First, this post is long. I’ve got such a bad case of A.D.D. that I’m not sure I could even read the whole thing. But, after some more reading and diggin’ in, I think I’m ready to spell out a rough definition of Missional Church. Again, there are so many books about this stuff surfacing right now, I’m not under the impression that I have some new revelatory information here.
From what I gather, most Missional Church thinkers agree that this is not something that becomes a church program or philosophy. This way of doing church has to become the literal heartbeat of the church. It must be the driving force behind all ministry that the church sets out to do, not just an aspect of how the church programs or defines itself.
To define what Missional Church is, you don’t need to look any further than what missionaries have been doing for well over a hundred years. Grossly understated I’m sure, but it works like this: a person or group gets called by God to a certain area of the globe or people group. Rarely have modern missionaries ever just hopped on a plane and gone into a location to minister without at least some basic training. In reality, most reputable mission agencies provide significant amounts of language and culture training before a missionary is commissioned and sent out. Then, once on location, there’s more language and culture training. You just don’t get dropped off in the jungle, run to the nearest village and start preaching. You live among the people. You learn their ways. You learn what they eat, what they wear, and how they interact. You do this because you want relationship with them. Because, you know that you have to earn the right to heard. Your life changing message won’t be heard if you are not trusted in the community. You have a calling and a deep, deep love for these people, and you desperately want to share with them your amazing God.
Boy that was a long explanation, but there is a point. America is quickly becoming, and some places already are, post-christian. The American church needs to begin to position itself as not only a sending agent of foreign missions, but radically reshape its mission here. American Christ followers are in desperate need of missions training. Not to go to the jungle, but next door to the neighbors. We need to take the time to learn their culture and language before we begin to preach. We’ve gotten so used to the “invite them to church and huddle them in to hear relevant messages” mentality that we actually act confused and shocked that folks aren’t knocking down the doors to get in anymore. We rarely shop with them, share with them, listen to their music, or live in relationship with them in order to earn the right to be heard. We judge them, tell them what their doing wrong, and alienate them if they ever do get the courage to break the threshold of our churches. In reality, it couldn’t be any more opposite from what missionaries do.
We have to ask ourselves if we have been called to reach this people group known as Americans. Do we have such a deep, deep love for them that we will seek training about their culture and their language? Will we live with them, or continue to try and preach to them? Will we serve them, help them, and love them? Or, just expect them to understand what makes no sense to them.
A missional church is a sending church to reach its community where it’s located. It has made the desicion that they have a calling and a deep, deep love for the people surrounding the building’s physical location. And, they will stop at nothing to engage these people. The church’s staff are mission training specialist constantly educating the congregants about the community’s culture. The program is to reach a people group – the only weird thing is that this people group are our neighbors, not some far off “national geographic” people.
So, did you even read all of this? What do you think? Am I way off? Would love some dialogue about this lengthy definition.
May 4, 2009 at 1:54 pm
(Don’t like going first, but since I might not get another chance…)
Yes, I read it all. Pretty good for an A.D.D. sufferer. I think you explained it very well, and I agree with everything you said. This has been a huge topic for me and many of my friends from college (PCC), but I thought it was an IFBC thing, you know, people with a more orthadox/legalistic church background realizing the futility of ‘living by the rules’. I think it all boils down to Jesus’ example. He ate with sinners, sought out the unlovely and unloved, shook up the religious order of the day, not to create a movement or a religion but to save us from ourselves. Now that we have found Him, he has commissioned us to seek those still lost.
I Cr. 9:19-23
“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
May 5, 2009 at 2:22 am
Thanks for writing this. I think you are right, but what a paradigm shift. Seems obvious, but why is it that it is so comfortable for us to stay where we are? I know I don’t even sometimes like to think about this stuff myself because it all seems overwhelming. It seems like major restructuring of the church is necessary. At least taking a hard look at why we are doing what we are doing. That’s scary to a lot of people. But why not move away from the irrelevant stuff we do in church because we’ve always done it to transformational things. So, do I know what I’m talking about?!?! Probably not…as I already stated…I try not to think about this stuff…
May 5, 2009 at 4:38 pm
As far as “living by the rules” goes, I would agree that it is futile to be perfect, but I also would point to Leviticus 19:2, where God commands us to be holy. We need to strive to be holy. I think some college students turn to this as a rationalization for sin that they are in. We need to always remember that when we sin, we sin directly against God and we need to repent of that sin and again honestly strive for holiness.
Regarding the issue of the Missional Church, it doesn’t sound like anything new to me. To me, it just means that lots of churches have gotten away from carrying out the Great Commission – they’ve become “The Chosen Frozen” – and they need to get out and make disciples of all men.
May 8, 2009 at 8:48 pm
I like what you are saying, but I am assuming that when you say the missionaries learn about the culture, that they are learning and not always participating. Just because it is their culture does not mean that it is right or that we should be a part of it.
Now, as far as judging them for it, I agree completely. Hitting someone in the face with the Bible about their culture and what in it is wrong is not how you reach people. You are dead on that we should learn about them and interact wisely. Something needs to change because churches are becoming houses of entertainment more than places of worship.
May 8, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Another thought (sorry, i think too much) One of the reasons missionaries do what they do is that they have one culture to learn. When one of them lands in Africa, South America, or any other 3rd world or the like, they have only (usualy) one language and one culture. America is melting pot. So if your saying to learn the cutlure of your neighbor, that is indeed possible; but to learn the culture of an entire city, like Atlanta, would take some amazing separation. it would be like learning every culture of every people group. Maybe I have missed something, but I still agree with you.
May 8, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Thanks for the reply dude. We’ll get in touch this week sometime. Like all analogies, using missionary training and such breaks down at certain points. Like obvious contradictions to our faith -cannibalism, drug induced ceremonies (although I’m partial to that one), etc… But in my opinion, and it’s been proven by many of the missionaries that I’ve had the pleasure to become friends with, they have such a deep love for the people that they are compassionate and not judgmental, although non-approving. The whole point to this post is that America is changing into a post-christian culture where the Gospel and the Church will become more and more unknown. Kind of like the Northwest all over the U.S. To serve these people with the Love of Christ and hope to reach them with that love, we will have to be, and do things, differently.
May 9, 2009 at 1:12 am
Could not agree with you more. I heard you were headed to Georgia again and was curious as to what your plans are. If they involve starting something of your own, I would love to be a part of it. Hope to talk to you soon.