Concordia Seminary Newsroom
The mission field in front of us
Anyone involved with mission work and evangelism probably has heard of the “10/40 Window.” The term was used first by Christian missionary strategist Luis Bush in 1989 at the Lausanne II Conference in Manila, Philippines. The 10/40 Window is a rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. Ninety-five percent of the 4 billion people living in the 69 countries of the 10/40 Window are considered unevangelized. In addition to being the most unreached area in the world, this window is also home to all three major non-Christian religions — Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, plus animism, atheism and Sikhism. Given this reality, the 10/40 Window has been the focus of mission endeavors of many churches and mission agencies in the last 35 years.
Christ indeed told His apostles to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them (Acts 1:8 and Matt. 28:19-20). Going abroad will continue to be a mission endeavor of the Christian church as missionaries are sent from one country to another to proclaim the Good News. However, due to immigration trends, new mission opportunities have arrived and the United States itself has become a mission field. “Now, many new strangers have appeared on our doorstep, and we have the opportunity to take them in, minister to them, and welcome them to the Family of God and the grand American mosaic,” writes Donald Moorman in “Harvest Waiting” (Concordia Publishing House, 1993).
According to the Migration Policy Institute, as of 2022, about 46.2 million immigrants live in the United States. Worldwide, the United States is home to more international migrants than any other country, and more than the next four countries — Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United Kingdom — combined, according to the most recent United Nations Population Division data from mid-2020.
Yes, the mission field is in front of us! These days, you don’t need to travel far to hear people around you speaking Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Korean, Nepali, Hmong, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Arabic, Amharic, Swahili, Oromo and Bosnian, among other languages. The ethnic mosaic that the United States has become can no longer be ignored by the Christian church, especially by many Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregations throughout the country. It doesn’t matter where the church is located, in big cities on the coast, in the Midwest, in the South, in small towns or in rural areas. More and more, congregations will face this opportunity/challenge to reach out to a multicultural America that has arrived on our doorstep.
If people examine the origins of the LCMS, they will find out that mission outreach was bred into the bone of the church body since its foundation. C. F.W. Walther, the first president of the LCMS, in his well-known sermon, titled “Bringing Souls to Christ: Every Christian’s Desire and Duty,” says: “The Christian looks upon his neighbor with sadness when he knows that the neighbor does not yet know the Gospel; … The Christian church is a great mission house. Each Christian in it is a missionary, sent out by God into his own circle to convert others to Christ.”
Christians are called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. They are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, God’s holy nation, people of His own possession; who make known the excellencies of God in Christ, sharing His Word, gifts and blessings with all nations — abroad, as well as, locally (1 Peter 2:9).
But then, in this same sermon mentioned above, Walther makes an interesting comment. He says: “Beside the spiritual priesthood of all Christians, God has also instituted, for the sake of order, the special office of pastor to teach the Gospel publicly. … Pastors are the called public servants of Christ, stewards of the mysteries of God.”
As I said earlier, God has placed on our doorstep a great opportunity/challenge to reach out to this multicultural America with the message of the Gospel. Our Lord says, “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest” (John 4:35 ESV).
The mission field in front of us is white for harvest. If, in your heart you always had that desire to be a missionary, if you ever felt that God was calling you to be a pastor or deaconess, I can assure you: This is the best time to answer God’s call. Just look around, this is one of the most exciting and challenging times in the United States (in the world, too) to serve as a pastor or deaconess. May God bless you, as you ponder and discern His call.