Institutional v. Missional Church: Societal Infrastructure

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Institutional Church

In the Institutional Church, we see that barriers that are erected around the church are also carried with the Christians as they leave the church facility. When the Institutional Christian exits the facility, they carry much of what makes them unattractive to the world with them in their predispositions and behavior. How many times have you seen Christians piously look down at the behavior of co-workers who are not believers? Or use churchified lingo around people who are anything but churched? Or blare their “Christian” radio station/music for others to hear in an effort to “be a light to the world?”

Right. They’re actually creating a backlash and feeding the stereotype that Christians, and by extension God and Christ, are at least pious if not morons.

Missional Church

Missional Christians are extensions of their church philosophy, tearing down as many barriers to conversation as is possible. This is not to say that Christians are to be sinful in their behavior, but that they would need to understand the world around them and go to it, rather than asking the world to come to their churched culture and conform – which is not going to happen.

Rather than thinking of their Christian walk in terms of the church facility and the people gathered there, the Missional Christian focuses their life on the domain of society in which they live in an effort to exert their sphere of influence. As Bob Roberts explains in Glocalization, it is through the infrastructure that already exists in society that we connect with those upon whom we will have the ultimate influence.

Meaning that the Furniture Salesman connects with customers, co-workers, furniture reps, etc. All of the people that exist in that realm of society and with whom he comes in contact are his infrastructure. The Dentist has office workers, patients and drug reps. Add to this the infrastructure that is represented by the hobbies and pastimes we enjoy and you get relationships that revolve around photography, Little League baseball, or even the morning celebration of java at Starbucks.

That is to say, random conversations with strangers and home invasion visitation strategies that expect an immediate conversion experience are expressions of an Institutional mindset. This mindset calls on whomever to simply conform to the Institutional Christians belief system and behavioral standards over a structured conversation that is really more of a sales pitch. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen. I’m just saying it isn’t keeping up with the growth of our global or even American population. This means that we had better do something different and do it quickly or the church in the west will become inert if not extinct.