As You Are Going: Sharing Faith Through Everyday Relationships

Pastor Matt Peoples first introduced Concordia to Missionary Pathways. He encouraged the congregation to think differently about Jesus’ words in the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples.” The program reframes that calling with a simple but powerful perspective: “As you are going, make disciples.”

That message resonated deeply.

As a youth baseball coach spending 20 to 40 hours each week around players, parents, and fellow coaches, Nate Schmoll realized that ministry opportunities were already woven into his daily life. The baseball field wasn’t separate from faith; it was one of the places God was calling him to live it out.

After participating in a Missionary Pathways group with others from Concordia, an unexpected opportunity arose. Someone Nate had coached alongside for several years reached out one Friday with devastating news: his wife was in hospice care. Remembering small conversations about church and faith from earlier seasons together, the coach asked if Nate would come spend time with him and his two sons. The boys had questions about heaven and wanted comfort during an unimaginable moment.

“I told him I didn’t have the answers,” he shared, “but I would go.”

Armed with little more than his Bible, prayer, and a willingness to be present, he stepped into one of the hardest moments a family could face. Together they read Scripture, prayed, played games, and simply spent time together.

At first, he felt completely inadequate.

“I felt like I would not have the right words to say,” he admitted. “Quite frankly, when we were reading Scripture about heaven, I felt like I butchered the whole thing.”

But through that experience, he learned something important: sharing faith is not about having perfect words. It’s about showing up and trusting God to work through imperfect people.

“If you go, the Holy Spirit will work in and through you,” he said.

More than a year after the family’s loss, the relationship continues. The conversations, support, and connection built over years of coaching created a foundation of trust long before this difficult season arrived.

“Conversation through relationships is the most powerful way to share Christ’s love with others,” he explained.

That trust, he believes, is what opened the door for deeper conversations about faith. Through consistent care, kindness, and authentic relationships, people begin to notice something different — a peace and steadiness rooted in Christ.

“When people go through difficult times, they can see how anchored you are in something more powerful than yourself,” he shared. “And when that time comes, they reach out because they trust you.”

Missionary Pathways encourages believers to recognize that ministry doesn’t only happen inside church walls. It happens at ballfields, in workplaces, neighborhoods, schools, and everyday conversations. It happens “as you are going.”

Nate’s story is a reminder that God often works through ordinary people willing to be present, listen well, and share His love through genuine relationships. No one needs to have all the answers. Sometimes the most powerful witness is simply being there when someone needs hope the most.