Which is more important: inhaling or exhaling? Which is more necessary for life: food or water? Those somewhat silly questions are examples of what is called a “false antithesis.” A false antithesis happens when you are asked to choose between two things that are equally important. A false antithesis happens when one truth is set against another truth, and, in favoring one over the other, both become meaningless.

Believe it or not, those kinds of questions are sometimes asked and debated in the church. What is more important: reaching out to the lost with the gospel or nurturing the faith of those who already know Christ? What is more necessary for the work of the church: training mission workers or sending workers to mission fields? Which is more important for congregations: pastoral leadership or active lay members personally involved in the work of the church?

As Lutherans, we would never allow ourselves to be forced to choose between whether law or gospel should be proclaimed. Both are vital. We would never deny that both justification and sanctification should be preached and taught. Both are necessary because both are biblical. But from time to time we do allow ourselves to get drawn into debates and discussions in which we are asked to choose between “either/or” when the only correct answer is “both/and.”

In their commendable desire to reach the lost with the gospel, some may give the impression that taking the gospel to the lost is somehow more important than nurturing the faith of those who already know Christ. But this is not an either/or question. Both are equally important. To do one—no matter how energetically or faithfully—without doing the other is to fail in our mission. In the end, it would be no better than doing neither. Taking care of souls—sometimes labeled with the less-than-complimentary term “maintenance ministry”—is just as much a part of the church’s mission to “go” as is reaching the lost through evangelism or mission work. On the other hand, neglecting outreach and serving only those within the walls of the church is also a failure to grasp the full scope of the mission that Jesus has given to his church on earth.

What should be emphasized more: training missionaries and workers or sending workers into mission fields? It won’t take you long, if you think about it, to answer that both are equally vital and important. To train workers with no commitment to sending them out is a waste of time, money, and energy. To think that missions can be done without qualified and well-trained messengers will result in a message that is garbled at best and false at worst. This is why both of these activities are recognized to be priorities in our work as a synod.