Churches as Missionaries

Some significant discussion about the state of the church today in today's Baptist Press.

‘Breaking the Missional Code’
sees churches as ‘missionaries’
By Mark Kelly

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Many Southern Baptist churches once were remarkably effective in their outreach but now are struggling because their evangelism techniques no longer connect with communities whose culture has fragmented and radically changed.

“Too many churches are boldly pressing forward in the third millennium with the methods and ministries that worked in 1954,” Ed Stetzer and David Putman write in “Breaking the Missional Code,” a 2006 release from the B&H Publishing Group of LifeWay Christian Resources.

Referencing the Southern Baptist Convention’s highly successful “Million More in ’54” Sunday School campaign, Stetzer and Putnam note: “The problem is that we aren’t sent to the culture of 1954.”

Stetzer is a missiologist who directs the North American Mission Board’s Center for Missional Research; Putman is executive pastor of the Atlanta-area Mountain Lake Church in Cumming.

Southern Baptists need to adopt the process used by their missionaries in seeking to be an incarnational, loving presence of Christ on their mission fields, Stetzer and Putnam write.

“The missionary studies the culture, looking for the ways God is already revealing Himself to the people,” the authors recount. “When that ‘bridge’ is found, the missionary can express the eternal truth of the Gospel in a way that is indigenous to the culture. People respond with joy and the Gospel spreads like wildfire through the network of their relationships.”

A “missional” church, then, is one that acts like a missionary in its community, Stetzer and Putnam write.

Many church leaders, however, see evangelism as “something that takes place near us, while missions takes place overseas,” Stetzer and Putman write. “Our paganized, secularized, spiritualized North American culture,” they point out, “should be seen as a mission field.

“Evangelism is telling people about Jesus; missions involves understanding them before we tell them,” the authors note. “Large segments of people in our society and many aspects of our culture have yet to be influenced with the Gospel. Applying missionary principles in the North American context means we seek to understand the cultural situation and its people as we seek to reach them with the Gospel.”

Failure to understand a community explains why strategies that work for some pastors don’t work for others, Stetzer and Putman write. “Too many pastors lead churches in their heads and not their communities. They pastor some idealized version of someone else’s community rather than understanding and reaching their own.”

Stetzer and Putman compare two pastors, one who chooses to understand the culture and one who thinks culture does not matter. “Both pastors faithfully preach, teach and reach out,” the authors note in the introduction to Breaking the Missional Code. Yet the results are different. “We are convinced you can be equally called, gifted and passionate and yet experience different levels of success” depending on the leader’s cultural awareness, they write.

The reason a ministry approach brings great success in one community yet fails in another is that the second community differs culturally from the first, Stetzer says. “It’s funny,” he observes, “we require international missionaries to do the very thing we often forbid North American churches -- to contextualize their approach to their culture.”

Stetzer, who has started churches in three states, learned the hard way that culture matters. “Years ago, my church growth world began to come apart,” he recounts. “Many of the surefire, guaranteed, great, new, whiz-bang programs weren’t working in my church or the churches we were starting. They were supposed to work. They worked in other places, but they did not work for us.

“It took a while for us to figure it out, but the reality was that what worked in one place did not work with effectiveness everywhere else,” Stetzer says. “The cultural code in my community was different from the cultural code where the experts lived. We were living on different mission fields.”

Breaking the missional code, Stetzer and Putnam write, requires church leaders to think through their context, apply biblical principles that work in every context and apply the tools most relevant for the particular context. Grasping a community’s culture and finding a strategy that will overcome barriers amounts to “finding a redemptive window through which the Gospel can shine.”

“Missions history is filled with stories of great revivals because missionaries were able to ‘break the code’ and the church exploded in their community,” the authors write.

Being a “missional” church, however, should not be confused with being contemporary, seeker-sensitive, postmodern, emerging or any of the various forms of church being tried across America, Stetzer and Putnam note. Those can all be missional, they write, but a traditional church can be just as much a missionary in its community as any other.

