Making the Missional Church Move

Mark Love, assistant professor of ministry and the Director of Ministry Events at Abilene Christian University, discusses the missional church movement:

We’ve heard of “purpose driven” and “seeker sensitive” churches. These descriptions have found their way into our church-speak glossaries and are now thrown around casually in conversations about congregational life. Well, it’s time to add another term to your glossary: missional church. Read on.

Church: It's All About 'Mission'

Ed Stetzer's new book, The Missional Church, is a profound call to the New Testament 21st Century church to "get back to the main thing," that is, to become missional.

“Christian leaders are beginning to understand that the church must not rework its programs; it must rediscover its mission. In short, it must become missional," says Stetzer.

That's the message I share when I speak to pastors and missions leaders when presenting the Acts 1:8 Challenge. That is, it's on longer about "missions," rather the "mission" of the church.

Our churches must be about transformational change that ultimately creates disciples. A church that's not actively doing that isn't fulfilling Christ's call for the church to take the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).

As Stetzer states, “As the church rediscovers its missional nature, it will acquire a renewed passion to be a people on mission.”

Missional Church: Model, Movement or Mute Point?

By John M. Bailey
North American Mission Board, SBC

Have you heard the phrase “missional church”? Do you use it? Do you know the kind of church it describes? Some say the point is mute… that it is like saying “canine dog” or “feline cat.” Some say it is a movement of God. Some say it is a church planting model.

Although it is still a work in progress, The Enlistment and Missional Networks Team has compiled a definition for your review:

A missional church is a reproducing community of authentic disciples who abandon themselves to passionately seek the heart of God and to live out His mission in their community and around the world.

First, a missional church is a reproducing community of disciples. Missional churches are aware of the human need for community, as well as the transforming power of Christian community. Therefore, the practice of community is highly valued. It is in community that doubt disappears. It is where loneliness fades away. It is where faith, hope and love abound.

Gathering a large crowd in a single location does not appear to be a priority. Missional churches seem to know that community, connectivity, occurs best in smaller gatherings. Thus, an emphasis is placed upon creating multiple reproducing communities with some sort of connectivity to the host church. Success, therefore, is measured not by the crowd gathered on Sunday, but by the number of faith communities who exist in the context of culture.

Second, missional churches are a community of authentic disciples. Authentic Christianity occurs in community where people are held accountable -- where individuals are expected to glorify God in what they do and say. As they grow, as they reflect the transforming power of Christ in their lives, others are attracted to their community and therefore, to Christ. They learn how to be like Jesus from Jesus. Deeds of compassion are expressions of His life and teachings. The focus switches from gathering knowledge and facts to obedience.

Third, missional churches abandon themselves, their wants or desires, for the good of others. Many of those writing about missional churches point out that some of our established churches have become places where consumers come for religious goods and services, placing an emphasis upon meeting the needs of the present congregation; upon attracting a crowd. They are calling for a new paradigm where individuals see the church as an equipping and sending center, one that places the emphasis upon the needs of those far from God, and not upon those within the family of God.

Fourth, missional churches passionately seek the heart of God. As I look at my former ministries in the local church, I believe I can safely say that we sought the heart of God -- and at times did so passionately. But this appears to be different in the missional church. I sense that there is less emphasis placed upon having a church-wide vision and strategy. Less emphasis upon the pastor declaring, “Thus says the Lord…” There seems to be rather an emphasis upon assisting individuals with discovering God’s vision for their lives as it relates to ministering in the culture in which they live.

It appears that the vision of the missional church is to empower and release authentic disciples into the harvest. Therefore, the emphasis is placed upon assisting individuals to passionately seek, clarify and live out the will of God for their lives. It’s about living a life totally led by the Spirit. Personal disciplines like prayer, worship and the study of God’s Word, are emphasized. This brings us to a small paradox. There is this sense of individualism expressed in the context of life (mission), but there is also this overwhelming dependence upon biblical community for growth and development. It’s not one over the other -- it’s both. One (community) enables individuals or small teams to live out their calling (mission) in the context of life.

Finally, missional churches live out His mission in their community and around the world. Most of my experiences have been with churches who have supported missions. We prayed for missionaries. We studied their work around the world. We sent money and teams. We celebrated those who responded to God’s call to go. Were we living out the mission of God? Were we developing missionaries to serve in our context? There is to be more than just an understanding of God’s mission in the world. There is to be active participation in the mission of God -- it is the heartbeat of the missional church.

Missional churches begin with their community, understanding that one size or type of church will not reach everyone with the gospel, and extend their efforts to the uttermost parts of the earth. They know their community and the cultures in which they serve. They seek to reach their community in a variety of ways representative of the sub-cultures that make up their community. Therefore, they have the ability to identify people groups, affinity groups, and under-reached places, and to equip disciples to journey into the harvest to live out the mission of God. They are contextual without compromising the Word of God.

Which brings us to our question, “Is the missional church a model, a movement or a mute point?” As our team continues our research, we believe we will discover transferable principles that will lead to the planting of a different kind of church in North America -- a missional church. It is more than a model. It is a movement of God. God wishes that none should perish. He equips every disciple for work in the harvest. He sends us into the world to live as salt and light. Could it be that an emphasis upon missional living will usher in a new movement of God in North America? A simple movement focused on the development of disciples who serve as missionaries in the world in which they live?

Our research, however, is a work in progress. We are still seeking to identify the characteristics of a missional church. We believe that we would benefit greatly from your input. What are you reading about the missional church? Where are the missional churches in your area? Do you consider your church to be a missional church? We would welcome an opportunity to learn from you. Please e-mail your comments regarding this article, or about the whole concept of missional church, to John M. Bailey, director of The Enlistment and Missional Networks Team, at JMBailey@namb.net. We look forward to hearing from you as our journey of discovery continues.

Mission Church Bibliography

Allen, Roland. (1963) Missionary Methods, St. Paul’s or Our’s. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.

Brock, Charles. (1980) The Principles and Practices of Indigenous Church Planting. Manila: Baptist Center.

Engle, Paul E. & Gary L. McIntosh (Eds.). (2004) Evaluating The Church Growth Movement. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Frost, Michael & Alan Hirsch. (2003) The Shaping of Things To Come. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.

Geiger, Eric & Thom S. Rainer. (2006) Simple Church. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Guder, Darrell L. General Editor. (1998) Missional Church. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmens Publishing.

Hunter III, George G. (2000) The Celtic Way of Evangelism. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

Minetra, Milfred. (2004) Shaped By God’s Heart. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint.

Roxburgh, Alan J. & Fred Romanuk. (2006) The Missional Leader. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Stetzer, Ed & David Putman. (2006) Breaking the Missional Code. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Stetzer, Ed. (2006) Planting Missional Churches. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers.

Tillapaugh, Frank R. (1982) Unleashing The Church. Ventura, CA: Regal Books.