Missional Church

Sing to the Lord; bless his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! Psalm 96:2, 3 (NLT)

As an individual and as a church, we are to be a missional people and be part of a missional church!

So many people ask about the term missional - there's a lot of confusion about it. In the past, many churches had two mission offerings: Christmas and Easter, one youth mission trip, and several Sunday School classes might do a ministry project. Missions was viewed as just one piece of the pie, not a centralized reason for being.

What if a church saw that God had a plan…a plan to be on mission for him for the whole church? This plan would take into consideration who God had called to be a part of that church; their abilities, experiences and especially their spiritual gifts. This plan would be understood by the congregation. Just as God calls individuals to a certain job or to a mission trip, God calls the church into specific ministries.

So in being missional, we try to see who we are as a congregation. What are our unique gifts and skills that can have an impact for Jesus? We look to see where God is already working and how it all fits together in a cohesive manner.

For example, a North Carolina church has been going to Mexico to build houses for the last 9 years. As a congregation, there has developed soft hearts towards Hispanics. In their community, now full of Hispanics, rather than seeing them as just other people, the church members wonder, "Where are they from?" "Have I worked in their hometown?" "What has been their experiences since being here?" And most important, "Do they have needs?" It is obvious that as a community of faith, Hispanic ministry is a natural for them.

A missional church is a particular community of God's people understanding that it is on mission for God in it's own community and around the world.

When the total task of the church is defined as mission…

When missions become personal and life changing…

Then it can have significant impact on the life of the church and those it is reaching out to!

God wants to use you and your church to impact the work with his love!

Are you and your congregation "on mission" for God?

Other Resources:

Being Missional

The Innovating Missional Change Model