“A church is missional when it remains faithful to the Gospel message while contextualizing its ministry to the degree it can so the Gospel can engage the worldview of the hearers,” Stetzer says. “Traditional churches that are engaging communities that are receptive to traditional methods are just as missional as are contemporary, blended, ethnic or emerging congregations. The key is biblical fidelity and missional engagement in the culture where we are.”

In a country where so many have no understanding of the basic Christian message and do not identify with the traditional Christian subculture, churches must step out of their buildings and take the Gospel into their communities, Stetzer says.

“It’s time for us to stop thinking attractionally –- ‘Come see our show’ --– and start to think incarnationally -– ‘Let’s go among them and tell them of this Savior who transformed our lives.’”

Joe Thorn, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Elburn, Ill., notes that the missionary thrust of Stetzer and Putnam’ Breaking the Missional Code is not “a one-size-fits-all approach to church, nor does it value innovation for its own sake. It does, however, challenge the church to love God and neighbor by making the former known to the latter in the most effective ways for its community.”

The book encourages churches “to look beyond prepackaged programs that promise immediate results to universal principles and a process of implementing those principles in ways most appropriate to a church’s unique context,” Thorn wrote in a review circulated by LifeWay Christian Resources. “It pushes churches to know their communities’ needs, values and language in order to more effectively demonstrate that the Kingdom of God has come and redemption is real.”

One of the most valuable components of Breaking the Missional Code, Thorn wrote, “is how Stetzer and Putman lead readers through open-ended, diagnostic questions that give them a clearer picture of where their church is, and where it needs to go.”

The “biblical rooting” of Breaking the Missional Code “allows for cultural diversity,” Thorn wrote. “[It] can bring greater health, cooperation and success to the Southern Baptist Convention by encouraging agreement on the essentials, diversity where necessary and an emphasis on what local churches must do as God’s missionary people to their community.
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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.

Tag! You're It!

Many Christians have little or no idea what they're getting themselves into when they surrender their lives to Christ and commit to follow him. Once an individual says he is no longer going to his life under his own strength, but by Christ's strength alone, things change...or they should.

The same is many times true of the local church. After all, it IS a big mission, isn't it? That is, to fulfill Acts 1:8 by literally reaching the world for Jesus Christ. Before we become too overwhelmed, we must remember that we're told we don't have to go it alone. We have the power and the might of the Holy Spirit as promised in Acts to guide us in all of our ways as new Christians. What's more, Southern Baptists have the support of their denominational partners to help the church reach Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. Support comes in the form of the local association, state convention, North American Mission Board and International Mission Board.

The thing is, many Christians never do truly surrender their lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ, so they just end up going about their business as wimpy, weak vessels that don't make any kind of difference in the world. The same can be said of many churches.

That's just what the evil one would have us do. That way he can go about his business with the least amount of bother. Commit yourself and your church today to go forward today boldly in Jesus' name and to become the "missional" force Christ outlined so beautifully in Acts 1:8!

Tim Yarbrough is a mission strategist and leader of the Church Relations Team at the North American Mission Board. He serves as the national coordinator of the Acts 1:8 Challenge initaitive.

Another Convention Embraces Acts 1:8!

It is refreshing and a blessing that we continue to see state conventions embrace an Acts 1:8 paradigm of missions. The latest is Minnesota-Wisconsin. Check out the Baptist Press article below. --Tim

Acts 1:8 mandate to churches underscored by Minn.-Wis. Exec
By David Williams
Dec 6, 2005

WAUKESHA, Wis. (BP)--"Let's Go Minnesota-Wisconsin!" was the theme of the two-state convention's annual meeting, challenging messengers to share the love of Christ with people at home and around the world.

A total of 88 messengers and 86 visitors attended the Nov. 3-5 sessions at the Country Springs Hotel and Conference Center in Waukesha, Wis., representing 40 churches from six of the convention's eight associations.

"It's back to the basics tonight," Leo Endel, executive director of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention, told the crowd, asking them to read Acts 1:8 in unison: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Endel shared his conviction that a biblical church follows the mandate of that verse and sees itself as a worldwide mission center.

"If we are going to be His witnesses in our Jerusalem, weíre going to have to get out of the walls and into the streets where the people are," he said, asking, "If your church closed tomorrow, would your community miss you?"

