Congregations - The Assembly of Believers

“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you…”

(Titus 1:5 ESV)

When I was in college at the University of Northern Iowa, I participated with Campus Crusade for Christ. As most of us know, Campus Crusade focuses on evangelism. The purpose of this organization is to reach students with the good news of Jesus.



However, one of the things that most impressed me about this ministry was not their focus on evangelism. What impressed me was their understanding of their identity. They constantly emphasized the fact that they were not a church. They emphasized the fact that they are a parachurch organization.



Although they sought to proclaim the gospel and to see students brought to faith in Christ, and although they had a focus on discipling those students, their goal was not to hang onto them. They encouraged these students to become part of a Christian congregation. They didn’t promote one church or denomination. But they encouraged the students to become an active part of a Bible-believing Christian Church.



I think that we, as Christians, can learn a lesson from their example. Most of us, as we think of the work of the church, focus on the Great Commission. We emphasize the call of Christ, to go and make disciples of all nations by baptizing and teaching. And there’s no denying that this is our mission. However, there’s another aspect of our work that’s often forgotten, an aspect that’s equally important to our outreach.



Once we carry out the Great Commission, once we proclaim the gospel and make disciples, what comes next? We then incorporate them into an existing congregation, or we encourage them to form new congregations. We encourage them to assemble together with their brothers and sisters in Christ for their mutual upbuilding, and that they might work together to carry out the Great Commission.



Although we don’t see it mentioned in Acts, it appears that Paul and Titus made a missionary visit to Crete. It appears that, as they proclaimed the gospel, people were brought to faith in Christ. And we get this impression from the above verse.



We see also that, as Paul was moving on, he left Titus behind. And he left Titus behind for a very important purpose. Titus was to put what remained into order and to appoint elders in every town.



What Titus was doing was assembling these new believers into congregations. He was organizing them into congregations. He was establishing congregations in each town.



This is also the focus of our mission work in the AFLC. Our Home Missions is focused upon establishing free and living Lutheran congregations here in the United States. And the focus of our World Missions is to establish free and living Lutheran congregations around the world.



We do so that believers might mutually edify one another. We do so that they might cooperate in carrying out the Great Commission. We do so that, operating as the body of Christ, Jesus’ purpose might be accomplished both in and through us.