Great idea! We are using the slogan “50 more for heaven in 2007.”

that was a great answer. thanks again.

david

I was on my way out the door and meant to write more, but felt rushed.

Missional is just another way of saying “On Mission,” a phrase that many previous generations still use – and is the name of a certain missions publication.

Everybody sharing Christ with whomever God puts in their path. I would say that the attitude is also a little more organic than days gone by.

It used to be that we would memorize a formula, use a tract in conjunction with that formula or on it’s own, and give somebody a rough sketch and 20 mins (at the best) to make an eternal decision. The “Missional” thought process, as I understand and practice it, is to start a conversation and let it flow naturally. It will come out that we are Christians and we will be able to be just as open about our faith, but it will be a natural part of a conversation instead of dominating a conversation with a “sales pitch.”

I have had two such conversations this week. I took both of those conversations to the Cross. One person accepted the Lord, one did not, but both heard the Gospel – just not pre-packaged.

As far as convincing a church that is set up in the “hired gun” mindset that they must get off their hind ends… Start in Ephesians 4 and define what everyone’s roles are. Pastors build up the body, the body does the work of the ministry. Be sure to emphasize that you are also a part of the body, and that you don’t expect them to do anything that you aren’t doing.

Second, work this idea into your sermons at every turn. Not that you preach this idea as the central theme of every sermon, but that you reinforce how this concept applies to every aspect of the body and its work.

Finally, after prayer and preaching, when the leadership of the Holy Spirit convicts you of it, you begin to slowly change one thing at a time to reflect this concept.

It is a slow thing that will take years – especially if your church is steeped in the other mindset.

The faster you change things, the more friction you will create. You will need an atmosphere of High Trust/Low Fear, where your congregation knows you love them and wouldn’t do anything that would hurt them, but are seeking to help them be who they need to be.

If you don’t have that and can’t get it, you should probably move on. You aren’t the man they need and the church that is willing to follow you on this journey is out there. It took me a long time to find the church God had for me, but here I am. I wanted to be at a church that was willing for a long time. In His time, God made it happen.

I pray for my previous church. They loved me and I loved them, but they weren’t ready to go where I was heading, so I needed to move. I think that in my moving on, as well as many other circumstances, they may be closer. Maybe not, but I can’t be responsible for where they go, now. I have to focus on where I am and where my church is going.

Of course, I would add that the process of my convictions took place for most of a decade, bringing me to a head. I remember hearing about some fadish Sunday School formulas early in my ministry and led my team to make the switch. The problem was I wasn’t sold on it other than to hear it was working elsewhere. I didn’t understand why it was working or how it might fit our situation. I didn’t completely understand it all, so making the switch was a failure. I couldn’t convince anyone that we actually needed a change, because I didn’t understand it all myself.

This time, I was chomping at the bit to be and do church in a way that I thought was Biblically sound and essential to the health of any church. My passion and understanding were huge, and that communicated to my new church.

Combined with patience (not changing everything quickly) this has created a good level of excitement about new things and yet avoided feelings that things are “out of control” and that “no one knows what is happening.” That is a lesson I learned the hard way.

My recommendation to you is to read Missional Leader and see if it strikes a chord with you. If it does, read some more, dialog with others who are also working toward this mindset and start the journey.

Remember – “Culture chaser” is something some people do in the name of Christ, but that is not Missional. A Missional mind engages culture with the Bible and the Gospel. That’s all. It does not water down the Gospel to make it more inviting to a lost world that doesn’t want to hear tough things.

I assure you, in the two conversations I had this week, I could have talked around the issues all day long. I went straight to the heart of the matter, saying that the first thing they needed to get straight is their relationship with God. Nothing else would work right unless they did.

How’s that for a longer answer? :)

thanks.

david

No, I don’t agree. The targeting of a slice of culture is a part of the church growth theory that has its roots in the late seventies and first flourished in the eighties. You have associated two things that are not necessarily the same thing.

You should read Missional Leader. It would help you understand what Missional is and answer your question at the same time.

would you not agree though that many missional churches do target only certain age groups? whether that be young people or middle aged or cowboys or the bill gaither crowd? thats what i was talking about. if you target only certain people….especially age groups….then i think we miss out on much of the ministry that churches are supposed to be doing as seen in the nt. where would the older women be who should teach the younger women? where would the widows to minister to, if you only had young people? etc.

art and david p., i agree totally with what yall are saying about the whole church needs to be on mission, and not look to the pastor as the hired gun. amen! halelujah! how do you teach this to a settled, traditional church? :)

david