Recently several members and leaders in our church have asked questions about what we mean by "missional." Are we a "missional" church? What are the implications of that? How is that different from being a "missionary" church or a "missions-minded" church? How is that different from "purpose-driven" church or from "church-growth" model type churches? These are valid questions.
This is not a new conversation at Calvary. Ever since David Chan (former pastor of mobilization and global impact) joined the staff, the concept has been discussed. Milfred Minatrea, who wrote the book "Shaped by God's Heart: the Passion and Practices of Missional Churches," preached frequently at Calvary during the interim period between Pastor Ellis and me. I have preached and taught on the subject multiple times. Pastor Chad, our current pastor for mobilization and global impact, may not use the word "missional" as much as the rest of us, but he addresses related concepts frequently. We must ask at this point, Are we having "missional" overload? Is something out of balance in our emphasis and conversations at Calvary? Have we been talking a long time about something that we assume leaders and the congregation understand when in reality there has been little clarity? These too are good questions.
Allow me to begin by saying that one of the problems with the word "missional" is that it has been overused and misused in a lot of different contexts. (I won't even attempt to list the various definitions here in order to avoid confusion). This is similar to the word "discipleship" and even to the term "Christian." These words mean different things to different people. So we either find new words or we use these and clarify exactly what we mean by them.
"Missional" is not exactly the same thing as "missionary" although the two words might be related.
Missionary:
Calvary and Baptists in general have always been missionary. By missionary we have understood that we care about those without Christ in other countries, that we support missionaries and missions financially through our budget and through special offerings, that we cooperate with other Baptists in the cause of missions, that we pray for missionaries and the people they minister to, that we teach our children and youth about missions and encourage those who are called to missions to respond, that we inform and teach our congregation about the needs in missions so that they can continue to give, pray, and on occasion go. In very progressive cases, being missionary has meant participating in short-term trips where every day members can see first hand what happens in the mission field and thus be well-rounded disciples. From this perspective, we have considered "missions" one of the ministries or departments of the church, we have focused on professional missionaries and short-term trips, and we have highlighted the international mission field.
Missional:
At Calvary, when we talk about being "missional" we include all of the aspects under "missionary" above, but it goes beyond that. Being "missional" is more than the "missions" we participate in. It has to do with our perspective, our identity, and our heart. It is not about a guilt-trip that we are not doing enough. It is not an elitism that puts those who go internationally on a pedestal above everyone else. It is about a life-style!
There are two primary forces that shape the concept of being "missional." One of them is the understanding of Missio Dei or "the mission of God." This understanding moves from thinking of missions as a "department" of the church to mission as the purpose of the church. "Missionary" has often assumed that sharing the gospel was the "mission of the church" or Missio Ecclesia. But when we look at the Biblical record we discover that "redeeming the world" was not a by-product of the church but the very heart of God from Genesis to Revelation. God has been on a mission to redeem lost humanity from the beginning of time. The church is a by-product of the Missio Dei not the other way around. Thus, the reason the church exists is to join God on His mission to redeem the world. That should change the focus, outlook and direction of a church. (The focus of the church is not to grow or to provide services for members but to join God on His mission). It does not necessarily mean that it should only care about international missions or that every member needs to be a professional missionary. It does mean that every ministry of the church should seek to either join God in redeeming the lost or equip believers for that very thing. It does mean that all believers should discover how God is calling them to live that out at home, school, work and community. It is not about doing more or becoming professional missionaries. It is about capturing God's heart for our family members, our neighbors, our co-workers and our community. It is about living redemptively or "apostolically" (there's another word that needs definition!). It is about caring for the lost here and "over there." For some it may mean going international but not for all.