Each church also has a responsibility beyond its local community and must also find ways to reach its state, its nation and its world, Endel continued.

"You and I continue to write Acts 1:8 as we are His witnesses to the world," Endel said.

Other speakers echoed that theme.

John Avant, vice president of the evangelization group of the North American Mission Board, said Southern Baptists have gotten used to getting "boxes" from NAMB containing the latest evangelism initiative.

"When I came to this position nine months ago, I put a moratorium on creating new products," Avant said. "No longer are we going to send you a box and say, "Hereís the NAMB product we want you to use."

Instead, Avant said, churches need to "make evangelism good news again" by doing it "the Jesus way."

"We need to return to that place where evangelism is not just something super-Christians do once a week but is the joy of our life," Avant said. "If we ever return to the joy of evangelism, then almost any box will do, any program will do."

R. Philip Roberts, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., noted that the Christian church is plateaued in North America and declining in Western Europe.

"Everywhere else the church is growing," he said, citing growth in Latin America where 400 people an hour are joining evangelical churches, Korea where the Christian percentage of population has grown from 1 percent to more than 40 percent in the past 45 years, and China where a house church movement has resulted in more than 100 million believers in a communist society.

An International Mission Board representative to the Far East who was back in Minnesota-Wisconsin temporarily, challenged the convention to consider whether God might be calling it to take an international assignment.

"Is Minnesota-Wisconsin the end of the line for you, or could God be calling some of you to the ends of the earth?" asked the missionary, whose name cannot be identified for security reasons.

Kendall Moore, national literacy missionary with NAMB, encouraged churches to consider using literacy training as a tool for reaching people.

"I would encourage you to look out your door," Moore said. "There are people out there who are waiting for you to teach them how to read and write."

The Minnesota-Wisconsin meeting was without conflict or controversy, with no resolutions offered, all three officers elected by acclamation and the only other motion -- that the recommended budget be approved -- passing unanimously.

Shelby Alcott, a member of Layton Avenue Baptist Church in Greenfield, Wis., was elected president; Les Stevens, a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Rochester, Minn., first vice president; and Arne Gulbrandsen, pastor of New Beginnings Church in Racine, Wis., second vice president.

The 2006 budget of $2,211.652 is down 1.8 percent from the 2005 budget. As in the 2005 budget, 13 percent of Cooperative Program receipts will be forwarded to Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries, while 87 percent will be used for M-W causes. Principal changes in the budget, Endel told messengers, included 2.5 percent salary increases, the doubling of disaster relief funding and a downward adjustment of church planting funds due to decreased support from the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Also during the meeting:

-- A Jan. 31 retirement date was announced for Norman Wallace, M-W church growth and health director, after 21 years on staff.

-- An offering of $827.29 was received to assist churches damaged by Hurricane Katrina in the Mobile Baptist Association in Alabama.

-- Special prayer was voiced for the pastor of a Hmong Baptist church in Minnesota facing possible deportation.

There were light moments during the sessions, including a rap which Guidestone representative Mike Harris wrote for his report after hearing special music during a previous session from a church that uses Christian rap in worship:

"I'm from Guidestone and Iím here to say,

"No one's going hungry when they're old, no way!

"Retirements, investments, insurance, too,

"What we do is all about you!

"We can help one way or another

"So you wonít have to move in with your mother."

The resolutions committee also used humor in its report: "Whereas, no messenger has found sufficient reason, resolve or bellyaching to set forth a recommended resolution, be it resolved that we, the resolutions committee, have no resolution, fallacious or otherwise, to offer this body. Praise God, weíre free at last."

Next year's meeting will be Nov. 2-3 at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites in Duluth, Minn., with Paul Berthiaume, pastor of Jacobís Well in Eau Claire, Wis., scheduled to preach the annual sermon. There are 13,781 members of 145 churches and missions in the Minnesota-Wisconsin convention.
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David Williams is editor of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist, newsjournal of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention.

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Acts 1:8 Challenge in Indiana!

