Characteristics of Missional Churches

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 8/9/2019 Characteristics of Missional Churches

    1/2

    Characteristics of missional churches

    Minfred Minatrea studied a number of missional churches. He defined

    missional churches as Reproducing communities of authentic disciples, being

    equipped as missionaries sent by God, to live and proclaim his kingdom in

    their world. He noted nine practices that they have in common (with myexplanatory phrases in parentheses):

    1. Having a high threshold for membership (high expectations for believers)

    2. Being real, not real religious (being transparent, authentic, with one foot

    in the world.)3. Teaching to obey rather than to know (a practical faith)4.

    Rewriting worship every week (Creative, participatory Sunday morning

    services)5. Living apostolically (each believer as a missionary)6. Expecting to

    change the world (aggressively engaged in transforming communities)7.

    Ordering actions according to purpose. (Ruthless aligning of resources with

    mission) 8. Measuring growth by capacity to release rather than retain. (Not

    megachurches but multiplying churches)9. Placing kingdom concerns first (in

    contrast to denomination first. Thus, cooperation with other churches)

    In his book The Present Future, Reggie McNeal describes the missional

    church in terms of six new realities and related questions:

    The collapse of the church culture.a) Wrong question: How do we do church

    better?b) Tough question: How do we reconvert from churchianity to

    Christianity?

    The shift from church growth to kingdom growth.a) Wrong question: How do

    we grow this church?b) Tough question: How do we transform our

    community?

    A new reformation: Releasing Gods people.a) Wrong question: How do we

    turn members into ministers?b) Tough question: How do we turn members

    into missionaries?

    The return to spiritual formation.a) Wrong question: How do we develop

    church members?b) Tough question: How do we develop followers of Jesus?

    The shift from planning to preparation.a) Wrong question: How do we plan

    for the future?b) Tough question: How do we prepare for the future?

    The rise of apostolic leadership.a) Wrong question: How do we developleaders for church work?b) Tough question: How do we develop leaders for

    the Christian movement?

    Just as Minatrea said none of the churches he visited was fully missional, Iwould say that none of the materials Ive read on missional churches fully

    describes what I believe missional should mean. In Minatrea and McNeal, Ifound the descriptions to tend toward a conventional view of a suburban

  • 8/9/2019 Characteristics of Missional Churches

    2/2

    middle class evangelical church. Their concepts of a missional church weretriumphant, with a posture of surety in answers, in the clarity of those who

    need them, and in how to inform them of the answers. The contrastingposture is one of confidence balanced with humility, and action balanced withlearning. They did not address the need in the church for racial reconciliationand the witness that unity (and disunity) are to a watching world. Their ideas

    of witness tended heavily toward verbal proclamation. Thus, they did notpresent the perspective of integral mission. In emphasizing verbal

    proclamation, they were individual-oriented and did not talk about thecorporate witness of the church and of the variety of spiritual gifts that

    contribute to the corporate work of the church. Finally, they affirmed the roleof small groups in church life, but mostly for the purposes of transparency,accountability, and encouragement. They did not conceive of small groupsforming around mission, which is an important and powerful way of making a

    church more missional.