I really admire congregations that are always asking, “Where can we spread the gospel? What are the places around us where we could plant another congregation?” Such congregations can become “mother churches” in a geographic area that will owe them a debt of gratitude for generations.

I first noticed this attitude in Texas, where one small congregation in Edna supplied a pastor who served all of the large cities in the state until one by one these churches called their own pastors and began their own work of planting more than one additional congregation. I note that such a spirit continues in the South Central District of WELS today.

Way back in the 1830s, the first Lutheran pastor in Michigan, Friedrich Schmid, lived and breathed that spirit. From a home base near Ann Arbor, he founded more than 20 congregations between 1833 and 1883. As congregations like Salem, Ann Arbor, celebrate their 150th anniversaries now, they remember the tireless efforts of Schmid and the blessings God gave to his work.

But not all 20 of Schmid’s congregations exist today. It’s not because of the economy in Michigan, which has taken a nosedive. What Schmid had was church-planting zeal. What he did not always seem to have was the additional zeal to see to it that the pastors who built on his work used the gospel in Word and sacrament. Those pastors did not always remain faithful.

Schmid loved the Basel Mission Society in Germany, but the pastors supplied by the society were not always well-trained Lutherans. It’s interesting to note that the congregations served by those who would rather not be Lutheran have mostly dissolved. The congregations served by confessional Lutherans have mostly survived and prospered.

The long view of church history teaches us a lesson. Church-planting zeal is valuable. But without an accompanying zeal for the truths of the gospel, it can lead to short-lived fruits. But with a zeal for the truth, the roots of good gospel ministry can grow deep, serving many generations.

I suppose it is possible to value the gospel but not to value one of its fruits, the burning desire to pass on the good news of Jesus to the people around us and to the next generation. Such a contradiction may exist in any sinful heart, but it must be called what it is—sin. The forgiveness we have in Jesus moves us to preach the gospel. We believe, therefore we speak. We share and preserve his truth.

How blessed we are as a church body to have so many congregations with so many pastors who are looking beyond their immediate communities to take the everlasting gospel to the next city, town, or village. Encourage them to do the difficult, unselfish work that will bear fruit for generations to come. Support the mission efforts of the synod that coordinate and encourage their work.