The other force that shapes the concept of missional beside Missio Dei is the post-modern, post-Christendom, pluralistic world in which we live. When the modern missionary movement was launched by William Carey in the late 1700s the world was divided into "Christian" countries and "heathen" countries. To be a missionary one needed to leave his homeland and go to a foreign country. The mission field was across the sea. To live in a "Christian" country meant that your school mates, your work mates and your neighbors grew up with a Judeo-Christian worldview. They may not have all been church attendees or born-again believers but they were familiar with the Bible, the story of Jesus, and had general agreement about what was morally right and wrong. Evangelism in that context could be done using a gospel tract like "The Four Spiritual Laws" or the "Roman Road." You could walk people through the Plan of Salvation and the Sinner's Prayer in about 15 minutes resulting in a profession of faith because there was a general Judeo-Christian context. Whether we like it or not, that is not the world we live in anymore. There are plans to re-evangelize the U.S. and Europe. The church in the Southern Hemisphere today is larger than the church in the Northern Hemisphere. Missionaries are literally being sent from everywhere to everywhere. Former Christian countries are now populated by large populations of Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, Secularists, Humanists, Buddhists, etc., etc. Many of those who are average "Americans" or "British" or "German" are biblically illiterate, morally indifferent, and doctrinally confused. That means that the mission field, more than ever, is across our street (not just across the sea). Furthermore, most of us are globally connected. Through the internet, social media, and email we can have contact with people in other parts of the world without leaving our bedroom. Many of us are able to travel internationally on vacation or business. Some even get transferred by their company to other countries. This means we have the opportunity to become "virtual" missionaries without having to go through seminary or a mission board. It also means we need more than 4-point gospel outlines to share Christ with others. We need to be cross-culturally skilled. We need to learn how to love and serve people, thus earning the right to be heard. We need to care for the entire person not just the soul. We need to seek not just to "save" individuals but to redeem our communities also. We need to live like the first century believers in the book of Acts. The church advanced the most in a context that was pagan and often anti-Christian. We can thrive too in the power of the same Holy Spirit.
There is much more that we could say about this. But this is not supposed to be a dissertation on the topic. It is simply a blog post to clarify some things. To be clear, we are not completely married to the word "missional" but we are committed to being a church that joins God on His mission. Ultimately, a term like that is more about what others consider us than about what we call ourselves. In Antioch, the disciples were called "Christians" for the first time (Acts 11:26). The believers did not spend a lot of time coming up with a name to call themselves. They simply lived Christ-like lives and it was the people around them that gave them the label "Christians." Our commitment is more to who we are and how we live that out than to what we call ourselves.
So in summary, this is what this means for us at Calvary:
- To be "missional" is more than just going on international missions;
- To be a "missional" disciple or church member does not mean that you have to be a professional missionary but that you find out how God wants you to live out his calling;
- To be a "missional" church means that everything we do should have God's mission in mind: to redeem a lost world.
- To be a "missional" church does not mean that the only thing we care about is going internationally or supporting professional missionaries.
- As a "missional" church we want to love, minister and equip every member to be all God has called him/her to be. This concerns every area of life. Being "missional" is about a life-style not about "missionary" activity. It is simpler than it sounds.
- To be missional is not a "new commandment." It is simply the full implication of discipleship. The terms and the context have changed but the biblical concept remains the same.
- Ultimately, being a missional disciple and a missional church is the work of the Holy Spirit through us. He is the one that gives us the desire to join Him on His mission. He is the one that teaches us how to live like that. He is the one that works it in us. It is not a burden or a guilt-trip. It is the work of grace as we trust Him and are willing to obey Him.
Some churches have radicalized this concept. Some members fear the implications of this. At Calvary, we simply want to line up our heart with God's heart. We trust Him to guide us, to empower us and to resource us in accordance to His call. While we are ready to learn from other churches, please rest assured that we are not trying to copy another church (with the possible exception of the New Testament church).
Jesus lived missionally. Yet His life did not seem like a burden. He enjoyed time with His friends, he was often outdoors, he occasionally joined the fishing expeditions, he shared many a meal with his disciples, he attended weddings and parties with tax-collectors. He lived in many senses a "normal" life. He was not locked up at the synagogue or at the Temple 24-7. He didn't have a religious persona that was different from His everyday life. He simply lived and taught as he walked and shared life with common ordinary people. Our call is not much different than that.
If this is still not completely clear, stick around. We hope to continue this dialogue. And, please do not hesitate to comment on this post, to ask questions. Challenge, push the envelope. This is a safe place to agree, disagree and grow.
I have not treated this post as an academic write-up but I must give credit to some books. Many of the concepts I discuss above are found in the following books. I have not quoted directly from them but I have read the books and the concepts in them come through in my post:
- Misión Integral: Ensayos Sobre el Reino y la Iglesia [Integral (Holistic) Mission: Essays on the Kingdom and the Church], C. Rene Padilla (1986)
- Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, Darrell L. Guder, Ed. (1998);
- The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, Philip Jenkins (2002);
- The New Global Mission: The Gospel from Everywhere to Everyone, Samuel Escobar (2003);
- Shaped by God's Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches, Milfred Minatrea (2004);
- Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, David J. Bosch (1991);
- The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century, Thomas L. Friedman (2005)
Interestingly, after I wrote this post last night, I downloaded a new book on my Kindle this morning. As I quickly read the introduction this morning, I felt like I could have just copied and pasted it to my post!!!!! :) I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book. It is:
- Unfinished: Believing is only the Beginning, Richard Sterns (2013)
