I first met Pastor Jim Kirk when he was pastor at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in St. Louis County. He hired me to work part time as Director of Outreach. He was the preacher when I was ordained and installed here at Trinity - Egypt Mills. He is currently pastor of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Loudon, Tennessee.

There are many subjects taught in seminary. Prospective pastors are required to learn church doctrine by reading the Lutheran Confessions and the teachers of the Missouri Synod. Students study church history, from the earliest days right up to the history of the Missouri Synod. Bible courses are also taught. The subjects include Old Testament, New Testament and detailed courses on several of the books of the Bible. To-be pastors also take courses in preaching, liturgy, and counseling. The seminary strives for a good, solid, well-rounded education. In the subjects they cover, they do an excellent job.

I first came to Abiding Savior right after graduating from Concordia Seminary. Jim Kirk hired me to be the church's Director of Outreach. Now I had all the courses, I had made decent grades. I could even read the Old Testament in Hebrew. (Note the past tense!) I was feeling pretty good about myself. One of the first visits I made was to a couple who had visited church a couple of weeks earlier. In the course of the conversation she revealed to me the previous week she had seriously considered suicide and had "baptized" her two young toddlers in the kitchen sink. "Did I do wrong? What do I do now?" Nothing in my church doctrine classes prepared me for this.

Jim Kirk taught that the church is not about doctrine, although it is the tool that we use. He taught me that the church is not about the tools of exegesis (studying the Bible) although those tools are vitally important. He taught me that the church is not about preaching, although that too is important. What I learned from him that the mission of the church is people.

Too often in the church we get out of focus. Suddenly church doctrine becomes the most important thing. Don't misunderstand me. Doctrine is important, but it is not what we worship. Church doctrine, or the church's teachings, is not the mission of the church it is what we use. The church often gets out of focus on worship. It does not matter what style we use for worship or what songs we sing (as long as what the song teaches is correct). The church gets out of focus by its over concern for buildings. The church is not about buildings, no matter how old, how well loved, how beautiful, how traditional they may be. The church would still be the church even if we met in the middle of a field. The church gets out of focus on the subject of money. The concern for finances takes over and suddenly fundraisers and bank statements become the most important thing. The reason money becomes an issue is because we don't take stewardship seriously and tithe as God tells us.

The church is all about people. Jesus Great Commission is to "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you." The church is about Jesus telling the woman caught in adultery "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?… Neither do I. Go and sin no more." The church is about Jesus calming the disciple's hearts in the middle of the storm. The church is about Jesus crying with Mary and Martha at the death of Lazarus. The church is about Jesus feeding 5000 hungry mouths and souls. The church is all about Jesus touching people's lives. The church is about Jesus kneeling down and washing the disciples' feet and then telling them go and do likewise.

The Apostle John wrote, "God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other." The church is about showing that love to one another. It is about caring for people. The church is about touching lives with the gentle touch of Jesus. This is the mission of the church.

Thank you, Jim, for the lesson.