Look for this word.
My definition of a missional church: A church where the Great Commission (making disciples) and the Great Commandment (loving God and loving people) permeates every level of church existence, from its very identity (being) to its practices (doing). What does this mean in practice? Different churches live it out different ways.
Mike Cogland of NAMB's Center for Missional Research views Missional as a mindset or a lens through which we should see: Missional. It’s the new buzzword for many of today’s church leaders. Over the last two years, the term has grown in popularity and has been used in various contexts. Even though missional is the buzzword of the day, the concept has been around much longer. Actually, it has been around for centuries. Missionaries learned long ago that to reach a people group for Christ, they would need to understand their culture. By understanding the natives' beliefs, traditions, and values, they could eat, drink and talk like them. Then they could share the love of Christ within the context of the natives’ culture. Missional leaders and churches are ones that are viewing the world through missional lenses; they are missionaries—understanding the culture, leading biblically faithful and culturally relevant churches, and thinking in missionary ways about their contexts.
--Rich Johnstone
1 comment:
The problem became we moved away from it!
But Im glad the principles are returning!
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