Below is an article on the Acts 1:8 Challenge by Stephen Davis, executive director for the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana. His article was printed in the April 13, 2005 issue of the Indiana Baptist to encourage SBC churches in the state to accept the Acts 1:8 Challenge. --Tim

Acts 1:8 Challenge

By Stephen P. Davis

The Acts 1:8 Challenge is a passion, not a program. There have been many programs and slogans in the history of Southern Baptists, but the “Acts 1:8 Challenge” is different. It defines the passion and focus of Jesus and is His final word to the apostles and the church. Acts begins with “…about all that Jesus began to do and to teach…” and then Jesus ascends to the right hand of the Father. The rest of the book of Acts is a continuation of our Lord’s desire carried out by the Apostles and the early church. We are excited that Southern Baptist leaders and entities are uniting around a clear, harmonious commitment to carry out our Lord’s last challenge – to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 outlines our task, our commitment and our challenge until Jesus comes. It is not a fleeting motto, program or slogan. It is our mandate as we seek to obey Jesus to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in order to empower Kingdom growth.

“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…” One thing is clear from Jesus – we cannot fulfill the Acts 1:8 challenge apart from His Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit working in us and through us will enable us to have the passion and commitment to be an Acts 1:8 Christian and an Acts 1:8 church. So the bottom line is this: unless the Spirit takes over our lives and churches, we will be malnourished in our effectiveness.

“…and you will be MY witnesses…” Anyone who studies this phrase in the Greek knows that the word order places emphasis on the pronoun “My.” In other words, Jesus is telling us that when the Holy Spirit is truly in charge of our lives, we will have the power and make it our priority to be a witness exclusively to Him in our world.

“…in Jerusalem…” – the local church and associational challenge. If acceptance of the Acts 1:8 Challenge does not happen here first, it will not happen. We are asking every pastor and church in Indiana to make the commitment to go on record that we accept Acts 1:8 as our strategy for reaching our communities, state, nation and world. Leaders in our churches must lead out in this commitment.

“…in all Judea…” – our state. On the state level, it is the desire of the SCBI to be a strategic partner with our pastors, churches and associations to work together to fulfill the Acts 1:8 challenge by adopting as our theme for the next three years, “Taking the Cross to the Crossroads.” Themes may come and go, but our commitment is that Acts 1:8 will be our marching orders and our mandate that will not change in focus, priority and, most of all, our passion.

“…and Samaria…” – our nation and Canada. Our strategic partner for extending the gospel to the North American Continent is the North American Mission Board (NAMB), and the guiding principle for our partnership is Acts 1:8. We are working together to equip believers to be witnesses, to start churches, to strengthen churches and to expand the influence of the gospel in every segment of society.

“…and to the ends of the earth.” – our world. We are excited about what God is doing in our world. Over a thousand people a day are coming to Christ overseas under the direct contact or influence of our missionaries. As our strategic partner to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, the International Mission Board is also united with us around Acts 1:8. They are committed to doing all they can to assist our churches in overseas partnerships with unreached and unengaged people groups. The opportunities in the days ahead, however, are unlimited for churches to impact the world, not only through prayers and giving, but personal involvement. God has given the Acts 1:8 challenge to every local church. Our commitment is to assist in every way possible the desires of our churches to fulfill the Acts 1:8 challenge and connect to people overseas who need to hear the gospel.

90% of our world is considered to be lost! When we contemplate that statistic, it is obvious that we cannot do it in our own strength, ingenuity, resources, talents and abilities, but “…by My Spirit, says the Lord!”
We want to encourage every pastor and church in our state to officially commit to the Acts 1:8 challenge. You can access it online at our web page – www.scbi.org. It will only take a minute to fill out the form; it will take until Jesus comes to carry it out. Many of our churches already have, but we are praying for every church to make that official commitment. If you do not have access to the web page, then call or write us, and we will get the brochure to you. Think about it. What Jesus has outlined for us in Acts 1:8 is His comprehensive strategy to reach our world. Every church needs to put into place each piece of the strategy. Let’s have a clear focus, uniting around our common commitment to be Acts 1:8 churches.

Our prayer? That this will be our passion, not a program. If it’s just another program, then it is doomed to eventual obscurity. If Acts 1:8 is our passion, then we will stay faithful to the task until Jesus comes!