with God. He is the one who sends. From the early Church to St. Patrick and still today, God works through His people to carry the Gospel into the world — not by their own strength, but through His Word.
Patrick was not Irish by birth. He was sent. In that sending, we see a clear picture of what it means to live a life rooted in Christ’s mission.
What is a missionary?
At Concordia, we teach that a missionary is someone sent to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That calling may take a person across the world or into their own community. It may involve preaching, teaching, serving or building relationships grounded in Christ’s love.
The LCMS describes this work clearly: missionaries bring “the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who have never heard the Good News,” often in the language of the people they serve. As the Holy Spirit gathers people into Christian fellowship, missionaries walk alongside new believers, helping raise up local leaders and support the growth of the Church.
Rev. Dr. Aaron Moldenhauer shares:
“God calls all Christians to be witnesses to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who serve as intentional missionaries make this their primary calling. Through their work, the Lord gathers the nations into his church and gifts them with eternal life.”
A Lutheran understanding of mission
Our understanding of mission is grounded in grace. We teach that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus — not by our efforts, but by His finished work on the cross.
That truth shapes how mission is lived out.
Missionaries are not sent to impose their own culture or solutions. They are sent to share Christ through Word and Sacrament. The LCMS continues this work by training, sending and supporting missionaries around the world and across the United States.
These missionaries serve in a variety of ways. Some plant churches and develop leaders. Others teach in international schools or serve in areas such as health care, agriculture and community support. In each setting, the goal remains the same: to build relationships through which the Gospel is shared (The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod).
Before stepping fully into that work, many missionaries spend time learning language and culture. It reflects the care and respect that undergirds faithful mission work.
Moldenhauer adds:
“The saving grace of Christ Jesus comes to people through God’s Word, Baptism, Absolution and the Lord’s Supper. Missionaries go into the world with these means of grace, often to train pastors who will serve as stewards of these mysteries. Lutheran missions, with their emphasis on the means of grace, bring the love of God in concrete means to those dying in sin. Through the work of the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament, it is God’s grace that saves people.”
Why missionaries still matter today
We recognize that while the world looks different than it did in St. Patrick’s time, the need for the Gospel has not changed. People continue to search for meaning. They face hardship, ask difficult questions, and long for hope and connection.
Missionaries enter those spaces with a message that remains constant: salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone.
Today, this work is often carried out in teams. The LCMS describes a global mission effort made up of pastors, teachers, deaconesses, directors of Christian education, medical professionals and lay leaders working alongside local partners to share the Gospel.
This work is both global and local. It happens in international mission fields and in the communities our students call home.
How to be a missionary today
We encourage students to see themselves as part of this mission. For some, that calling leads across cultures and countries. For others, it begins in everyday life.
Being a missionary starts with recognizing where God has placed you.
Emma Wagner, a junior studying early childhood and elementary Lutheran education, shares:
“Being at Concordia has truly impacted my heart for service in the best ways. Being able to serve alongside your peers for the purpose of furthering Christ’s kingdom and showing His love has been more impactful than I ever deemed possible.”
Students are invited to serve in their congregations, support mission work through prayer and giving, and build relationships that open the door to conversations about faith. Through partnerships with LCMS International Mission, Concordia also connects students with short-term and long-term mission opportunities. Leaders like Rev. Dr. Mark Rabe, director of Missionary Recruitment for LCMS International Mission, regularly engage with students who are discerning how God may be calling them to serve.
Others live out this calling through their vocation. Whether entering healthcare, education, business, or church work, Concordia students are equipped to serve others in Christ’s name.
Moldenhauer explains:
“We teach our students the Lutheran doctrine of vocation, in which we see our work to others as God working through us to extend his love and care to our neighbors. In this way, our acts of love within our vocations witness to the love of God in Christ Jesus.”
Mission is not reserved for a few. It is part of the life of every Concordia student and graduate.
A legacy worth remembering
The LCMS has been engaged in mission work since 1851, sending its first overseas missionary, Rev. Theodore Naether, and his family to India in 1894. That legacy continues today — and CUW remains part of that ongoing work.
St. Patrick’s life reflects the same truth we seek to pass on to our students: a life shaped by Christ is a life sent in service to others.
His story is not just history. It is an invitation.
The call to go, to serve and to share the Gospel continues — sometimes across the world, sometimes across the street and often in ways that feel ordinary.
Here, we believe those moments matter. Because through them, God is at work.
Want in?
Concordia University Wisconsin is a Lutheran higher education community committed to helping students develop in mind, body and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world.